The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-09
FROM THE FOLD.
s4UssY'S PLAIN TALK At
rntVITY METHODIST CHURCH.


-,n,, savannah MethOdism
ud It's Needs, He Asserted as n
=. THAT Many Whose Parents
=. wcthodiSts and Who Had
come to savannah From Other
,,.s Had Changed Their Ale
,arcc-Theu He Found the Rea-
-, in These Wanderers Desire to
,,,nd More COngeniaI Associates
NJ Bcttcr Their Social Standing or
& riD,pciaI Condition.
,,,,ro was no sermon at Trinity Metho-
~, church yesterday morning, the
49,. instead. being devoted to talks
-. matters of church interest by officers
"a members Of the congregation. In this
,.,,o,tion. Mr.. J. r. Saussy delivered
s-. address, upon the history and needs
- ,rotbodism in Savannah, that caught
S.o7, the speakers first word, the close at
lion If every one in the congregation
w., hold II until he had taken his seat.
There we're times, indeed. when the more
4 ,-,acinatiye of Mr.. Saussy's s;eners were
,ropebt to the verge of tears, by some
-toco of imagery or description that car
d r,o5 ,bam back to the old days and pie
s ,,rs5 in their mental vision some cid
q Mt church in which they had been wont
& 70 nav their devotions and effer up their
rraise There was scarce one WHO was
a -, affected. and even the unregenerate
q to,rer lived. as he listened, in better and
BRIGHTER times. In the talk there was
o,rnestpess as we'll as pathos, and round
criticism of those Grant ones who have
strayed in search of easier pasturage or
more congenial lambs or more nourishing
E foo9 far from the Methodist fold.
Mr. saussy began by saying that he was
Methodist by birth, training and educa-
,or that he believed in Methodisms tenets
and espoused its principles, and that he was
sincerely desirous and hopeful that it
would achieve the full measure OF It's sue
cess Methodism, said Mr.. Saussy, salts
fed his spiritual aspirations as could no
otber form of religion, and he loved il for
q itself for the good it had done and for
the GOOD ID was destined to accomplish in
The future II had his full admiration and
bis full devotion.
81 remember" said Mr.. Saussy, my
erst experence with Methodism. 1t was
at a country church, nesting among the
green woods, where the air was redolent
Of the scent of grass and flowers. Through
the great trees that shaded it, the rays
81 Of the monday sun filtered down upon
the roof gray and green, and weather.
beaten with the storms of many winters.
Inside the seats were plain wooden bench
es. with two narrow planks doing service
In lieu of backs. There was no carpet on
the floor and from the plain unvarnished
pulpit the pastor preached to his flock the
plain unvarnshed word of God.
"Outside was the old well, from which
came the purest and sweetest water
ever drank 1t was there We quenched
our thirsts before we entered the sacred
& building Everything was plain and nat
wa and unassuming. The preacher
preached a simple sermon, and, because
hymn books We're scarce and few, lined
cut the sacred songs he would have his
congregation sing. From the amen cor
& ner the feeble. wavering voice of some
good old brother would raise the tune and
The anthem of praise would soar up to the
3 mercy seat, a hundred voices in harmony,
making sweet music to my ears. Every
s one would sing, the young and The old, the
rich and poor, men and women and little
children would ell raise their voices and
praise the justice and the mercy of the
loving Father. And when the hymn had
been sung and the preacher would kneel
n and offer up his thanks and the thanks
OF MS peop.e to God, there would come
81 from the kneeling congregation such earn
esl and heartfelt responses and amens, as
showed the purity and the true devotion
ana the pety that lived in their hearts.
Inls is the scene that comes to me often
ana 1t IS one remembrance that does me
sood and makes me a better man"
MI Saussy then gave an outline of the
history Of Methodism in Savannah, re-
llHdlng MS audience that 1t was in Sa-
ahnah that Wesley, the father of Metho-
uisih' ned his first and only American par
sh IL was here thai he preached and
would seem that it should have been
mere that his doctrines would reach and
u',H the greatest number of adherents
ana WELD the greatest amount of infiu-
Oh the contrary, said Mr.. Saussy,
~ "a 'aHhah' Methodism has less influence
~ prestige and has made less spiritual
N material progress than in any other
IVY IN the state He proposed TO discuss
.ue reasons, if any existed, for this COM
monty accepted fact.
would have our church WELD more
enc IMAM any other I would have
''aHu nigh in the estimation of the peo-
4e ana l would have it conducted with
go ,ot uecorum end dignity and carry on it's
~ work with that determined zeal and
sr.u'. mess that would command from
lied" " Which thlhk II en>
t - Is no reason why this should not
o,na Ease. Our membership embraces
cc,. s men who in every vocation of life
Anlepy ana ably fill positions of response.
ato 4% una rust. They are fitted to under
5ov, slls work that l would lay upon their
ka'yss and it is their duty to them
~ TO their church and to their God
goHIa up me burden. God knows that I
tarti 1 nave no man unite himself with a
faHa ruiaI church, or a particular denomi-
siuor vi speculation, for the worldly TO-
n waa, III me worldly honors, or the world
tnro P't y, mat il might bring him. but the
Sneb. Is me city of God on earth. and 1t
h. 70 10 Weld the best and highest infiu-
tJefba3i sood in every community. The
f,trao, Church in Savannah ought 30
s. Man, 70 II the very best element of the
~rho y. lhe city. But does it do it?"
fnrd negative answer is present in the
s hoe. Vi you all. I have known men
s liz clt pa'eh's were brogan Meihedlsts, in
to1r,rI' or towns of the interior. or the
+ fab 5 y, VINO when they came to Savan-
S feon e re the faith in which they had