The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-10-26
BY BISHOP GOODsELL.

BY BISHOP GOODSELL.
An Interesting Talk About His Euro
pean Trip-EXperience in the Bal
kans-Views on the Social Question
Across the Water-Great Growth Of
Methodism on the Continent
Meriden, Oct. 25-Bishop d. A. Good
sell Of the Methodist Episcopal church,
who has recently returned from holding
conferences in Europe, was in town for
a few house to-day, on business.
When seen by a Republican reporter
Bishop Goodsell said his work abroad
| had been both pleasant and interesting
He has traversed Europe twice during
the two years abroad, going from Con-
stantinople to Throndjhem, Norway.
He has visited Bulgaria, Italy, Swift
zerland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden,
Norway and Finland, travelling about
ten thousand miles, without including
the trips across the Atlantic. Going
from one end of Europe to the other, he
encountered all kinds of weather and
people.
, Many of his experiences were very in
teresting, and he tells of a trip across
the Balkan mountains from the Dan
ube to Sofia, which was a very novel
one. The distance was one hundred
and twenty miles and was made in q
phaeton drawn by three horses, with q
rC,,, fo, 1,,ix D,,,,; rr Lo io1,r
they crossed many places where the
driver, had he been as bloodthirsty as
the race is generally supposed to be,
could easily have disposed of the bish-
op without exciting very much COM
ment In that neighborhood. He crossed
the battle field Of Plevna, where the
Russians defeated the Turks, and says
that it is covered with monuments,
very much as the battle fields in this
country are.
DAYLIGHT ALL THE TIME.
One of the most interesting countries
is Norway 1t lies partly in the Arctic
zone and many of the singular condi-
tons of that zone are found there. 1t
seems very odd, Bishop Goodsell says,
to see children playing in the streets
the sun still shining, or to be getting up
at two o'clock and going fishing and
finding it daylight. Farmers sleep dur
ing the day and go out to work at
night when the sun is not so warm.
but still just as bright.
DAYLIGHT FOR "a HOURS.
| One railroad journey the bishop made
from Christina to Throndjhem re-
| quired twenty-four hours, and he was
! able to read his paper the entire dis
| lance by daylight.
! So much light, however, is unpleas-
ant and a person does not enjoy his
sleep so well.
SOCIALISM IN EUROPE.
Bishop Goodsell says the great ques-
| tons engrossing Europe to-day are the
social questions. No one who visits
| any part of Europe except Russia can
| help seeing that He thinks there will
| be great social notifications on the
| continent within the next ten years.
| The common people are obtaining more
and more rights every year. There has
| been a great growth of soclalistic prin-
ciples in Italy during the past two
years, as there must be in all countries
| where the upper classes hold the land
| and transfers are difficult. Our great
| est security against socialism, Bishop
| Goodsell thinks, is the wide distribu-
| ton of land and the great ease with
which the working classes can obtain
! houses.
LIKE PENTECOST.
The Methodist church is growing
| quite rapidly on the continent, increas-
ing at the rate of about four thousand
members year. There are now fifty
six thousand commandments and three
| hundred ministers, and the church
| property is valued at about four million
dollars
| During Bishop Goodsell's stay in Eu-
rope he received into the Methodist
/ church in one day twenty-three hun
dred members and thirty-three minis
ters. In numbers admitted to the
church this day resembled the day of
! Pentecost, when three thousand were
taken into the church.
| The Wesleyan church in Germany,
which is principally in the kingdom of
Wurtemberg, and was a branch of the
Wesleyan church in England, had pc
titioned the parent body for permission
to enter the Methodist Episcopal
church. and this permission being Civ
en-, Bishop Goodsell had the honor of
receiving this large body of Christians
into his church. In addition to the
large numbers brought in, the Wesley
an church had about two hundred thou
sand dollars worth of property. This
action was taken with the full consent
of the English church, as the laity and
clergy of the German church had ex-
pressed their desire to be released.
THE CHURCH IN ROME.
Bishop Goodsell spent six months in
! Rome, living in the church house there.
| The church owns much valuable prop
erty there. There is one church for the
| Italians with a seating capacity of two
hundred and fifty. In addition there is
| publishing house. boys school, col
lege for young men, theological school
and nine apartments containing fifty
five rooms for the professors, teachers
and pastors. In Italy there are twen-
ty-three hundred communicates and
twenty-five ordained ministers. Most
OF the Italians who take charge of the
Italian Methodist churches here come
from Italy.
Methodism is stronger in Sweden
. 4. u.