Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-10-13


present Conference. The missionary
cause has taken prominence over
every other interest of the Church.
When a preachers name is called,
he is asked not how many souls
have been converted, not how many
have been added to the Church, but
"have you taken up all the collec-
tiOns Is there deficiency in your
missionary collections What is
the cause of that deficiency? Have
you done your duty in this matter? ?"
Well, | am a missionary man. |
believe that when a man is truly
converted he has the missionary
spirit in him, and | don't believe
that truly converted man, who
has the means, can refuse to send
the gospel abroad, unless he is Woe
fully ignorant of missionary opera
tons. But l am sorry that this pol
icy has been adopted by the Confer
ence for the present year. True, our
missionary collections are short, but
being a member of the Joint Board
Of Finance l am prepared to say that
the salaries of the pastors are short
also. On Saturday we had an after
noon session, and Bishop Dogget
being compelled to meet his cabinet
of Presiding Elders, DIR. McFerrin
was called to the chair. We soon
learned that this was substantially
a missionary class-meeting, in which
the preachers were not required to
"tell what the Lord had done for
their souls" but what the people
had done for the missionary cause,
and what objections they offered to
contributing to its fund. listened,
but am persuaded that the true OBJ
lection was not given. did not
speak out in the meeting, but when
my character was called in open
conference, took the blame off my
people and put it where it belonged
on myself.
l furnished you some facts from
the Louisville Conference, and now
furnish you some from this. Only
eleven preachers in the Tennessee
Conference received over one thou
sand dollars on salary last year, and
only eighteen received as much as
eight hundred. Only twenty-fOur
received as much as four hundred
dollars, while one hundred and
twenty-five received less than four
hundred. The average salary in the
Tennessee Conference, according to
the estimate of last year, was about
three hundred dollars.
Our Baptist friends who know
Bro. Nelson will read with pleasure
a sketch of his beautiful little chapel.
1t is located on one of the most eli
gible sites in Edgeield, Gothic in
style, auditorium about forty by
sixty. On entering you behold in
large gilt letters suspended over the
pulpit these words: "YOu are well
come to our Church and to our
homes" pronounce their Sunday
School room in the basement one of
the sweetest and most attractive
places for children that / have ever
seen. Four or five years ago Bro.
n. came here to lead what the faith
less might have regarded as "for-
lorn hope" No edifice or member
ship of any consequence, and the
cry of hard times ringing in the air;
but none of these things moved this
energetic man of God, and he now
has a handsome church, large MEM
bership and Sunday-schOOl that
will strengthen his Church every
year. Bro. Nelson is sustained and
loved by a noble band Of Christian
workers. l pray that God may give
them abundant success in the future
as He has in the past.
On Monday the Conference went
into the election of delegates to the
General Conference, which meets in
Atlanta, Ga, May 1878. 1t was the
most laborious days work of the
Conference, beginning at 8 A. NJ.
and lasting until 6 P. NJ, and re-
sulting in the election of the follow
ing delegates: Clerical-Rev. J. B.
McFerrin, ID. D., Rev. VIM. Burr,
Rev. d. C. Kelley, ID. D., Rev. R.
A. Young, d. D., Rev. j. b, Alli=
son, Rev. r. X. HargrOve, d. D.,
Rev. 10. B. West, ID. D., and Rev.
w. Mooney. Alternates-Rev. Jno.
F. Hughes, Rev. r. X. Brown, Rev.
r. p. Ransom. Lay Delegates-T.
D. Fite, n. Y. LuptOn, William H.
Morrow, j. l.. Parkes, E. ID. Patter-
son, d. 7. Reynolds, S. a. Caldwell
and C. r. Head. Alternates-W.
H. Morgan, VIM. Hust, J. b. Palm
er and B. J. Tarver.
know that GAINESVILLE and the
region round about will rejoice at
the compliment paid our fellow
citizen, S. a. Caldwell, Esq. l do
not believe that a more worthy or
efficient Iayman could be sent on
such mission. After a four years
l. l. ~
Board of Finance, one of the most
difficult and laboriOus departments
of an Annual Conference, / am
prepared to say that he is safe
and wise in council, generous in all
his impulses, loves the Church with
feryor, and serves it with zeal
rarely witnessed in the methodism
Of to-day, I. j, DUNCAN,