Omaha daily bee., 1908-05-17
Bishop Cranston Presides at Meeting
at New Structure.
TRIBUTE TO CIRCUIT RIDER
President Speaks Of Good Work Of
Pioneer Preachers.
PRESENT PROBLEMS ALSO GREAT
Opportunities and Responsibilities OF
Church Are as Great Now Rs
In Preceding Genera
tfomA.

WASHINGTON. May 1.-THE trustees OF
the American university. in course Of oon-
struction near this city. today had their
guests President Roosevelt. Vice President
Fairbanks and Senator Dolliver Of Iowa,
who were scheduled 10 deliver speeches.
and upwards Of a thousand Methodists at
tending the general conference Of the Meth
odist church. which is in session in Balti-
more The exercises were presided over
by Bishop Earl Cranston.
The president said:
1T is a pleasure to be with you today
and to bid you welcome on behalf Of the
nation. here IN the capital Of the nation.
Important though the Methodist church is
In many lands there is none IN which It
has played 50 great and peculiar part as
here in the United States. Its history is
indissolubly interviewer with the history Of
our country for the six score years since
the constitutional convention made US
really a nation. Methodism in America en-
tered on its period Of rapid growth just
about the time Of washinEtons first presi-
dency. Its essential democracy its fiery
and restless energy Of spirit, and the wide
/ play that is gave 10 Individual Initiative,
( all tended to make II peculiarly congenial
/ 70 a hardy and viriie folk, democratic 10
/ the core, prizing individual Independence
above all earthly possessions. and engaged
/ In the rough and stern work OF conquering
q continent Methodisn spread even among
the old communities and the long settled
districts Of the Atlantic tide water; bu;
its phenomenal growth Was from these re-
gions westward
The whole country is under a debt Of
gratitude TO the Methodist circuit riders,
/ -
movement westward kept pace with the
movement Of the frontier. who shared all
the hArdships in the life Of the frontiers
man. while al the same time ministering 10
that frontiersmans spiritual needs. and
seeing that his pressing material cares and
the hard and grinding poverty Of his life
did not wholly extinguish the divine fire
/ within his soul Such was your work in
the past. and your work In the present is
as great: for the need and opportunity for
\ service widen as the field Of national in
/ terest widsns
Gulf Between Man Rnd Man.
'Tt is not true in this country that the
poor have grown poorer: but it is true that
in many sections. and particularly 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 each days livelihood by that
days work. and those who with sincerity
and efficiency, and deep conviction. band
together for mutual help. are those who can
do most 10 keep the gulf from becoming
too wide True religion. through church
organizations, through philanthropic or
ganiEstions. in all the field Of kindred
endeavor. can manifest itself as effectively
in the crowded and complex life Of today
as in the pioneer yesterday; and the souls
Of men need the light now, and strive
blindly toward ii, as they needed it, and
strove toward 1t in the vanished past. 1t
is your task 10 DO the work Of the Lord
on the farm ard in the mine. In the count
ing room and the factory, IN the car shops
and beside the blasting furnaces. just as it
was the task Of your spiritual forebears
70 wrestle for the souls Of the meE and
women who dwelt on the stump-dotted
clearings in the wilderness.
NO nation in the world has more right
than ours TO look with proud confidence
toward the future. Nowhere else has the
experience Of democratic government. Of
government by the people and for the
people, Of government based on the prin-
ciple Of treating each man on his innate
worth as a man, been tried on 90 vast q
scale as with Us; and on the whole the ex-
eriment has been more successful than
anywhere else. Moreover on the whole I
think II can be said that we have grown
better and not worse: for If there is much
eva, good also greatly abounds. and II
wrong grows. 50 in even greater measure
grows the stern sense OF right before
which wrong must eventually Yield II
would be both unmanly and unwarranted
70 become faint-hearted OF despairing
I 2 h. 4
far-sighted men who are both brave OF
heart and cool OF head. while not for a
moment refusing 10 see and acknowledge
the many evils around US. must yet also
feel confident assursn nee that In the
struggle we shall win and not lose that
the century that has just opened VIII see
great triumph for our people
The True Patriot.
But the surest way 70 achieve this
triumph is. while never losing hope and
belief in our progress. yet at the same time
10 refuse 70 bind ourselves 10 what Is evil
in the complex play OF the many forces.
working through, and with. and against one
another. in the upbulding OF our social
structure. There is much that tends to-
ward evil as wei as much that tends to-
ward good; and the true patriot is that
man who, without losing faith in the good
does his best 70 combat the eyil. 10 stamp
il out where that is possible, and at least
10 minimize its results Prosperity such as
ours, necessary though II be as the ma
terial bssis OF national greatness newt
ably tends 10 undue sxsltion of the merely
material side Of the national character:
and We must largely rely on the efforts Of
such men and women as those ] am sd.
dressing 10 build up the spiritual life with
out which the material life amounts "a
nothing
As generation succeeds generation the
problems change in their external SHAPE
old needs vanish, and new needs arise
but II remains ss true as ever that IN the
last analysis national greatness. national
happiness, national success. depends upor
the character OF the Individual man and
individual woman. We need good laws.
We need 70 have these laws honestly and
feariesEly administered. We need wealth.
A FFFrs~NH~.ua.N