Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-03-20
CUR CORRESPONDENCE.
lFrostburg MINING JorRNAI.-Spccial
Baltimore Annual Conference, NJ. +.
Church-Late SeSsiOn-An Inter-
eSting Letter.

The Dist session of the Baltimore Annu-
al Conference OF the NJ. L. Church, held in
Winchester, Va, beginning on the 81 Of
March, was one of great interest The
last session held in Winchester previous to
this, was in the spring of 1860, when the
Conference was unit. 1t was iOndly
hoped by the lovers of the Church, that
the sectional a@itatons of that period
would spend their force and leave the
church undivided. The session Of 81 how
ever, at Stanton proved that this hope
was dclusivc. The guns surrounding
Sumter were about to bclch forth the sig
nal for the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the Republic
Tie general upheaval had reached the de-
voted men WHO till then had stood shout
der TO shoulder in tie work of God The
result Is well known. That session was
scarce ended hcfOr" war began that was to
separate for perhaps decades These christian
laborcrS.
When, fifteen years after 1860, the body
holding fellowship with TIE old Church
again met in the ancient valley city, there
must have been commingling of mourn
full and joyous emotions in the souls of at
least its maturcd men. In 1860 they had
been welcomed by one of the strongest
local churches in the Conference Now,
a feeble, struggling church, only stood forth
to speak through their Pastor words of
hospitality, while the people of Mcthodism
were housed, six hundred strong, in a
own. The capacious and once elegant
house of worship seemed to tell of the
trials of the society, its roof being lccaycd,
its frescoing stained and blurred, and the
ceiling in many places apparently ready TO
fall, while its lecture room was in mscr-
able condition In 1861 the fields of tie
Conference stretched out green and invit-
ing from Maryland to the mountains OF
South Western Virginia Now, they We're
cultivated principally by those who had
left the old household, although! indeed
some effort was making to regain the old
heritage and rccstablish the scattered and
sparse societies that had remained true to
the old traditions Fifteen years had
brought not only war and desolation,
but divisions and strfcs that had caused
many to wonder whether the ark of God
would not be utterly lost. The old town
of Winchester that had rcsoundcd so often
to the tramp of battling squadrons seemed
to be fitting place to call up the rccolcc-
ton of these sad facts.
But there was bright side to the picture.
In these fifteen years God had watched
over his cause. Whatever the men of this
Conference had lost in portions of their
field, yet in other parts the harvest had
Lcen large, so that they themselves counted
Still about 10000 members, while their
brethren of their own Virginia Conference
who were struggling in their more south
.ern harvest range had met with encourage
mcnt. Moreover, the laborcrs of the an
tagonizing church had so truly proclaimed
The old story of cruciiied Saviour that at
feast $4,000 more were by them returned as
disciples of the common Master. Here
there was ample ground for rejoicing that
howsoevcr and by whom soeyec Christ
was preached yet Christ was preached, and
men " ere saved.
In addition to all this much Of the old
bitterness had been outliycd, SO that the
signs of return of the former feeling of
brotherhood were neither slight nor few
The homes and churchcsof Winchester, in
Guiding those of the Southern NJ. +. Church,
we're thrown open. They of the old church
,erc hidden to enter as of old and break
cad and then proclaim to them Jesus IS
Eighty 70 ave" VI the very hour, tee,