Smyrna times., 1880-03-31
Tor Ne SmyRd Times.
Methodist History on the Peninsula.

Rev. Thomas Ware wrote letter from
Duck Creek, March 4th, 1901, in which he
says, have now been three times around
my district and have had an opportunity of
knowing the people with regard to tiaes
and seasons; and am of opinion that |
have not known a community, take them
| collectively, so conpletely Methodised a.
these on the Peninsula, what would they
not have been, had slavery never been in.
trCduced amongst them On Dover Mil
lord, and Somerset, we hayo had about
fifteen hundred added to the church since
conference"
'In 1903 the Philadelphia Conference m ct
In Duck Creek Cross Roads again. The
Society Of Friends let them have the use
OF their Meeting House for tho Conference
sessions, so that the Msthodsts could use
their own for religious worship, which thev
did several times day"
Hero is another odOrous flower gathered
from the garland that encirclss the Society
of Friends, which brings TO my recolec,
tion the one hundrsth and thirtythird
Psalm, in which David excaims, Behold,
how good and how pleasant it is for breth
rem to dwell together in unity!'
Harry Hosier, an African preacher, was
at this conference. He was perfect char.
actsr; he could neither read nor write, and
yet was very eloquent. His text was.
MAN goeth to his long homes" his sermon
was one Of great sloquenco and mower.
Tho preachers ii'tsned to this son Of Ham
with great wonder, attention and profit.
The preaching of a coored man was in th 0se
days novelty. Crowds fiocked to hear
him not only because he was black man,
but because he preached with huencv.
Riahnn sbt.pv :"
for the benefit Of the celored people. He
would repeat the hymn as If reading it.
and quote bis text with great accuracy.
His voice was musical, and his tongue as
the pen OF ready writer, He was un.
boundedly popular.
This conference continued four davs.
Bishops Asbury and WhatcOat were both
present"
The first Camp.meOting held on the
Peninsula was in beautiful grove, three
miles west of Duck Creek CroEs Roads and
commenced on the 9th OF July 1905.
Slxty'eIght Methodist preachers were at
that meeting. 1t was said the noise occa.
stoned by the cries Of the distressed and
the shouts of the saints were heard at the
distance of three miles. From that meet.
ing the revival spread both in Maryland
and Delaware States, and hundreds were
converted and added to the church in the
course of few months after that m eetine q. I"
Camp meetings had their origin in Ten.
nSssee, in 1899. Two brothers, named
Magee, one Methodist, tho other a Pres.
bytsrian minister, had the high honor of
originating them. Jesse Lee introdu.
ced them into Virginia, Maryland and
Delaware. 1t is now almest impossible to
realize what great times were had at the
Camp Meetings in those days They did
much in breaking up the strong holds of
Satan, and almost revolutionized the Panin.
sula. Among the NethOdists no gentle.
men and ladies attended for leisure, pleas
ure, or pure air; but they went to work to
save souls from death, and acted as if they
had no other business"
July 5th, 1906, Bishop Whatcoat died
in Dover, Del, at Richard Bassett's, aged
ssVenty.ysars. He had been thirty eight
years in the ministry; sixteen years in
England, Wales and Ireland, and twenty.
two in America. On the 18th of May, 1900,
he was ordained a Bishop of the NJ. E..
Church. In his death the preachers lost a
pattern Of pisty and the people an able
teacher. He was man of one book the
bibles and such was his knowledge of tho
scriptures, that he was called a Concord.
ance." SPIN
SMYRNA, March 2lst., 1880.