St. Paul daily globe., 1889-04-05
ON CHURCH CLUBISM,
Rev. David Morgan Presents
Cold Facts at a Methodist
Meeting.
II
He Says There Is Something
Wrong With the Present i: +
System. o9
Chaplain Lathrop, Of the Sem
ate, Repudiates the In %. %
situations. ."
The Discussion AWakens New
Interest in the Proposed :.
DeaconesseS' Home.

A large and enthusiastic meeting Of
officials and adherents of the Methodist
churches of st. Paul was held last even
ing at the Central Park M. E. church.
All ample lunch was served at $50
O'Clock, after which the gathering re-
solved itself into business meeting.
The opening address was made by Rev.
Robert Forbes, and was an able
and exhaustive review of the
benefits to be derived by the.
church from the establishment in
connection Herewith of a Methodist
hospital. He was followed by James
Howe, who read an ably written paper
Oh the necessity OF establishing a hos
plta1 IN connection with the church.
The remarks of both gentlemen were
warmly received. The advocacy of
Methodist Deaconess's home was very
ably handled in paper on the subject
by Rev. }, E. Smith, D. D., read by his
daughter, Miss Smith. The paper was
strong in its support of the idea, and
showed that a deacOness was by no
means new innovation. 1t also re-
ferred to the power in the
churches welded by women, and
recIted instances of similar
result for good in the cities of the old
world. The paper concluded with the
statement that the Methodist church
claimed to stand at the head in the mat
ter OF progression, and calling on the
MethodIstS of the city to make good the
boast by establishing the first home for
deaconesseS in st. Paul Mr. Hunting
don Miller.w who was announced to speak
on the subject, produced book written
by Mrs. Mary Myeas, of Chicago, who
has met with phenomenal success in
the establishment of institutions similar
10 the one contemplated in this city.
The book. from which selections were
read by Mrs. Miller, related how the
work had been done in Chicago, ana
showed that the institution there
was now in a prosperous condition.
At the conclusion of the remarks by
Mrs. Miller, Rev. David Morgan arose
and said that he believed in the idea of
| a deacOnesses home and hospital to
work III unison as proposed. Some
thing must be done, and that at once
AS the matter stands now there is not
Methodist church in the city, nor any
other church, in which a Door ragged
and tattered sinner. or poorly dressed
women can go to worship and find anyS
one to take them by the hand and bid
them welcome. There is no use
Sinking the ISSUE" said the reverend
gentleman, these are facts,s ,sterribfG
facts if you will, but still facts. It'
| costs $500 to- get anyone into the Meth-2
odlst church. and it costs s. to save a
Christian. There is no use trying to
disguise the fact thatth is something
radically wrong with our system. Somer
way must be found to effect the needed
reform, and | am convinced that the,
solution of the.problem is found in the
deaconeSses. 1t is they who are to raisei
us from the slough of wrong ideas andt'
represent tile Methodist church, in
searching1eut and bringing sinners to-;
our midst. In the Salvation army haH7
may be found every night more sinners
than get into the Methodist churches by
any hook or crook in. a month.
E. R. Lathrop, chaplain of the senate,
arose and asked the courtesy of the
sder," said Mr. Lathrop, ''but Pm a
Methodist, and Pve been in
good many Methodist churchs. |
want to say right now that I've no use
for bird that will foul it's own nest.
| never was in a Methodist church, or
any other church in my life that |
didn't find a seat and welcome. |
deny that there is Methodist church
anywhere in which a poor man
OF woman, PROVIDED tncE WASH their
faces clean, will not be welcomed and
many hands extended to aid them in
their effort to reform. All this talk is an
INJUSTICE TO THE CHURCH,
and for one don't propose to stand it."
Mr.. Morgan said 1t might perhaps be
true that the poor would be welcomed
if they would come, but the poor were
proud. and. addressing Mr. Lathrop,
''you would not bring your wife to
church in a cotton gown"
II would, sir. | would bring my wife
to church. anyway. No man can say
that my children ever stayed away from
church because they hadn't faShiona-
bic spring bonnetS. Rev. c. NJ. Heard,
of Merriam Park. poured Oil on the
troubled waters by the diplomatic state
ment that both the gentlemen were
right in part, and that there was much
to be done and said on both sides. A
motion was made to appoint a commit
tee to agitate the question of the pro-
posed home and hospital, and to report
to the Methodist alliance at its next
meeting. Tie motion carried, and the
following committee was appointed:
Rev. DR.. Forbes, Mrs. Huntington
Miller, W. Fl. III. Johnson, Mrs. Luley
and e. X. Ermshier. The assembly
then sang the doXology. after which
motion to adjourn was carried. The
meeting was regarded as q grand sue
cess, in that interest has been awakened
in the objects for which 1t was called.