The times., 1899-08-02
TEE EPWORTH LEAGUHRS
The Annual Camp Meeting Begun
at Washington Grove.
A Broader Christianity the Plea of
the Rev. StowcII l.. Bryant - The
Services to Continue During the
Next Ten Days - The Programme e
for the Daily Devotions Announced

The Epworth League of the District of
Columbia opened its annual camp meeting
at Washington Grove last night. The
meeting is to continue the next ten days,
and it is expected that the service. which
are always an event in local Methodism,
will be largely attended by Washington
ians. The citizens of Washington Grove
gave the league members who took Fart
in the exercises cordial welcome. Almost
the entire population met them at the
train, and every house displayed lighted
lanterns 1t was an important occasion
to the summer colony.
The service in the tabernacle was opened
by sacred songs by the choir and the con-
gregation, led by William ]. Palmer. A
quartette from Foundry Church, composed
of Miss Gertrude Dana, soprano; Miss
Belle Carpenter, alto; Thomas l. Jones.
tenor, and Charles f. Hall. bass, assisted
the singers from the Grove. Presiding
Elder l.. B. Wilson then introduced Harry
o. Hine. of Waugh NJ. Z. Church, the pre-
siding officer and President of the District
Epworth League, who extended welcome
to the congregation and introduced the
Rev. j. H. Hyatt, of Brookland Mr..
Hyatt conducted the devotional exercises
at the close of which the Foundry Church
quartette rendered a selection. Mr.. Hine
said that being a Methodist meeting it
was appropriate that a collection should
be taken up Immediately. The presiding
officer then introduced the Rev. Stoweil
L. Bryant, pastor of St. Pauls NJ. E.
Church, who delivered an address on
THE work of the Epworth League in the
next ten years. DR.. Bryant said:
I'VE have had enough of the past and
there can be nothing gained by holding our
attention to that which ahas already been
done. The past is too near for us to form
our opinions and make estimates of its
value and good. Let us instead devote our
selves 10 the present and work hard to
broaden the league and Christianity"
Mr. Bryant thought that the work during
the next ten years would be harder than
that during the past, and that the enthu-
siasm which had been manifested when the
idea of the Epworth League was new had
already tendency TO die out. He urged
the members to greater efforts. He spoke
of the plea made by some ministers that
the league had interfered with the Church.
IL had been said, he added that many peo-
pie felt they had performed all of their re-
ligious duties when they had attended a
meeting of the league. and that it had
often conflicted with the usual evening
services in some churches. He did not
think that any society such as the Epworth
League was as good as the Church.
There were three points which he wished
to bring out-the Epworth League and the
church, society and the individual. DR..
Bryant spoke of the conflict between the
Church and science and of the discoveries
in the latter which seemed TO disprove the
assertions of the Bible, but, he said, while
new theories in astronomy and botany and
biology are advanced, the sun and flowers
are still the same, and so though new sci
entifc discoveries are made the teachings
of the Bible will remain true. He believed
that the Christian religion should keep up
with the progress of the world. and thought
that the doubt which existed today was due
10 the fact that old theories like that of
infant damnation, which no man of intel
ligence or human sympathy could believe
in, were still clung to Robert Ingersoll
under circumstances different from those
which surrounded him would not have be-
lieyed as he did.
Presiding Elder Wilson, who will have
charge of the meetings, followed with an
announcement of the programme for the
rest OF the camp meeting. There will be
short services each morning at 6:45 o'clock,
O'Clock. and 1890. Meetings in the tab
ernacle will also be held at $3.50 p. m,
while at $50 the exercises will be con-
Quoted by the young people. The regular
public meeting will be held every evening
at 7:30 o'clock. Today the services VIII
be conducted by the Women's Home Mis-
sicnary Society. AT the event service
addresses Will be made by mss Minor
and former Catholic priest. DR.. Wilson
then spoke for a few minutes on the Ep-
worth League convention recently held at
Indianapolis.