widely spread and popular lingua rustica in its various dialects, which rather than the book-Latin of which it was independent is the base of all the Romance tongues now flourishing in Europe with their various and old patois.* What now is the value of this excursion among the débris of the early Christian centuries? In the first place, we are reconstructing the past by means of excavations as well as by the written records. No longer do we rely upon the accounts of Greek and Roman historians for our knowledge of Egyptian and Babylonian civilization. The spade of the archeologist has buried many chapters of the old romancers who have retailed current gossip or who have fabricated their "facts." The advent of Egyptology and Assyriology shows how bit by bit we have been building up a satisfactory knowledge of these great peoples and have caused the common folks of these early days to live and move before us. Similarly, the life and faith of the early Church is reconstructed by the work of the Christian archæologist. The incised slab, in Italy, Africa, Gaul, Spain, Asia Minor, bears eloquent witness to the simple faith of the early Christian Church and is often more valuable than tomes of dogmatic discussion as a proof of the abiding faith of the living Church. We are carried by these Aquileia fragments beyond the wars and controversies of nearly fifteen centuries to the serene faith of the Church in Jesus Christ as the Saviour of men, in the Holy Spirit as the bringer of peace and cleansing, and in the confident hope of the heavenly home. Blessed Mother Simplicia, erecting the rude stone to thy children, Valerius and Malisa! The symbols: the monogram of Christ, the palm and the dove, are likewise the symbols of our faith in Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever! * Stevens, Old Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England, vol. ii, p. 394. London, 1865. Amos M.Patter ART. VI.-THE BOARD OF CHURCH EXTENSION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.* ORGANIZED Church Extension in connection with the Methodist Episcopal denomination was born in the brain and heart of the Rev. Joseph Hartwell, of the Rock River Conference, who called a meeting of the leading laymen of Chicago, at which meeting, held April 30, 1855, "The Northwestern Church Extension Society" was organized, Joseph Hartwell being appointed corresponding secretary thereof. To the mind of Mr. Hartwell the reasons for the organization of such a society were very urgent. His knowledge of the new and growing settlements adjacent to Lake Michigan, and the poverty, piety, self-denial, and religious zeal of the pioneers of the West, awakened his Christian sympathies and missionary fervor, and inspired him with a determined purpose to assist them in building suitable houses of worship. To this end he conferred with ministers and laymen of his own section and subsequently of the great cities on the Atlantic coast. Encouraged by the success of his efforts, he presented an elaborate statement of the purpose and scope of "The Northwestern Church Extension Society" to the Rock River Conference, held at Rock Island, Ill., in 1855, after which the Rev. A. D. Field presented the following resolution: Resolved, That we approve the objects of the Church Extension Society, and that we will cooperate with its agent in his work. That this resolution was intended to obstruct the purpose of Joseph Hartwell is apparent from the following testimony of its author: I did not think it best to vote the scheme down outright, but I merely by the resolution intended to side-track what seemed to me a cumbrous scheme. Immediately men took the floor in favor of my resolution, and it seemed as if it would pass almost without oppo The name of this organization from 1865 to 1873 was "The Church Extension Society," but in 1873 it was changed to "The Board of Church Extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church." + See The Christian Advocate, October 5, 1899. Ibid. sition. When Dr. Hartwell saw this he came to me and said there was no way to get their officers elected but by the action of the Conference, and no other body to give them authority to act. Seeing this, I immediately withdrew my motion and Dr. Hartwell's scheme passed.* The unselfish devotion of Joseph Hartwell to this cause was abundantly manifest. "His traveling expenses were borne from his own private purse, with the exception of two and three dollars, respectively, which a woman named Clark in the State of New York gave him." The name of this society is significant, while its constitution possesses historic value. This society continued its beneficent work until it was succeeded by a General Church Extension Society which was to operate everywhere within the bounds of our national territory. The following facts from the writer's article on "Church Extension" are significant: From September, 1858, to September, 1862, George Clifford was a presiding elder on a frontier district in Upper Iowa Conference, and saw the need of help for our churches in that region. When elected as a delegate to the General Conference of 1864 he resolved to do something looking toward providing for the needy churches on the frontier and similar localities in our denomination, thus arranging for a general Church Extension Society. The record reads: Upper Iowa Conference. George Clifford presented a plan for Church Extension Society, and it was referred to the Committee on Missions.† Previous to this resolution two other resolutions had been offered anticipating such an organization as was involved in the Clifford plan, as follows: On the fifth day of the session Richard W. Keeler, of Upper Iowa Conference, presented the following resolution, which was adopted: Resolved, That the Committee on Missions be instructed to inquire into the expediency of forming a General Church Extension Society, with a view of securing more ample church accommodations in the newer portions of our work, and also to assist feeble societies, and report at an early day.‡ *See The Christian Advocate, December 14, 1899. ↑ General Conference Journal. 1864, p. 145. Ibid., p. 96. On the eighth day of the session Henry T. Davis, of Nebraska Conference, offered the following resolution, and it was adopted: Resolved, That the Committee on Temporal Economy be requested to inquire into the expediency of creating a Church Extension Society, on a similar basis of the Missionary Society of our Church.* These two resolutions evidently prepared the way for the plan of George Clifford, and commanded the serious attention of the General Conference. On the thirteenth day of the session William H. Goode, chairman of the Committee on Missions, reported back "a plan for a Church Extension Society," with a recommendation that it be referred to the Committee on Temporal Economy. Richard W. Keeler moved that it be referred to a special committee of nine; but, on motion of Sylvester L. Congdon, the motion to refer to a special committee was laid on the table, and the recommendation of the Committee on Missions prevailed.† On the seventeenth day of the session James Porter, chairman of the Committee on Temporal Economy, presented a report relating to a Church Extension Society, and it was adopted: Resolved, That a committee of seven be appointed to prepare and report some method by which societies in the newer and weaker portions of our extended field may be assisted in securing suitable houses of worship.‡ This committee was constituted as follows: Edwin E. Griswold, chairman; Alpha J. Kynett, Samuel C. Thomas, Miner Raymond, Barzillai N. Spahr, David L. Dempsey, and Reuben Nelson.§ On the twentieth day of the session Edwin E. Griswold presented the report of the committee, which was laid upon the table to be printed. On the twenty-second day of the session Edwin E. Griswold, chairman of the Committee on Church Extension, submitted a report embodying a constitution for the organization of such society, and also a proposed change in the Discipline, which referred to the duties. of a preacher; that is, "To take collections annually in each of the appointments in behalf of the Church Extension * General Conference Journal, 1864, p. 130. ↑ Ibid., p. 161. Society.' "* Additional action was required, however, to secure the perfection of the organization; accordingly, on the same day, A. J. Kynett offered the following resolution, which was adopted: Resolved, 1. That a committee, consisting of Bishop Simpson, Joseph Castle, and David W. Bartine, be and are hereby appointed to appoint officers for the Church Extension Society, and also the Board of Managers for the same. 2. That the bishops be and are hereby requested to appoint a corresponding secretary as soon as the Board of Managers shall become incorporated.† This timely action of Dr. Kynett evidently prevented four years' delay in completing the organization of the Church Extension Society, with all it implies to the progress of the cause of God. After much careful and wise deliberation the General Conference committee named the officers of the society and the Board of Managers on January 3, 1865, and on March 13 of the same year the society was incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania as "The Church Extension Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church." The officers thus named were: President, Thomas T. Tasker, Sr.; Vice Presidents, Joseph Castle, D.D., William Cooper, D.D., James H. Bryson; Corresponding Secretary, S. Y. Monroe, D.D.; Recording Secretary, Rev. Robert H. Pattison. The Board of Managers was composed of twenty-five ministers and twenty-five laymen. In due time efforts were made to secure the cooperation of all the Annual Conferences, and arrangements were made to grant donations to needy societies for the building of a church, largely upon the anticipations of gifts and Conference collections. But these were not equal to the grants made to many charges in different parts of the country. Consequently difficulties arose; money was raised by notes; yet this did not furnish sufficient relief, and embarrassment followed. The condition of the society was rendered more trying by the sudden death of its corresponding secretary, Dr. S. Y. Monroe, * General Conference Journal, 1864, p. 491, A A. ↑ Ibid., p. 269. |