Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-03-12
Troy Conference.
III IoE.CAL EpTEs.

HISTORICAL EpTEs.
In tracing origins. whether relating 10 Lif-
fcrcnt schools in philosophy or diAcrelt
sccts in moral enterprises, study Of the
men employed is all important, full as much
so as the occasions tlit gave opportunities
for the origin of any enterprise,
McthoJism is not new religion. but SIM
ply one mGih5J among many in reaching
the same thing. II cannot hc SAID that
Methodsm las revealed any new thing in
the domain of theology, Im simply ii las .
revived the Old method. or els, i has origin .
ated. in mod IN times, q ucw method mssnd- .
ing out laborefs into The moral world.
Francis Astuiy IS tic most conspicuous ,
parsonage in the oaiy spread Of Mc.hodiSm .
in America Eorn Of poor parents in l'i7' /
near birmingham, Engiart, converted when I
fifteen years Of a-c, % !1,.l preacher al seven
teen, and IN il!aerIut preacher al twenty Y-onc /
years of age, lc ,,as I,y carly traiuinr being .
fitted for his future life worl..
In III. he volunteered ter the american
work Wesley appointed him his assistant
in America lis arrival in October, III,
was hailed with joy by she Meilio'li.;s in the
new world.
He Wa never married, aua his Whole life
was pcrsisttntly devoted To lis work. lie
soon took full command Of all the prcachcrs.
Ills wak.iug hours worc mostly spent in the
saddle when moi preaching. lie studied his
books on horseback and quite successfully
mastered the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures.
When lie arrived at .Pliiadclpl.ia in l''l.
there were hut ten preachers and six hundred
members in the Methods church in Amer
lea. Setting an example of ccas'lcsS activity
himself, hc required the same Of all who
offered themselves for the work. Ills
plan was to travel through every cir
cult or separate charge once year, and
when this became impossible he visited every
district yearly. and attended 10 the appoint
meni of every preacher. lie i.avcr ceased TO
work while he lived. Whon unable TO stand
up ard preach On account of weakness, he
preached sitting down. and died at the age
of sevcuty-two when on lis way 10 attend
the Baltimore Conference.
Such WAS the man who sent The first Meth
o,list preachers into the bounds Of Troy Con
fcrcncc Ills episcopal power was unlimit-
cI. lie said 90" and they went, or else
located lie formed tie districts and cir
cults lie selected the presidirscllcfs- lie
appointed the preachers. and in practice rs
well as theory he exercised fully the dis
ciplinary allowance Of power TO Il bishop.
The Nation was new, the country new
development Of political forces. the moral
forccsof the infant Nation feeble but growing
rapidly Methodi=m oa Lorsaiarh WAS only
one mode (which tie American ciurcI, has
/ become brilliant in Chr;Stcndon.
From lS0o tie worl, of N,5hoaism in the
bounds Of Troy Conference lms te-h with
few exceptions uniformly rapid and pro
gressive Tie details %; the wort. would he
tedious and irksnnc II IS wc'l however to
note that in 1S93 Ashl.ry grouped Tie dis
/ tricts into aunlm, conference. The New
( York Conference was divided from the
/ Philadelphia Couir-cuc, hv the !Iudspn
/ River \. the slnr ti!.c ti.tsijc,G. Mass,
was made the head If - di> TiCt that en-
: bracad all Of what is lpw Troy Conference
east Of the Hudson River. ALBANY District
in the philat.elri.ii Conference included
nearly all New ! 1r. state v->, "t the lluI-
son River.
In 1884,! ..sbury made aa1.Hcr great
change in conference lines and altered very
mitch the composition of the districts.