Smyrna times., 1866-10-10

sion in the Kentucky resolutions of 1898, and {
those of Virginia in 1899, at time when the (
whole country was in agitation, and both par
ties were appealing to the Church and its ener- ]
getic preachers, the General Conference, "
which, before the Constitution was adopted, !
had acknowledged Tin their Articles of ReliglOn)
the Government as Confederation, struck
out this word, and boldly declared in its stead
that these States are a s0ceretgn and indie (
pendent nation p Trained i'll this view OF their
country the Methodsts were fully prepared for
the late war. They sent hundred thousand
white, and seventy-fve thousand black troops
into the field under the loyal flag. Every one
of the journals OF the Methodist Episcopal
Church (some fifteen or twenty has been in
tensely loyal, and, so far as we are able to OBJ
serve, are now intensely Radical, demand
ing the fullest, squarcst, most uncOmprOmlsed
Republican reconstruction of the country-the
repression of the last remnant of slavery and
the rebellion, and the entire recognition of the
humanity and rights of the entire population
of the Republic
What is to be the future of this curious ere
igiouS Development called Methodism? 1t |
has been supposed that it must pass out of its |
heroic period-its life Of enthusasm-into a
period of repose and declension; but there is !
yet little or no evidence Of such tendency
Wesleyan Methodism, as distinct body, i'll |
England has had reverses. 1t lost 100000
members by single secession; but it declares
itself yet progressive, and it has the grandest
force in mission operations OF any Protestant
church--a fact that would seem to guarantee
continued life in any church. If even the
Wesleyan body could be shown to be declining,
yet Methodism itself can not be, for the En-
glish seceders are genuinely MethOdistic; and,
aggregately, the Methodism Of England is as
energetic and progressive to-day as ever.
In this country it seems at present in its
most robust vigor. 1t has got clear Of some of
its early peculiarities, but, we think, much to
| its advantage and the popular good. Its lead
ing men have apparently wisely desened the
needs of its successive stages; they have led it
to provide an extraordinary system of educa-
| tiOnal institutions-one that drew from the late
Edward Everett the compliment that the
Methodist Episcopal Church is the most active
religious body in the country in the education
of the people. 1t has provided for ministerial
education, and for the diffusion OF literature on
a national scale. 1t is dotting the whole geOg
raphy of the nation with his church edifces,
and is aspiring to the best architectural style.
1t has the most powerful religious press in the
world. Its ministry has always been, and is
increasingly, supplied with men of singular
force of mind and character: its Asburys,
M'Kendrees, Lees, Abbotts, Emorys, Bangs,
Summerfelds, Olins, etc. 1t has its mission
ary representatives stationed pretty much
around the whole globe, and has laid out work
enough, we conjecture, to keep it well alive
till at least another hundred years shall pass
over it.-HdrperS Weekly.
E LOCAL PREACHERS NATIONAL CONvEN-
TION.-The ninth annual meeting of the Ma
tional Local Preachers Association of the
Methodist Episcopal Church commenced its
sittings on Saturday in the Fleet-st. Methodist
J Episcopal church, Brooklyn, N. Y. There
was large attendance of delegates from differ
ent sections of the country. The president
S Rev. Isaac P. Cook, of Baltimore, took the
: chair, and the convention was opened by re.
Y lgious exercises, participated in by Messrs
: Cook, of Troy, and Risley, of Boston Tn,
/ president then made a few observations, re
marking that local preachers were not the ri
: walls of the regular ministry, but the servant
f of God, and the object of the association wa
: to unite more closely the local preachers of al
It sections of the United States, in order to pro
n mote thereby church fellowship, concert of &C
Il ton, and increased usefulness in spreading
l. scriptural holiness.
V The following officers were then elected 70
o the ensuing year: President-John Cottier
il Vice Presidents-Rch Cook, of Troy, +
S G. Pearson, of Philadelphia; Josiah Bracket
IS of Boston j. W. Hancock, of Newark. Secre
y tary-W. H. Kincad, of Pittsburg. Cores
It ponding Secretary-A Mooney, Troy
,. The convention, after transacting considera
y BILE business, adjourned on Tuesday last.
h A CURIOsTTY.-O Of the most curious il
3 struments of late years is little wooden baromt
le ter invented by Mexican guitar maker, a fe,
re years since. 1t consists only of strip of ce
[e dar, very thin, about two and half feet i
% length, about an inch wide, cut with the graiI
c. set in block or fort. This cedar strip is bacl
n ed or lined with one of white pine cut aero,
OF the grain, and the two are tightly glued tt
ID gether To bend these when dry is to sna
IN them, but ON the approach of bad weather I'll
C. cedar curles over until at times it touches IL
to ground
h, 1t is said this simple instrument will indicat
be- the coming of "norther" full twenty-fol
mt hours before any other kind of barometer know
a on the coast. The philosophy of the thin
nd seems to be that the pine dries and contrac
of under the influence of fair weather, and cur
over on its side; while in foul weather, swel
" ing and expanding, its motion is towards IL
o. other side, the cedar yielding to the pressur
he because cut with the grain, and is not susce
ed tible to the infence of dryness or humidity
et- atmosphere.
Dr. e->------
le- SOUTH CAROLINA PROTECTING HER N
N GROEs.-By despatch from Charleston it
| - or Al.