The Portland daily press., 1895-10-24
EPWoRTH LEAGUE.
Portland District Meeting at Gorhsm
Yesterday.

Portland District Epworth League in the
School street Methodist church at Cor
ham yesterday. With the young people
came many of the pastors of the churches
in thu district. The church had been
prepared for the occasion by Charles Cobb
and Fred Harding. who had decorated it
with streams of bunting and an album
dance of plants and flowers. Ranged
along the wall were the bright hued ban
hers brought by the delegates of some of
the Leagues The session opened with a
devotional service led by Rev. VIM. Cach-
more Then the Rev. f. G.. Strout pas
tor of the church, spoke few words of
hearty greeting, to which the president,
Rev. Walter Canham, made an appropri-
ate response.
Rev. VIM. Wood, the secretary who
took that place on the resignation OF the
last incumbent, in his report said: For
fhe last eight weeks I have been Sir
Artegal's fail, attempting to beat the
golden grain of Epworth League Loyalty
out of the pastors and secretaries of the
district In many instances it was ripe
and ready In other cases, if there is
corn it is still in the sheaf and not in
the bin
The secretary reports $50 active mem
bers; 53l associate members; an increase
of 1856; but the totalImem bership is over
1900, as in the returns to the secretary
number of large Leagues are missing.
OF 30 charges returns were made from
only %. From these charges are re-
ported Isl Junior Leagues with MEM
bership of 453. Fifty-two conversions are
reported The average attendance is said
to be 502 Twenty eight have been added
to the church membership, and twenty
one to the list of probationers.
The convention appointed the follow
ing com mittees
On redentials-Edward Whitehouse.
of Goodwin's Mills.
Hill; Rev. G. f. Millward; Mr.: Hnff,
Old Orchard; Jere McIntire, Biddeford;
Jesse Waldron and Harry Davis, Good
wins Mills: Miss Turner, Chestnut
street, Portland; Rev. E. w. kennison,
Eliot; George Stanstield, Sanford Jenny
MoulGon, Kezar Falls; Mrs. Strout,
Woodfords; Rev. Vim. Cashmere, Stan
dish; Miss Emma Waugh. Kennebunk
port; Miss Ada Clark, Hollis Center;
Mrs. Spear Westbrook; Mrs. Webber,
kennebunk; Rev. Hosea Hewitt, South
Berwick; Miss Florence Hartford: South
Portland.
Resolutions-Rev NJ E. King, Kezar
Falls, Rev. W. S. Jones' Pleasantdale;
Rev. 6. f. Millward, Sanford.
To the outsider, perhaps, the most in
teresting feature on the days programme
was the long list of short papers, occupy
ing from five to ten minutes each indeliy-
cry and prepared by the members them
selves. Rev. W. S. Jones, of Pleasantdale,
was the first speaker, and read a carefully
prepared essay on the Epworth League as
seen from the standpoint of the pastor.
Mr. Jones paid high tribute to the
work of the leagues and spoke especially
of their capacity as instruments in en-
ahIing the young to discriminate between
worldliness and religion. In worldliness
Mr.. Jones included $50 called Sunday
sacred concerts - The speaker warned
the young people however not to fall into
the error of allowing their zeal to SO carry
them away that they should be lead to
make a subordinate of the pastor in
church work.
MISS LlZZlo LOrlHS, VI OOutu oiuitbu,
was unable to be present. so her paper
Common Sense in Epworth League
Work." was read by the secretary. 1t
was we'll written plea for the use Of
common sense methods in the work OF
the organization. Miss Alice o. Chick,
of Kennebunk, read paper on Ability
the Measure Of Responsibility" which
al, +
"Amens'' and loudly applauded at its
close Miss Chick urged that it was the
duty of everyRperson to try to do the duty
assigned him and not shirk because OF
lack of confidence.
Mrs. A. Hodson of South Berwick in
her paper on 1.-THE Epworthian Soul
Winner" argued that the fundamental,
basal principle upon which the Epworth
League should be built is vital piety.
Mrs. Hodson regarded the League as one
of the most important of the means for
carrying on the work of the church. Mrs.
Hodson said that not even the Angel
Gabriel can do our work for US. Grant
did not take Richmond. He directed the
army, but the boys in the blue captured
Lle C1ty. 1Ou may lICFOI 10 Il SeesA
preacher, but you can become star
crowned saint.
Mr. j. McIntire of Biddeford con-
sidered the question of THE Epworthian
and the Sabbath - Mr. McIntire said
that as the result of large immigration
from lands where the observance of Sun
day is neglected, the word Sunday in
many parts of this country is coming to
mean a day devoted to baseball games,
band concerts and excursions to the sea-
side and the mountains. Greed for the
so. called Almighty Dollar is also tending
to destroy the observance of Sunday. In
New York city, the metropolis of the
nation, the saloon keepers are now
arrayed in a struggle to keep their places
omen on Sundays. With the millions OF
the whiskey trust backing them and not
content with the ruin they have wrought
in six days, they demand the privilege OF