The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-05-16
.l!,.4 DISCUSSES !. q I;
lN1ethOdiiS.;,f7l7
in 7AI17e1.iic:a
!, Welco11l
to the Nation
al Capital.

81 S,s5. "a - g ~
WAsE1NGTON. q May 16.-Presi.
! dent Roosevelt to-day addressed the
members OF the General Conference
here, as follows: y Il
Il 1t is pleasure to be with you to.
day and to bidNyou welcome on behalf
OF the Nation. here In the. capital OF
the Nation. Important though tha
Methodist Church Is in many. lands
there Is none In which 1t has played
so great and peculiar a part as here
in the United States. IT'S history tl
indlssolubly interviewer with the his.
tory of our country for the six score
years since the constitutional conven.
tIon made us really a nation. Metho.
dlsm In America entered on It's period
Of rapid growth Just about. the ttime
OF Waslltngton's first Presidency. ITS
Essential democracy! its fiery and rest:
less energy OF spirit, and the wide
play that 1t gave TO Individual initla.
tive. all tended to make it peculiarly
| congental to a handy and vlrIle folk
democratic to the core. prizlng indi.
vidual independence above all earth.
ly possessions. and enga ged in the
rough and stern work OF conquerlng Il
continent. Methodism spread even
among the old communities and the
long.settledA districts Of the Atlantic
tide water; but Its phenomenal growth
was from these regions westward: Tho
whole country Is under a debt fFErat:
ltude To- the Methodist circuit riders,
the Methodist pioneer preachers.
whose movement westward kept pace
| with the movement OF the frontier,
who shared all the hardshIps in the
life of the frontersman. while at the
same time n,inistering to that from.
tiersman's spiritual needs. and seeing
that his pressing material cares and
the hard and grinding poverty OF his
life did not wholly extinguish the d.
vine fire within his soul. Such was
your work in the past: and your work
in the present lis as great: for the
need and opportunity for service wia-
ems. It is not true in this country that
! the poor have grown poorer; but 1t Is
true that In many sections. and par
ttcularly in our large cities. the rich
have grown SO very much richer as to
widen the gulf between the man of
very large means and the man who
makes ench days livelihood by the
days work; and those who with sin.
cerity. and efficiency and deep convl--
ton. band together for mutual help.
are those who can do most, to keep
the gulf from becoming too wide. The
religion. through church organiza-
tions. through rhilanthropic organiza-
lions. In all the field OF kindred en-
deavor. can manifest itself as effective.
ly In the crowded and complex life OF
today as in the pioneer yesterdays;
and the souls of men need the light
now. and strive blin1ly toward It. as
they needed 1t. and strove toward It
in the vanished past. 1t Is yoursta
TO do the work of the Lord on the
farm and in the mine. in the counting
room and the factory. In the Ecar
shops and beside the blasting fur
naces. Just as: it was the task ofsyour
spiritual forebears to wrestle for. the
souls of The men and women who
,dwclt on the stump-dotted clearIngs
In the wilderness.
No nation in the world has more
right than Ours to look with proull
confidence toward the future. No.
where else has the experiment of dem,
ocratlc government. OF government by
the people and for the people, of gov.
ernment based on the principle OF
treating each man on his innate wortl,
as man. been tried on SO vast a
scale as with us: and on the whole
the experiment has been more sue.
cessful than anywhere else. More.
over. on the whole, / think 1t cnn be
said that we have grown better anu
not worse; for 1t there Is much evil.
goo'l also great ,abounds and II. wrong
Irows. SO In even greater measure
grows the stern sense OF right before
which wrong must eventually Yield II
would be both unman1y and unwar-
ranted to become faint-hearted or de-
spairing about the Nations future.
Clear-eyed and far.slght men who are
veiof heart and cool OF heal.
while not for a moment refusing to see
and acknowledge the many evils
around us; must yet also feel a con
dent assurance that In the struggle