Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-07-13

ASSS5 -So-'
noke district; 1860 and 1861. Charles
Street, 1.-THE old First Church, Baltimore
THE SEPARATION OF THE CHURCH.
When the war broke out DR.. Martin
went to Virginia. and remained there un-
til 1865. In 1862 he preached at Lexing-
ton and throughout Rockbridge county
and during 1868, 1864 and 1855 he had ten
charges in district extending from Bote
tourt county to Highland county. During
those years he supported himself. In Oc-
tober, 1865. DIR. Martin came to Baltimore
to open Eutaw Hall, as place of worship
for the Central Station, of which the Rev
W. j. Perry was pastor. In 1861, at the
Stanton Conference, over which Bishop
Scott presided, DIR. Martin had presented
to vote the paper which declared the separ.
alton of some of the churches of the Balti.
more Conference South from the General
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and he participated at the close
of the war in the work which resulted in
the making of the Lexington Station of
the Baltimore and Virginia Conferences.
He declined in 1865 the urgent calls to as
sumo charge of the new place of worship
he had helped to open, and chose the
work of serving the impoverished churches
near Lexington, to which he had been ap-
pointed.
THE M. e. CHURCH SOUTH.
At Alexandria, in February. 1865. when
the conference formally united with the
Methodist Episcopal Church South, DR..
Martin was appointed presiding elder of
the Washington district. and Immediately
set about the work of thorough reorganiza-
tion and reconstruction that was needed.
From seven churches which he found in
the district when he took charge, he built
up during the four years of privation and
jealous labor twenty appointments. In
the Baltimore district, to which he was
appointed in 1870, he served four years,
and in 1874 he was appointed presiding
elder of the Rockingham district. In
1875, 1876, 1877 and 1878, which were years
of remarkable prosperity, DR.. Martin was
at Staunton Station. and his pastoral du-
ties and faithfulness drew about him a
very large congregation and made him the
friend of the people of Staunton. He was
assigned to Rockingham district in 1879,
and in 1888 he was transferred to the Win
chester district. where he remained as
presiding elder until the last meeting this
spring of the conference at Martinsburg,
W. Va, when he was appointed to st.
Paul's Church, Baltimore.
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.
But his influence was felt in wider fields
than that comprised within the limits of
the Baltimore Conference. He was elect
ed to the General Conference which met
at Indianapolis, May, 1856, and he was
prominent member of all succeeding con-
ferences; at Buffalo in 1860, New Orleans
in 1855, Memphis in 1870, Louisville in
1874, Atlanta in 1878, Nashville in 1882
and Richmond in 1885. When DR.. Thomas
Osmond Summers died in the midst of his
duties at the General Conference in 1882
at Nashville, Tenn, DR.. Martin, who had
been one of his assistants. succeeded him
as Secretary of the conference. The two
men had started In the work of the Metho.
dist ministry together, both having been
received at the same conference, and both
had started together to ride to the fields
of their work in Virginia, though their
lives had passed in different paths, Or.
Summers travelling through Texas, Ala
bama, South Carolina and Tennessee,
while Dr. Martin remained by his Balti-
more Conference, so much beloved by
him.
Two young men had started on horse
back from Washington to the Valley of
Virginia, Mr.. Summers going to Staun-
ton and Mr.. Martin to Lexington. Their
journey led them through Fairfax, Prince
William, Fauquier and Rappahannock
counties in the Piedmont country, and
across the Blue Ridge into Shenandoah.
Rockingham and Augusta counties, lying
in the Shenandoah Valley, the most beau
tiful valley, probably, in the world. The
only pass words needed by them on this
journey were, ''We are Methodist preach
ers, travelling to our circuits,'' and
though travelling in primitive manner,
they were Hospitality received everywhere.
at Staunton the two young men parted,
after pleasant journey. during which
they had learned many lessons of value to
them in after life.
AS SECRETARY OF BALTIMORE CON-
FERENCE.
Eight times delegate to general con-
ference, six times presiding elder, known
as circuit rider trained to endure hard
ships and privations, and as an energetic
pastor of important city churches, DR..
Martin was perhaps best known as the
secretary of the Baltimore Conference, to
which office he was elected in 1858. and
which he filled until his death. Standing
below the bishops seat, and before table
covered with manuscript or reference
books, he was an ideal secretary. OF
tall, well-built figure, with grave, digni-
fed Roman-shaped face, piercing eye,
firmly-set lips strong under jaw, and brown
hair brushed back from noble forehead,
his was presence commanding attention
and respect.
His eyesight remained good, and long
service had enabled him to decipher almost
Immediately any document given him to
read. The gravity of his face, bordering
upon s.ernness, almost, was reflected in his
voice, apparently, and in half-defant,
deep-toned. clear sounding voice, which
penetrated every nook of the church, when
the conference was in session, he was &C.
customed to read the minutes of the pre-
ceding session. to make some announce
ment for the bishop, or to explain some
vexed point. But the sternness was only
apparent, and was probably the result of
many of the privations of his early timer