preservation : and for that effect I constitute my
procurators. In witness whereof, etc., (signed) Druin-
mond Kiunoul. R. A. Yates, ivitness. Thomas Keatham,
witness."
See Patronage.
Presentation of the Virgin, Feast of, a Komish festival held on Nov. 21. It is not older than the 13th century. See Mary.
President (Tj jO, sardk, or X3"!D, sarekd; Sept. tciktikoc; ; Vulg. princeps), only used in Dan. vi; the Chaldee equivalent, for Hebrew shoter, probably from Sara, Zend, a "head" (see Strabo, xi, 331). "Zapcnrd- pac,=KE<pa\oT<'>fiog is connected with the Sanskrit siras or ciras, and is traced in Sargon and other words (Eichhoff, Vergl. £pr.p.l29,415; see Her. iii, 89, where he calls satrap a Persian word). — Smith. See Gov- ernor.
President in Choir is the name given to the English dean's deputy, usually the senior residentiary or vice-dean, who in his absence corrects offences, be- sides acting as president in chapter (q. v.), and chora- gus, or director of the services, when there is no digni- tary; also the precentor.
Presiding Elder is the name given in the Meth- odist Episcopal Church to an officer whose functions are those of a superintendent within limited jurisdiction. These elders serve under the bishops, and, together with them, constitute in their respective conferences a cabi- net, in which resides the appointing power over the membership of itinerant preachers. The office is one of very great responsibility and far-reaching influence. Within the territory over which such an elder presides every minister is amenable to this officer, who visits the different charges three or four times during the year, usually at what is called the holding of the Quar- terly Conference (q. v.), over which he presides, and by which all the business of the charge is disposed of. , He also presides at the District Conferences, where literary and ecclesiastical culture is aimed at, and the licensing of candidates for the ministry takes place. Usually the territory is confined to an eighth or sixth of the ('(in- ference boundaries, and corresponds somewhat in extent to the average county in an Eastern state.
The office of presiding elder was created in the early history of Methodist economy in this country, and ap- pears to have had its origin in the assistants whom John Wesley employed as helps. He had what we might call junior preachers at the circuits or districts into which he divided his work, and an assistant in charge of the whole. These assistants were then in- vested with nearly the same authority over the helps which the great founder of Methodism himself exer-
cised, and hence they had an authority akin more to the bishopric of American Methodism. When, in 1784, Mr. Wesley caused the election of Asbury and Coke as su- perintendents or bishops, there were several assistants in office thus made subject to these two general super- intendents. The question has arisen whether the twelve elders who were elected at the Christmas Conference of 1784 were simply travelling elders or assistants of the superintendents. See Methodism.
As the presiding elders are now episcopal appointees, the answer to this query becomes important. There are two opinions. One party, advocating the elective eldership, insist that these twelve men were then elect- ed by the Conference for the assistants' work, and base their decision on Dr. Emory's interpretation. He says, in his Bistort/ of the Discipline, p. 125, "All elders were at first presiding elders," and the distinction between presiding elders and "travelling elders" was not made until 1792. Section v, of 1789, it would seem, proves the correctness of Dr. Emory's statement. The follow- ing is a part of the section on elders :
" Ques. 2. What is the duty of an elder?
11 Ans. 1. To travel through his appointed district.
"2. To administer baptism and the Lord's Supper, and perform all parts of divine service.
"3. In the absence of a bishop to take charge of all the deacons, travelling and local preachers, and exhorters.
"4. To change, receive, or suspend preachers.
"5. To direct in the transaction of the spiritual busi- ness of his circuit.
" 0. To take care that every part of our discipline be en- forced.
"7. To aid in public collections.
"8. To attend his bishop when present, and give him, when absent, all necessary information by letter of the state of his district."
That every elder, in the absence of the bishop, was equal in point of supervisory office and duty is evident also from the fact that the third duty in this section gives an elder no authority to take charge of elders, but simply of deacons travelling, and local preachers, etc., seeing they were equal in authority. It was not until 1792 that a distinction was made between presiding elders and travelling elders, and these were then put under the charge of presiding elders. It was at this date that presiding elders were chosen by the bishop from the body of elders, and those elders not chosen by the bishops were disrobed of office as presiding elders, and placed for the first time under the care of presiding elders (see p. 126, 1792).
" Que*. By whom are the presiding elders to be chosen?
" Ans. By the bishop. Among the duties of the presid- ing elder, one is to take charge of all the elders, deacons, etc., of his district."