The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-04-29

tulaiaed ny mission here ard done ali
that | vas asketto do. But / cannot
fcTget that our ynests are the Head Of
e great church that they represent
more than 100000 people. II we count
The Methodists Of the world; that IN.
der them are more than 10000 min.
listers who are preaching the gosrel
Of the lowly Nazartne; taat the
church and parsonage property Of
this sect IS nov worth S1s7.OOO,OLO,
In other words, they represent a great
ermy, an army that has made many
conquests in the name of their great
commander4n-chlef, and the prayer of
every true Methodist tonight Is that
they may 90 on from conquest to vic
tory until the whole world shall know.
honor AID servo Him .as their Lord
and Master.
"Bnt West VIrginians have special
reasons to be proud G. this church ard
Of u guests tonight, for are not
three Of them, one-seventh of the mum.
Der Of active Bishops. West Virgin.
ians? And now fortunate those three
have been. / refer not to the fact
that they have ben preferred over their
associates in the ministry and elec:cd
bishops Of their church, but to the
places Of their birth. One was bern
in Weston, but before the asylum was
built, and I am reliably informed aas
never been In that institution. An
otner was born in Moundsville and vet
has lever been in the p~enEtentiary.
unless possibly to make a casual visit.
The third was born in Monongalts
county. just outside the walls of tie
State University. and soon entered
that institution. and while not a
graduate thereof. was for many ye IS
a student there. and one of whom the
institution has always been proud.
81 have examined the record to see
what effect on Methodism the birth
of these three
Distinguished Gentlemen
had, and find there is no record of
Methodism, but four years later there
were fifty-three ministers and 14,27S
members. At the date of the birth of
another there were one hundred MN.
listers and 92,551 members, but tao
number of ministers and members / u.
mediately began to decrease, and SIX
years later, or IN 1866. when another
bishop was born we had Sc ministers
and 2O.51S members. having lost in
six years Il ministers and a few MOI
;han 1000 members. But during that
period the greatest civil conflict of sle
age had been waged. and you know
Abraham Lincoln said that tie
Methodists we're not to blame for hal
ing sent more soldiers to the front
Snd o prayers to heaven for the
preservation of the Union than ally
other, because there were more If
them. And so 1 am willing to con.
cede that 1t was the civil war and not
the birth Of Bishop Anderson that
caused the decrease in the church
membership from 1860 to 1866. But /.
was not until after the birth of
Bishop Hughes that the church began
to make rapid growth in the West
Virginia conference. The year of his
birth we had a membership in this
conference Of 2O,513, the next year
27,0O4, and the following year 2S.2Oi.
Now we have 261 ministers and 60,Ss7
members.
But witt those OF us who were
resred at the knees of a Method st
mother the real riches Of the church.
as We view It, is not In the number
of churches, or their value; not in
the number of ministers or their sal.
aries: and neither is it in tae number
- t'iA'uh'S1AtS buN lHe real TlCileS,
ne true glory, the paramount virtue
he thing'wh!ch draws you to It AMI
makes YOU love 1t. is the simple, I'M
ostentatious life which 1t teaches.
Virginia Born Bishops.
81 would like to say something to.
Night about West Virginia. When two
of the three Bishops whom we claim
IS West Vlrstnians were born, we
were a part of the mother State. 1t
was before the passage Of the oydt.
nance of secession by the legislature
OF Virginia and before the famous
conventions held in this city. 1t
would be improper for me to take your
time to-nlgnt reciting events which
lave TRANSFERRED since 1866. the year m
which Bishop Hughes was born.
For tie benefit OF those who may
not know I want to add that last year
had G,4O9 school houses in which
we're employed S.2S2 teachers and we
expended for educational purposes an
aggregate of s4,367.52S.SS.
"What a blessed thing 1t is that we
cannot always reach out and grasp