Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-07-28
MlNUEND, SuBTRAHEND, REMAINDER.


Peninsula Methodist
The ever.revsrtine and Incompetent
sible question of leakage in the number
of probationers reported in our con-
ference from year to year 10 not easily
put aside. for the rhilosophio reason
that cause and effect are not divorcible.
The evil can hardly be in The probation
of mvmhers of itHelf. 1t IL not in the
fact that most OF the probationers die
during their term Of probation, nor
that they are removed, either with or
without certificate. tits most an
noying and humiliating question, and
we have long since learned to restrain
our tendency to shout when We hear
annual reports of thousands who have
been gathered as probatiouers. His
tory has clearly proved to us that tine
gain in membership from year to year
Ia so email that we hesitate to make
large and assuring calculation bssod
upon the figures that represent the
number Of practitioners gathered. In
mining ore one may not'rxult 10 the
amount of crude material taken, but in
the amount of precious metal obtained
from the crucible.
Going no farther back 10 time than
the returns of our conference session Of
1887. We have reported 1860 proba-
TONERS and 81, 093 members; then com
ing forward to the session Of 1898, We
have 3I,342 members, gain from the
1853 probationerH of but 2I9. What
has becom6 OF the other >, 800 proba-
tioDerH over which Wa applHuded and
Justify anng the doxologyY
A phvHician of only ordinary skill
may have no difficulty 10 determining
that person is sick; but he may not
be able to tell what is wrong nor TO
prescribe a remedy. Something is
wrong in our methods OF work. Is iu
that we strive for quantity merely? Is
1t that We preach an emasrulated Cos
pei, and gather only insincere and sim
pering c0nvertsY Is il that We have
delegated our harvesting of souls to
hired and, therefore, disinterested evan
gelists whose tricks and clap-trap soon
enlir a following that we hasten to re
port as converted soulsp Is it that we
coax penitents to make profession,
instead Of urging them to thoroughness
OF conservation when they present
themselves for prayer? Is il that tbs
masses Of our so called converts are
taught that the emotional choruses of
the revival meeting are TO lift their
souls out of the "horrible pit, /" instead
of prayerfully searching the Scriptures
(which are able to make US wise unto
salvationP'' Ia it because we make the
turning of sentences our chief study,
rather than the turning OF many to
righteousness?
Again turning to our reports for 1893,
We have 5.074 probationars who start
out with the opening of this conference
year. How many of them will be gar
nered to the fold of the church az full
membersY If these 5.074 probationers
are not my thical, and are sincere, max
ing allowance for initiation of numbers
and other things, our roster should
show gain of 1000 usxt conference,
at the very least. II not, why not!
Do you recall the lessun in arithmetic
when you were struggling with the big
terms that belong to the soience Of
numbersf Listep. The minuend il
that from which another number ia 10
be subtracted. The subtrahend is the
number to be taken from another mum
Der. The remainder is the quantity
that is left after deduction. The re-
mainder is graded by the proportions
| of the other two numbers.