The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-12-18
A Centennial Of Mothodism

Methodists OF this country began at Balti-
more on the 10th. marks, says the st.
Louis Globe Democrat. the completion Of
the first 100 years of tho Church IS life as a
national and independent body, thoughnot
of the inception in America of the great
religious movement instituted by the Wes-
levs. That event was duly observed
eighteen years ago for it was in 1866 that
Philip Embury. an Irish local preacher,
began at solicitation Of his cousin Barbara
Heck, to preach to a little band of fellow
Immigrants in New York. Wesley had
fully organized his work in England
twenty seven years before, but no WESLEYAN
religious services are known to have been
held in the new world prior to Embury,
though another Irish Wesleyan, Thomas
Strawbridge, began about the same time
to preach and form societies in Frederick
county. Maryland. Embury's little flock
in New y ork grew rapidly he was helped
the next year by Capt Thomas Webb, a
British officer, who attracted wide popular
attention by preaching in his regimentals
and in 176S they built the famous John
street chapel, the first Methodist church
erected in the new world. Capt. Webb
meanwhile extended his work to Long
Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia and
Maryland, where Strawbridge had by this
D1lt 4 chapel and by 1863 the work had
grown to such proportions that Wesley
sent over two of his itinerants, Pillmoor
and Boardman. who were followed two
years later by Wright and Francis Asbury,
the latter Of whom probably did more for
tile spread permanency of the Church in
this country than any other man. BY 1878.
when the first Conference was held at
| Philadelphia, the church had increased to
,l60 members and ten preachers. 1t con-
| tinued growing even throughout the yicis-
STUDIES of the Revolution, and at the close
OF that struggle for national life numbered
$4,000 members and eighty-four preachers,
none of whom, however, were ordained, so
that the Methodists depended for the sac
raments upon the colonial English Church.
Then Wesley sent out two Presbyters and
DR.. Thomas Coke, whom he had conse-
Grated as Bishop, and had authorized to
unite the scattered societies into a distinct
body under the name of ssthe Methodist
Episcopal Church in the United States of
America This was done at General
Conference at Baltimore, in December,
1854, Asbury being made,a Bishop and it
is this event which the present gathering
in Baltimore is meant to commemorate
1 Thus fully established and equipped with
!the ecclesiastical system as well as theology
of English Methodism, and with liturgy
formulas devised by Wesley and practically
the same as now printed in the Book Of
Discipline, the American Church ex-
tended itself even more rapidly over the
new nation. The lay itinerant ministry
with its circuit rider was one of the
greatest factors in the history of Method
ism in this country, and was of incalcula-
Bile service in the early frontier settle
lments, for it brought under religious in
iiuenceS widely scattered and otherwise
neglected regions. The Church was only
| eight years old when it's size made it neces-
sary to supplement the yearly Conferences
by quadrennial General Conferences, and
in 1912 these were made delegated bodies.
The growth has been steadily maintained
4 till the present time. The Methodist
Church has had vicissitudes there have
been quarrels and schisms- NOTABLY that
OF 1914, when the slavery controversy re-
suited in the withdrawal of nearly half a
million members and the formation of the
Methodist Church South-but the serious
controversies have never been over theo.
logical differences, and the march OF
Methodism itself has always been forward
until it has come to be numerically by far
!, the most important religious denomina
tion Of the country. The membership Of
the various Methodist bodies and their Off
: shoots reaches over 1900, 900. which repre-
sents q constituency probably of at least
, three times that number. The Methodist
Episcopal body alone has over | 800 900 il
its Sunday-schools, 81 universities and
colleges, theological schools, and 6s
academies or boarding schools.
The secret of this wonderful growth anl
influence is not hard to find. MethodiSn
is not oyerlaid with doctrine !. In it, in
cipiency it was, as one writer mas said
J remarkable as containing not single
dOgmatic condition of communion - an(
it remains to-day a school of practica
pety gather than a theological sect. More
! over, the now waning itinerant system. q.
we have intimated, welded wonderful
, influence over the growth of the Church
, and the prominence given to lay work has
largely broken down the barriers which too
often separate clergy from people. Tht
; Methodist ministers are largely of the PEG
, pie; active, energetic workers in the pull
pit and out. they have infused into the
pews their own zeal, their own intense
sense Of man s personal responsibility an(
his possibilities of divine holiness. Tht
Methodist Church seems somehow to BIZ
: peculiarly a Church of brothers working
for one great end. Its growth in the next
hundred years can hardly be that of the
past ; its pioneer work is largely done, yet
the. work Of perfecting and completing re-
mains and the Methodist Church is DIES
tined to build itself up into still greater
proportions, and to remain eminently
the Church of the people.
!, The World s Exposition at New Orleans
was opened on Tuesday, about 3 O'CLOCK
by electricity from Washington CITY,
President Arthur touched the key which
communicated with the machinery in
New Orleans, and in neat and compre
hensive address opened the great Fair in
the name of the people of the Repub
lie. in the presence of his Cabinet, the
Supreme Court. and Committee Of
the House Of Representatives and the
Senate. Senator Riddleberger was one
of the Senate Committee and Col. OFFER.
rail-. of the House. Secretary Frelinghuy.
sen carried on a brief conversation with
the New Orleans authorities, preliminary
to the formal opening. When everything
was ready the President touched the key
which communicated with the wires and
the machinery at New Orleans, and
amidst great rejoicing the formal ceremo-
MES commenced.
i The young Democracy of Baltimore
celebrated the election of Cleveland
and Hendricks last Monday. 1t was no.
ticeable that most all the speakers were
free traders Carlisle, Vance, Tucker and
! Ellis, and they gave utterance to their
sentiments without stint. 1t contrasted
with the ovation to Senator &c man, in
the same city, last week. in this, that
the principal speakers on that occasion
were tariff Democrats illustrating in the
two instances the double barreled plat
| form OF the party. We will refer more
particularly to. the speeches on Monday
hereafter.