Cape Cod and All Along Shore Author:Charles Nordhoff Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: A STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. TT was the last day of the Indiana Conference. All business was dispatched, and the assembled preachers waited only for that last an... more »d most important announce- .ment which should decide for each the scene of his next year's labors. In the Methodist communion the bishop who presides over the annual meeting called the "Conference" wields the appointing power. His word, in this matter, has been wisely made supreme; and though, with the degenerating Methodists of the Eastern States, ,ihe body of presiding elders prompts the wisdom of their superior, while the larger and wealthier congregations go one step further and ask privately beforehand for the man of their choice, in the generous West they stick to the primitive mode, trusting to the experience of the bishop that he shall so fit the men to the churches that neither may be wronged. Nor, let it be said here to the honor of those venerable men, who have now for more than half a century exercised this somewhat arbitrary power, has there often been found just cause of complaint. The list of appointments is prepared during the session of Conference, and is kept strictly secret; so that no one knew, nor could form even a probable guess at his fate. The murmur of voices was therefore hushed, and all listened as with one ear when the bishop rose to solve their riddles for them. One by one the willing servants bowed their accepting heads, with a sigh of relief or sorrow, and lost their general curiosity in their particular interest. Presently was read out: "shottover Station: Paul Clifton." Whereat a few of the elder brethren looked over toward the young man so named, scrutinizing him with, critical eyes, as though measuring his fitness for this " Shottover Station;" while others, the younger pre...« less