GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA.
(Adbridged from "Zion's Herald").
ADDRESS OF REV. MR. SCOTT, FROM IRELAND.
...I will state it as a fact of mathematical
calculation, that our Irish membership, member for
member, contribute as much towards all our
Connexional funds as even our richer English
Societies. I would remind you that more than
two-thirds of our population in Ireland are
Roman Catholics. I would also remind you that
there has been a much larger flow of emigration
to this country for the past year than for
several years past, and in fifteen years our
population has been diminished by nearly three
million.
At no former time has the emigration from us
been so large as for the last three months
before I left, and during that time it has been
almost impossible to obtain passage on any
vessel coming to this country, so great has been
the press of emigration; and this is true of the
Methodist population of the agricultural districts
as well as of other parts of the country. Then,
I will remind you, that we have endowed religious
institutions of the English and other Churches all
around us, and they have not felt the effects of
emigration as we have...Only in an emergency,
under peculiar circumstances, did we appeal to you,
and not then until after we had heard many friendly
voices of invitation, and then only after we had
determined that, for this case alone, we should
come to you. When we commenced this enterprise,
full one-third of our Methodist membership and
congregations had emigrated within the previous
eight or nine years....
Pittsburg Christian Advocate.
