The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1935-01-03
Random Remarks
By ]. A. HALL, in the Decatur (Ga.)
New Era
THE CHANGING TIMES


For many years it has been habit
of mine to visit the annual meeting
of the North Georgia Methodist Con-
ference for the purpose of shaking
hands with the old friends l had
among the preachers of that denom-
nation 1 may go up TO Wesley Mem
orial again this year but, if I do, I
know that most of the faces l see will
be those of strangers.
Nowhere is the passage of time
more impressively shown than at the
annual gatherings of any group of
men whose work is spread over a
large territory. This is especially true
in the Methodist ministry because of
the fact that it's members are kept
constantly before the public.
%*#
When l was a boy growing up in
the Calvanistic atmosphere of a Hard
shell Baptist community, l sometimes
dreamed 1 would be a Methodist min
lister. When the new circuit riders
came to the nearby Methodist church
they were always we'll dressed, round
faced and apparently happy. They
could sing, shout and, what was es-
pecially impressive to me, some of
them whistled and a few of them
smoked fat cigars. They seemed to be
getting much more enjoyment out of
life than the Hardshell preachers who
lived in the community and farmed
for a living-it was strictly against
the religion of the Hardshells to give
their preachers anything, and, even
if any pay had been offered, the
preacher was not expected to take it..
Our home preachers were all lean,
hard-faced men, not given to levity,
but who seemed to carry forever in
their thoughts the Biblical statement
that call is vanity and veXation of
spirit" | heard this quotation from
my oldest brother, who was local
preacher, but l never heard him sing
nor whistle as a matter of pastime.
With him life was a grim and solemn
thing and was not to be treated with
undue levity or wasted in idle sport
or foolish words. Once a visiting
preacher came to the general meet
ing. He was city man. The white
skin of his clean-shaven face and his
neatly-fitting clothes showed that he
was what is now known as a white
collar" man. The fact that he was a
merchant caused a futter Of COM
ment among the members of the home
church and numerous Scripture quo
tations were swiftly and vehemently
brought forth to Prove that any city
man, who led what seemed to be an
easy, luxurious life, was not suited
to the work of the ministry. This city
preacher did not seem to be made out
of the right kind of stuff and l was
never able to regard him as being
in exactly the same class as the stern
faced local preachers whom had
long known and with whose lives of
toll and hardship 1 was familiar.
During my childhood l often heard
the charge that the Methodists were
worldly minded. They were not afraid
to wear good clothes or eat good
meals when they had the opportunity
But the worst charge brought against
the Methodists was that they believed
in failing from grace" l did not
know what was meant by this but l
understood it to be something very
"Why, they think" said
one stout defender of the old Calvan-
istic faith, "they can back-slide two
or three times a year, then go to a
protracted meeting, be revived, shout,
sing and be all right again"
***
What would the old-time stalwarts,
who expended heated words and aoun-
dant energy in long debates over
points of doctrine, such as the
proper mode of baptism, open or close
communion, think if they could look
out upon a world that has so changed
they would be unable even to find the
location in the scheme of things which
they occupied when they were in the
land of the living? In their days
heaven and hell were both very near
and very real. Now they are figures
of speech. Prohibition was burning
question and a great religious con-
vention in Texas became deadlocked
over evolution. We have abandoned
withdrawn from evolution
and we are giving our time to a new
program of life.