New Britain herald., 1922-04-21
Rev. J. H. Bell, at Confer ence in Meriden refers to Local Organization.

| MrflntH, aplli -l,--7l llf lktN, l'fs J
 II, Bell, superintendent of the New
 Haven district of the New York East Conference read his report during
 the conference session today, lIe said
 In part;
 "No characteristic of our Methodist
 order is more marked than it's system
 of supervision eNemplined in detail in the activities of the district supcrin-
 tcndcnt. This system sustans moro | important relation to the work Of the church than many appear to realize,
 A work of any sort left to itself, un-
 needed and unaidod, is surely less likely to thrive than one which has advantage of sympathetic interest and properly authorized supervision.
 In the ordinary business of the world ! there is very little work Of worth
 which is not under special inspection and supervision. The inspector who occasionally jumps aboard a trolley | car, for instance, does not come often | or stay long, But his importance tc | the successful operation of the busi- ness in hand no one will be inclined to question or deny"
 Plainyilic Camp Meeting. Dr. Bell reported first on special and district wide activities, and then on the regular work of the churches. He said the camp meeting of last summer at the camp ground lh edgmcnt was by common acl.a2Wl- edgement one of the most wholesome and profitable in the 56 years of it's history, The second session of the E,pworth league institute at Wesleyan was d distinct advance over that of the previous year. The New Haven city mission project, known as "Wes- ley House" is being conducted with increasing efficiency. Miss Jessie D. Arbuckle, long superintendent of the D. w. Blakeslee memorial training school resigned to become q repre- sentative of the general deaconess board on the staff of the Department of Life Service at Chicago and c. E. Barto. pastor at West Haven was elected in her place. It is worthy Of note that by the action of the na- tional woman's home missionary so- ciety in Providence last October the
 
 one. of the national training schools. The home for the aged at West Haven had strenuous though suc- Cessful year. The patronage of charit- ably disposed persons is earnestly solicited. Six institutes were con- ducted during the year in the interest of the Sunday school. 'The cause of temperance has of late been strengthened in this district and state" said Dr.. Bell "by the entry of the national anti-saloon league with head quarters at Hartford. The fact that the Connecticut Temperance union is in existence at first occasioned some embarrassment and apprehension. But the good sense and fine feeling al- ready exhibited by the leaders of both these organizations give promise that a way not only to harmony but to effective cooperation will soon be found" |
 The Connecticut federation of churches as an inter-church state is well organized ana splendidly conducted Dr. Bell said.
 Church Work of Year
 Tn reviewing the church work of the year Dr. Bell said it had been h year of unusual difficulties This is true whether we look from the stand point of the church's temporal or spirit interests" the suporinten- dent said "On the one hand the de- pression and stagnation which has the business of the country has had to be reckoned with and on the other the sad and sordid reaction from ideas--and fear too which moved mems hearts during tic period of the war Nevertheless 2reditable results arc reported from many tields.'
 Praises Local Class.
 Dr. Bell specifically spoke of the 1oings in many churches, repairs on increases of salaries, plans for enlarged churches and finances He said that one of the significant events of the year and the most dramatic is the growth of the Every mans Bible class at Trinity church, New Britain, where, organized last November it has grown to over 1,5o0 t is purely a product of local church |