st satisfactory episode
of the session, to me, was the downfall of three pert young men who in
turn tried to make it appear that as the duty of the Conference was to
provide churches for all its pastors, I might become a burden to the
Church if it proved impossible to provide a pastorate for me. At that,
one of my friends in the council rose to his feet.

"I have had official occasion to examine into the matter of Miss Shaw's
parish and salary," he said, "and I know what salaries the last three
speakers are drawing. It may interest the Conference to know that Miss
Shaw's present salary equals the combined salaries of the three young
men who are so afraid she will be a burden to the Church. If, before
being ordained, she can earn three times as much as they now earn after
being ordained, it seems fairly clear that they will never have to
support her. We can only hope that she will never have to support them."

The three young ministers subsided into their seats with painful
abruptness, and from that time my opponents were more careful in their
remarks. Still, many unpleasant things were said, and too much warmth
was shown by both sides. We gained ground through the day, however, and
at the end of the session the Conference, by a large majority, voted to
ordain me.

The ordination service was fixed for the following evening, and even the
gentlemen who had most vigorously opposed me were not averse to making
the occasion a profitable one. The contention had already enormously
advertised the Conference, and the members now helped the good work
along by sending forth widespread announcements of the result. They also
decided that, as the attendance at the service would be very large, they
would take up a collection for the support of superannuated ministers.
The three young men who had feared I would become a burden were
especially active in the matter of this collection; and, as they had no
sense of humor, it did not seem incongruous to them to use my ordination
as a means of raising money for men who had already become burdens to
the Church.

When the great night came (on October 12, 1880), the expected crowd came
also. And to the credit of my opponents I must add that, having lost
their fight, they took their defeat in good part and gracefully assisted
in the services. Sitting in one of the front pews was Mrs. Stiles, the
wife of Dr. Stiles, who was superintendent of the Conference. She was
a dear little old lady of se