National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-04
METHODIST IN MARYLAND,
NINECI-TH sEssION BALTIMoREA An
HUAL CONFERENCE

EARLY METHopIsM IN MARYLAND, THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND virginia
THE SURVIVING REPRESENTATIVES, OF
THE LONG AGo-THE COLLEGE oF
BIsHoPS-THE PRESIDING ELDERS-CON-
PARATIyE STATEMENT OF The WORK OF
THE METHODIST AND OTHER CHURcHEs
IN MARYLAND.
The baltimore Conference Of the Methodist
Episcopal Church will begin its ninetieth annual
session at the Fayette-street Methodist church
in Baltimore, this morning, wednesday, the
lth inst. In view of the extensive influence ex
erted by this portion of the Methodist Church
upon society in Maryland, the Territory OF 20
lumbia, and q portion Of the two virginfaf, 9
sketch of its antecedents and present status Will
be interesting to thousands Of the readers Of TIE
REPUBLICAN,. 1t may be we'll also to INTRODUCES
this with glance at the condition Of the genera
Church, with which this particular conference -
connected.
A little over one hundred years ago. A. y. Ho0.
the first Methodist congregation IN A"ere
rathered I'm the house of Philip Embury, one OF
John weslcy,s converts, who had come tosA"ef-
ics f,om ireland about I765. He was licenses
local preacher in the mother country. Mrs. DAT
bara Heck a Wesleyan another In Israel, VINO
had been in America for about SIX years, was
aroused at the want Of piety OF some OF her coun-
trymen then residing near her, anu urgeu Lm
bnrv to efforts for their reformation. She went
amt and gathered four others, who, with herself,
constituted Embury's first audience. He preached
n them and enrolled them in . ''class." This
vas upon Barrack street, now Park Place, New
York city. From this seed, tiny, indeed, as that
Of the Sayiour's parable, the mustard seed " has
sprung .'great tree SO that .the fowls Of the
air may ledge in the branches thereof" Wepp
Asbury and many others soon came ever, anu
gave shape to the work that was spreading most
rapiJIy Its growth was simply wonderful.
Before the year $500 the itinerants Of
this movement which the great ia Gh nsn,ss
their standard from Nova Scotia to Georga,
and from the coast Of the storm-tossed
Atlantic the very 81 os
and Ohio toward the father of waters. They
have never since ceased to keep pace with the
game AT first they moved on horseback The
heroes Of Asbury, answering to his bugle call;
followed the wagons Of the most advanced
pioneer. Scarce was his cabin up and MS nrst
IRE built ready for the rich game Of the forest,
on which he relied for q generous maintenance,
before the hail Of the strafght-coated but warm
hearted itinerant was heard, and answered Win
q CHEEKY welcome that augured well for the iu-
ture oil himself and family; for, however superb.
cial politicians may ignore the fact, II Is tre-
mendous fact that the influence exerted by these
society in its forming period In our land. The
same truth is to-day being Illustrated on our eA-
tended frontiers-with this enlargement: that the
influence is more largely shared with the other
Evangelical churches that have caught the spirit
Of this original pioneer denomination.
IN THE FIRsr ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 1'I3,
all the preachers save one, William alters, were
foreigners, as they were Wesieys converts IRON
first general conference, Wesley dispatched no
more amissionaries' to America. A multitude Of
mighty Of had Sfsp s2eT be up the
temple of which they LAID lhe isun9ations oroai'
deep and strong. Garrettson, Lee, E'eseu,
Younger H Warriors were already in the ranks
whose fame was to become as goat as that Of
their fathers McKendree, George, Roszel, Pick
ding. S souie, Bangs Gapers, Pierce, Winans,
Thornton, Bascom, Finley. Cartwright, Elliott,
Ru.er, Emory, FISK, Summerfield and Olin were
Dit orators of this or any other land. Their sue
cessors show that the ministry has not degener.
ated in either purity Of life or intel lectual and
oratorical power. As . class they are to-day
recognized as, perhaps, the most successfully per
sussive and acceptable of any class Of ministers
men who value the true. manly qualities Of INTEL
In $500 tho Methodist Church had e5ooo men,
bers In 1925 $4,000. In 1874 it had swelled to
1170,o05 actual communicate. To-day II has
JOSH regular ministers, l2,2sl local preachers,
and Las, OF members in very good standing.
1t raised last year S5.S000 for missions, besides
ether funds which aggregate the large sum oil
sl,oo0.Ooo. This was simply for general religious
purposes, and docs not include church building,
ministerial support, Sabbath schools, local mis-
sious, etc., etc, which would swell the sums 10
alone is so.0O0O00. In 1872 it had 1000 members
in Its three mission conferences-Germany, Libe-
ria and India. 1t has II, 600 German members in
organized conference work in this land alone
Its missions are in China, India, Japan, Turkey.
Mexico. South America Norway, Sweden Ger
many, Switzerland. Italy, Africa, and among the
aborigines of our land. During the last eight
years its members have increased from Is, to
219 600 in the South alone, principally among the
freedmen, but by no means exclusively SO. In
GLIDING sister Methodist churches in the United
States, which, indeed, have only emigrated from
Church-t6efs Hfe actth" Eplseepal
listers and an actual lay membership Of 2 500 600.
The total population now embraced within the
families of Methodism in this country is not less
than 5000 900. Including England. Ireland, Aus,
is not less than Il, OOO.O0o. Those who talk and
write Of the decline Of Methodism" should con-
slider these figures. They are thoroughly reliable,
being made up carefully from oifieial sources.
The year now passing promises to add one or two
hundred thousand to her list Of names. One copy
aaisO
The columns of these papers are filled with ac-
counts of revfvals. There is glorious tide Of re-
vival sweeping over large part Of the Church
with increasing powers.
COLLEGE OF BISHOPS.
There are now thirteen bishops. Or super:ntend-
ents. as they were formerly called, who give gen.
fuy eeetTe 10 opeBshop Morris, Of oho
is retired as superannuated. He l!ngers, q most
valued link between the pioneer bishops and their
cessOrs. For thirty seven years he has filled the
once OF bishop. T. s. James, Of New York city,
has exercised his functions as bishop for twenty
Simpson. of Philadelphia, and E. r. Ames, Of Bal
timore, each quarter of century. Thomas
Bowman, William L Harris, R. s. Foster, 7. W.
Wiley, S. NJ. Merrill, E. q. Andrews, Gilbert Ha-
ven and Jesse 7. Peck were elected to the super
tntendency in 1872 Without exception these are
men Of great ability. Acute scholarship, extern
eiye culture, extended experience, broad judy
ment, liberal catholicity and magnificent preach
ing ability combine to render the college Of
bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church the
peers any Church on the face Of the earth as the
directors OF religious interests. These qualities
gether with tried loyalty to religion, to their own
immense influence with ali classes Of citizens
whether in public or private life.
THE BALTIMORE ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
Bishop E. r. Ames will preside at the session
Of the Baltimore Conference this year. His ad-
ministratiye ability is surpassed BY no bishop in
part Of the work is thorough. He has already
presided at several sessions Of the conference and
0f years ni %s an
lions of the personnel Of the conference both lay
and ministerial. Rumor has it that since bis APP
dency Of the coming meeting Of the conference
many Of the best laid plans Of men to influence
the appointments have failed He is known to be
progress, and to have by these ideas greatly
improved the work Of the Church.
At its last session there were one hundred and
ninety-nfn ministers connected with the regular
work Of this conference. Several have died .ince
then. One Of the most interesting of the daily eee.
sions OF the conference will be that devoted to the
answer Of the disciplinary question, "Who have
died this year," O..
Quite a number of the conference have at.
tanned an aye in their ministerial work which en-
titles them to the rank of
"PATHERs OF THE coNFERENcE."
They remain, many of them, yet, doing full work,
while others cheer on their sons In the midst OF
the battle. The following are the ages in the
ministry of Q few: Rev. John Baer, so years; J.
H. Brown, a: BAIL Barry, IS; J. w. Cullom, IL
Henry Furlong, S. Mayberry Goheen, 20; J. NJ.
Green, "a; r. NJ. Lpscomb, q; John Miller, s..
Geo. Hf3dt, 50; Henry Slicer, 81; Chas. B. Young
81 Wm. b. Edwards and Z. F. Morgan have
served respectively q and 80 years, and are well
known a. among the pulpit PRINCES Of the con
ference. With eye not yet dim, and natural force
not abated, they both stand yet foremost among
their brethreIl wise In counsel, active IL pushing
on the great enterprises of their Zion.
There is an honored roll kept by the conferences
called
"wIpows OF THE CONFERENCE"
On 1t the following names appear, the reading oil
which will touch the chords of most precious
memories In the hearts of multitudes in the Dis
trict and other parts Of the work: Mrs.
Peyton, Goodman, James Kelley, Gorsuch Ham.
flton, Watts, gladden., Mctiee. Hanson Hirst,
Monroe, Bowen, Tippett, Parkinson, Lumsden,
b. Newton Brown, Collins. Sewell, Krebbs,
Blake, Lambeth, Morgan, Cassaday, Mccartney,
Harden. They are honored, not only by the
workmen that yet toll where their sainted ones