The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-10-23
DIR. WATKINS MAKES
INTERESTING TALK
Tells Of His Visit To EeumenicaI
Congress And OF The Greatness
OF Canada.

Conference OF MethodtstS recently held
in Toronto, Canada, was In his pulpit
a: Main Street Methodist church at
the II o'clock service Sunday morn
ing.
DR.. Watkins instead of a sermon.
gave an account of the great confer
ence from which he had just returned
He expressed in hearty terms his
appreciation of the action of those
members of his congregation who by
their liberality had made possible his
visit to the conference, and incidental
~ spoke with manifest feeling of the
uniform kindness of Hattesburg PEG
pie towards himself and his family
He declared that with due modesty
he appreciated the great honor con
ferred on him by the bishops of his
church in his appointment as a dele
gate % represent the great body OF
Southern Methodists at this great con
! ference. The privilege afforded by
these factors was the greatest pleas
ure of his life. The word "Ecumeni-
cal' meaning world wide, is used TO
designate that gathering of the TWEEN
ty-one different Methodist bodies in
the world which meet in conference
every ten years, the meeting just
closed being the fourth of these de |
cenmal gatherings. The first meet
ing was in City Road Chapel, London,
the second in Washington City, the
next in Wesley's church in London,
and the fourth in the magnificent
Metropolitan church in Toron:o. At
this conference were delegates from the
Methodist church in America known
to US as the Northern Methodist, with
its three and half million members,
from the Methods. Episcopal church,
South, with its two million members,
from England, ireland, Scotland,
Wales, Denmark and the Isles of the
Sea, from Central and South Africa,
from South and Central America, from
Japan, China and Korea, in fact, from
every country where a Methodist BODY
/ is found.
The sight of such a representative
u throng of people having a common
u faith, meeting in conference, was a
Il thrilling scene.
u John Wesley, the founder OF Meth
Cdism, expressed in a letter to the
i churches of America less than thirty
e days before his death, this admoni-
u ton: Lose no opportunity to de
u clare that the Methodist are one PEG
u pie in all the world and that it is heir
full determination to so continue
u though mountains oppose and oceans
roll"
- A delegate from Scotland in viewing
the conference called them Wesley
BARNS" 1t is a wonderful tribute tC
Wesleys life and influence to con
slider that though there were but ~.
OO0 Methodists at his death, ovel
eight million Methodist member,
were reported % the recent confer
ence.
The delegates from the Wesleyan
A. Methods, Of England, though repre-
senting one OF the smallest bodics
numerically, managed to hold the cen
L ter of the stage by their solidarit
gu and their vociferous demands 70
" recognition. While not admiring thei
o manners, DR.. Watkins paic
"a tribute to their ability statinl
st it as fact that in tn,
III Wesleyan church OF England are som
IN of the brightest minds in World Wild
" Methodism, hence in the world.
DR.. Watkins paid glowing tibut
to Canada and the Canadians. Th
g uniform courtesy of Canadians, typin
nv those of the old Virginia gentleman
or He said unless to live in Mississippi
&c: he would rather live in Canada tina
in any country he has yet seen. Tht
tribute to his own state, he SAT-
was no play to the galleries, but
strictly religious statement of hi
real sentiment. I'VE have not as rlc
lands as Canada" he continued, "bl
lands can be made rich and then "
have so many other heaven bestowe
blessings. The trip from Niagal
through the gardens of Canada, vii
m its apple orchards and vineyard
where the ground as well as II
ifs, trees, were covered with golden al
se- red apples, was a sight to be remel
bered. The consolidation OF all Il
v Me-hodists in Canada into one bod
ter with plan well advanced, of comb
ing with the Presbyterian and CO
in gregationalist was commended as