each Congregation at least once in six months; to form classes, wherever they can, for the instruction of the larger children, youth, and adults in the Word of God; and where they cannot superintend them personally, to see that suitable Teachers are provided for that purpose.

§ 3. It shall be the duty of the Pastor to enforce faithfully upon parents and Sunday School Teachers the great importance of instructing children in the doctrines and duties of our holy religion; to see that our Catechisms be used as extensively as possible in our Sunday Schools and families; and to preach to the children, and catechise them publicly in the Sunday Schools and at public meetings appointed for that purpose.

§ 4. It shall be the duty of the Pastor in his pastoral visits to pay special attention to the children; to speak to them personally and kindly according to their capacity on the subject of experimental and practical godliness; to pray earnestly for them; and diligently instruct and exhort all parents to dedicate their children to the Lord in Baptism, as early as convenient.

§ 5. Each Pastor shall lay before the Quarterly Conference, to be entered on its Journal, the number and state of the Sunday Schools in his Charge, and the extent to which he has preached to the children and catechised them, and shall make the required report on Sunday Schools to his Annual Conference.

§ 6. It shall be the duty of every Pastor to cause each Church under his Charge to observe the last Sunday in October, or such other Sunday as may be more convenient, as Sunday School Day, and upon said day as part of the service he shall take a collec

tion to be devoted to the maintenance and advancement of our Sunday School work throughout the bounds of the Church. The Pastor shall forward the

said collection directly to the Corresponding Secre

tary of the Board of Sunday Schools.

CHAPTER IX

BOARD OF CONFERENCE CLAIMANTS

I. Authorization and Officers

423, § 1. There shall be a Board of Conference. Claimants nominated by the Bishops and elected by the General Conference, consisting of one effective Bishop, seven Ministers and seven Laymen. No Conference shall have more than one representative on the Board.

§ 2. The Board of Conference Claimants shall be duly and legally incorporated, according to the laws of the State of Illinois, with such powers and prerogatives as shall be needful for the accomplishing of the objects of the Board as herein stated. This Board is authorized to adopt such measures as in its judgment are necessary to build up and administer a permanent Connectional Fund which is hereby established, and to increase the revenues for the benefit of Conference Claimants; provided, however, that no part of the expense of administration shall be taken from the percentage forwarded by the Annual Conferences, but the expenses of such administration shall be paid from such other funds, not otherwise designated, as may be in the hands of the Board

Seven members shall con

of Conference Claimants. stitute a quorum. The office of the Board shall be in Chicago, Illinois.

§ 3. The terms of service of the members of this Board shall be for four years, and continue until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Vacancies occurring during the interval of the General Conference shall be filled by the Board upon nomination by the Bishops. The Board shall convene upon the second Tuesday in July, following their election, and thereafter at such times as shall be fixed by the Board. The Board shall make a detailed re

port to the General Conference.

[N. B.-The annual meeting of the Board of Conference Claimants is held on the Wednesday immediately following the second Monday in January.]

II. Corresponding Secretary

424. There shall be a Corresponding Secretary of like standing and duties as the Corresponding Secretaries of the other benevolent Boards, who shall be elected by the General Conference, and shall be the chief executive officer of the Board. Under the provisions of the Discipline and the authority, direction, and control of the Board he shall conduct the correspondence and business, and shall be an advisory member thereof. His time shall be employed in conducting the affairs and promoting the general interests of the Board.

III. Connectional Fund for Conference Claimants

1425, § 1. The Connectional Fund for Conference Claimants is established that the Preachers and the

people of the stronger Annual Conferences may be united with those of the weaker Conferences in one connectional plan in order that, by this coöperation, a more equitable and general support may be secured for Superannuated Preachers and other Conference Claimants, especially for those in the more needy Conferences.

§ 2. This Fund consists of:

1. The five per cent of the annual collections for Conference. Claimants forwarded from the Annual Conferences. ¶ 312.

2. The income of the Permanent Connectional Fund.

3. The income from funds, endowments, bequests, and grants, or money for permanent investments, or property held in trust, for this Fund.

4. The income from all bequests for the benefit of Conference Claimants, the custody or administration of which is not otherwise designated.

5. Such gifts and bequests as are made to this Fund for immediate distribution.

IV. Administration of Connectional Fund

¶ 426, § 1. This Connectional Fund shall be administered by the Board of Conference Claimants of the Methodist Episcopal Church, incorporated by authority of the General Conference.

§ 2. The Board of Conference Claimants as soon as possible after January 1 of each year shall ascertain the amount of the Claimants' Connectional Fund at their disposal for distribution to the Annual Conferences.

§ 3. The distribution of this Fund shall be made by

the Board of Conference Claimants to the Annual Conferences severally and not to the individual claimant.

§ 4. No Conference shall be eligible to receive connectional aid unless its share of the annual collections shall have been paid into the Connectional Fund.

§ 5. The Board of Conference Claimants, in determining the allowances for special relief, shall ascertain from the authorized reports received from the Annual Conferences in what Conferences the Conference Claimants are in need of special relief, and shall make the distribution to such Conferences according to the relative need as this shall appear from these reports; but the allowances to such Conferences shall not exceed one half of the moneys subject to distribution.

§ 6. The remainder of the available funds shall then be distributed among the other Conferences. The Board of Conference Claimants shall first ascertain from the reports of the Conferences the total amount of the deficits, if any, in the collections for Conference Claimants in such Conferences, and determine the proportion between the sum available for distribution to these Conferences and the total deficit in them; and each Conference shall then receive this per cent of its deficit..

V. Annual Conference Report

427, § 1. The Treasurer of the Board of Conference Claimants shall send to each Annual Conference a draft payable to the Treasurer designated to receive it, for the amount of the allowance thus made. He