The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-17
THE METHODIST CENTENNIAL
Closing Exercises Of the Celebration Dr..
Eddy on the Growth o. the Missionary
Cause-Rev J. H. Freeman on the
Sunday School Ides-sta-
tistics Of Century.

PHILADELPHIA, July 10, 1s7A
To-day and this evening will close the centen-
'nial celebration OF The Methodist Church In this
city, The attendance at st. Georges church wasI
fully as irge as yesterdays The exercises beganl
at three p. N. by pr yer by Rev. d. c. Lippincotr3
He was followed by Rev. T. N. Eddy, ID. D., Mis-
sonary secretary, WIN, read paper on the Mis-
sion Work" In which he gave valuable statistics In
relation to the progress OF Method,sm for huns
dred years back. He Degan by sketching the
origin ana subsequent changes In the Missionary
Society, and divided his subject into three dlv-
sions concerning
THE GROWTH OF rHs MISSIONARY CAUSE ~f''
since the nrst Conference, az exhlDited-nrst in
the organization and development OF the Meth
odst Mission Society; second In the various fields
entered and cultivated; third, In the growth OF
the offerings OF the people In beginning he said
the theology Of the Methodist Church logically
compelled 1t to maze all possible efforts for the
salvation OF each man. woman and child; for it
held that for eacn an actual atonement had been
made, and that the Gospel Of that substitute
Offering had been placed with the Church. in trust Tor
those included in It's provisions, hailed by its invii
tations and assured by its promises. 1t early struck
the attenti n OF thoughtful men that the Church
should systematic the work Of planting the insti--
tutlons Of Christianity In new centres, among
idoaters or Christian nations, among the erete
forms Of Christianity and In our own country.
wherein the ordinary appliances OF pastoral SER
vice not reach, or could not be supported byf
the unaided offerings OF those to whom they weret
taken. And so 1t came to pass that this convlc-
ton, coG. leu with tue sharp sting OF denomina1
gathering-Orty-six years alter the frst Confer-l
ence, on the 9th OF April lSl9-oI large NUMBER
OF ministers and aymen. to hear and act upon the
dratoi
made BY Nathan J. Bangs and approved by tho,
livered an enthusiastic yet careful speech Thes
constitution was adopted, The first article being aa
the Missionary ana Bible society OF the Methodist
Episcopal Church IN America" The OBJECT Of whlcha
was to supply the des lutte with Bibles gratu.
VINO may have the means OF purchasing, anda
to enable the several, annual conferences
labors Throughout the Un..ed States and else
where. The VICE Presidents were Enoch George
only the name VI William b. Skldmore is now rel
sponded 0 on the third tuesday OF each month";!
The others have answered 'present" at
ROLL CALL BEYOND. l1 =.
The charter Of The ,soclely Was granted by thej
three Oh the original cnarter members now sur
vive. The Missionary society, stn exists IN legal
but to most the it ss sse
Board OF Managers. Besanine with tine small
male 70 lew y
ing 500 and lractlon made to 1850 charges
in the various annual conferences. in speaking
masses . the lore,sn popul alton, more particularly
the Germans he sad tue membership among the
latter was $685. WITH 4s6 churches valued at
$l.695,45O The scandinavian Miss. Gus now num-,
bered AZ churches, wit in estimated valuation OF
$Z7,Uv0 Tue Gen iai Conference OF 1872 gave Cor
a a1 to ts Psn done this
made towards converting them. . efDlGt
asHf THE FoREIGN MISSION 10 .loaf
was satisfactory The Methodist Church had made
many converts. and ner SCHOOLS, cnapels and
co!ieges were accomplishing WONDERS. 1IN
The eeeipts OF contributions bS conferences in
below $4,000 until 1885, when they reached
sasslos in 1865 they reached s64 AGO. the largest
sum OF any single year, except 1877, when $eo6s65
In 1858 s2l,2e2 were received. For the i've
years following the annual average was about
ST., 90. In 1909 the legacy rece PTS were $27.6lo;
the 10 lowing year $i2, Ia aud li,456; last ye-
Mere the largest ever made up to Tue tnle ana
the conferences when met this spring greatly adj
yanSea the a. e report Of s2 ;os Ine
last yea, and were doing nObiy with their staff 9
2S7 MISSIONARIES. Fst
the reverend gentleman SAID, was progress
earnestly toward iud reoreanlzu ton % It's n
lalded by want OF means was laitly prosper,
i was entering Mex.co wiin yigor and Was
worS-One characterized by great zeal and ab.I
Finally, IN -e. a.t. aaf
he said the missionary cause had grown In conf,
dence anu prestige ie mad seen u great advance IN
its appih.n es; had Witnessed a multitude o.yot
men anu wOaieu uevUt ny themselves upon IT,
altar OF missionary cousecfatlon; mas recorded =
large growth in the Offering OF her people; hal
seen the converts vi ier lssiUns Hooking ~ doves
to her ndows; has seen her General come. ence
made Lcumenica. by the presence OF missionary,
AT the close Of the reverend gentleman's re-
marks the audience joined In singing an old
fashioned aietnOdist nymn to winch the minister's
and aymen did fall justice. 10
At four O'Clock Inc itev. J. NJ. Freeman, assistant
ed;o. OF the methodist SUNDAY school aud Tract
s.raE GROWTH or THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IDEA
In the Methodist Episcopal Church." He SAID thS
seated the &C lesiastica grow tn o. MethOdlsm
dur Ing tile hundred years past. In 1913 ten.
preachers met .0ge,ner Tor three days, ana the
SUBSTANCE of their deliberations III ght Je seen by
neie octave page In le7l the closing year OF the
hlst century o. the udet iOulst conferences, over
ten thousand ministers assembled In more,
than seventy different places and In varying sea-
sons Of tue ea reaS e yore Yvef as
spent IN their DELIBERATIONS nearly an entlre
yeas, the summary OF tner worA filing an octave
volume OF 800 PAGES, and besides all tnis another
volume larger stili CONTAINING the minutes OF the
general conference OF clerical and lay delegates.
The dllference beGween the page and the volume
represented something more than mere numerical
growth. lt signlhed tae ortn OF new IDEAS and
THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW FORMS
OF Christian work. Nnen tne ten earnest Method
lst pioneers met in 1913, within the rude and un-
peasant yet hallowed walls OF the church In which
lie stool, they reported no long columns or
statistics, arranged and systernatized, as they
mad them now Ine speaSer ,,. divided ,,I his
suoJSSe INV uSC uAsuuoI hiStolio pciivuo-rhN's
the period of recognition. lhls began with g."
organization oil tae Methodist Episcopal Chr
and end, with the Official recognition OF the Su
school by the conference, period OF SIX "
1,s4 to 1870. Second, the period Of ganiz
beginning with tue oIiicial recognition OF the
day school by the Cnurcn, and closing with the
time wnen it was made the duty OF the preachers
to orm SUNDAY schools, period Of thirty-eight
years-l7yO to 1928. Third, the period OF dew,
ment, beginning with tine time when
came the duty vi the preachers to form
dav schools and closing with the
wien q special editor was Apo,
for sunday school publications, period OF sly
years-lsls to ls44. Fourth, The period OF IL
poratlon, beginning with the appointment
special sunday school editor and ending with t.
admission OF Sunday school superintendent
the quarterly Conference, a period oI twelve yep,
1874 to IS56--including ali oil Or. Kidder's adm
traton. Filth, The period OF expansion, beginning
with the adm ssion or sunday school superintend-
ents to the quarterly Conference and closing with
the appointment OF an additional special editor Tor