Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-21
METHOD|SM JUST
NOW IS BEGINNING
TO FIND ITSELF
So Says Superintendent Robert
Watt in Reviewing the Work Of
the Wilmington District.
A MOST EVENTFUL YEAR
Special dispatch to Every Evening

IN the history of the Wilmington district
~ tho Wilmington NJ T.. Conference
Rev Robert Watt, superintendent, told
the conference today. Wilmington
McthodlSm Is IN state Of transition;
IT'S mst beginning To "hnd itself, he said,
and there Is nothing in reason that it
cannot do when laymen and ministers
,ct Themselves to the task DIR Watts
report follows
esteem IT no mean honor to present
even IN hricfcst outline review of the
l,hofs of another wear Shadow and
sunshine have been strangely comIningled
The rude alarms of war have broken in
upun our accustomed quiet Our streets
havc been thronged with marching
hosts Faces wet with tears have tcsti-
fad 80 the agony OF apprch ,nsion in the
tircsvncc of a world menace Yet these
tscos were rradIatod with smiles breaking
through the tears There arc mun sitting
ia tins quiet church who have already
paSscd through thor Gothsrmanc, but
thcru has been no complaining only y
brave. hugh resolve to- offer the fruiy ot
thclr 'ons 10 make tho world q safe
place for democracy
Inrlv IN tho wear tho district gave two
w lts choicpst Young mcn. Rcvs J W.
thapplc and RAYMOND " Cooke, to tho
made thor mark IN the ranks Both OF
them send lovo and greetings to the confer
pncc. and thoy bcspeak our PRAYERS that
thev may honor thor profession and
"uut Themselves as good soldiers oi
lrsus rhr,st
II may srcm like trtlsm tu say that
tho conditions under which we have
cared for thu business of the king during
thus wear have been unprecedented. but
t. tho men who have manned tho lar
flung battle llnc u has been stern reality
What with conditions horn Of tins world
war. and th, hlttrrrSt winter weather for
many vcar-. roads almost impassable
except tnr foot travel. aud then travel
hnth difhcut and dangerous, has made
barIshlp tho rule rather than tho eXcep-
flop III surnc instances men have tramp
"a miles often through fields only to
and + closed church Nothing hut q
rpn,snc hcrusm. and LOYALTY toward
Tho ,aus, has made these conditions
talcrablc Net IN tho midst of IL All no
complaint has been heard. and no slaCkcrs
found "a The rank Nssociation with
mon such rs thr~c has made the wear worth
vhlr
That therc l- ~ discharge in that
vm has hrcn brought vividlv to mind as
rua piitn reaper has eNacted his heavy
III nilr strings FOR our ranks have been
broken and some ot tho most useful work
,rs have hoard the call "cntor into the JOY
of YOUR lori
After 4 bravo and determined effort
to r,covcr his health. during which period
pa sum, smile and optimistic spirit
made one think that tho fight against
unequal ndds must he won Brother Harry
q Ne.tcrhcld slipped through the open
cate and his weary. wasted body found
r,lct-c. and he vas not for Cod took
hlm \ bravcr more brotherly man
never moved among us u IS dlthcult
80 grasp the fact that he VIII NO more
answer tho roll call FITTING arc the
word 81 tho vlsc man N this case for the
"~un i. g,u. down vhlc IT was vet
DAY
llk, ,ier of thunder ont oi clear
IL, came tho words t-hurv Burke IS
dead , hricf bat exceedingly painful
malad, 81 -sppcd hl- vitality that giant
though hc was be could moi resist the
ajts,k ami like tlsd child he fell asleep
lu .Icsi- Roth thcso men were tirrcss
workers and tho, Viii hc sadly missed
SurrI, thcv were good soldiers Of Jesus
Thirst Appropriate mrmoIrs will be
pr,,-r ntcd ~ tho Memorial Session
That death doth love a shining
mark was strklug, Illustrated whom It
land its hand ON lraucls " Hclslcr
Isa ono o( tho charter members of
Gr,ce Church and for many wears
leading Official man Of gracious and
charming personality devoted and
loval Methodist deeply interested in all
that had TO do with tho building of our
Israel he gave himself without stint to
the work of the church Though
la,mau Brother IIcislcr was "a near
preacher and { IS CmInCntlv hitting that
hriof mruut grant him q place among
the heroes Cuthroncd
Ior -lo mos part the health OF the
ministers and thor families has been
preserved Dr Emerson Roberts
our pastor AZ Newark has evmced the
traits of hero With throat allment
that would have justified his release from
active work hc has "tarucd by the
s,uf" and cared for the interests of his
church II Is with peculiar regret that
h. feels compelled to request change
of relation from effective TO retired
Tho past year was IN many respects
t4e most cvcntfu IN the history of the
Wilmington distuct To begin with
Wilmington Ncthodism Is IN state OF
transition u j. just beginning 10 find
#>rE Thpr, 4, nothing IN reason that
.,nrst du when laymon and ministers
- themselves Ia the task Nc have
! - membership and a large. constlt
ueu,e Ihs commercial awakening and
developments - the past three years has
utdc jh, af, hulh hc IN the cvcS OF the
utaan Nlcthod.~m must be prepared
T. tah. .td,attac, of this situation Tor
d, ud, taken 81 ITS turn leads on TO
furturt
Niluncfon fhc most campalgned
lf, ln th. ma With three hospital
mpacu- ,ua tho hh-arv and Young
Npmeu ,hu~uan Association drives,
ami %, kol t4~~ drItc and later tho
NM \ Dung Men Christian Association
campaign and tho Knights 81 Columbus
tlriVc and the W,f and drl contest. the
,tN has been Iu State 81 unrest and
irverIsh excitement On the money side
over 5000. 900 have been raised not
counting what The churrhc- have raised
Within shouting distance ~ these
dfly,, came he campaign for fhe Wesley
Collegiate Institute endowment A mul-
utudc 81 things made against the hope
81 large succcss IT, 0cgiu with there
was little. Il ANY sentiment ia favor uf
The project The majority Of folks
thought only of the fact that the CITY
and IT. envlrons were fully equipped with
-chopl- second 10 none They had
oNerlookrd the Importance 81 Christian
education but success came, success
beyond the expectations o. the most
saneuinc The district contributed about
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