Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-05-21
THE LEAVEN Of
THE GOSPEL
Rev. c. H. Kamphoefner Gives Re-
sumo Of Century's Progress
of Methodism.

The recent meeting of the general
conference of Methodism in Mime
apolis being the one hundredth an
niversary of the first delegated gen.
eral conference of Methodism in the
United States, Rev. G. H. Kamphoef-
ner took advantage of the occasion
to speak to his people Sunday morn
ing of the progress of their church
and the world in general during
that century. ..
The first delegated conference met
in New York City in 1912 and dele
gates from eight annual conferences
were present. At Minneapolis 1872
annual conferences were represented
besides 20 missions and missionary
conferences. In 1912 the Methodist
Episcopal church had 1S4,56S mem
bers, whereas today its membership
is totalled at 3,51S,099, all Metho-
dism numbering something over o.
100000. Today 26,569 preachers
are contrasted with 6SS of that
day, and the educational institu-
lions of the church have grown
from the ashes of one college with
which the century began until today
Methodism has college in almost
every state in the union. There were
no Sunday schools in 1872; today
| with CST QeS nf.
ficers and teachers and 3,562,96S
scholars. So that when the general
conference Of 1912 opened their first
session with the old hymn, "All
Hail the Power of Jesus Name the
| words, LET every kindred tribe pro-
claim him Lord of ALL" had LITERAL
| ly come true.
Some changes in the customs OF
the church, which greatly disturbed
the conscience of the early fathers
were spoken of. Bishop Asbury,
the first bishop of the church, Sc
verely rebuked the ministers of one
conference for describing knee
buckles and garters for pantaloons
and in an early Indiana conference
one preacher was arralgned Tor
wearing beard while another
brother lost an election to the con-
| ference because he wore side-whisk-
ers. A general conference of early
times passed resolutions calling up
on all preachers to wear straight
breasted shad bellied coats and
breeches with broad falls Bishop
Asbury upon seeing the new church
at Newport, Rhode Island, exclaim-
ed, "a steeple and bell! The next
thing will be an organ and choir
and then farewell to Methodism!
But the church has withstood the
organ and even survived choir.
Great progress in standards Of
clean living for preachers has been
made since those early days. For
instance in the general conference
of 1912 resolution forbidding the
sale of intoxicating liquors by local
preachers was voted down, whereas
| the last general conference went so
| far as to say that no enc should be
eligible to any office within the gift
of the general conference who was
user Of tobacco. For some time
all men entering the ministry have
pledged themselves to- refrain from
the use of tobacco.
| Turning then to the more gener-
al trend of his discourse, ReT.
Kamphoefner declared his belief
that the world had grown better.
! Among the events of the past CEN
fury confirming this statement, he
mentioned the abolition of slavery.
He regretted the present spectacle
of two candidates for the the presi-
dency going up and down the coun-
try calling each other liars, etc, but
remarked that this war of words
was better than the contest Of
sword and pistol so prevalent in
i the early years OF TINS century. Inc
increase in the number of institu-
lions for the care of the sick and un-
fortunate was also dwelt upon.
/ In other respects society has lost
ground. particularly in regard to
|, the sanctity of the Sabbath and the
: religious and moral influence of the
home beside the great divorce evil
which can only be remedied by the
proper restriction of marriage. But
these are merely eddies in the main
stream of progress which is steadily
moving onward; for the golden age
of the world is still in the future.
But the advance of the past
should not cause church people to
forget the present and give them
selves up to rosy colored dreams and
delusions. There is still much to be
done. The greatest danger is that
tho leayen NAV he mt away and