Evening star., 1897-02-11
installation Of the New Staff Of Of
fcer,
The Event Celebrated In an Enthu-
siastfc Gathering of District
Leaguers Last Night.

ministers present were Rev. DIR. L. B. VIII
son, presiding elder; Rev. Drs. w. r.
Stricken of Hamline. George w. Hobbs of
Trinity. C. L. Pate Of North Capitol Street,
Rev. DR.. G. v. Leech of Grace Church, W.
w. Van Arsdale, w. G. Cassard and others.
DIR. Wilson presided. Those installed
were: President, Mr.. w. s. Dewhirst; first
vice president, Mr.. Earl P. Hamlin; third
vice president, Miss Amy L. May; fourth
vice president, Prof William ]. Palmer;
recording secretary, Mr.. P. T. Israel; cor
responding secretary, Mr.. ]. H. Allen;
treasurer, Mr.. George e. Armstrong; SUI
perintendent of Junior League, Miss Jennie
Watts. The installation of the second vice
president, Mrs. NJ. NJ. Mitchell, did Tot &C.
cur because of her absence on account of
illness. The evening opened with song
service, lasting fifteen minutes, and con-
Quoted by Prof. William J. Palmer.
After devotional exercises, which were
conducted by Rev. C. L. Pate and DR..
George " Leech. the congregation, led by an
instrumental quartet, composed Of Messrs.
E. s. Tracy. B. L. Taylor, c. H. Henney and
DR.. w. E. Diffenderfer, with Professor
Palmer as precentor, and Mrs. Stevenson
organist, sang the hymn Il Need Thee
Every Hour" Following this the quartet
rendered the Pilgrims Chorus from
Tannhauser.
Responsibility of an ONCE.
The installation address was delivered
by Presiding Elder Wilson, who, in part,
said
There are men and women all over the
world seeking office for the honor there is
in it; there are others who want office for
the monetary value thereof, but the Offices
to which friends who are to be in
stalled tonight have been elected are
neither sinecures nor do they have a none
tary value. To some extent they involve
great responsibilities. There are some posi-
-; &I-t
of the work to be done, and these offices
are of that kind.
LAS those who have been called to fill
these offices in the past have magnitied
the office. and not themselves, that far has
the official been successful.
IF the work is faithfully performed by
those about to take office they will have
the satisfaction of feeling that the in
while in their keeping. 1 am glad that
when Jesus calls us to His service He con-
stantly whispers in our ear words of cheer,
and this He will do to you"
At the conclusion of Dr. Wilson's ad-
dress the officers above named knelt at
the altar rail, the congregation also bow
ing their heads in the attitude of prayer,
and DIR. Wilson offered a feeling invoca-
tion, ssking among other requests that
each would be blessed by the Almighty in
the exercise of the duties of his or her
office, and that the Epworth League of
district would increase in men,
The New Presidents Address.
Mr.. W. S. Dewhirst, the newly installed
president, was introduced by DR.. Wilson,
and presided for the remainder of the
evening. In the course of his address he
said
I'm accepting the position to which the
board of control has seen fit to elect me,
/ am not unmindful of the labor and re-
en- tor
therefore, appeal to You for your SYM
pathy and forbearance, your hearty sup
port and cooperation.
In all great movements, in all concerted
efforts, when well directed, there must be
leadership. A leader should be representa-
tive of the cause he champions. He should
be more than that-he should be in all
essential qualities and in the highest de-
the dignity and responsibility of leader
ship. The president Of such an organiza-
tion as the Epworth League should first Of
all be spiritual in character. he should by
reason of his life command and have the
respect and confidence of the entire MEN,
bership.
He should be a man of good judgment,
well instructed in the principles of the
executive ability, be able to devise plans of
work and see that they are carried out.
Il am free to confess to you that l do
not possess all these qualifications, but l
come to you with the love of God in my
heart, with a loyalty to Jesus Christ, and,
therefore, a loyalty to the Epworth
LeagLe; with an earnest desire to help the
EpWorth League accomplish the high mis-
sion for which it is destined and with a
faith strong enough to believe that 1897
shall be the best year in the history OF
the Washington district Epworth League.
Work to BE Done.
'Iou all know the object for which the
Epworth League exists. You are familiar
with the departments into which the work
is divided. You have elected an officer to
represent each OF these departments, and
We believe each league shall hear from
them during this year. We are not pre-
pared to tell you exactly what we shall
&c as a district league, but with your help
and Gods help we shall help to make the
influence of Methodism felt in this city.
I'm this campaign of 1897 against ignor-
ance and vice, we come to you with no new
platform. The old platform upon which we
stand is broad enough without any new
plank to take in all humanity. We offer,
through Jesus Christ, pardon and peace to
every one who will join our ranks We do
rayed against US. Nor are we unminGful
of the great struggle in which we are en-
gagged, but relying for success upon the
Righteousness of our cause and upon our
great Leader, who Is more than all they
that are against Us, We shall win the vic
tory.
Growth of the League.
I'VE have watched with keenest interest
the growth and development Of the Ep-
worth League We are proud of it's past
achievements and glorious victories. We
believe the hand of God is leading 1t, and
that His loving voice is calling us to wider
fields and larger possibilities for the fu-
ture
do we as young people appreciate our
religious liberty? If We would understand
the infinite struggle through which our
modern religious institutions have made a
place for themselves in the hard selfishness
OF the world, we must read the story OF
st. Ambrose, of Wyckliffe, Of Savonarola.
of Luther of John Knox, of Bunyan of
Wesley and Whitfield, of the lonely circuit
rider of the frontier and of countless self
sacrificing workers in the homes of poverty
and vice that crowd the slums Of our great
cities. Every advance In the ascending
pathway has been a triumph won by the
faithful toilers who felt themselves, in
some divine way, Gods revealers of truth
and who foreshadowed the man of Galilee
And here we stand tonight with the
priceless heritage of the past in our hands,
with old problems only partially solved
ard new ones pressing for solution Our
present is the future Of the past and the
centuries stretch out before us peopled by
the millions yet to be.
rs th.s to be the weak link in the chain
of time? Shall We prove to be unworthy /?
Let us turn the search light of investjpa