New Britain herald., 1918-04-19
METHODlSTS' PART
IN WAR SERVICE
Reviewed by Superintendent in
Their Annual Reports


years work in the churches Of their
district. A feature of the reports was
resume of the war service Of the
respective churches. Nearly 1000
members OF the church are In active
military service in some OF the various
branches. Ministers and laymen have
responded loyalty to the call. Finan-
cial support has also been generous.
District superintendent Richardson
was interrupted from time to time in
the course of the presentation of his
report with applause of approval OF
his statements.
The reviews following will be read
with much interest, rejecting as they
do the work of the past year.
New Haven District Report.
DR. Elmer A. Dent, reporting on his
work of the year as superintendent
of the New Haven district said: "We
make the commencement Of our
fourth annual report of the New
Haven district at Wesleyan university
When the United States entered the
war Wesleyan had an enrolment Of
504. Today more than five hundred
Wesleyan men of faculty, undergrad
yates and alumni are with the colors.
The enrolment now is three hundred.
President Shanklin Is in France on
q six months leave of absence as one
of the directors of the work of the
Army Y. M. c. A. The inside story
OF Wesleyan's full and decisive con-
tribution to the history of the war,
will not be known till peace lifts the
censorship.
twenty-five per cent of our
preachers have been sought after for
war work. DR.. J. w. Laird spent
three months in Y. NJ c. A. work at
Camp Meade. H w. Benedict has
been almost a year in France; w. H.
Mitchell is at Camp Pike; DR. A. F.
Campbell has been speaking to ship
workers; w. s. GIanship is clerk
in the navy department and Mrs.
Nanship is in medical service: V. O.
Ward has Joined the British Flying
Corps.
There are $4,000 Methodists on
the New Haven district. or these,
nearly a thousand or over five per
cent are represented by stars. blue,
red and gold, on our district service
flag.
THE minds Of the people have
been following the boys over there
The bodies of the people have been
excluded from our houses of worship
by the excessive cold and shortage of
ccal. The purses of the people have
submitted cheerfully to an increasing
drain for purposes incident to the
triumph of the kingdom, the sue
cessful prosecution of the war, and
their constant care of the waste Of
battle.
Notwithstanding these facts the
local field has been cultivated, obliga-
tons met and advancement made.
over $1,000 has been paid on old
indebtedness, $4,000 spent on re-
pairs and improvements, and sal
aries Increased by $4,000.
"A union evangelistic campaign was
organized in the lower Naugatuck
Valley. A tabernacle seating 5000
was built at Ansonia, seventeen Pro-
testant churches co-operated. Our
churches at Seymour Ansonia, Derby
and Shelton participated with great
hundred accessions.
1.-The camp meeting at Forestville
III aintafned it's high standard. The
Epworth leagues Of the district
a achieved such success in four days
been taken over by the second general
conference district Epworth league
which will conduct an eight-day in
stitute this year in connection with
the one at Madison. N. ].
1.-THE Deaconess Home and Train
ing school at New Haven has had a
year. The Methodist
league of New Haven has enjoyed q
year under the stimulat-
ing presidency of DR.. A. H Good
enough. Tt supports the correctional
and social life Of local Methodism.
the Deaconess Home, extension enter
prises and the Italian mission.
THE entire Italian work suffers
from lack Of coordination. Since the
disbanding of the Italian mission and
it's separate superintendency, the 1tal-
ian preacher has lost the advantages
Of organized union and our itinerant
system Formerly when one of our
conference preachers among the Ital-
ian brethren was moving, he enjoyed
at least so possibilities Of appoint
ment. Now in our conference he Is
limited to six. This work must be
reorganized or meet dis
aster.
THE Methodist Church Home for
the Aged is on the eve of successful
operation. The trustees hold in cash
over $4,000. They have wisely de-
cided that there never was and never
will be q home without a woman. Two
women have been elected from every
church on the district. These women
are in session today to organize a
beard of managers for the Home to
make the Home operative at once.
"Our church at Hamden Plains is
homeless and houseless. The Ladies'
Aid society sold its convention hall
some months ago. Last fall the par
sonage was sold for the purpose OF
locating a new one near the church.
Then the church burned leaving the