The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-05
City News
.CHAEFI'EE' MESSAGE
GIVEN By PROXY.
CLERaYMANi,S SEMI.
CENTENNIAL SERMON.
Coming from California to Address Ills
Old Conference, He, Is Stricken III
and Unable to Attend Meetings.
Conjures Young Pastors to Avoid
Strife Over Evolution. {'sn j.

The semi-centenntial of Minnesota
Methodism celebrated in Central Park n
church, St. Paul, this afternoon, and
participated. in by the members Of the
three annual conferences now in session
in the twin cities, fell just a trifle short
preachers Of the denomination in the
state, most Of whom were at the serv-
ice, were disappointed in that the prin-
cipal address was not delivered by the |
man who wrote it,, DR.. j., F. Chaffee,
one. Of the pioneer founders of the
church in Minnesota. Able men de-
and DR.. Robert Forbes, but of necessity
some of the force Of the delivery was
| lost. -.
But if the preachers were disap-
pointed, what Of the author of the
sermon, the venerable DR.. Chaffee9 Be-
cause of his long connection with the
two English conferences Of the state,
he was called from his home in south
ern California to preach this sermon.
Gladly he set about the task of pre-
pairing the message, the. last, in all
probability, he will ever write, for he
is now 10 years old; and with something
Of his early enthusiasm he and his wife
undertook the long journey from Los
Angeles to Minnesota for the sole pur-
pose of delivering this semi-centennial
message to the brethren of his old con-
ference.
49,. III at Daughters Home.
While crossing the sound at Seattle
he caught cold and when he arrived in
Minneapolis more than week ago he
was suffering from an acute attack of
bronchitis. Now he is confined to his
| o,o oIas OF tho - IL +o,.
Mrs. H. M. Farnam Of Yale place, I'M
able to attend any Of the conference
meetings.
II DIR. ChaHee IS sermon as delivered to
the united conferences this afternoon
was listened to with reverent attention.
Men were in the audience who remem-
bered the vigorous discourses of the
neapolis and other Minnesota pulpits,
or erode a DISTRICT The text was
Matt. xiii, 81. - The kingdom of heav-
en- is Like unto al grain Of mustard
| seed.' He traced: the history of the
conference beginning and paid tributes
I to the pioneer preachers, who, he said,
I "are immortal in a sense IN which we
| are not and never shall be.''' Then he
gave some statistics of the Minnesota
| Methodist conferences. fEz.=c
| At it's last session the Minnesota
| conference reported, Including proba-
| TONERS, 1886 members; 229 churches,
| valued at 1891 $50; and JOG parsonages,
| valued at $191,0 The Northern
| Minnesota conference reported l7,840
| members; : 2lS churches valued at
! $l,053,9 $40; and So parsonages, valued
!: at 1882 ,S75. Excluding+ the Wisconsin
= and DakotaSseonferences, the grand to-
ferences. is. 43, 391 members, with 63G
r churches, valued at $2,537 1893, and POI
parsonages, valued at $454,l80.
- >fe~Went~ on to deplore the fact, how
ever, that the occasion could not be
madeleine Of entire felicitation. He
F called" attention to the record Of the
!. church in Minneapolis for the fve-year
term from 1900 to 1905 in which there
was a loss in membership. The same
3 other; parts Of the country, and he in
, quired whether some of the methods of
I the preachers were not defeating the
7 aims and purposes. He analysed the
conditions likely to govern the work of
+ the minister in the next fifty years.
o. While the work Of the preacher was
hard at the beginning. Of the half cen
) half, of it, there were elements which
s made it easy compared with present eff
:; fort Cities with all their distracting
;, diversions have sprung up. The pop
9 ulation is mixed, Sunday newspapers,
1 amusements, secret societies of every
i grade, quick communication affording
: tcheap means Of travel to pleasure re-
| sorts, and even the modern apartment
house, with it's means for isolation, all
: operate to render the work of the
4 preacher one that calls for the most
u careful preparation and the utmost
persistence.
s. New Kind Of Preaching.
People are more educated than in the
olden days, and thessort Of preaching
: that went then will not do now. Super
o. stition which was more or less preva
% % lent a generation or two ago has dice
"a out. and people demand the facts. ani