The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-11
METHODISM IN SAVANNAH.
DIR. J. w. HINTON TELLS OF ITS
EARLY STRUGGLES.

Hull, Russell, Howard, Pierce, Ca
pers and Others Who Were the
Pioneer Methodist Preachers in sa-
vannnh - Sherman Used Wesley
Chapel as stabIe-Dr. Hinton
Thinks Savannah MethOdIsm
should Make More Rapid Prog
ress.
At a meeting OF the Church Extension
Society of the Methodist Episcopal church
of Savannah at Trinity church last night.
an entertaining address on Methodism in
Savannah was delivered by Rev. J. w.
Hinton. presiding elder. who began his
ministerial work here fifty years ago.
DR.. Hinton said he had tried to refresh
his memory a little upon matters con-
nected with Methodism in Savannah. He
| spoke nothing new, he said, when he re-
ferred to John Wesley as the founder of
| Methodism and Of his having preached
here. Wesley, he said. was a wise and
holy man and lived to do good like his
Lord and master. The work of Metho-
dism. he said, is 20 extend the influences
Of the gospel in every possible way.
| Churches should be organized and found
ed on cooperation, a union of effort and
concentration. They cannot accomplish
! their purposes single handed. Religious
training is not to be allowed to float
around of its own accord, but it it is pro-
paganda. The character of modern Metho-
dism is its multiplication of agencies and
extending of influences.
incidentally DR.. Hinton referred to mis-
sion work. and deprecated the fact that
in 1892 the whole of Methodism in Georgia
gave only $500 for foreign missions. He
spoke, too, of the various forms mis-
sionary work has taken on, domestic as
/ well foreign.
"Methodsm in Savannah" Dr. Hinton
said, has not kept pace exactly, with Its
! advance in other cities Of equal import
ance in the south, though it has
| made much progress 1t was in 1872 that
| Hope Hull first preached here in a chair
| makers shop, because that was the only
| place where he could borrow any chairs.
The room was not one-fourth as large as
that in which DR.. Hinton spoke. He was
a man Of tremendous powers in many
ways and had a stentorian voice.
James Russell came next. He was a
marVelously stalwart man; and one OF
overwhelming force. He preached here
1 to a little handful of people, and after
ward became one Of the most noted revi-
Some years later, about 1888, DR.. Hinton
said, George Pierce, afterWard Bishop
Pierce, was preaching here at the United
States barracks. On one occasion when
he was riding out with Bishop Pierce ana
| DR.. Whiteman, the bishop referred to that
time and told him there were thirty Metho-
dists here then and they were so poor that
the whole of them were not worth ESQ
The Methodists, he said, were slow in
getting start, and 1t was a long time
before they made any appreciate pro-
gress. John Howard was the first man
who ever had any remarkable success
here. He started a revival and the work
began to grow. He was followed, about
1920, by Capers. who was a powerful ora
tor, and after him came James o. An
drews.
DR.. Hinton said he knew pretty we'll all
the movements made here since he en-
dedication of Trinity church by Alfred r.
Mann in 1S47, and said he could remember
what he preached about on that occasion.
The church continued TO grow until
Methodism had gotten to be a highly re-
spectacle religion in Savannah.
He made very appropriate reference
to the late Robert Mclntire, speaking of a
noted philanthropist in England, where a
church was pointed to as monument to
m mem of Me KGa ask he fO Said Nook nook
around you and upon the walls of this
addition to your church.. He was man
who lived to do good. He ought to have
monument, and you should venerate
''The church has been growing" he
went on. The slimness of this congre-
| cation don't indicate any tremendous
amount of zeal, but everything takes time
and the geologist. | have had a grea,
deal to do with Methodism in Savannah
and the best Wesley Methodists / know
in the state of Georgia are found right
| here"
DR. Hinton spoke Interestingly of Meth
odism in Atlanta, where it has made re-
markable progress. There are now ten
churches there. He preached the thirc
, Methodist sermon preached in that city
when it was yet a village in the woods
That was back in the 40's, and there were
then only sixty Methodists there. His
allowance was 500 for the year, he saiG
but all they could raise was $99.65, and he
lacked 35 cents of getting his full pay. A
Baptist, however, added 81 to it, saying
he had rather see nm overpaid' There
are now 5000 Methodists in Atlanta
He approved the legislation, he said
whereby the location of new churches
men in the community. The policy of the
old Methodsts used to be, he said &C
put a church as far as possible out oil
the business part of the town. This
he said, lis a sad mistake. You want
the people near you. The people can.
not be reached unless you carry the
With a population of $4,000. Savannah
he said, should have more than foul
over Savannah alone one day he said
to see If he could decide where churches
should be located. He gathered one opin.
ion from this, he said, which was thai
a mistake had been made when Marvin
church was put over on the sand bank
, 1t was doing much better since its re
moval. He spoke of being present wher
Wesley chapel was organized. 1t il
Wesley Monumental now, he said, ant
It's DnlSneQ dFCnlletluTe makes II q ntI1ng
: I monument to John Wesley.
Il preached in that little octogona
structure, which the ,confederates used
to make their cartridges in. and Their
Gen. Sherman came along and made q
stable of it,"
He talked then of the proposed church
in the southern part of the city anC
said he was in favor of seeing some.
thing done at once. The Methodists nt
said ought to get TO work and make
it a success. He appealed to them, too
! to get the debt off Grace church, and
applauded the work of the extension sol
ciety, which he said should do some
good work.