The New York herald., 1876-03-21
NORTH CAROLINA NETHODEN.
The First Century Of WesIey'S Faith Draw
Ing to It's Close.
HISTORY OF THE CIRCUIT"
Celebration Of the Anniversary
To-Day.
RALEroH. N. c., March II. 1875.


Wesley throughout the od North State will ntly com.
memorate the day. one hundred years ago. at the
fourth annual Conference Baltimore the first circuit
the then colony formed, and the entire member.
ship within its boundaries which at that time included
the whole of what Is now known as Tennessee. was
but 6sS The denomination now numbers, in all ita
branches and Of both races upward OF 00Q lay
municants Where there solitary preacher
with his horse and saddlebags his Bible and hii
hymn book travelling this vast extent of territory ane
penetrating Its lonely, primeval forests, there is
great people, with tho soul of glorious Chris
tian faith having hundreds OF active and devoted pas
tors, with churches, colleges and schools on every
hand
In view OF the largo results accomplished during the
three generations which have passed since the insu
tion of the original Carona Circuit " the State Con.
ference at Wilmington in December last resolved ia
hold appropriate religious festival in Raleigh, in
recognition OF the hundredth anniversary OF their
''day of small things" The exercises will take place
IN Metropolitan Hail. the largest audience room in the
CITY, which IS being handsomely decorated by the ladies'
for the occasion. The programme, finally arranged,
covers six days commencing with the 2lst Three
OF the eight bishops OF the Methodist Episcopal Church.
South have accepted invitations be present Ad-
dresses will be delivered by Bishop H. N McTyOre,
Doggett, D. D., Of Richmond Va. upon 'Ths
censuTyn on THURSDAY, and upon rbs Rss,sa
| History OF Methodism y by Bishop E. NJ Marvin %
d., Of Missouri, on Friday. Many eminent clergymen
very numerous attendance Is expected. In consid.
OF the hard times the various railroads cen.
trng here have made liberal discounts from their
tabished fares.
North Carolina originally included In the vir-
gna conference, which still embraces ten counties IN
the northeastern corner OF the State The North
Carolina Conference proper was constituted in 1897
thereabouts. Some fifteen counties west of the Blue
Ridge belong to the Hosten Conference which covers
East Tennessee and part Of Kentucky and South
Carolina In the approaching celebration every SEQ
tion of the State will he represented.
| Virginia and North Carolina were the cradle Of
! American Methodism. John Wesley had journeyed 10
Georgia In 1875 to preach to the Indians but, meet
ing with only Indifferent success, he soon returned
and was followed in 1873 by George Whitehead.
Whitehed made less than seven voyages I O
America the last in 1789 visiting Maryland Virginia
and North and South Carolina He and went
like comet, producing brilliant immediate effects
but leaving no permanent traces OF his erratic prog
ress The influence OF his wonderful eloquence
transitory. He formed no separate congregations
and made effort to build up an ecclesiastical
organization. remarkable illustration of his FAIL
ure to secure ixed and solid foothold is found in
the fact that in Georgia, where he mainly laoored,
| MethQdism had no recognized existence unti' years
subsequent to the Revolution The Introduction OF the
comparatively dcult In New England especially the
tenets OF Calvnsm took deep root with the possession
Of the Puritans In Carolina and the Old Dominion.
GENIAL soil and these States became the radiatng point
OF its wondrous and continually widening forces That
a strange episode OF the young and uncutured Jesse
Lee who actually went from North Carolina In 1889
self appointed missionary to the land of the Pilgrim
Fathers The story of tho bold Arminan's attack upon
the grim istalism Of predestnaon, election fixed
and final the very the
American Geneva reads like chapter from Cervantes
The Cavalier immigration brought to the Southern
colonies the forms and ceremonies OF the Church Of
England TO which their descendants Loyalty adhered
long after the political severance from the mother
country had been accomplished. They out the
Puritans-of whom there were many in vrginia-in
164S and some Of them retired TO the wlds OF North
Carolina where also, early 1851, the Quakers and
other nconformiss sought refuge from the proscrp-
tive laws OF the Virginia churchmen. Wesleyanism,
however was received with kindness as a true daugh.
ter OF the British Church Devereaux Jarratt and
odsts valuable aid and there is nowhere any record
which alleges aught like persecution OF them But
followers OF Wesley, Presbyter and loyal adherent
the Church Of England not dssenters Unlike tha
Bapsts and the Presbyterans their preachers never
presumed to administer baptism aud the Lords Sup
pee TO bury the dead to solemnize matrimony. All
this modestly left to the regularly ordained pas
tors OF the parent Church II not until after the
/ formal organization OF the "Methodist Episcopal
Church OF the United Statesn by the famous Christ.
mas Conference at Baltimore In 1854, that their minis
ters were admitted to formal ordination and became
invested with authority to administer the sacraments
The storm Of the Revolution had then swept away the
establishment IN America, and Wesley hitherto
compromisingy opposed 70 religious separation,
compelled to yield at last TO the "logic OF events - He
accordingly consecrated Thomas Coke a bishop aud
! sent him to America; when he, in turn invested
4 Francis Asbury with the episcopa.e, and the two
were elected by the Conference SUPERINTENDENT
ment OF the Book OF Common Prayer prepared
] by Wesley, was adopted, ana many of the clergy
sumed the gown and surplice in their public mnistra
lions But such was the opposition TO what
thought servile conformity that both liturgy and
canonicals were in few years wholly given up In
fact II not unusual with the "aaming Wesleyans'
OF that primitive day to put of their coats and neck
cloths when they took the stand preach while
only portion OF their simple service which was not i'm
provised sweet hymn, sonorously sung by
the evangelist for the calling around him OF congre
CATION. The fathers Of Mcthodsm set due value upoH
the songs OF Zion" Its scriptural psalmody con
tributed greatly 10 It's success or the two Wesleys
John was the Moody and his lyric brother Charles thu
xs0fa hsIn TCl...
in intellect with a calm but powerful eloquonce
Charles was the poet and sweet singer of the Methodist
Israel And so the Wesleyan Hymn Book" became
Methodsm was aptly fitted to the exigencies OF
frontier religious work in the New World. Everywhere
the pioneer preacher pressed closely the footprints
Of the pioneer settler And the earnest unselnsl
herald of the cross was received with gadness Rude
and often with but little culture these militant mis-
sionaries had power which seemed the very unctioR
OF the Holy Ghost They possessed that eloquenca
which Blair defines sto make an Impression upon ths
people-to strike and seize their hearts Theirs
preemincnty that oratory which the great Roman,
despairng OF definition, characterized as being tgI
mensum iryfnitumque Their progress through the
country was almost continued pentecost Reyivals
OF religion, such as before known, broke
awakening OF l77o a wonder and JOY for years.
Their camp meetings, beyond all similar as
sembes on this continent, witnessed tho highest ef
forts and grandest triumphs Of human elo9uence.
These meetings originated In what was called the
western country" during the great revival o. l,es-
brothers, John and William McGce, the one Presby-
terrain, the other Methodist minister. The number
in attendance at them immense. According "a
the density sparseness Of the population the multi
tudes ranged rom 5000 20000 the scenes at thess
gatherings are described in the highest degree I'M
pressive In one great meeting there were less
than 1000 converts. Thenceiorward they became
along with class meetings love watch nights
n part Of the recognized machinery OF Methodism.
About this appeared that odd parsonage Lorenzo
Dow Like whIteneld, Dow was Independent
evangelist erratic In movement and markinf
ont his own circuits His appointments were
frequently made twelve months In advance and thev
were punctuaIly kept TO the very moment IL was
common thing for him 70 have a chain OF appoint
mcnts extending along route OF 900 miles not one
of which he failed 70 reach. All North Carolina s fun
Of traditions OF his occentrcitles Yet he accom-.
pished a vast amount OF good.
From the very beginning the Methodlsts were con-
stnanty wrestling with the negro question. All the
early conferences declared against slavery. wes
lev's Thoughts Upon Slavery puhlished in 177A