THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 47, 22 February 1873, Page 4

THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE.

The Rev, Thos. Buddie recently delivered a lecture iv Auckland, in which he gave an account of the proceedings of the Conference lately held in Sydney. He spoke of the object of the meeting, and described the kind of business which chiefly engaged their attention, and referred to the various opinions expressed by members on many topics of importance. He referred particularly to the clamoring of circuits for this minister or that minister, as they were only too much in the habit of doing. This bad been a ■difficult matter for the Conference to arrange. For his own part he had a very strong objection to the invitation system altogether, and he hoped soon to see it abolished; but at the same time he very much doubted whether it would be. No correspondence ought to take place between the preachers and the circuits before September, but this was not always adhered to. They would be sorry to hear of a decrease of 915 members in the colonial churches gonerally. There had been a considerable decrease in the Sydney, Melbourne, Maitland, Geelong, and Ballarat districts, and a small decrease in Tasmania. But in New Zealand, he was happy to say,* there was an increase of 129 members. The net increase, however, for New Zealand, when the mission stations were taken into account, was 170. There were many reasons for the decrease in the Australian colonies, principally, among them being the exodus to gold, copper and tin mines, often; situated in places where there were no churches. It was also very common for the people to go and live in the suburbs, where, perhaps, there were no Methodist. churches. The falling off in class attemdance was fully discussed by tbe Conference.. It was stated thata large number of the communicants were those who did not attend the class meetings. He held that the I Sacrament was no test of Church membership, although it might be a sign of such. In the Preebyterian and Congregational Churches, communicants must be Church members before they could be admitted te ; partake of -'the Sacrament. . The subject of dancing and worldly amusements was earnestly discussed, and opinions were expressed that such amusements were undermining the .spiritual? well-being of ' the community. Such frivolities would undoubtedly arrest the work of Cod among Wesleyan Churches.., .The speaker urged upon Metholists the necessity of reading Church magazines more, and light secular magazines rless-- 4f i they Xs wishedv-reail yl^to . •naye '** theirj^pnnpiples .*> rightly" "-formed, Fand - . "thoir y minds ' rightly y directed.

This was especially necessary in the case of the younger, members of the Church. Many entertainments, not '...wrong, in them- .... selves, greatly interfered with, class meetings and prayer meeting; . He had fouud tbat the members of the Church would often sooner go to a temperance meeting than to a class meeting. This was a matter of great importance, and should be carefully guarded against. New churches, , he was glad to say, were springing- up in all directions, and tbera was ho complaint to be made upon that score. With regard to the missions in the South Seas, they had'only this year to draw from London the sum of £145; all the reßt was contributed, in these colonies. The money, raised in: the Friendly. lslands in one year amounted to £10,553. (Applause.) If this was not a success for the missionaries, he did not know what was. The inhabitants of these islands (the Friendly) agreed to pay the ministers as much as they were paid in Sydney and Melbourne. In Fiji there was. an increase of 1230 members, notwithstanding the many difficulties which the people of that place had had to contend with. But he very much feared that - the Wesleyan, Church in that island would before long have to pass through a very severe ordeal. On the education fund there was a deficiency of £652. Thia fund was closely connected with the ministers' stipend, and was intended to assist him in his work, He hoped when the New Zealand Conference met there would be a good sprinkling of Northern clergymen there to represent Northern interests. Mr Buddie referred to the utility and benefit of local conferences, and Baid that tbe feeling in New Zealand and- Australia was the same in this respect. He had no doubt that, before three years had passed away, this measure would be ia thorough working order throughout New Zealand and the whole of Australia. There would be four ' conferences in all — one in New Zealand and three in Australia. The first New Zealand Conference was to be held at Christchurch. Some people hadi asked why it was to be held there and not in Auckland? Simply because Christchurch had sect an invitation; Auckland had not. So let them remember this in future; and if they wished the Conference to be held here, they must give expression •to their opinion by invitation. The annual .Conferences would be of an administrative, the general triennial Conferences of a legislative, character. He then proceeded to speak of his Auckland experiences thirty years ago, and compared them with those of to-day. But, perhaps, fast as Methodism had grown in Auckland, it had grown still more rapidly -in the South. There was a great work before them, and he exhorted his hearers to give every assistance in their power to the work, of building up and increasing the power of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. University of London. — In the official list of successful candidates at the recent examination for second B.A. at the University of London, the following names of candidates who have been trained in Methodist schools appear: Thos. Frederick Lockyer, New Kingswood, First Division; Edward Richard Lightwood, ditto, Second Division ; Richard Green Smailes, Wesley College, Sheffield, First Division; Walker Preston, Wesley and University Colleges, ditto ; Arthur Thomas Wilkinson, Wesleyan College, Taunton, ditto. Mr. Wilkinson matriculated in honors from Woodhouse-grove, and subsequently passed the examination for the first: B.A. from Wesley College, Sheffield, in the First Division. Mr. Smailes enjoyed the advantages' of the senior Xycett scholarship at Sheffield, for the usual' period, taking honors both; at the matriculation and at the first examination. The ' Australasian Packet -jhas arrived in Sydney * from ■■'■ a nine months cruise among the islands. She was last from New Guinea, from whence she brought 1 a quantity of. gum, which Captain Hovell thinks will prove very valuable.' It has the appearance of kauri gum, and of rather a pleasant smell. He has also obtained some small plants of the tree wbich produces it together with some seeds, but at present does not feel- inclined to disclose * the'spot where they were obtained. There was : also' on board the barque .20 ybags sponge, from the same place, and 'which; appeared to be of good quality. The Englishwoman (magazine) we read contains excellent instructions for every domestic abcomplißhment.[:;in one branch of domestic art— tbe culiriary-r-our California woman scorns instruction froai|the British-female^ 55 She' will -give that vain creature two minutes' start and beat her hollow in fifteen at getting' up' 'ia'- family broii, basted 'baby^or !i htisbiand Sj in-a- r stew, at Bkihning- a neighbour,' pressing 'down a rival, hooking : "V : lover!;'."; stuffing , ,and \* cleaning''' H her hands, smooth but her brow and look :'as;intip^6ibt as , a jaet ratfbiCail ;b£f6rk\y our .Jttinglish lt women , , Jaaciygotv kWblQJ,es(}fyir\y a-piping; ih'iLtov!,! strapger^fpurv 'igiijlaf- jjist; knock" Told^ 'EHiope^St FJ j .; Mti)*!J*ettirvAyyA ■ ■•■••:'■•' " W!