Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-02-27
LETTER OF JOHN WESLEY.
RECALLS HIS UNHAPPY CAREER IN
THIS COUNTRY.
Hitherto Unpublished Letter of the
of the Methodist Church
Throws a Side Light on His
Colonial Experiences.

ounde or the Methodist Church
Throws n Side Light on His
Colonial Experiences.
In a hitherto unpublished letter of John
Wesley's the attitude he takes toward
America and Americans is SO bitter as to
be in~explicable, unless his unpleasant as
soclations with the country are recalled.
Nesleys voyage to America was, perhaps,
the most important event in his career,
as from 1t dates what he terms his con-
version. 1t was the questioning of
Spangenberg, the Moravian missionary and
bishop. that thus awakened him., and in
his failure to convert the Indians Wesley
was himself converted.
1t was not more than four or five years
before his voyage that John Wesley and
his brother Charles. with a number of other
students at oxford. formed a society for
the observance of greater austerity and
strictness of religious life in the university.
inns made their derisive little, Methodists.
very appropriate. and that the society had
at first very little encouragement is shown
by one of his letters to his sister Emilia.
She was the eldest daughter of the nineteen
dear torrnents," and as such, though in
deep sympathy with her brother and very
fond of him, often spoke in the free and
easy fashion OF elder sisters. After abus-
~ sbS N'lAo lax pioLiti
that, as she has heard he can work mir
acles and cast out devils, she would be
vastly Obliged II he would cast out the
devil of poverty which has grievously af-
fiicted her pocket. II was with these austere
views that John and his brother set sail
for Georgia as missionaries of the Prop
agation society, mot" as his journal tells
US; TO gain the dross OF riches, but singly
this: to save our souls"
The voyage seems to AVE been an I'M
usually rough one. but Wesley being in no
wise "disordered by the sea" conducted
services. and tells with great admiration
OF the calm piety of the German Morav-
fans. During a storm, when the sea wash
ed over the ship. splitting the mainsail in
pieces, and pouring in between the decks.
lish, but the Germans, oblivious of their
~neighbors' fright. continued the singing of
their psalm with peace. and fervor. From
his childhood Wesley had always had a
dread of worms. but he tries 10 bear with
fortitude the many that befell General
Oglethorpe's good ship. and in one case.
having found the bed too wet to sleep in,
he takes the floor, and rather philosophi-
cally observes that he thinks he will not
md 1t necessary to go to bed any more.
Anecdotes of General OgIethorpe.
1t was through the influence Of General
O~glethorpe. who was a friend of the fam
fly, that the two Wesleys were secured
as missionaries. and an ancedote related
OF him while on board ship shows that the
goodly general had failings in common
with the rest Of mankind. Cypress wine
being the only kind that the governor
drank. he had laid in a supply. of several
dozen bottles to insure a cheerful voyage.
One day Wesley, hearing a great noise In
the cabin, entered and found General Ogle-
thorpe loudly berating his foreign servant.
Grimaldi. who had. after the manner OF
his kind, made way with all the wine. So
fncensed was the governor that he finally
ordered that his trembling servant be tied
hand and foot and carried to the man-of-
wal sailing with them.
Il hope then you never sim" replied the
grave young man. upon which Ogiethorpe.
evidently embarrassed at the unlooked-for
speech, threw his keys at Grimaldi. and
babe him be more careful In the future.
On the In 9TH . OF February cdr ar the long 1hs SSoyage
nah river. they landed at Tybee Island.
TIT Indians, who were on very friendly
came aboard. but they We're a triie dubious
of the missionary spirit, having experienced
the Methods Of the Spaniards. who. follow
ing the old adage of First catch your
hare" and perhaps knowing the ways and
manner of the willy savage. had baptized
first and taught afterward-
wesIey's Life in Georgia.
Wesley was made pastor of the church
in Savannah, and though he won many
friends, his anstere ways and strict rules
of life created not a little opposition. One
entry in his journal will exlpain this, and
also the good mans evident belief inTuke's
assertion that He is a fool, who thinks
by force or skill, to turn the current Of a
wOmanS WILL
Wednesday, May s, I was asked to bap-
tie a child of Mr.. Parker's, second bail
if of Savannah, but Mrs. Parker told me
!; se6 dIp pc It's T beis saf dippedaa ! ! G9nlS net conf Pr
you certify that your child is weak, 1t will
suffice (the Rubrick says to pour water
not weak, but / am resolved not to nave
II dipped" This argument / could not con-
flute. So ! went home, and another person
From Sayannah Wesley went to Fred
ericka. now known as the Lost City"
the fortified town that was destined to play
Georgia ea While there : ewas it possible
that the reporter existed even in that alb
original countryO some one desired most
not on religion. But Wesley refused. in
a lengthy speech to have anything to do
with him saying. II will rather not con-
verse with you at ALL Or the Two ex-
tremes. this is the best"
His Unfortunate Love Affair.
The last part of his stay in Savannah
was anything but pleasant, and, as at the
bottom of ell things. good or evil, there
IS always q woman, this case was not an
exception to the general rule. There IS
much conflicting evidence about the cpl
sode, but all chroniclers agree as to the
perfidy of the designing female She was
beautiful. of course, polished and cultivat-
ed. and when her uncle. the governor,
John Wesley in order to reclaim him from
the eccentricities that hindered his useful
ness, she readily acquiesed. She was in
troduccd to the young minister as one
suffering from a wounded spirit, ana
dressing always in white. with the great
est simplicity, she clothed her spirit, too,
in humility, and became his obedient pu-
Pill. Quite unused TO the ways of women,
and wholly estranged from them by his
modes of life, Wesley instantly fell into
the trap, and became very much attached
to her. Hearing, however, so many re-
ports of her assumed artlessness ana SIM
pncity. Wesley had the subject or his as
yet unproposed marriage, before the ED
ers of the Moravian church. Their adj
vice was to proceed no further in the bust
ness. and Wesley, saying. THE will of the
Lord be done" acting upon their instruc-
tons. avoid the lady's company: But 1t
was no easy matter thus TO break on the
attachment, and IL was not until the lady
married that unpleasant third parsonage.
known as another" that. by what he
deems a remarkable dispensation of Provi-
dence, Wesley was able to give her up:
After her marriage her conduct on several
occasions so offended Wesley's austere ideas
that he rebuked her In public, and later
refused TO admit her to the communion.
been made public, and his conduct in the
matter so incensed her husband that he
brought suit against wesley. claiming
damages of 1000. An indictment of ten
counts was brought against him. but the
arfair was so long in being decided that
he concluded to go to England. seeing that
there was as yet no way oil reaching the
Indians. So he arranged his affairs as
hest he might, and posted a notice In the
uublic square to the effect that all who
had borrowed books of him We're to return
them as soon as they conveniently could. But
the magistrates required pail. ana ISSUED
Obliged TO steal away, under cover OF dark
ness, and IL Is not strange that MS IDEAS
of the peace and Justice OF the state OF
Georgia were anything but exhalted-