Evening star., 1924-10-15
Tribute to Bishop Asbury, of
Pioneer Methodism, Paid
by President.
UNWILLING OF STATUE
DRAWS NOTABLE THRONG
Horse-Riding Preacher Called I'm.
portant Factor in Shaping
American Ideals.

Reliance upon religion rather than
law for reform was emphasized today
by President Coolidge, speaking at
the unveiling here of a statue to
Francis Asbury, pioneer bishop of
the Methodist Episcopal Church in
America
I'VE cannot depend upon the Gov
ernment," the President declared, "to
do the work of religion. An act of
Congress may indicate that a reform
is being or has been accomplished.
but it does not itself bring about
reform. The government of a coun-
try never gets ahead of the religion
of a country"
Preaching Made Freedom.
Religion was described by the Pres
ident as the foundation of this Gov
ernment. 1t is as a result of the
preaching of Bishop Asbury, his as
sociates and other religious organi-
cations, he declared, that "our coun-
try has developed so much freedom"
1T is well to remember this" he
added, when we are seeking for
social reforms OF course, we can
help to restrain the vicious and fur
nish a fair degree of security and
protection by legislation and police
control, but the real reforms which
society in these days is seeking will
come as a result of our religious con-
Victions, or they will not come at all.
We cannot escape a personal re-
sponsibility for our own conduct. We
cannot regard those as wise or safe
counselorS in public affairs who deny
these principles and seek to support
the theory that society can succeed
when the individual fails.
Draws Lesson From Life.
There is no way by which we can
substitute the authority of law for
the virtue of man. Peace. justice,
humanity, charity-these cannot be
legislated into being. They are the
result of a Divine Grace"
From the life of Bishop Asbury,
who came to this country as a preach
er before the Revolutionary War, the
President drew a lesson of sacrifice
and devotion which he said has gone
into the making of our country He
recalled that the pioneer bishop trav-
elled about 5000 miles a year, preach
ing about 16,500 sermons and receiv-
ing as his highest salary sS5 a year.
: He had no idea, Mr.. Coolidge said,
that he was preparing men the bet
ter to take part in a great liberal
movement, the better to take ad-
vantage of free institutions, and the
better to- perform the functions of
self-government. He did not come
for political motives. He came to
bring the gospel to the people"
Glowing Tribute Paid.
Opening the exercis es by sncounc-
ing that he had been privileged to
listen to the voice and grasp the
hand of Rev. Henry Boehm, travel
companion of Bishop Asoury, Bishop
John W. Hamilton. who presided at
the ceremonies. told how the fame
of Bishop Asbury would increase from
now on as that of Lincoln had grown,
and explained how much of the sue
cess of the Nation had been placed
on circuit riders" by William Henry
Harrison.
He then launched into glowing
eulogy of the subject of the statue.
Francis Asbury," he said. was
chief of these pioneers and their
supreme ruler. Asbury must be
called great because he laid the
empire, of the increase of whose
ministry and peace there shall be
no end. His great common sense and
his holy endument made of him,
measured by the unmistakable re-
suits and wide extent of his ministry,
the greatest preacher that has in
vaded the country.
One of his biographers has said.
The story of his life is the story of
heroic seif-sacrif1ce, and the magni-
ficant campaigns which he planned
out are without parallel in the
history of the world.
Brnved Travel Hnrdxhips.
The twenty millions of .communi-
cants that are to be represented
shortly at Atlanta are all indebted
to his ministry. for he was the
minister of the Holy Spirit. His
piety was fire shut UP in his bones;
1t had to come out, and oEce in the
open. it bulged too large for
boundaries. He was always on "A
journey. No nent-up chapel could
restrain him. He took to travel. He
said, I must ride or die He pointed
the map of his ministry with the
hoofs of his horses. He trailed with
the indians and men of iron and
blood sixty times across the Allegheny
Mountains, fording the creeks and
rivers It their base when it was pos
sible, and crossing in row boat ferries
wheL It was impossible, with his
horse. swimming behind him.
He delivered his message in per-
son from the borders of Florida to
the penetrable wilds of Canada and
from beyond the Kenebec to beyond
the Ohio and the Tennessee in the un-
surveyed West, travelling all told
nearly 100000 miles. In one instance
he rode at the rate of 5000 miles in a
single year. He was pre- eminently
the man on horseback
Greatly Increased Church.
''It is estimated that he preached
nearly or quite 1900 sermons. When
he first mounted a horse with his
Hebrew Bible, Greek Testament and
Vulgate as his total library, the~whoIe
number of Methodists in the country
was reported to be 371; when he lay
down his commission, having on a
journey dismounted from his horse
to die, there were more than 100000
communicates that bad enjoyed ms
fellowship, and it was estimated that
there were four million persons that
had composed the Methodist congre-
cations.
He was veritable Richelieu for
organization and discipline.
He was the John Wesley of the
Western world. Anticipating every
great benevolent organization of the
church, he had planted them where
ever his horse stopped.
Great man that he was, 1t took the