The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-30

| system now SO prevalent In the churches: Ii
many cases no instruction is attempted bu
| quaint titles to attract attention and smart
| criticisms to provoke laughter constitute large
| ly the stock in trade. The Presiding Elder
recommends that churches desiring lecture.
seek such as will furnish valuable instruction
arrange to have them done prior to the week
| OF prayer and free the pastor from all Susplc
ion of self-seeking by appropriating the sur
| plus proceeds to some object other than the
| payment of his salary.
The growing practice of depending upon
| lectures, dramas, cantatas, and Sother amuse'
ments, by which to meet the current expenses
| of the churches, is fast becoming a serious
evil. Unhealthful excitement by frivolity, an
indisposition to listen to truth, unless it be
well spiced, and the ignoring of the fact that
the gospel as such, and for its own sake, is
entitled to a liberal support cheerfully fur
nished, are among the evil results. The
church may indeed by such means gain the
favor of the wording, but its influence over
him tending to his salvation, is thereby sadly
depleted. Money thus obtained, is too often
the "price of blood" bloods of souls. y
READFIELD DISTRICT
Presiding Elder G. G. Mason says his inter-
course with pastors and people of his district
has been Of the most profitable spiritual char
acter. Many of the circuits on the districts
are so small that it is impossible to give the
pastor comfortable support. Twenty-one
charges have paid less than $500 and the Pre-
siding Elder hopes the Bishop will by remit
ing societies and places relieve the few
good firm brethren who with sacrifceiand self
denial have for years kept the wheels in mo
ton. In many places, Mr.. Mason says,
preaching service is observed only half of the
Sabbath, the Sunday school is not organized
into missionary society and the rules respect
ing the instruction of children are not fully
observed, the catechsm is not generally used
and other parts of the disciplinary obligation
are thought lightly of and yet the delinquents
are not subjected to discipline. Mr.. Mason
thinks the giving up of one sermon on Sunday
is the cause of much of the decline of piety in
in some places or relapse into Journalism in
others, and he advocates the good old fashion
OF two services on the Lords Day. Lewiston
district has 46 churches exclusively Methodist
and share in four Others sSome of these, es-
pecially the one built at Buckfeld last year
are very beautiful and others lack symmetry
and adaptation of parts to the whole. North
Norway has improved its time honored church
building by long needed repairs inside aud out.
Bath has two beautiful houses; Lewiston has
the Hammond street, commodious and nice,
Park street has been the birthplace of many
souls and her members feel sacred reverenoe
for the dear old church, but it shows marks of
age and must ere long give way ito splendid
ediice. Gardiner, Richmond, Brunswick and
Bowdoinham can boast of beautiful and con-
venient churches, and Mechanic Falls, South
Paris and Norway, Bridgton, Andover and
has beautiful one. The church property in
the district is valued at $4,000; parsonage
property at about $4,000; Improvements and
repairs about $4,000. None of the ministers in
the District have died during the year and
none have been seriously sick.
AUGUSTA DISTRICT.
Presiding Elder S. Allen, of the Augusta
district, in his report says that district en-
braces thirty-two charges, served by twenty
one preachers of the Conference, ten local
preachers and one minister of another church.
The salaries received vary from $3.50 to $1,000.
The large number of the charges served by
preachers not connected with the conference
suggests to tho Presiding Elder the inquiry,
What has become of that class of heroic min
listers who in former years answered the roll
call and were ready for the rough service and
small pay of frontier circuits. The young
men, says the Presiding Elder, who now enter
the ranks, to greater extent than formerly
are inclined to avoid the invigorating service
of the circuit. They are usually without
means OF conveyance, with no suitable outfit
for housekeeping, and in some cases have fam
lilies upon their hands whose delicate health
renders active 1tinerant service impossible.
This old time training school for the ministry
has gone out of fashion. The colleges and
schools of theology, while great blessings to
the church at large, afford scanty supplies for
the rural charges, and that portion of the
work in the Conference, largely through lack
ing. After diligent inquiry at the Conferences
institutions OF learning for young men to sup
ply the depleted ranks favorable responses
have been received from only two young min
listers, one of them young lady. Within
few days young man at the Maine Wesleyan
Seminary has been engaged for work. Quar-
terly meeting have been held upon each charge
every quarter, and with four exceptions by the
Presiding Elder in person. All but two
charges have had Sabbath quarterly meetings.
The preachers are generally in good health and
faithful, the doctrines of the church have
been faithfully preached, and the Wesleyan
doctrine of Christian Perfection, with few ex-
ceptions, emphatically endorsed. The Presid-
ing Elder laments the growth of the practice
OF reading sermons. No extensive revivals
ceptions, are out of debt. A chapel has been
dedicated at Dead River. and one is in con-
temptation at Madison Bridge Mr.. Allen la
ments the scacity of Methodist books and
periodicals and the abundance of cheap and
often demoralizing literature, and thinks some
remedy is needed for this state OF things.
Sunday Appointments.
Congress Street NJ. E. Church-Love Feast at 8 a.
M; preaching by Bishop Peck and ordination of
deacons, 1O1a preaching at 3 p. M, by Rev. A.
Gwf ar an m OF Elders
Chestnut Street. 1O1a a. m, A. Lowry, d. D.;
p M. !; Luce 71a p. m, address before the Wo-
Pine street-1O1s a. M, E. s. Stackpole; p. M,
B IF. Tefft, ID. ID.
st. Lawrence street-1O1s a. m, B. F. Tefft, d.
d.; p. NJ, w. NJ. Sterling.
High street-101a a m, A. S. Hunt, d. D., p.
m, G. f. Allen d. D.
Free street-101s a. m, Geo. D. Lindsay
Casco Streets p. M, r. Sanderson.
First Parish-1O1a a. m, Mark Trafton, d. D.
Williston-7.30 p. m, w. s. Jones.
West End Congregatlonal-3 p. m A. w. Pottle.
Preble Cbapel-3 p M, r. II. Kimball; 71a p. M,
E. w. Simons.
Y. M. c. A.-71a p. m, I. lyric and E. S. Stack
pole
Bethel church-3 p. M, D. Pratt, Jr.
Knightville-21s p. m M. E. King.
Cape Elizabeth Depot-101a a. M, W. H. Foster;
21a p. M, Joseph Hawkes..
East Deering--71s p M, S. Hooper.
Reform Schools. p. M, Ira G. Sprague.