Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-25

ambassadors of Christ are placed in such
a humiliating position, what think he VIII
be the standing of his cause and its appeal
to fair-thinking, squarc-dealinR business
world? Will real men be attracted to such
a cause?
The following charges have advanced
salaries this year: Scaford, Bridgeville,
Cambridge, fredericksburg, each $500;
Grape, Nassau, Milford, Camden, Leip-
sic, Houston, each, 500; Church Creek,
East New Market, Hurlock. Laurel,
Canterbury, Lincoln, Little Creek, each,
500; Blades, $3.50. and Magnolia, $50,
making total on the district Of s3,3 800.
CENTENARY YEARS CONCERN.
CentenAry-Wc might say, In. the
lanx,,ace of an advertisement OF an
iniquitous business, which used to greet us
by the way, 'Wilson! That's All" Cen
tenaryl That's all. 1t has been truly a
large part Of the years concern. When the
quota for Dover district was handed TO me
and by me TO the various pastors, tnere
was general CONSERVATION. As one OF our
strong men said TO me IN reply 70 the
receipt of his quota, 80, hoyl Notmng
doing" But there was, and he put IT. over
There was a feeling that the JOB was bit
too large. and it was. IL proved so as lar
as the district as whole is concerned, but
the result was by far the greatest financial
stunt ever put over IN this particular held.
The ACCOMPLISHMENT is by no means small
and we rejoice IN so much done though we
did not rise TO the fun height. We are
credited with subscriptions for the cen
tenarv amounting to some S45, 600, which
docs not include the six disciplinary col
lectione. In q few churches this is on a
yearly basis for FIVE years, but for the
most part il is one year subscription.
In this great task the pastors have
gone forth with determination and put
themselves into il without reserve. Had it
not been so there would he. a different tale
TO tell. We were told in the beginning
that this was a laymen's movement, that
all the ministers had TO do was TO show the
way-lead off-and the men of the church
would take up gladly the task OF pushing
il to completion. 1t may be laymen S
movement, and true it is that, unless the
laymen had subscribed the money 1t
could not have been done-in that sense 1T
is certainly laymen's affair pure and
simple but in at least 90 per cent OF the
charges of which | have more or less
intimate knowledge, the laymen would not
have moved at all had it not been for the
propelling impact OF perslstentiy pUsh-
ing preacher, and in several cases the
centenary program was put over IN the
face of strong opposition put up by leading
layrnen of these charges.
With only two exceptions have been
able to find a laynlan who would take any
district office in connection with the cen
tenarv organization. In both OF these cases
these men were warm personal TRENDS OF
the writer. In most of the charges the
pastor has been the solitary minute man,
group leader (the charge beng the
group), secretary, treasurer indeed the
main working force Of the whole propose
ton. He has had TO go from house 10
house to present the cause and take the
subscription OF course, this has been
more general IN the smaller appoint
ments-you viii note the preponderanoo
of these In this territory. Some OF the
larger churches co-operated spssnd'diy IN
doing the work Oh, no, we have not
lacked programs.
In all fairness II should be SAID that the
general organization was good, and WITH
out it's splendid general program and the
leaders at the head of the undertaking, we
could not have done what has been done,
but in working out the detail we have been
0EpTW nciuieu Win ESoSi a1itst P''c
that were elaborated to distractlng minute
ness, ponderous, numbering giants over
Tapping one another and blanketmg the
whole situation SO that an ordinary mortal
could only inquire, Where am ] at"
Iaterature Yes, floods OF 1t, and 1t
would have taken any one mans time en-
tirelv to have read it all, and 1t was not
enliehteninr. Not, at least, 10 us that
NAV be our FAULT, until all IN all If we had
attempted 10 put all these through letter
perfect, we should have been III the posi-
ton of SO depicting the battery honkins
the horn that no current would have been
left 10 run the engine. These plans and
programs were no more adapted to the
average country charge than Was Saul 5
arrnor suited 10 the country boy DAVID
when he asssyed 10 meet Goliath.
FAITHFUL PASTORS.
The faithful pastors desire to neet
every situation. They have had no time
TO do the things which were once supposed
TO belong to the minister's calling; no
time for study, meditation, for real prepa-
ration for the high business OF preaching
the gospel of the Son of God, for the per
sistent voices still come from the upper
spaces and are insistent and persistent.
Every departmental chief having the
only worth while program and task superb,
and the one which will save the world
forthwith if executed after the pattern
shown in the mount. Because 1t has not
been done men have felt the thrust Of the
goad and heard the crack Of the whip OF
which / can testify from personal ex-
perience.
1t ought to be said, and had just as
well have the supreme pleasure of saying
il, that our resident bishop, now our pre-
siding officer, has, through all the trying,
testing days, manifested most brotherly,
kindly and generous spirit toward Us, and
we love him for it. His words to me when
things did not seem so promising have
been with me and were a source of com
fort when the road was long. He said,
Those who have tried shall be as those
who have succeeded; there shall be no
discrimination" No man who Is q man at
all could fail to lay himself out TO the last
ounce of strength under such leadership.
Long may his bow abide In strength, that
he NAV bless the church, and most Ter
ventiy we pray that his tnbe may N
crease.
EvANGELIsTIC CAMPAIGN.
Following insofar as We could the lead
OF the church at large Ii putting on this
campaign. We held In October an IN