Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-04-16
TELLS OF WORK OF
CIRCUIT RIDE RS
Pioneer Preachers Praised in Re-
port at Mississippi Valley
Historical Meeting
CBy Associated Press)

work OF the circuit riders, thOS
hardy characters who a centur7
ago were securing with the Cos
pei the freshly opening middl
west, was appraised today by tn,
historian at the Mississippi Val
ley Historical Association meet
ing here.
Prof. w. NJ. Gewehr, of Morn
ingside College, old the associa
ton that the needs of frontier re,
ligion of the period were best
met by itinerant system of early
western Methodism, and that the
Success of Of the itinerancy de
pended above all on the activities
of that Jealous and devoted ar
my of circuit riders who braved
every peril, hardship, suffering
and privation to frontier life
On every highway, Prof. &c
wehr said, the circuit riders be-
came familiar figures with their
straightforward coats. short
breeches and long stockings. the
oil-skin covering for the hat. the
leather saddle bags, and the hair
clipped short in front and allow
ed to hang down the back of the
head TO the shoulders.
Such was their faitfulness.' -
Prof. Gewehr said, ''in filling ap-
pointment that on days that were
bitterly cold as to drive most
persons indoors it was proven
bal saying. There is nothing out
today but crows and Methodist
preachers
"The circuits were large. often
four or five hundred miles in cir
cumference and requiring from
three to six weeks to travel.
They swept over the whole coun-
try. touching in neighborhoods
that were very remote and dis
tant from one another.
"In the course of a four-week
circuit the ,itinerant would meet
from Is to S. appointment and
preach on an average of once a
day. The number of preaching
places was constantly being in
creased as new societies were
collected and circuits had to be
divided.
''Hlis coming was the occasion
Of a general turn out of the
Methodist families and the tin
Grant was always sure of con-
gregation when he reached his
appointment.
"To enter the itinerancy, as is
well known, was almost equiva-
lent to taking the vows of power
ty, chastity and obedience. From
1900 to 1916 the salary of a tray
cling preacher was placed at $50
a year and travelling expenses,
with the same allowance for
wife and $40 for each child up to
seven years and $24 for each
child from seven to fourteen
years.
Small as the amount was the
preacher was fortunate if he
could collect half of his own al
lowance while on provision for
the family the discipline was
perfect dead letter. Often the
preachers did not get enough in
a year to buy a suit Of clothes or
an overcoat, while it was a most
serious misfortune to have to
buy a new horse. Had it not
been for the fact that now and
then the circuit riders were pre-
sented with home spun clothing,
many a preacher would have
been forced to abandon the itin-
erancy in order to earn enough
TO clothe himself.
"As it was their clothes were
often but patch on patch so that
the original cloth could scarcely
be detected. In 1906, when AS
bury was at the Western Con-
ference he found the brethren in
want and could not suit (clothe)
themselves; so | parted with my
watch my coat and my shirt
Notwithstanding their abiect
poverty these men were never
too poor to deny themselves
for someone who might be worse
off. Their lives were indeed ex-
amples of the spirit of Christ.
The poverty of the itinerancy
made it almost out of the ques-
ton for the circuit rider to mar
ny and establish family"