Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-11-01
THE SIMPLE Life Of A COMMONfR
AN AUTOBl0G

years: Doctors j. w. Bissell, +. E.
Flemming, j. c. Magee, ]. B. Al
brook, w. F. Pitner and C. H. Tay-
lor, among the Presiding Elders
with some of whom sat in the cab
met for several years. Also j. s.
McCord, H. o. Pratt, l.. L. Lockard,
B. D. Smith, F. P. Cassidy, A. M.
Mcintosh, B. w. Soper, John Gam
. 2ns and many others who are held
fVS2ving remembrance.
Nkon S. Lewis, who became
PrinciXAof Epworth Seminary dur
ing my TT term on Dubuque Dis
trict, after I'd President of Morn
ingside Collie. and elected Bishop
at the General Conference at Balti-
more in 1908, has been, from our
first acquaintance with him. a very
dear friend.
DR.. H. d. Atchison, who succeeded
DR.. Shanklin in the pastorate of st.
Luke's church, and Mrs. Atchison,
we shall continue to remember for
their many beautiful traits of char
acter, as we'll as their kindnesses to
US personally. The services at St.
Luke's church were always attrac-
tive, and the superior sermons
preached by the pastors, as we'll as
the high class music rendered by the
great choir, much of the time one of
the finest in the country, never failed
to delight the large audiences which
usually filled the church.
In the fall of 1899 I was elected
delegate to the General Conference,
which met the ensuing spring in
Chicago, holding its sessions at the
auditorium. In the assignment of
committees l was given Itinerancy
and Book Concern, both of which ap-
pointments pleased me for / wanted
to bring some things to the atten-
ton of each of them.
l engaged room at the auditor
ium, and, while it was expensive, it
gave me an opportunity to mingle
nth the. lestlinG 9ae1nbers ef the
body, among whom were some Of the
most prominent men of the country,
both in church and state; felt that
this was due to my conference as
we'll as myself. With the exception
of two or three afternoons l gave
my entire time to the work of the
General Conference, taking some
part in it's deliberations.
The Upper Iowa Conference had
memorialized the superior body
touching the matter of supernumer-
larry preachers. Up to the year 1900
it was permissible for a preacher to
be placed on that list-which is a
provision intended for the relief Of
temporarily disabled preachers-and
be continued there from year to year,
lat the option Of the conference of
which he was a member. Under this
provision there had been instances
where preachers had engaged in sec
ular work for years, while still hold
ing the relation of supernumerary
preacher In an Annual Conference.
The Memorial asked that the law
of the church be changed so as to
permit preacher to hold this rela-
tion for only five consecutive years,
when he should be required to be-
come effective, which Is the technical
term for active service. or superan-
nuate. which means permanent re-
tirement, or withdraw from the Con-
ference. At my request the Memoir
ial was sent to the Committee on
ltinerancy. where 1t was placed in
| the hands Of subcommittee, be-
fore which / appeared and explained
more fully the purpose of the Me-
mortal. after which 1t was reported
to the full committee and recon-
mended to the General Conference
for passage. In due time 1t was
reported from committee, adopted
and incorporated into the Discipline
as one of the laws of the church.
There can be no question as to the
wisdom of this action, for 1t serves
good purpose In checking some
abuses which have crept into the
conferences. In the earlier years OF
our history 1t frequently became
necessary for the preachers who had
been assigned to the weaker charges,
to ask for the supernumeracy rela-
tion for year or two. that they
might have opportunity to earn
something In some secular employ
ment for the support of their fam
lilies. and for the payment of debts,
which had accumulated by reason
OF the inadequate salaries paid them.
The preachers themselves were In no
wise to blame for the meagreness
Of these allowances" nor should
the people be censured. for generally
speaking. they were poor themselves
and had little to spare. But the
temptation to continue a. super-
numerary. extending tho rotation IN