Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-11-12
THE METHODiSTS.
Continued from Page One)

(Cortinued from Page One)
business prosperity. II takes MS away
| from religious Thoughts The criti> ~
study of III" Bible and IT'S criticism is
another factor that tends t. lessen TIE
religious interest, Mr.. Holt thinks
| However, the Fundamental cause is i'll
the pres, NJ population Of the Stat"
| Aligruticn Emigration and iflmiglH-
| tion ara the three words that tell til"
story. Taking the subject in its first
division we have the rural change Of
population from the country to the
city. This change OF population creates
4 problem for the rural church To
| solve. The many deserted country
me4tinshouses and churches Stand as
monuments to this condition. Yet the
rural population outnumbtrs The urban
and the condition that rises from Thu,
fact is a very serious one.
| Another phaze of the subject is :he
emigration to the West. 1t is sdlH
| that 2l2,ooo Maine people are in other
parts of the Union and many of these
men and women have been taken from
| the active religious workers of the sec
| tons from which they went.
| What has saved the State" asked
| the speaker. In answer he said that
| there are now 26o,u00 people living III
Maine that have come here from other
states and countries. Immigration the
| third phase of the subject. One-half
Of this number are Of foreign parent
| age and it is claimed that 1000" are
| Of the Catholic faith, ono sixth Of the
| entire population, an increase of 1S.-
| per cent. in the foreign element. This
| means an increase of missionary work
| and for this reason thr Protestant
| churches can hardly afford /" mars
| time.
Everything has increased in cost Of
| late and it is 50 with religious matters.
| There is competition in business mat
| terS ard the matter oi the missions
| must be ran on q business like Scd!".
| We must have better music. better
preachers and better churches An I'M
| derpaid minister or Il poorly supported
| church does not meet with approval
today.
DO You know" asked Mr.. Holt,
that the average salary paid tn"
Methodist ministers of Maine is only
$685.. For the past 20 years the salaries
have been diminishing steadily"
The speaker then told the story Of
the barrel of clothing that WAS sent
| to a minister in the Nebra ska confer
| encc and after it was sent it was
learned that that particular conference
was better off financially than the
Maine conference from which it was
sent. 1T seems to me" said Mr. Holt
| when appraised of the incident. that
| t,n ~ 1T,
Mr. Holt stated that he had found in
his experienc" that religious work de
pended more on personal tastes and
whims than anything in the business
world that had ever com" to his cxpe-
| riencc
In conclusion Mr.. Holt said: We
must sustain rh, small churches IN
their work. This i why Maine may
be called q missionary field Shall wc
suffer in the next decade as we have
in the past The loud cry is for more
funds for tn" work ana more funds We
must have. We cannot live on what
mas been and the present conditions
| demand r"Soiute attention. The
speaker closed amid applause
Next on the program was th" sing
ing of the hymn "Blcst Be the Tie
That Binds" and then followed a gen.
eral discussion 0f the paper that had
| been read.
The first speaker, Rev. Mr.. Bean
thought the help was badly need
ed in the rural districts and that the
conference should get in touch with
rural conditions. He told the story
of one pastor that had to run a saw
mill to make living expenses through
IN" week and then preached SUNDAYS
The young people of the rural flock
should be educated in the Methodist
faith or they may go to the CITY and
become affiliated with other faiths.
The chairman Of the meeting Mr.
Holmes. said at this point that it was
true that We We're growing weaker
financially and that something must
be done soon 10 prevent financial
stringency.
KEY Mr.. Nichols thought that wide
spread interest in Jesus Christ vas
needed and that Maine was not yet
past redemption. The one mission Of
me people of the Methodist church
should be to save their souls and the
souls of their neirhbors
br"'her Thomas Jones: 1T has been
, my privilege for the past six wears 70
$ o"ie OUT sums of from SEQ to 800 TO
: ministers i'll the Eastern Maine Con-
terence. Many of the sums paid seem-
= cd pltifully small. There has been .
slight increase in the apportionment Of
missionary money but we are not get
ing what we need hy any means. He
t"lf Of writing thr general connittar
n New T"~k anl telling :hrm tha, /
minister in Maine could tell than mora.
il - minutes about conditions as they