The Portland daily press., 1884-12-29
METHODIST CENTENNIAL.
Growth and Present Condition of
Methodism in Portland.
LARGE AND INTERESTED CON.
GREGATEONs AT CITY HALL.
sketch of Rev. Dr. Townsend. Adars..

Sketch of Rev. DR.. TOwnsend's Address.
| Yesterday, the Methodist churches of Port
land and vicinityIcelebrated the one hundredth
anniversary of the Christmas conference at
Baltimore, when the Methodist Episcopal
church was organized IN the United States. All
the Methodist churches of the city and vicin-
| ity united in the celebration, and the exercises
were OF very interesting character.
The denomination has abundant occasion for
congratulation and gratitude in view of its
wonderful growth during the past century. In
1887 the membership was IL ,921; III 1880, in all
branches, it numbered 3 ,S44 5l7 the average
yearly increase being from 1900 to 1850, 26 ,651
from 1850 to 1870, Ga 705, from 1870 to 1880,
| 1926. Their Sunday school scholars in
Methodist Sunday schools in the United
States Dumber about s 200 ,OOo
The opening service commenced at the City
| Hall at halt past nine a. m. Rev. E. T.
| Adams, leader, gave out the hymn, "Blest be
the tie that binds" After singing, Rev. DIR.
Bashford led in prayer. Camp Meeting John
Allen repeated the 9th chapter of 1st Thess.
accompanying it with few remarks. The
| hymn was sung, 'All bail the power of Jesus
Name" This was followed by the testimonies
OF many present ministers and lay members
who spoke earnestly and rejoicingly of their
conversion and Chris.i4n hopes The exer-
cises were interspersed with frequent singing,
uuited in with real Methodist JUNCTION and fus-
| ing the whole into model love feast and ex-
perience meeting. IL gave glimpse of one of
the sources of power in this great denomina-
tioD, this earnest, familiar, joyful conference
upon the most important experiences that can
stir the human SOUL The service closed with
the Doxology "Praise God from whom all
blessings flow" Before the audience was dis
missed for tbs next service, the leader request
ed all these to rise who had been Methodists
fifty years, aud fourteen rose Then those OF
twenty-five years, then those who had been
| converted within the year. OF the former
| class seventy five rose, and of the latter six
teen One hundred and eighteen testimonies
were given during the meeting, one by a niece
of Bishop Soule, and several by those who
were of the fourth generation in Methodist
| families.
The next service was introduced by singing
| VuO hJAhn AsOth VI XAgG6y lUllUHGQ UY pray6I
by Rev. Mr.. Adams and the singing of another
hymn. Hon. J. ]. Perry then read an histc-
rical sketch of Methodism in Portland and
vicinity.
It appears that the first class was formed in
| 1875 and consisted of six memters. A little
church OF eleven members was subsequently,
formed; and from this feeble beginning the de.
nomination in Portland has grown to its pre-.
sent iourishins proportions.
For the year just closed the denominational
statistics for Portland Methodism are as fol.
lows:
We have in the several Methodist churches in
| Portland Qncluding the islanes) 1345 members
and in the several Sabbath hools connected with
these churches, 16ao scholars. We own church
property churches and parsonages) to the value OF
$15l 200, with not exceeding 81 GOO indebtedness
ON the whole. We raised last year for missions
$3.50 and our other benevolent collections amounted
| to $l,067. We paid in salaries to pastors So 235
and in regular church expenses, ETC., So 391. Total
money raised aud paid Outside of all special col
| lections) $l6,52
Rev DIR. Torsey, who was to give an address
was prevented being present by sickness and
the leader called upon Campmeeting John
Allen to make some remarks,
Mr.. Allen said when he first came to Port.
land he sought the acquaintance of Methodists
He spoke Of the great changes that had taken
| plsce; some OF them improvements and some
| otherwise. He was witty and quaint, pleasant.
ly criticising his literally educated brethren
and gave some most amusing "reminiscences Of
his long work in the ministry.
The hymn was sang "The morning light is
| breaking"
Rev. John Collins of Ferry Village then
| spoke upon the Instinct of Methodism for
truth and Righteousness. John Wesley was a
High churchman, but the Lord made him a
Low cburehman. He, for many years, strue-
gled for sense OF justification with God, aud
| ieally, when reading Luther's preface to the
| EDistle to the Romans, he cana into the
| light. He came into one doctrine and pracSce
after another; throwing off the bonds of the
old church and coming more and more into
the liberty of the gospel.
The hymn was sung Salvation, Oh the joy
ful sound"
Rev. DR.. Basbford of Portland then spoke
| of the secret of success in Methodsm. He
thought John Wesley applied Bacon's scient.
fic methods to religious matters. He expert.
mented with religious laws and thence de-
rived the great principles embodied in mis- per
sonal and denominational work. To the de-
velopment Of this met thod is due much OF the
wonderful work done by Msthodists during
the past century. He thought that possibly
Methodists put undue stress upon knowing the
precise point of time of conversion. Doubt
less, in the future, children will be educated
into the church. The Christian life is a
series of conversions into unfolding truth and
increasing religious light.
| AFTERNOON.
At 2 p. IA. Sunday School concert was
held, Mr.. e. s. Everett, loader which greatly
interested the audience. Most of the work
was done by the children of the several
Methodist Sunday Schools, and the exercise
was decided success.
All o'clock the exercise in order was the
discussion of the Methods of the Methodists
Mr.. II. Ell. Shaw, presiding. The first speaker
was Rev. E. M. Smith of Ksnt's Hill. The
following is an abstract of his address:
Education has not been popularly regarded as one
of the methods of the Methodists;'' nevertheless
| history shows that it has been. One of the first
| things done by Wesley was to found school; and
| one of the first things done by the Methodists in
| America was to found an institute of learning.
Many of the people and some of the ministers fear
| ed that education would be unfavorable to deep
piety, ami SO opposed it, but the leaders of Method
| ism have uniformly favored it.
| The educational plans of the Methodists have
| been very comprehensive. Reli g1on has been re
garded as nectssary to the broadest education and
education as necessary to the growth of Christian
character. Wesley preferred unlearned to uncon-
verted preachers but provided for the rapid educa
tion of his lay preachers. The old circuit system
was an comparable educator, and produced some
| of the keenest and soundest theologians. Wesley
| also founded school FIR the education, physical
mental and spiritual OF the children, aud prepared
/ educational tracts for distribution among their
| parents. Through their Sunday School helps and
the Chautauquan courses, as well as through their
schools and colleges, the Methodsts of to day are
striving to educate the young. The highest object
of an education has been thought 10 be not wealth.
nor fame, nor even knowledge for its sake but
increased usefulness. We have today about fifty
| colleges and nearly one hundred seminaries and
| female colleges.
| An account then given of the founding of the
institution at Kent's Hill by Luther Sampson aud
of its present strength and prosperity 1t has real
| estate valued at about 5 10 600, and an endow-
| ment Of $4,000. 1t is advancing constantly and
needs still greater facilities.
| Rev. w. f. Berry spoke of the Aim of Meth
odism. That aim is to persuade men to fse
from the wrath to come. We do not ask when
OR where were you converted? but are you a
| living Christian? Again we hold that each
| Christian should be methodical in his Chris.