Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-07
BIG THANK OFFERING
How the Methodist Church
Raised $50, 600, 900.
FOUR YEARS WORK
REV. DIR. MILLS TELLS HOW He
CONDUCTED THE CAMPAIGN.
Result Of Personal Efforts-How the
Money Will Be Dis
tributed.
FOUR YEARS WORK
Written for The Evening Star

Methodist Episcopal Church in the United
States slapped itself on the back
Dr. Mills, to whom credit is universally
given for making success OF the project
10 raise this enormous amount of money Is
py no means an obscure man In the Meth
oolst Episcopal Church, and that his fame
has been increased largely by his work for
tne twentieth century fund is conceded
1t was long pull, but liz was a pull all
together" DR.. Mills said the. other day.
His use Of the boat-race smile came nat
urally to him. Away back in 1870 he was
a student in Wesleyan University in Mid
dletown, Conn. In his student DAYS he was
no mean athlete. On the athletic records
OF the college 1t Is shown that he was a
member OF the champion class crew OF his
time They rowed in six-oared shells in
those days, and tradition has 1t that student
Mills was about the huskiest man in the
boat. The training which he received in
those days did him no harm.
When graduation came in 1872 II found
him among the members o. the class en-
Titled to election to the Phi Beta Kappa So
ciety, the honor which goes to those who
excel in scholarship From college he went
into the ministry Of the 4dethodist Episco-
pal Church.
Prominent in the Church.
Most Of his life has been spent IN central
New York. He became affiliated with the
central New York conference of the
church. and is still a member of that or
ganization. His brethren in the ministry
early recognized his ability, and for year
after year elected him secretary of their
organization. Half a dozen times he has
been a delegate from the central New York
conference to the general conference of the
denomination, the great Iaw-making body.
So 1t was not as an obscure man that DR..
Mills became the corresponding secretary
of the commission, which, in 1885, under
| took to raise $20.OOO.OOO to mark the going
out Of the century.
No mention has been made of the enor-
nous amount of work which had to be done
to make the twentieth century fund project
a success. There were those in the church
who. for some weeks after the appointment
of DR.. Mills as the corresponding secretary
of the commission. thought that he was the
right man in the wrong place. They were
the persons who like to see things SO with
a hurrah. 1t is a hard task to hurrah a
dollar out of mans pocket, and DR.. Mills
knew it. He devoted the necessary time to
making careful plans.
System Of Organization.
The Methodist Episcopal Church is
|. great ma chine. There are the bishops, who
are the general superintendents. Below
them in rank come the presiding elders.
about five to each conference. Each OF
these supervises the work Of about forty
preachers, who are the pastors In charge.
The preachers, in a measure accountable
to the presiding elders, report annually dl at
At the conference the appointments" az
| they are called, are made for years work.
To the best preachers the best appoint
ments are given by the bishop. by and with
the advice of the presiding elders. So it IL
seen that the work OF the preachers IL
passed upon annually and the work OF tho
presiding elders as WELL In other words.
there Is an annual reckoning and taxing OK
stock.
It was this great machine which DR..
Mills undertook to set working to raise
$40, 900 900 for various church purposes-for
the cause Of education, the raising OF
church debts, philanthropies and charities.
And it did not take him long to get 1t into
active motion.
| There was one presiding elder-a very
conscientious man-who early succeeded in
raising nearly the quota assigned to him."
said DR.. Mills In conversation recently.
HE was so near success that I gave him
no peace. I am afraid that 1 nearly drove
that good man crazy. I pointed out to him
that his district would be the first in New
York state to finish it's portion, If only he
would put little more ginger into the
work. I bombarded him with letters and
comparative statements. l was afraid that
at any moment he would become eXasper-
ated and turn on me. He didn't. though.
He took it like good fellow, and had the
pleasure of putting him on the record as
the first man in his state to raise the
amount allotted to him.
Result Of Hard Work.
This incident gives glimpse of the
methods pursued to make the project q
success. It Is not on record as to what
methods the presiding elder in question
used to arouse the enthusiasm OF the
preachers under him, forty-odd in number:
nor Is 1t recorded what arguments the
preachers or pastors used with their several
focks. The preacher was the man who in
the last instance had to do the work. and
he did 1t under the enthusiastic proddng
which started with the bishops. filtered
through DR.. Mills. and finally came to him
direct from his presiding elder
Not a 1.-THE OF the work was done by
correspondence.
ut was personal effort all the way
through" said DR.. Mills in reply to ques-
lions as to how he set about his task.
"It took me four years. First laid tho
groundwork. Then. after my theoretical
work was done, set out to survey the
field and learn something of the local con-
ditions. I very early found that active
personal effort was necessary. and. as a
result. I spent nearly four years in travel.
In that time ] visited every state IN the
Union except Texas. In all 1 Travelled
ITO, 600 miles
Generous Givers.
''My methods were simple in the extreme.
Our people are generous. They give ac-
cording to their ability and 1t needed
only a logical presentation Of the facts
to bring out the mo..ey. We Methodists
are proud of our schools and of the great
work they are doing. I told them the
facts in the matter: how the bishops after
conferences with the leaders of the church.
had sent out the call. and that we must
answer 1t. The Methodists of the coun-
try did answer it, and I congratulate
them"
After the completion of his task DR..
Mills went back to his home conference,
the central New York. He is now pre-
siding elder of the Geneva district of that
conference and makes his home at FL
mira. N Y. He has wife. but no chill
dren Among his fellow ministers OF HIS
own denomna ton he is exceedingly poDu-
lar as he Is among the ministers of other
denominations who know him.
So far as determined the great fund OF
over s2OOOO,GOO will be distributed as fol-
lows:
Church schools. SS,lJU,6IS
Debts on church property (paid or
subscrfbed) ...--.-.-.- 9ss.ta30
Charities .......--.-s 2.ol9,ToI
Permanent fund > {for needy
preacherSl Of,WO :
For churches In destitute scom-ErAs
munftfes ..s..-...f 5t3oVS
-
All of the organs of the Methodist Epis-
- A. l.