The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-08-22

|
 The worlds Methodsm, when its fiv
 hundred representatives shall be called
 to order in John Wesley's Chapel oi
 the fourth of next month, will unrol
 before the gaze of men and angels {
 statistical table which will show tha
 the handful of. despised folk, who {
 hundred and fifty years ago used tt
 meet in an old Foundry at o'clock il the morning, have now grown until 1T
 actual membership they exceed sever millions and have probably a constitu' eney, counting members and adherents
 also of more than thirty millions. Al the first Ecumenical twenty years age | the figures were not, of course, SC great as these, but even then the Methodist Churches combined had 6
 membership of more than five millions and 1t was thought of this wonderful growth which at that Lord Mayors re-
 ception swept over the assembled guests in such a genuinely Methodistic wave of power and emotion By hap py choice, too, the words of the hymn | were eminently fitted to give momen- l tum to this wave of power, for it was
 one of the early Wesleyan hymns, which must have been sung at first mostly on faith, but which the followers of Wesley can sing to-day with fuller | realization of what it means, the first l lines being: N See how great a flame aspires, Kindled by spark of grace, Jesus love the Nations fire,
 Sets the kingdoms in a blaze. m the Mansion House to-day, and it cer- tain that the delegates to the Ecumeni-
 cal which convenes in Wesley's Church next month will not be honored by any Mansion House reception. Next in civic dignity to the Lord Mayor of London
 are the two Sheriffs, but though one of
 these. MT Horace Marshall, happens
 to be Wesleyan Methodist, he cannot
 be relied upon for any social attentions.
 How could one expect this when he has
 not himself been honored with an ap-
 pointment as delegate to this body?
 Sheriff Marshall is a large publisher.
 He it is who publishes the Methodist
 Times, that lively and really radical
 journal whose gifted plain spoken edi-
 tor is Rev. Hugh Price Hughes. This
 reminds me how deeply regretful it will
 be to all who know what a genius MT.
 Hughes is and what prominent and
 popular part he had in the two former
 Ecumenicals, that the coming gather- ing is likely to miss him on account of broken health. And another promin- ent minister likely to be absent-quite as much of a genius as MT. Hughes and almost as well known in America is Dr. w. l.. Watkinson. In both these cases it is the old, sad story of burn ing the candle at both ends-too much work, too little play, and at last the in- evitabe collapse, from which there is hardly ever any recovery.
 But there will be no lack of distin- guished and influential men in this gathering. Almost the 120 delgates sent by the M. E. church will be five bishops -J. F. Hurst, J. H. Vincent, D. A. Goodsell, J. w. Hamilton and J. c. Hartzell-while the M E. Church South in it's delgation of TO will send Bishop o. P. Fitzgerald, J. c. Granbery and c. B. Galloway, the latter of whom at 10 a. nl Wednesday, September 4, will preach the opening sermon. In being chosen for this honor Bishop Galloway follows in the wake of two illustrious At the first Ecumenical the opening discourse was by Bishop Matthew Simpson, At that first com ing together of the divided hosts of Methodism the preachers theme would naturally be Christian Unity and 1 this theme the Bishop treated with his fervor and eloquence. This was memorable occasion in Bishop Simpsons life, He seemed to plead for Liberation and good fellow | ship with the consciousness that his last opportunity had come, and 1t had, 1 for his death occurred two years later | So, too, has the saintly and seraphic | William Arthur gone now to his long rest, he who, ten years ago was the | opening preacher of the second Ecu nenical.
 The list of delegates from this side contains the names of nearly all the | eading ministers and of some men who ire exceptionally prominent in politi- ,al and social life. Amongst the latter Ire two members of Parliament the Right Hon. Sir H. H. Fowler and Mir | Robert w. Perks. Mir Perks is one of | he most active and able of he Method- st laity. It is largely through his zeal hat the Wesleyan Church of Great 1 Britain has made such excellent pro- sress with its Twentieth Century Fund. The amount sought was five million lollars. In subscriptions there have al- 'eady been raised more than four and ] half millions, and at least three mill ions have been paid in. Mir Perks is
 Liberal in politics, as is also Sir H. H. Fowler, who in political life is much he more prominent of the two. Sir Henry Fowler has served with distinc- ion more than once in the Cabinet of
 Liberal Government. But these two Methodist M. P.'s are alike in one par icular, for each has bolted the party whip on the subject of the South Afri- an war. They opposed the war at the tart, but now that the country is in or it, they are in for it, like Lord Rose cry MT. Asquith, and many other Lib ra!s,
 Mindful of what Wesley's Chapel is } world wide Methodism, at once it's radle and it's cathedral, with vivid memories of the Conference held there Nenty years ago and with thought just s lively in regard to the coming Con- ,rence, I sacredly, two Sundays back, aid visit to this City Road shrine. Within two years this historic temple as been thoroughly renovated and eautified. It still looks plain almost l , 1p1ippsg on tbn outside hut yvitbjp