The news & observer., 1905-12-03
PICTURES OF CONFERENCE
BY REV. II. III. WHITAKER.

the time e?)-Conference was held in
Wilson. Bishop keener presided and
Donald w. Balm was the secretary.
1t was the first conference after the
division, and l remember how lnslg-
niiicant the body seemed, as compar-
ed with the preceding Conferences,
when all the preachers, of the undi-
vlded Conference, We're present. L
do not remember how many men,
DerS there were on the roll; but, feel
sure that more than a third OF those
who responded when their names
were called in December, 1890 have
gone to their reward. Only fifteen
Years ago, and yet over fifty of the
men who left Wilson. after receiving
tnTr appoIntmentsl tnat year, are
missing they fell by the wayside and
tneir graves remind tie living, as
they pass along, of the few years
ago when those whose bodieS arc
now resting beneath the sod were
living. and going about. dong lhe
Masters work. What memories come
back to us when we think OF Oaille1
CuIbretn, Robert O. Burton, John W.
North James III. Gordon, MARQUIS l..
Wood, Shockley d. Adams, David X.
Bruton. Frank l.. Relr, V. "A. oharpe,
washington s. Chatfln, ThoS. W..
Guthrie, William b. Doub, James
II. Bobbitt. w. S. Black. Joseph b.
AIarlin. Jessie A. Cunningham, Nathan
,ooker. Peter l.. herman. l.. J..
Holden, T. Page Richard, "A. Z. Ra-
ven. Solomon Pool. Moses j. Hunt,
w. C. Norman. b. b. Culbreth. Jesse
that were on the Conference roll 1if-
teen years ago! Is it possible that
an of them are dead. 1t seems so
strange that they are absent. They
used to be so prompt in their at
tendance and so attentive to all the
details of the Conference business.
DIR. Black went off the Ralelgh dis
trict at that Conference to the oxford
Orphanage and DR.. Cunningham sue
ceeded hIm. Rev. G.. A. Oglesby was
made presiding elder of the Wilson
district. James H. Gordon was re-
turned to Edenton Street church,
Raleigh. 1t seems like as yesterday
but fifteen years have passed. ana
in that time over half Il hundred of
those who were Wilson's guests VIII
soon be forgotten.
And too lne old Wilson church
is gone and we are meeting in an
up-to-date church which represents
a very different condition of Metno-
dism in Wilson. Great progress can
be made in fifteen years, along al
most any line-in church as well as
in other matters: and it is very ev-
ident that Wilson MethodiSm has
been keeping pace with that spirit of
progress. which has made the town
of Wilson a city in the short space OF
fifteen years.
Speaking of progress brings to
mind an incident. At the Centennial
of Methodism in Rafeigh in 1876, we
had three Bishops-McTyeire Mar
vim and Doggett. All of them deily-
cred able addresses. Bishop Doggett
was introduced by Bishop Marvin.
who thus announced his theme:
1.-The progress of Methodism in the
10Th Century,
Bishop Doggett began by saying
"the Progress of Methodlsm
So. there il was.-s One Bishop had
II "prog-ress.' the other progress.
Remembering which incident. ana
being withal, an admirer of those de
parted saints, have made it rule to
call prog -reSs'' 'pro-~ress.' about
half of the time. and progress prog
ress the other half. feeling that. IL
either case, / had good MetnooiS'
authority for the pronunciation
Whether we cali it progress OF
"pro-gress," Wilson and Wilson Meth
odism have had a well developed case
Of it, as every body can see; Tor, IKE
the smallpox. it leaves its marks.
There is nothing in all the Worid
ms, like a Methodist Conference
which goes to prove that John Wesiel
was a genius as great organizer ant'
worker. Methodist machinery works
as smoothly and keeps as good time
as an Elgin watch; It's wound VI
once a year. and. come what may. II
keeps running and strikes all tht
hours till the next winding up.
Rov + r. Graves. of Tennessee
wrote a book called the Iron Wheel,
many years ago, in which he derls-
iveIv likened the Methodist church t'
an autocracy-making the BlShol
the great wheel that turned All the
other wheels. from the presiding el-
der down to the humblest memper. "
course. he got the thing wrong; Tor, as
great as he is. the Bishop is SIMPLY
very clever Christian gentleman,
who has been chosen by the preachers
and laymen to do a speclhc WORK ;
and who. if he does that work well.
can hold his position, like the rest OF
us as long as he behaves himself. he
is no more of an autocrat than is the
Governor of the State or the president
of tho limited States. He is simply a
servant of the church, that is all.
No. There's nothing like a Metno-
dist Conference. The Bishops IN the
chair. the presiding elders, seateu iieaI
thc altar. are wide awake and LOOKING
very wise. The city preachers nuuuie
together and watch every movement ), y
with the air of indifference, as II dil
was well anu DEOopCSIo W
circuit-rides. those who have had gooo
years-are noticeable because OF lneii
new SUITS and. especially, because OF
their self-satisfied looks; while those
who have come from hard feds can
not hide the fact that they have gone
through a year of heavy work anu
light pay. They are hoping for some
thing better. the next year as may pe
conjectured by the frequent converse
tions they have with the presiding ell
dcrS.
How boldly speak those fortunate
ones. in making their reports, who
have brought up all the collections
for they expect to hear the Bishop say:
~ good report my brother. But
those who are away behind do not
speak quite so loudly. but emphasize
tho statement that collections are bet
ter than last year. And when the
Bishop asks: Brother, why could
you not get your collections in full? -
an explanation has to be made. which
tells the story of a hard years work
under the most trying and dishearten-
ing circumstances.
Voc coron preachprS ayerv Con fer-