Decatur Democrat, Volume 1, Number 3, Decatur, Adams County, 6 April 1899 — Page 1

VOL. I.

INTHE LORD’S VINEYARD The North Indiana Conference Dis= patching Routine Business. Some of the Celebrities are Here Whose Names are Household Words in Methodist Homes All Over This Broad Land. TODAY’S PROGRAM. 8-io a. hi. Devotional Service, conducted by Rev. J. M. Stewart. o*oo a. m. Conference Business. io’OO a. m. Annual Meeting of the Preachers’ Aid Society. u’oo m.—Adjournment. ,-oo P. m.—Anniversary of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society . Address by Rev. W. F. Oldman, D. D. , io p- m.—Pentecostal Service, conducted by Hiss Anna Downey. 710 p. m.—Anniversary of the Freedman's Aid and Southern Education Society. Address by Rev. M. C. B. Mason, D. D.

Promptly at eight thirty o’clock yesterday morning the devotional and sacramental service which was conducted by Bishop Andrews, opened. 1 scripture lesson was read by him, and after singing and prayer the beautiful and sacred service which means so much to the Christian was begun. On the platform with Bishops Andrews and Bowman were the Presiding Elders of the six districts. Other prominent members of the conference assisted in presenting the elements to the communicants, of which there were fully six hundred. The impressiveness of this scene as the large congregation re-consecrated themselves to th? blessed Master was one that will linger long in the minds of those who participated. Bishop Bowman offered fervent prayer at the close of the devotions, after which the conference business was taken up at once. L. J. Naftzger, secretary for the last session of the conference called the roll, most of the preachers answering present. W. T. A. White was announced as transferred to the Illinois conference. The certificates of transfer for Albert S. Luring from the Des Moines conference and J. W. Walters from the Kentucky conference were read and they were introduced as member's of this conference. L. J. Naftzger was unanimously reelected as Secretary, making his fifth year of consecutive service in that capacity. On his nomination L. A. Becks, E. T. Gregg and D. V. Williams were elected as assistants. T. C. Neal was re-elected Statistical Secretary. and Leyvis Reeves as assistant. C. C. Cissell was re-elected as Treasurer. and his nominations of one assistant from each district were confirmed. E. B. Westhafer was chosen Railroad Secretary and C. King Registrar. The list of standing committees. nominated last year, after a few changes was approved. M. A. Harlan was appointed to solicit and collect subscriptions for the Methodist Review. Various communications from the benevolent societies were referred, , without reading, to the proper committees. Rav L. Seaman was aps pointed to take charge of the subscripI tions to the Conference Examiner. Drafts were ordered on the chartered fund for 822 and on the Book Concern f0r82077. On motion all amounts apportioned to the conference were I referred to the presiding elders for : apportionment to the districts. A i resolution was adopted for the induction of the committee on general qualifications. A committee of two from each district was appointed to review the work of the Stewards, as ■ follows: S. Light. F. M. Stone, W. P. Herron. E. F. Albertson. J. H. Jack*u. 0. v. L. Harbour, S. Belheimer. , " Lynch. M. A. Harlan. A. W. hamport. J. A. Beattv and U. S. A.

4 X ■ s. BILHEIMER, FARMLAND.

ml-. ■the bl le following committee of Mfrinhyi ac " er . s Aid Society was ap■LJ o a '^ lst the Stewards: E. F. Ik. r'X E - D >sbro, J. W. Welsh. °® eu - D. D„ president of De

TI IE ] )ECATI R I )E\l( )CRAT.

Pauw University was introduced. He said in part, “I feel very grateful for having grantixi to me a few minutes this morning, for this is my only opportunity to be here at the morning session. We begin a revival at the University on Friday night. The whole town of Greencastle has been electrified by the work of a grand evangelist. I feel that I must be there and aid in the work. It is not necessary for me to be here for we will be well represented by our Vice-Chan-cellor, W. H. Hickman, D. D. Will you stand by him? You are all educators in a sense and interested in this work. If we raise $20,000,000 and save 10,000 souls yve need the baptism of the Holy Gost to prepare us for the work. When we begin this revival next Friday we want a hundred boys and girls converted at thebeginning. We want your prayers.” A resolution was passed by the conference endorsing the efforts of the University to save souls and urged the prayers of the members for a gracious revival. Bro. Hardin, of Chicago, was then introduced and after a few remarks relative to the church extention work, distributed envelopes in which he re quested ministers to enclose a half dollar each for the church extension society. Dr. A. B. Leonard, of New York, one of the giants Methodism today, was then introduced, who said: “I am in happier frame of mind today when I address you than I was a year ago. I have no wail of a missionary debt to present to you today. That has been wiped out. We are at the close of a momentous century a missionary century. Nearly all that has been done for pagan nations has been done in this century. Our work as a missionary church has just begun. Our first foreign mission was established in 1833. Few comprehend the magnitude of the Foreign and Home missionary work. There are over three thousand ministers provided for by these societies. We are preaching the Gospel in the United States in sixteen languages. If any congregation were asked where our mission fields are they could not tell and I should not like to ask a show of hands even in an annual conference. There should not be a man or woman who would say, 'I am opposed to foreign missions’, for if they are opposed to Jesus Christ. We have conferences in Scandinavi. Africa, Mexico, Corea and other countries. In the mission fields we have two hundred thousand communicants. In these countries not only missions but all institutions of the church have been established. Sixtv-seven years ago we began mission work at zero, with the results that have been achieved in this time, what will we accomplish in the next half century? There must be a missionary main spring in every Christian heart and especially in every rninisteral heart. In less than thirty minutes after I was converted at the mourners' bench I was in the rear of the church trying to bring my brother to Christ. No church can live for itself alone. I want every Methodist church to have a missionary pulpit. Cuba. Porto Rico and the Philippines are new fields of labor. The Lord is opening new fields and we are being moved out in spite of ourselves.” The Statistical Secretary was ordered to prepare a column in the printed minutes showing the granting of bequests j to the Missionary Society. A resolu tion was adopted commending the revival services soon to lx* held at Greencastle, in DePauw I Diversity. Leave of absence was granted to P. J. Albright. The thirteenth disciplinary question was then tak«n up. The character of C. G. Hudson was passed and he made his report. Every preacher has filled his appointment in a commendable manner. "They have preached sermons 1000 times and made 14.000 calls. The district | Lyceum was held at Ligonier. A number of churches ami parsonages have been built and others are in preparation. There have been large

SPECIAL CONFERENCE EDITION.

DECATUR. INDIANA, THURSDAY MOBNINU, APRIL (’,, IS9».

accessions to the church, and increased collections for missions. Freedmen s Aid and Church Extension. There has been one death among the ministers. Bro. John Moffitt, whodied at the ripe age of 85. Bro. M. H. Mott has been unable to carry on the work himself on account of sickness, but has kept it under his direction.” Dr. Hudson expressed his appreciation of the words and letters and prayers of ministers in the district and elsewhere at the time of the accident to his wife. The elders in charge in the district were then called and they made their reports. The character of ail of them were passed except U. A. Foster, against whom the presiding elder presented charges and specifications made by the trustees of Ashley church. The case was referred to the following committee of thirteen for trial: T. M. Guild. W. S. Stewart. F. M. Lacey, S. C. Norris. A. S. Wooten, S. Bilheimer, H. J. Norris, C. E. White, E. Davis. J. A. Patterson, R. C. Jones, J. D. Groan, H. Bridge. W. H. Bennett was chosen to act as chairman for this committee. C. H. Brown and J. A. Sumwait were appointed council for the church and M. F. Stright and E. E. Neal were recognized as counsel for the defendant. C. G. Hudson asked for the granting of a superannuated relation to M. H. Mott. Referred to committee on conference relations. F. S. Stanm reported absent on account of sickness. Muncie district was called and C. I . Wade made his report. M. A. Teague, one of the superannuates, died during the year. W. A. Lewis desired to take the post graduate work at Chicago and left his charge at Ingalls. The various district meetings were well attended and enthusiastic. The benevolences were largely increased, that for education showing an advance of 8500. There were 1818 accessions to the church. The elders in charge in the district reported. The characters of all were passed except that of A. A. Pittenger, against whom charges had been preferred and

<• . < ______ —j. ....... ■ . I; x-'-; '' ——r —r- -

RESIDENCE OF W. A. KUEBLER, CORNER MONROE AND FOURTH STREETS.

sustained. His case was referred to the following committee of thirteen: C. B. Wilcox, C. H. Murray, J. W. Bowen, U. S. A. Bridge, C. E. Davis, J. B. McNary. C. W. Smith, C. E. Disbro, R. H. Smith, H. A. Ewell, J. O. Bills, A. Greenman, W. E. Murray. M. Mahin was appointed as chairman for the committee; C. King and C. W. Lynch will act as counsel for the church; J. B. Ford and G. B. Work, counsel for the defendant: and D. \ . Williams, secretary. The case of J. H. Slack was referred to the commit tee on conference relations. Dr. T. C. Reade then addressed the conference in behalf of Taylor University, emphasizing his desire for the recognition of the school by the conference. The time for adjournment having arrived, the announcements were made and the morning session closed with the doxology and benediction. AFTERNOON SESSION. Bishop Bowman announced the opening hymn which was followed by a beautiful selection of music, splendidly rendered by the Fort Wayne district double quartette. Rev. Smith of Mishawaka, read for the scripture lesson a part of the 45th chapter of Isiah. The congregation then sang, -The Morning Light is breaking.” Rev. Asher Preston of Goshen, preached the missionery anniversary j sermon, taking for his text Matthew 28,18:20. “Religion is the God life of man and the Bible is the history of the revelation and fostering of Divine . life. Revelation was gradual. The smoke that in ancient times rose from myriad altars of sacrafiee were the] pillars that reach to heaven. The old testament is the prelude and the new testament the song. The work of revelation was complete. Christ stands victor over death and says, | •Power has been given me over heaven and earth.’ What countries today i hold the railway and steamship lines. I The Christian nations and they are! Christ’s for carrying the message. The book which 'is published in the I greatest number and in the greatest | number of languages is the Bible.

The three greatest poems are Dante's Vision, Paradise Lost and Regained, by Milton, and Tennyson’s In Memoriam. The magic power of the poet’s fancy is Christ’s. The painter's brush is Christ’s. Wm. E. Gladstone at the close of his career said he had known sixty-three great minds and nearly all of these were Christian. All the crowned heads of Europe are Christian. When Commodore Perry anchored his ships in Japan and with frowning cannon demanded that Japan be open to commerce, opened the way for Christ. Dewey’s guns at Manila bay was the opening for Christ in the Phillippines. It means something for Christ to say, ‘All power on Heaven and earth have been given me.’ But we must have more than this, we must have spiritual power. it is all that endures in life. God allows everything to crumble and fade. The granite crumbles, all passes away, but the Kingdom of God shall endure forever. As a missionary goes to the foreign fields the power of God goes with him. Christ was with Asbury as he rode over the wilds of this country, with Livingstone in the heart of Africa. Miss Mary Reed after five years spent in India came home to rest. In a little while she discovered a small spot and consulting a specialist she was told she was a victim of leprosy, She seen her duty clearly and returned to the leper colony in Northern India, where she became a ministering angel to those peopls who were dying by inches. Best of all Christ is with those who receive His messages. Hawthorne was sent by the Cosmopolitian to India to write of the famine and his verdict was. ‘The cause of the famine is not because there is no corn, or no meal, but because there is no charity.’ It is a beautiful thing to gather in the harvest of souls in these beautiful churches, but there is another harvest to be gathered from the slums of the great cities.” Prayer by Rev. Magor and a hymn closed the anniversary services.

i Miss Anna Downey, of Evanston, : who is well known for her evangelistic work, arrived in the city today and ! conducted the Pentecostal service. Her appearance, that of a cultured, noble and sweet womanliness, enlisted the interest of all at once. Her remarks, which were in the nature of an exhortation, were earnest and appealed to the best in her hearers natures. At the close of the service the immense audience felt that it was good to have been there. EVENING SESSION. The crowds grow larger and larger with each service. Every seat and all space where chairs could be placed was filled last evening. Miss Dessie Moore of Huntington delighted the audience with her very beautiful voluntary. She is one of the finest pipe organists in this section of country. Rev. J. I. McCoy of Wabash conducted the service. Rev. M. A. Harlan of Portland added to the enjoyment of the evening by his assistance in the music. He has a reputation among the members of the North Indiana conference as a fine eornetist and this assistance in the music was appreciated. J. C. Murray, D. D..of Atlanta, Ga.. offered prayer. After the rendering of a beautiful anthem by the Decatur choir Rev. Beatty of Warsaw read a Scripture lesson from the Gospel of St. Matthew. 13:24-41. Rev. Light of Bluffton read the report of the missionary collections, and up to the present with twenty-eight charges yet to be heard from there was a falling off of 82,612 as compared with the last year’s report. The probabilities are that the charges yet to be heard from will bring up the deficiency. Dr. Hardin in a few words recommended Dr. Quayle, who will deliver the lecture on Friday night. The conference quartette rendered a selection which was so much enjoyed that they were lustily encored. Rev. A. B. Leonard. D. D., secretary of the missionary society, spoke upon the subject of “The Law of Expansion in the Kingdom of God." He said, “God's kingdom is as old as the oldest of ere

I ation anil is only bounded by the universe. The telescope reveals vast and innumerable worlds. We know something of three worlds, two by revelation and one by observation. The Bible teaches us that there is a place called Heaven and also one called Hell. Heaven is the home of the happy. Hell is the home of the incorrigible. It is the prison house. The Gospel scheme is the bringing back of this revolted world. This plan of atonement the Bible brings to us in the Gospel of religious expansion. Beginning with the time of Abraham, for a time it seemed the plan of God to concentrate. In Palestine, hemmed in by natural boundaries God’s work was being carried on. No one can read the Prophets without thinking that they had a world wide kingdom in which there would be equality and over which a Messiah would reign. This was especially brought out in the time of Abraham, when God said to him as he went out of that country, “I will bless all that bless thee and curse all that curse thee.” We never know what we can do until brought to some great extremity, as was shown by Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. If all the crowned heads had gathered around the babe in the manger they would probably have said, “He is only a baby.” But before he went over the Heavenly highway he said, “All power has been given me.” What a glorious expansionist Isaiah was. He was for expanding the kingdom of God. I want to urge our preachers to read the Old Testament. It is the foundation for the New. When the treacherous Spaniard wished to destroy our grand battleship they did not fire the guns of Morro, but anchored the ship over a mine to destroy the foundation. When we do not read and study the Old Testament we destroy the foundation of our understanding of the entire Bible. We are so familiar with the sermon on the mount that we do not know much about it. We read but do not think. A man must have character to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Put the Beatitudes into a man and he will shine, for he has in him the elements that shine. Such men are to society what salt is to meat. They preserve it from putrifaction. If you can get people together on the Golden Rule the labor question would soon be settled. Jesus says to his church “ye are the light of the world," One of the most solemn scenes I ever witnessed was when I saw companies of men joining the army. They lay all on the altar. Their lives are given to the country if necessary. There is a similar element in enlisting for Christ. All must be given to Him. There are church members who go to church and go to sleep by the time the preacher gets through reading the scripture lesson, after the service the go home and carve the meat for the preacher at dinner. There are others who pray in their closets and then go to church and come home telling of the glorious sermon they have heard. A year ago last Thanksgiving Col. Ingersol delivered a Thaeksgiving sermon and three times he asked the question, what has the church done. If I had been there I would have answered him if he reallv wished an answer by saying. It made it possible for you to be born in a christain home. It made it possible for you to be educated in a Christian institute. It made it possible for you to live in a civilized country. The truth of the matter is Ingersoll was twelve hundred years too late. When the Missionary Society applied for a charter in Massachusetts. one man objected because he said we has no religion to export Another in reply said religion has that peculiarity that the more you export the more you have. I am an expansionist for I believe God is in it. I want Cuba, Porto Rico and the Phillipines annexed. (Hearty applause.) There are five hundred million Christians now in line and the doors of all nations are open except possibly Thibbet and that too is practically open. The speaker paid a glowing tribute to England and her mode of governing her colonies. The attitude of the United States and England toward each other was beautifully portrayed. In closing he recited Kipling's poem “The Poor Man's Burden” in away that brought out its strong points. After his sermon he took from his pocket a beautiful ladies’ gold watch which was recently received from a Kansas servant girl with a request that it lie sold and the money be applied for the missionery cause. He has sold it several times but still has the watch. He said he wished to sell it twice last night. Many gave dollars, halves and Quarter dollars to the fund. It is his intention when he has sold it for five hundred dollars to give the watch back to the girl and send the money to help Bishop Thoburn in his work in the northwest India conference. The service closed by singing the Doxology and Rev. Vinus pronounced the benediction. Bluffton's Able Pastor. Rev. Somerville Light one of the leading divines of North Indiana Conference, now pastor ot the First Methodist Episcopal church of Bluffton, is one of the early arrivals on the

ground, to attend the conference session, being a member of the board of examiners. With his two years in Bluffton, he has brought the church to the forefront in membership and benevolent contributions, and to-dav

,<w I

REV. c. H. MURRAY, ALBION.

it stands the first church in Fort Wayne District, and in the sum total of benevolent collections it will no doubt stand third in North Indiana Indiana Conference. Spiritually the church has reached high-water mark, with its able leaders. The record for the two years stands for itself, 361 conversions, and about 385 accessions on probation and by letter. During the present year eighty-six persons have been received from probation into full membership, fifty-five have been received by letter and 130 were received on probation, total 271. The present membership of the church is 730 full members and 190 probationary members, total membership 920. The Sunday School with its membership of over 700, is finely organized throughout. All attendance at Sunday services both morning and evenings, are largely attended. At the fourth quarterally conference the following resolution was adopted by the official board: Whereas, we have passed through the second year of Rev. Somerville Light pastorate and whereas, the church has prospered under his pas torate both financially and bringing in many souls therefore. Resolved, We, the quarterly conference, heartly urge our presiding elder to present our claims tothe Bishop and his cabinet earnestly requesting his return for another year. Rev. Mitchell S. Marble. We are pleased to be able to furnish a brief sketch and cut of Rev. M. S. Marble, one of the leading men in the North Indiana Conference. He was born near Rising Sun, Ind., July 4, 1854. Spent his boyhood on a farm and at the age of seventeen began teaching school. He was converted under the ministry of Rev. E. N. Campbell, D. D., then serving Hartford circuit in the Southeast Indiana Conference and united with the church at Mount Pleasant, a charge in Hart ford circuit. He worked his way through DePauw, then Asbury University, graduating in 1883 from a classical course. His labor in the Master’s Vineyard began before this, having been licensed to exhort by Rev. Samuel Beck, pastor of Roberts chapel, Greencastle, in 1877. Later in the same year he was licensed to preach by the Miami quarterly conference of the Cincinnati Annual Conference, by the Rev. W. L. Hypes, D. D., who was then presiding elder. Bishop Bowman ordained him Deacon at Noblesville, Ind., at which time he united with the North Indiana Con ference. The following year Bishop Hurst ordained him Elder at Marion. He has carried the Master’s message to the following charges: Lewisville and Ogden, Orland, Albion, North Manchester and Berry Street, Fort Wayne. The last four years have lieen devoted to the service of the Kokomo district in the capacity of Presiding Elder. Woman's Home Mission. Aggressive endeavor, has been a noticable feature in every branch of Methodism and not the least of these branches is the “Woman's Home Missionary Society.” The society has a membership of nearly a hundred thousand loyal Christian women. The object of this organization is to “enlist and organize the women of Methodism in behalf of this needy and destitute of all races and nationalities in this country.” How well, this has been accomplished is beyond the conception of the superfical observer. The field in which the work is taken up is wherever the stars and stripes float, and as the English have boasted so long, is a domain so large that the sun never sets upon the graceful folds of the tricolor. And they do not always follow the flag, but' in two instances, that of Utah and Alaska, the Home Missionary society was the first to hoist the flag. The sick, the poor and the distressed are visited and their needs supplied. The remote rural sections of our country are penetrated by represen tatives of this society. Schools are CONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR.

NO 3.