The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-04-20

nell to undo the work that has been
; done. There is no city charge in
South Carolina that would have stood
the treatment that the mill charges
have been subjected to. They would
have rebelled and made it so hot for
the presiding elder that he would
have had to make a change as soon
as possible. Why? Because the city
charge pays more and hence should
have the best preachers. There's the
rub. It is case of money on the
one side and souls to save and rip
ened harvest on the other. The money
gets the man and the harvest goes un-
gathered. This being the case, and l
certainly do not object to the preach
ers getting all the money they can,
the only way left for the conference to
do in order to save the day and solve
the problem as regards KS part is to
raise enough money to put the men
in the field that are capable OF doing
the work as thoroughly as it is done
on our we'll organized charges. We
assess this year two thousand seven
hundred dollars more for foreign mis-
sions than we assess for the men who
are serving domestic mission charges.
would not take one dollar off for
eign assessment, it is small enough,
but I know the Methodists, the busi-
ness men Of our church would gladly
put double the amount into the home
land that We are now putting if they
were assured that the same care would
be taken in manning our weak charges
that is used in manning the foreign
field.
I asked a member of the domestic
mission board at the last session Of
the conference why more was not as
sessed for domestic missions. He
said, "if you assess more you won't
get it," I have since then been talk
ing with every prominent layman [
have met and the universal verdict
is that the laymen Of South Carolina
would gladly pay much more to bring
out our weak fields.
Again let the conference honor her
domestic missionaries as she does
those who come from a foreign field.
Let the home fields have a more prom
inent part in our conference proceed
ings. Let the mission board take
more interest in the missionary and
not act simply as a financial distrib-
uting agency. I have been before the
board a good many times and the
greeting I invariably got was, "Be
brief, brother, we have lot to do
If the board has so much to do that
it can not look into the various mis-
sion charges then let it employ mis-
Sionary secretary as the foreign board
does to advise and inspire and sympa-
thze with those who are trying to
hold up the banner Of Christ and
Methodism.
Personally, We believe that every
member Of the board is sincerely in
terested in the various mission fields
Of the state, but the system they are
working under has failed to accom-
plish the desired end and the system
must give way to one that will work
or Methodism in this state Will suffer
incalculable damage. It is hard - get
out Of the old way of doing things,
but the changed conditions of mod
ern life demand different modes of
procedure. Under the present sys-
tenn it is impossible for the board to
get in sympathetic touch with the
field it is trying to work or even to
know the actual needs Of the field.
There is statistical report required
Of each pastor that received aid from
the board. These reports are render
ed quarterly and the preachers mon
ey is held up till the report is IN.
These reports seem, to one who has
made good many Of them, intended
to let the secretary of the board know
whether or not the preacher is lying
down on his job. After the board is
supplied with the information as to
how many sermons have been preach
ed, how many visits made, how much
has been collected, how the church
is organized, etc., after getting all
these facts byholdi1g over the preach
er the threat, eff you do not report
we will not pay your appropriation
is then powerless to use this knowl'
edge so acquired either to the ad-
vantage or detriment Of the preacher
reporting. There is missing link