The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-04
AMONG BAHAMAS
WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH IN
A FLoURISHING CONDITION.
REV. DR.. WALTERS MISSION.
WILL STUDY THE EDUCATIONAL IN
sTITUTIONs OF THIS COUNTRY.

umental Church-Was to Preach
at Trinity Church Last Night, but
Was Prevented by the Weather.
VIII Visit the Scenes of WesIey's
LabOrs Around savannah - Has
just Left the Bahamas-The Com
dition of the Methodist Church
There.
Rev. DR.. David J. Waller, president of
the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Great
Britain, who arrived in Savannah Satur-
day from the Bahamas, en- route home,
via New York, preached at the morning
service at Wesley Monumental Church
1t had been arranged that he should
preach in the evening at Trinity Church,
but the rain prevented this engagement
from being kept.
DIR. Waller will stay in Savannah sew
eral days as the guest of Mr.. S. B.
Adams, and while here will visit many
of the scenes of Wesleys work in and
around Savannah. DR.. Waller naturally
takes quite an interest in everything that
pertains to Wesley. A few years ago he
was enabled 90 secure and present to the
Memorial church erected to the memory
of Wesley at Epworth, Eng, the very
communion table from which Wesley, af-
ter his return from this country to Eng
land, was debarred on account of his
opinions. This table DR.. Waller bought
for f12.
DR.. Waller spoke interestingly of his
visit to the Bahamas. The Methodist
Church there is, he said, celebrating the
centennial of the introduction of Metno-
dism into the islands; and in connect ton
with this celebration, has started a move
ment very similar to the twentieth CEN
fury movement among other Methodists
1t is trying TO raise a fund of 10000 with
the object, not only of extending the work
OF the church in the islands, but also of
putting into the best condition all the
property held, the value of which is about
$4,000. Of this fund it has already secured
between E0O0 and $1,000 and anticipates
no difficulty in raising the remainder
Methodism was introduced into the ISL
ands, said DR.. Waller, about the begin
ming of the nineteenth century. Tho
work was begun and successfully carried
on by William Turten, a West Indian by
birth, who was affiliated with and re-
ceived permission to preach from the
DiAIASAi COiiASItf he ulGU III 1910. lDur-
ing DR.. Walters visit to Nassau he met
a lady, Mrs. Young, who saw Turten's
funeral
The present number of adherents of
the church, DIR. Waller said, is about H.
600, and the actual members about 1900.
The church is, he continued, by far the
most populous and strongest in the ISL
ands. Engaged in its work are twelve
English missionaries. 205 local preacherc
and 80 Sunday school teachers. There are
twenty-eight Sundays schools, and, in Mas
sau alone, several very fine church build
ings. OF these Trinity, a very handsome
building of the Gothic style of architec-
ture, is about the size of Wesley Monu-
mental Church. 1t has a seating capac-
ity of about 1000 Ebenezer Church, also
in Nassau, is, likewise, a very commo-
dious and handsome building, seating
probably between 900 and 1000.
Another of the Methodist Churches is
one in Grants Town, the negro quarter
of the city, which is attended entirely by
negroes, and which has a seating ca
pacity of between 300 and 400. In con-
nection with Ebenezer Church is Vic
toria Hall, the property of the church,
and one of the handsomest buildings in
Nassau. In it is conducted Queens Col
lege While in Nassau Dr. Waller at
tended the opening ceremonies of another
building, erected by the Methodists, in
which will be conducted a Sunday school
and, during the week, day school.
Methodism in the islands, DR.. Waller
said, is growing steadily, and its growth
would be even faster but for the compar-
atively recent introduction into the islands
of missionaries of the Church of Eng
land, and also a sect known as the Hol-
derites named after it's original head in
ha Dab xryhN a..
antinomianistic.
OF the entire population of the islands.
about $4,000, between one-third and one
half are white. The race question has
practically died out, however, and though
there is nothing even approximating So
cial equality, the negroes attend In many
instances the churches OF the whites.
These negroes that is a great many of
them, follow one of the chief industries
of the islands, sponge fishing, so that
when sponges were discovered at Key
West many of them went to that place
for employment. Here they Were in diff
culties for a place of worship, because
they were not received into the churches
of the whites, and were so dissimi,ar and
superior to the native members of their
own race that they would not mix with
them. 1t was under these circumstances
that they petitioned for pastor of their
own. One was sent and organized a
church. for them, which is now in a very
hourishing condition, with a membership
of go
Aside from his interest In the Bahama
branch of the British Methodist Church.
DR.. Waller has another mission in this
country. He is a member of the Consult
ing Committee to the Board of Education
of England. This committee is com
posed of eighteen members. among whom
are several noblemeen and a number of
the men most prominent in educational
work in England. DIR. Walters appoint
ment is the more complimentary because
he is the only non-conformist on the
board In view of his connection with
this board, DR.. Waller will, while in the
United States, visit the largest and best
known schools, colleges and universities in
and near Washington, Baltimore, Phlla-
dephia and New York. The University
of Virginia will be one of those that he
will examine.
This is by no means the first visit to
this country by DR.. Waller, as he was the
representative of the British Conference
to the General Conference of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, South, which was
held in St. Louis in 1890, and was here
in 1891. also, being present at the Ecu
menical Methodist Conference held in
Washington.