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PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF METHODISM IN NORTH CAROLINA.
ESTABLISHED 1855.
RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1891.
VOL. XXXIX., NO. 7.
Y i VI lA.ri II II I II Mil I II El W I L I III II II. I II . I Ik III I 13 . m II TZJ . W. I IUJ J VVI II I 91 I II I 8 IN.. J I II If
The Christian Advocate.
203J FAYETTKVILI.E ST., RAI.KIOIT, N. C.
Tlie omclal Organ of the North Caro
lina Annual Conference of the Method
ist Episcopal Church, South.
SUBSCRIPTION HATES
One year, in advance,
Six months, in advance,
Three months, in advance,
To Ministers at halt price.
1.00
.50
Entered at the Post-OHice in Kaleigh
is second-class matter, in accordance
w ith Postal Laws and Regulations.
POETRY.
Grandmother's Bible.
:-o you've brought me this costly Bible,
With its covers so grand and gay;
You thought I must need a new one,
On my eighty-first birthday, you say;
Ye?, mine is a wornout volume,
Grown ragged and yellow with age,
With finger-prints thick on the margin
But there's never a missing page.
And the finger-prints call back
my wee ones'
Just learning a verse to repeat;
And again in the twilight their laces
Look up to me, eagerly sweet.
It has pencil marks pointing in silence
To words I have hid in my heart;
And the lesson so hard in the learning,
Onco learned, can never depart.
There's the verse your grandfather spoke
ot
The very night that lie died :
" When I shall awake in his likeness,
I, too, shall be satisfied."
And here, inside the old cover,
Is a data it is laded and dim,
For I wrote it the day the good pastor
Baptized me. I've an old woman's
whim
That beside the pearl gates he is waiting,
And when by and by I shall go,
That he shall lead me into that kingdom,
As into the one below,
And under that date, little Mary,
"Write another one when I die;
Then keep both Bibles, and read them
God bless you, child, why should you
cry?
Your gift is a beauty, my dearie,
With its wonderful clasps ol gold;
But it carefully into that drawer;
I shall keep it till death; but the old
Just leave it close by on the table,
And then you may bring me a light,
And I'll read a sweet psalm from its
pages
To think ol, il wakelul to-night.
I j o n lo n Chr is t in a .
COMMUNICATIONS.
For the Advocate.
The History of Methodism in
North Carolina Prior to the Or
ganization of the North Caro
lina Conference in 1S37.
KY REV. ROBERT HENRY WILLIS, A. B.
AND REV. JESSE AEMON BALDWIN,
A. B.
WITH A CRITICAL. ESSAY ON THE
SOURCES OF INFORMATION.
BY STEPHEN B. WEEKS, PH. D.
III.
History of Methodism in North
Carolina, 1800-1837.
BY REV. JESSE ARMON BALDWIN,
A. B.
INTRODUCTION.
CHAPTER I.
A GREAT REVIVALPERIOD,1800-1812.
I.
THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
DURING THIS PERIOD.
II.
THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE.
The hardships that he was forced
to endure while in captivity were the
best possible training for his work as
a Methodist preacher. He had but a
limited education knew practically
nothing of the sciences or of philoso
phy he was emphatically a man of
one booJc. Having a strong, native
intellect, a great deal of uncommon
common sense, he became a clear,
forcible, and successful expounder of
the Bible.
A letter written by him to Bishop
Asbury, August, 1802, while on the
Yadkin circuit, will be interesting
and instructive in this connection:
" A great and glorious work has
taken place in this circuit since Con
ference. The number converted I
cannot tell. I have seen and felt
more since I saw you than ever be
fore. Many stout-hearted sinners
have turned to the Lord, and at our
common meetings loud cries and
shouts of praise are heard. It is not
uncommon for meetings to last from
12 o'clock in the day to 12 at night.
At a quarterly-meeting held in Ire
dell county, which began the 30th of
July, and continued four days, the
power of the Lord began on Friday
about sunset, under an exhortation,
and continued till Monday 12 o'clock
without intermission. The groans of
the distressed went up on Friday
night from all parts of the camp, and
increased till 10 o'clock the next day,
when many found the Lord precious
in the pardon of their sins.
"On Saturday afternoon, while
Brother Douthet was at prayer the
i mighty power of the Lord came down,
I many hard-hearted sinners foil to the
! ground and cried to the Lord for mer
S cy as from the belly of hell. The
j slain of the Lord were many, and
I numbers that fell rose again with a
new song. The next morning was an
: awful time some shouting praise to
I the Lord, others screaming for mercy,
j and the whole congregation seemed
j thunder-struck.
" On Sunday evening, after Broth
; er Ormond's sermon, under prayer,
I the Lord displayed his power in an
! increasing manner. The heavens
j were black with clouds, the thunder
; and the lightning were awful, and the
! ground seemed covered with sinners.
; The wounded were taken to the tents,
j but some stayed at the stand in the
i hardest rain, and pleaded with the
Lord, and about midnight they were
delivered. The storm of rain was so
powerful that the wicked were obliged
to keep close to the tents,
and the Lord mowed the m
down oh every hand. Mr. Hall, Mr.
King, and myself continuedthe whole
night in prayer for the mourners.
Moore's u Pioneers of Methodism in
North Carolina and Virginia."
North Carolina has produced few
men who have had more natural
ability, who did more faithful, heroic
service for the State, or who were
more generally beloved than Philip
Bruce. He was born near King's
Mountain of Huguenot parents and
was educated by a Scotch tutor. Meth
odist pioneers had just come into the
State, a glorious revival of religion
had just broke out, and young Bruce
was one of the many converts. He
now yearned for the salvation of his
unconverted parents, and through his
influence they were converted and
joined the Methodist Church. Philip
was shortly afterwards licensed to ex
hort, and at the Conference of 1781,
entered the itinerancy. He was in
demand in the best stations in the
whole connection, but many years of
useful labor were given to North
Carolina. No longer able to take reg
ular work in 1817 he asked for and
obtained a superannuated relation.
In 1826 he joyfully went to receive
his reward above.
"He possessed great ministeral
gravity, and yet seemed ever cheer
ful without levity. ... I think
his mind was better cultivated than
that of any other of his compeers in
the Conference. He united fine con
versational powers with polished
manners, and passed well in any so
ciety in which he chanced to be
thrown. He stood high in every
community both as a preacher and as
a presiding elder. His sermons were
generally short and delivered with
much zeal and energy. Rev. Benja
min Devany, quoted in Bennett's Me
morials of Methodism in Virginia.
The great esteem in which he was
held is attested by the fact that on
two occasions he came within three
votes of being elected Bishop.
The Presbyterians and Methodists
were on good terms, and often work
ed together; and especially was this
the case in the western part of the
State. The Presbyterian preachers
of Iredell county, seven or eight in
number, arranged for a sacramental oc
casion to be held by encampment,
near Statesville, in February, 1802,
and invited Philip Bruce to assist
them. He gladly accepted the invi
tation. They had a gracious revival.
" Near one hundred were apparently
under the operation of grace at one
time." There were a great many
converts.
There had been such a change in the
morals of the people that Philip Bruce
could say : " Where thirty years ago
a living minister and a living Chris
tian could scarcely be found, now
there are scores of ministers and hun
dreds of Christians."
Besides these camp-meetings there
were many converted at the regular
appointmenls. Daniel Asbury was in
strumental in the conversion of sixty
souls in going around Yadkin circuit
once.
James Douthet, Thomas Mann,
Thomas L. Douglass and John C.
Ballew and others also did a great
work for their Master in this section.
Douthet was an earnest worker.
Having married Miss Susanna How
ard of Yadkin county, he located in
1803, but continued to do good service
as a local preacher in that section.
The work of the local preacher at this
time is often underestimated. Some
of the very ablest ot the preachers
were in the local ranks and did effect
ual work for God in whatever locality
they settled.
Of Thomas Mann, Dr. Peter Doub
said, "He was truly devoted to his
work." He died in 1830, after labor
ing faithfully thirty-five years.
Douglass "was a man of great
dignity, amenity, a genuine Christian
gentleman, and a rare pulpit orator."
Thousands were converted through
his labors. He was twice Secretary
of the General Conference, and was
one of the best executive officers in
the church at this time.
Ballew was eccentric, but be was
great because " he walked and talked
with God."
111.
THE CAPE FEAR SECTION.
The camp-meeting and great revi
val period soon reached the Cape
Fear section. Of this period James
Jenkins writes from Wilmington,
October 18th, 1801 : "Our first camp
meeting began the " 22nd of June, in
Bladen circuit, about ten miles from
Wilmington. The power of God was
present to wound and to heal. The
cries of the distressed, and the shouts
of joy from those that were healed,
were truly awful, and pleasing. . . .
We suppose that there were seventy
souls found peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ."
After telling of some others, he
says : " The last camp-meeting is just
over in Bladen circuit which then
included that whole country near
Brother Gautier's : ten preachers and
about sixteen
exceeded all
hundred people. This
that ever I saw. The
work broke out the first day, and in
creased rapidly until we left the
ground. The Lord rode forth con
quering and to conquer : The devil's
kingdom fell like lightning to the
ground." Experience, Labors and
Sufferings of James Jenkins, pub.
1842, p. 146. Many were converted at
this meeting, and it was thought that
during the three months previous
three hundred had found the Lord.
(To be continued.)
For the Advocate.
The Corbett Mitchell Affair.
BY REV. R. L. ABERNETHY, D. D.
The great uncivilized, disgraceful
contest ofCorbett and Mitchell is past,
leaving the laws of this Great Repub
lic broken, and the honor of this
grand old government trailing in the
dust. It does seem that our en
lightened America is retrograding
into the times of the bloody arena
and bull-fighting days of heathen
Rome. The old gladiators of the
heathen world were less blameable
for their brutal atrocity and unciviliz
ed conduct than are Corbett and
Mitchell with their abettors and sym
pathizers at the present day. Surely
no Christian of any denomination
stood in that crowd and looked upon
Corbett beating, bruising and mang
ling the English bully who was will
ing to risk the dangers of the deep, to
be whipped in this country by an out
landish slugger? If a United States
officer of any grade were present to
witness the contest, the government
ought to disrobe him of his authority,
and public moral sentiment should
disfranchise him forever.
The bullies didn't fight upon Geor
gia soil. No, thank heaven. Gov.
Northen has convictions of right and
moral courage to execute them. The
writer has the honor of personally
knowing Gov. Northen to be a pious,
intelligent member of the Baptist
Church, and a more social, kind
hearted gentleman it would be hard
to find in any Southern State.
But the '-aimple fact of a fight be
tween these two bullies is the least
evil in the case. The defiance given
to law and order is a greater evil; and
still the greater one is the influence
such conduct has upon human society,
especially among the young mascu
lines of the day. Why, you may
walk the streets of our populous
cities, where the dailies are scatter
ing the news of the affair among all
classes, and you will see groups of
urchins
ujion
the corners, squaring
themselves in pairs, boxing and mak
ing feints, in imitation of Corbett and
Mitchell !
And just to think that these "slug
gers " carried money enough from
that battle to support one half of the
pastors of the North Carolina Confer
ence for ONE YEAR !
I have heard that some folks in
North Carlina were silly enough to
invite them to fight somewhere in
this State. L doi?'t suppose Gov. Can
would suffer the old North State to
be thus disgraced.
Ihttherford Col., Ar. C. , Feb. -3, '04.
For the Advocate.
Prohibition Move
ment. A Prope:
BY WILLARD E. WEST.
The Rev. Geo. R. Stuart, of Cleve
land, Tenn., strikes the key note
when he begins
organizing
the Pro-
hibitionists of that State into an order
for the purpose of demanding that
the forthcoming candidates of that
state declare themselves m favor of,
and obligate themselye.t. support,
any and all legislative measures which
will tend toward the suppression of
the liqu v traffic. We believe Mr.
Stuart to be on the right track, and
we tender him our prayers and bid
him Godspeed in this noble enter
prise. The fountain head of this sweeping
foe lies (as all will agree) in legaliz
ing legislation, and until the source
of this destructive stream is purified j
by deep radical legislative purifica
tion we will have, and may expect,
just such scenes of carnage and blood
shed as is constantly confronting us.
I shall always believe there are
enough Christ-like God-fearing men
who are prohibitionists in this grand
Old North State to start a prohibi
tion ball to rolling, and to roll it with
such force as to astound our enemies
and bring joy and gladness to the
thousands who are helpless under the
crushing weight of intemperance. It
seems to me that the time is about
here for prohibition Democrats and
prohibition Republicans and pro
bition Populists to call a halt and lay
aside these fruitless, unavailing politi
cal cudgels and make one grand move
for one grand consolidation of our
prohibition forces, and hoist to the
breeze a North Carolina Prohibition
flag, and under it fight and pray un
til this State, from the mountains to
the sea, shall hear that long longed
for thunder of salvation from the tyr
anny of this bloody king.
Some are hoping (vainly I think)
and believing this coveted end will
be brought about through woman
suffrage. When viewed as a human
right it would appeare that any and
all good and true women should have
the privilege of assisting in the enact
ment of laws in which she is so ma
terially interested, and whose bless
ings or cursings she must enjoy or
endure. But the question arises as
to whether or not this privilege
would have a good or bad effect on
those who would thus engage, and on
the cause which lies nearest every
true mother's heart. I entertain seri
ous doubts as to its propriety, and
am inclined to believe the effect
would be demoralizing. Prohibition
legislation in other States was brought
about just as it is our privilege to
bring it about by a demand for the
right, and an unswerving fidelity to
those demands.
The feature of greatest national im
portance relative to this question is
that which grows out of the federal
economic question. In the first place
the" U. S. derives an enormous reve
nue from the ninety cents per gallon
tax callected by the authorities of the
Internal Revenue Department. The
exigencies of municipal finance seems
to require that a large proportion of
Govermental expenses shall be fur
nished by license-fees levied on trades.
It is admitted that high license is
better than no license. It is a fact
that law, unregulated saloons, are
nurseries for the germination and
growth of crime in a greater degree
than so-called first-class bar-rooms.
Chicago for example,a few years ago,
sold license for one dollar per week
and the "dives" flourished and crime
increased. The city council fixed the
license at $500 per annum and the
"dives" were frozen out. High
license seems to be the go, and this
fact puts the hope of any federal legis
lation in our favor among improba
bilities. It remains for us as prohibi
tionists to enter forever our protest
against the traffic bv a consecrated
consolidation of all our prohibition
forces, and, after the plan of Mr.
Stuart, of Tenn, or some other
equally as judicious, begin laying
a broad foundation for active perma
nent prohibitory laws, and by unity
of effort and purpose and God's help
wipe the liquor blot from our other
wise fair pages of North Carolina his
tory. Who will be the first to issue a
call for all prohibitionists of the State
to unite and get about the work ? If
there can be any help seen in this
plan let us get to work.
The Ball was Postponed.
A Chicago daily recently made the
following announcement with refer
ence to the social and religious affairs
of a near-by city :
The date ol the charity ball has been
changed. This change was made neces
sary by the lact that the week ol prayer
has been changed, and it was deemed
best not to have the charity ball come in
the same week.
How considerate ! Of course it
would never do to have the "four
hundred" of this city praying for the
charity that " vaunteth not itself "
one evening, and then the next even
ing dancing itself into weariness in
the name of that sweet charity which
" doth not behave itself unseemly."
Even these devotees of pleasure saw
the inconsistency, and by postponing
their performance told again to the
world, what it has long since known,
that indulgence in these pleasures,
even though done under the cloak of
charity, is not in harmony with the
highest principles and does not con
duce to the building up of the loftiest
moral character. It is no excuse that
pretending Christian men and wo
men patronize these affairs, nor that
in the present instance a member of
our church is one of the leaders.
This may lend an air of respectability,
but it cannot detract from the harm
fulness of the performance. Rather
it increases the evil by making more
attractive to young people the way to
destruction.
Then this whole charity-bail busi
ness is an utter farce. It is one of the
baldest exhibitions of hypocrisy the
social life of our day can present.
Think of the "upper crust" dancing
and making merry over the poverty
and destitution of the lower classes.
Is not this the refinement of sarcasm?
To be poor is bad enough. To be
compelled to beg is worse. But to
have those who are blessed with a
larger portion of this world's goods
make your poverty and distress the
occasion of their mary-making is the
Sail of bitterness. That is not true
o
charity which bestows upon the de
serving and uncomplaining poor the
proceeds of the festivities of a charity
bail. True charity is modest, and
does not blazon its deeds before all
the world. It prefers that its left
hand should not know what its right
hand doeth. It does not proceed on
the "for revenue only" principle,
but is glad to make sacrifices in its
purpose to consider the poor. It scorns
to compel its beneficiaries to contribute
to its pleasure. It finds its greatest en
joyment in relieving distress in a
quiet and unobtrusive way that does
not compromise the self-respect of
those who receive of its bounty.
Away with the hypocrisy of a
charity ball. The very name it bears
condemns it as unworthy the sup
port of the followers of Him who
showed the world the true way of dis
pensing charity. The devil must
laugh at the credulity of those who
assist him at this business, and who
seem to think that thus they are doing
God's service. Epworlh Herald.
For the Advocate.
Platform.
My
BY B. II. WOODELL.
The
availability of men as candidates
for office is being discussed already,
and will be more so, as the time draws
nearer for the election. I have known
some of the best men of the country
left off of tickets because they were
not available, i. e. would not be ac
ceptable to the liquor dealers and
their allies. How much longer will
Christian men allow party leaders to
compel mem to vote for men who are
j distasteful, and who they know will
vote and use their influence for the
i interest of the liquor traffic? Why
i not put ourselves in a position that
j will compel party leaders to consider
our opinions when they are discussing
availability? We can if we ivill. Are
you following Christ, when, for the
sake of party, or fear of a little ostra
cism you stifle conscience and vote
for the devil's interest ? God forbid ;
and yet that is just what we keep do
ing. I don't want any more political
parties, we have too many now, I
fear, for our good, but I lay down
the following as my political platform
and creed from now on, and I ask as
many as wish to, to get on it with
me and we will see whether we are to
be counted in the future :
I will vote for no m m for any of
fice who sells intoxicating liquors as
a beverage, or who is using it as such,
to excess; nor for any man, in whom
I haven't implicit confidence, to be
lieve, that in case the test comes, he
will vote on the side of morality and
virtue, and for the suppression or .
riddance of the present system of the
liquor traffic in North Carolina.
If all men who have the courage to
stand by their honest convictions of
every name and order, will get upon
this platform with me and give this,
or any otherpaper which publishes it,
their names, we will have better men
to vote for in the future than we have
in the past. Mark the prediction.
Greensboro, N. C, Feb. 5th, 189. ft.
For the Advocate.
Historical Fiction.
BY REV. E. A. YATES, D. D.
" The Prince of India." Lew Wal
lace. " The Captain of the Janizaries."
J. M. Ludlow.
These vols, are recent, and can be
ordered from Rev. T. J. Gattis and
Son, Durham.
They are more than worth the cost.
And inasmuch as historical fiction as
a general thing exceeds in value pure
fiction, unless pure fiction be of a
high moral type, these . vols are of
special value to the young Christian
thinker because they deal with his
tory that is largely religious.
Both vols, deal with the causes of
the establishment of the Moslem pow
er in Europe, and the romance is
woven into the incidents connected
with the taking of Constantinople by
Mahomet II.
They are very readable books, and
are calculated to stimulate historical
research.
As far as I am able to judge, both
works, though by different authors,.
are presented to the public very nearly
at the same time; but the reader will
perceive that it is difficult to clear
one or the other of these authors of
plagiarism; for there is remarkable
identity in some of the incidents.
"The Prince of India" does not
equal 4 1 Ben Hur," but perhaps this
criticism may not be entirely just,
since a " Tale of the Christ " must al
ways be more attractive than a
"Prince of India.
The moral of both vols, is eminent
ly good.
If there were no troubles to talk
about some people would be always
silent.
No man can get any nearer to God
than he is willing to try to bring
everybody else.