The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1910-06-17
Crescent CITY News
The District Conference.

"SGh ~ GuleIlAln the CieIlC1l anu lay
delegates to the Miami District Confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal church,
south, whose sessions were held from
Wednesday, the Sth, to Sunday, the 18th
inst, inclusive, in the Howe Memorial
Methodist church. There were some
thirty or more members and delegates
present, and those OF our people who
had the privilege of entertaining them
got most out Of the meeting. But the
profit to the town socially and religious
ly was general.
What the average Methodist preacher
misses from the wholesome enjoyment
OF this world could be told in a short
paragraph. The conference sessions,
district or annual, are to him about what
the Christmas vacation is to the average
kid in boarding school who is privi-
legged to go home for few days. To
enjoy Methodist preachers best they
should be punched. Individually they
are frequently serious and unnatural, col
lectively they are hilarious and natural,
and can be depended upou TO drive dull
care away.
The conference opened on Wednes-
day night with fine sermon by Rev. J.
B. Chapman, pastor at Fort Pierce.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the time,
except for the devotional hours at II a.
m. and 7:30 p. m, when not devoted 10
excursions, ETC., was devoted TO business
sessions, all of which were presided
over by that prince of men and preach
ers, Rev. Edward S. Ley, presiding
elder of the district On Friday Mayor
and Mrs. Borson entertained the confer
ence to launch ride and lunch on Lake
Crescent, going to Haw Creek and ST.
Johns Park.
There was good deal of rain during
the session, and during the interval be-
tween showers many of our Methodist
people, who are farmers and whose re-
ligion had been put to severe test by
several months of drought, profited by
planting sweet potato vines. This kept
Them away from the day meetings ofthe
conference. They love the church,
but oh, you sweet 'taterS.
Thursday morning the sermon was by
Rev. R. Ira Barnett of West Palm Beach,
and Thursday night by Rev. c. c. Cecil
of St. Augustine. Friday morning the
sermon was by Rev. A. E. Householder
of Sanford, while the service Friday
night was given over TO an educational
rally, with addresses by Rev. DR.. J. P.
Hilburn, president of Southern College,
and Rev. L. S. Tabor of DeLand. Sat,
urday morning at II o'clock the sermon
was by Rev. J. S. Brook of Oviedo.
The sermon at night was by Rev. Mr..
Patterson. Probably the sermon that
had interest for the greatest number OF
people was that delivered on Sunday
morning by Rev. n. H. Williams, edi-
tor OF the Florida Christian Advocate.
AT least it is the one that has been men
toned most to the News as being "a
fine sermon"
Rev. R. Ira Barnett was secretary OF
the conference, and Rev. R. o. Wright,
of Cocoa, assistant.
1t will be pleasing TO the people of
Crescent City TO know that their pleas
ure in entertaining the members of this
conference was not a one-Sided pleasure.
One of the last things the assembled
ministers did was TO pass resolution Of
thanks-couched in language unmistak
ably sincere-to the local church and
the people of the town for the good
time which had been theirs.
The morning after the adjournment Of
the conference, it is said that forlorn
looking rooster mounted the fence back
of Mr. Saunders home, and spying an
other equally detected on the Tilling-
hast fence, began 10 crow; then they
both crowed. A Methodist who was
passing, and who is more or less famil-
lar with chicken talk, said that those
roosters were singing
"And are we yet alive
And see each others facet"