St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-03
MINNEAPOLIS.
A LASTING MEMORIAL.
The Corner Stone of the Wesley
Nj. +. Church Laid Yesterday.

W.
/ Yesterday, the Tooth anniversary of
the death of John Wesley. the founder
of Methodism, was doubtless celebrated
throughout the world almost, but even
IN London, where statue was unveiled
IN his honor, was there mark of greater
distinction paid than in Minneapolis,
where the corner stone of magnificent
structure, the Wesley Memorial NJ. E.
church. was laid at the conclusion of i'm
pressive services in perpetuation of his
name. The memorial exercises occurred
at the Centenary NJ. E. church, the
oldest church of its denomination on
the west side OF the river which was
erected in 1866. Its congregation is
numerically the largest and financially
the strongest of any of the twenty
one Methodist churches in the city,
and is to occupy the new church
when it is completed. when the change
or name from Centenary" to Wesley"
will be made. The attendance was
large, every seat being taken. After
an organ voluntary and the singing of
an anthem, the pastor, Rev. II. H.
French, and the congregation respons-
lively read Psalm cXXXii., followed by
prayer offered by Rev. .. IL. Tiffany
and Scriptural reading by Rev. Jabez
Brooks.
The Address
was delivered by Rev. j. W. BashfOrd.
d. D.. president of the Ohio Wesleyan
university. He proved TO be highly
entertaining speaker, and his discourse
was scholarly one, which showed con-
siderable depth of research and study
of the character of Wesley, whom he
praised with warmth that partook of
the nature almost of hero worship,
coupled with unlimited enthusiasm in
the growth of Methodism and firm
belief i'll its supremacy as the religious
belief that will ultimately predominant
the world over. He took for his text
John vii.
If any man do His will he shall know
of the doctrine, whether it be of God or
whether speak of myself.
In the course of his remarks the
speaker said that the eighteenth cen
tury in which Wesley lived has been
spoken of as barren. but it produced
Voltaire, Blackstone, Napoleon, Goethe,
Humboldt. Beethoven. Handel and
John Wesley. 1t would be necessary to
90 back three centuries to Martin
Luther 10 find the equal OF John Wesley
-NOltaire was the incarnation of mock
cry. Napoleon the embodiment of
wOrldlineSs, Humboldt the Columbus of
science, Goethe the apostle of self-cult-
IRE, John Wesley rechriStened Chris
tlanity. and these men stand as exam
pies of the chief forces which to-day
affect society. The speaker briefly re-
viewed the life of Wesley. and diSSected
the spiritual crises through which
he passed, until he became thirty-tiye
years of age. He was. at his time of
life, the best trained and equipped man
in all England for the work he was to
accOmpliSh-the Bacon of Christianity
and the modern Paul as an organizer.
His preparation was so thorough. his
scholastic training so careful. that of the
$1,000 young men in the Methodist insti-
tutiOnS of learning in the United States
to-day there is probably not one so well
fitted as was John Wesley when he be-
gan to preach. Cardinal Manning, of
the Catholic church, prOnOunceS Wesley
to be the greatest man that modern
England has produced. The speaker
referred to the fact that Wesley was in
favor of Capitalization of power iii the
king for the government OF England as
one of the mistakes that it must be adj
mitted Wesley made, but naively added
that it was necessary to mention the
mistakes of Wesley to keep MethOdiSts
from almost prOclaiming the infallibility
of Wesley, our pope of MethOdism."
In conclusion he said that, Judging
from the statistics of the past three cen
turtles. which foretell the conversion
of the world to Christianity within the
next three centuries to come, there is
reason to believe that Professionalism
will predominant in an English-speak-
ing tongue, and that the MethOdists,
already 23.000000 strong, will be largely
in the majority.
After the address the congregation
formed in procession and, headed by
the official board of Centenary church
and the Methodist ministers of the city,
proceeded to the site of the new church
at the corner of First avenue south and
Grant street. Here Bishop Fitzgerald
made brief Introductory remarks and
prayer was offered by Rev. John Stat
ford. The contents of the box to be
placed in the cornerstone were an
nOunced by J. D. Blake, of the board of
trustees, and the ceremony of laying
the cornerstone was performed by
Bishop Fitzgerald. assisted by Rev.
II. II. French, pastor; II. L. Lillibrdge,
president of trustees. and W. H. HAYES,
the architect. The congregation then
sang the doxology, and benediction was
said by Rev. George GalDin.
The New Church
is to be built of pink Jasper, trimmed
with Lake Superior red sandstone. 1t
will have 4 frontage of 40 feet on Grant
street and 100 feet on First avenue
south. There will be four main EN-
frances. three on Grant street and one
on First avenue. The auditorium will
be nearly square in shape, and with
floor sloping downward toward the or
gan and pulpit in one corner. The Sun
day school room. at the end of the build |
ing farthest from First avenue. will be |
separated from the auditorium by auto |
matte sliding screens. so that the two |
rooms can be thrown together, and |