National Republican., 1883-03-15
THE COLORED METHODISTS.
Nineteenth Annual Meeting Of the Washington
Conference.
Committees Appointed and the General
Business Begun.
Interesting Pen Pictures and Personal Sketches Of
Prominent Members.
somo RccoIIcctions Suggested by View
From the Gallery.

modest brick building, commodious and hand
some. 1t was built in 1882, when the colored
members of the church were required to have
a white preacher. In 1864 the Washington
conference of the Methodist Episcopal church
was formed, and Roberts chapel received
the first colored pastor, Rev. James Thomas
1t was the center Of great interest for over 100
congregations of colored Methodists yesterday
for in IL was held the nineteenth confe renee
Of the above named body, representing Mary
land, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
and the District of Columbia. The conference
embraces the Baltimore, Washington, Lynch
burg, Wheeling, Staunton, and Wytheville
districts.
At o o'clock the conference assembled.
Bishop Warren, of the Baltimore conference
(white), presided. A large audience was in
attendance. Proceedings were formally and
solemnly opened by the administration of the
sacrament The roll was then called, and 123
responded to their names; 13 were absent
from sickness, and had been transferred
from the church militant to the church
triumphant. Mr.. g. G.. Key, presiding
elder of the Lynchburg district (which
embraces Alexandria) was elected sec
retary, and nominated N. NJ. Carroll as
recording, John A. Holmes, corresponding;
b. w. Brown, railway ticket J. b. Snowden,
J. ID. S. Hall, w. o. Cooper Il. A. White, and
N. A. Dyer, statistical secretaries. These
were elected. Bishop Warren then intro
duced DIR. c. H. Fowler, secretary of the For
eign Missionary society; DIR. j. Q. Hartzel,
assistant secretary Freedman's Aid society
and DIR. Freysinger, president Centenary
Biblical institute, of Baltimore. These gen.
tlemen made earnest and eloquent speeches,
showing the progress of the church south
the condition Of the educational movement,
the hopes and plans and expectations
for the future. They made ardentappeals for
aid to tho cause of education, and after DIR.
Hartzels eXhortation subscriptions were
called for, and 81, $3.50 were subscribed. The
conference was congratulated on It's liberality
by Bishop Warren, who called for the dox-
ology as fitting expression of thanks for the
generous spirit displayed. Subsequent to
this Rev. DR.. Edward Blydon, president of
Liberia college, was introduced to the confer
ence, and also Rev. Mr. Grimke. Two Bap-
tist clergymen, Rev. Fields Cook and Rev.
Mr.. Bailey were also presented.
The committees we're then named, and then,
the conference being organized, adjournment
was had until 2:30 p. M, when the conference
sermon was preached.
The spectator gazing from the high gallery
upon the dense mass of humanity below had
presented to him as varied and interesting
field for study and reflection as could be
offered to the thinker or the student. Tho
object Of the meeting, the many and diverse
participants, the theater of action, and the
vast change which in half q generation had
altered the face of society in the lands repre-
sented by these preachers, all added piquancy
to the story told. There were old men there,
men who had been chattel slaves the third of
q century gone, gray and bent and feeble,
their eyes turned longingly toward the
misty shores of the hereafter, which
they soon expect to see. And down through
intermediate ages till there were seen the
young and bright-eyed boys, eager and i'm
pulsive to buckle on the armor against sin
and unwrighteousness, believing as youths al
ways do, that but one campaign lies between
them and the goal of victory. But over and
above individual differences of appearance
and of character, there was one aspect in
viting the study. This conference represented
the pushing, aggressive church militant, old
fashioned Methodist spirit. Taking up the
earnest, t,,uncompromising, smple-hearted zeal
which white Methodists have let fall YOU
could see in the diverse characters around you
possibilities ofmany Wesleys and Whitefelds,
and Asburys, and Fletchers, whose
moral conquests will react upon the original
body, infusing into that greater portion of
grace as the old movement leavened the
Anglican church, in spite of itself, with q di-
vine inspiration and renewed exaltation.
AS whole this conference is not cultured
one. They break the breads of life with u
bomely grace to which the relinements of the
schools is II stranger. They battle with the
old foes clad in the armor of simple faith
on which is embossed more of the subtle
beauties of modern culture. Perhaps it is as
effective without the superimposed curves
and flowers as with them. The brass and
bulls hide buckler of lebanon was as proof
against the darts of Hector AS was that mar
vellous disk which Hera designed
and Hephestion wrought for Achilles
The bulwark loses no strength sacra-
feed to beauty. Through all the confer
tNhN ANn .snN
born Of the race and the religion combined, q
smile and murmer at incongruity, which
were but the ripples on the surface of the
stream that sent flowers on its unruflled cur
rents. But the passionate intensity of their
race and the emotional depths of their re-
Lgion flowed out in the fiery responses they
made under the appeals to their piety and to
their dignity in the eloquence Of the speakers
Thus, during the long roll call, when the
name of Martin Sprendlen was sounded
there was halt in the answers, a silence
broken at last by the deep tonesof the bishop
In the measured utterance, "Transterred-to
the kingdom of heaven!" Imagination
took fire ut once, and an electric murmur ran
through the conference.
In so numerous body there were of
course, men of marked ability, men with his
tories, men who have not walked their earthly
pilgrimage without passing through fiery
furnaces, the smell of whose flames still clings
to their garments. Among them is Rev. r. II. .
Robinson, who was born in Alexandria in
1926, and converted to Christianity in the
church were the conference was held in 1871,
when the lamented Cookman was its pastor
He is tall, slender but compact very light,
aggressive, persistent, and polite. He is u
forcible and humorous speaker, possessing
power to fire the susceptible hearts of his
people with great force. He is now pastor of
church at Charlestown, w. Va.
Rev. G. G.. Key, presiding elder of the
Lynchburg district, is short, rather stout
man, with face like that of an English
clergyman; an impression heightened by his
side whiskers and spectacles. He is largely
gifted with sharp humor, that can be made
very effective in retort, He is quick, keen,
full OF resources, possesses much tact, and
knows how to manage men, He is Mary
lander by birth and n blacksmith by trade,
owing his elevation solely to his own brains
and pluck. He has been nineteen years in
the ministry, and yesterday was elected for
the eighth consecutive year secretary of the
conference. Though not cultivated man in
the strictest sense he is an educated one, and
If not so learned in books is thoroughly pro-
hcient in men.
Rev. N. M. Carroll we'll known in this city
as the pastor of the Asbury church. one Of
the largest and most influential colored con-
gregations in the district is also u man OF
marked ability. He is rather short we'll
built, with fine forehead. lie is 40 years
old and has been in the ministry nineteen
years.
Rev. Perry G.. Walker, pastor of Roberts
chapel, Alexandria, is tall, dark, slender
though muscular man, whose long clean cut