The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-04
JUDGE THOMAS AT ENTERPRISE He Speaks on Methodist Education. HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETS churchmen Assembling for Ala
 bama Conference. Omcer. of the Society Are Re-EIeeted IacIuding Rev. c. H. Motley, as
 Prssident-Tribute to Mir.

Enterprise, Dec. s.--(speciai, ,)--Pre. l ceding the formal opening of the Ala bama Conference here tomorrow the | Alabama Conference Historical Society
 held its third annual meeting this even- . .ng.
 The Society was organized during the Conference at Dothan, Friday, Decem- l Der 3, 1905. The organization was largely brought about through the eff | forts of pr. J. A. Rice, pr. A. J. Lamar.
 Rev. Charles H. Motley. Rev. J. T. Man l gum. Rev. George Fontaine and pr. | Thomas M. owen. The meeting of last year was held at Eufa1la on December
 1. pr. Rice was the first President of
 the Society.
 At the meeting held tonight Rev. ] Charles H. Motley, President of the So- ciety, presided. After an invocation the President announced the objects and purposes of the organization, after which a number of new members was enrolled. .A The reports of the several officers and committees show gratifying progress in the work of the Society.
 The old officers were reelected as | follows: President, Rev. c. H. Motley. | scretary-Treasurer H. w. Laird. and Curator of Collections. pr. Thomas M. Owen.
 The routine work of the Society hav- / ing been concluded. Judge William n. Thomas of Montgomery delivered the
 annual oration. or address, his suDleet being .Methodism and Education In ] Alabama"
 The address of Judge Thomas elicited much applause and the thorough and l exhaustive treatment of hts subject i served to appeal to the pride of the Conference. The recital of the splendid history of the Methodist denomination ' in the State and its efforts m nonai. ot education imposed upon the church the obiiration of renewed effort Those who are familiar with it's history nave no doubt as to its future in this o'rec- ton. .... .e the education of g people is the history of it's civilization Judge Thomas eiane- rated the thought by auot'ns SusA'h Alabama as Missionary Field. "rf then." continued Judge Thomas swh ateyer the viewpoint it IS that or history. how important does the his. tarv of our own educational movements become! How 1t must stir to renewed effort---how, pointing to higher ground, it rolls back the limitations or former horizons, if we but wisely trust oays Journey and press on'
 "Iet us then take bird's-eye view of fine earlier educational activities or the Methodists in Alabama. for they are but chapters !n the history of the Methodist Church and factor Tn tne htstorv of nearly two million people. From an early date our church has re
 garded educational etrort as n one nee. Of tnS the most potent agencies ana 70 noa nS. ena The The recital of the story of this phase of Metho odist activity in Alabama cap but be revelation and an insp,ras,on; Inaa,aon; History but 1t will be powerful req son for renewed vigor in meeting our new duties In respect to educational ad'
 aTn May, 1903. one claiming to be a vathodist was preaching to the set- tiers in the Tombigbee and the Tenssw country, and his fidelity for the work and sincerity of his claim is attested by the following sentence on page 164 of MT. Dow's journal: "A collection was offered me, but I did not feel free to accept 1t; and left the settlement, pro-