WILSON THOMAS HOGUE

INVICTUS   "Out of the night that covers me,      Black as the fit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be,      For my unconquerable soul. "In the fell clutch of circumstance      I have not winced nor cried aloud, Under the bludgeonings of chance      My head is bloody but unbowed. "Beyond this place of wrath and tears,      Looms but the horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years      Finds and shall find me unafraid. "It matters not how straight the gate      How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate,      I am the captain of my soul."                                               —William Ernest Henley.

On a beautiful September morning long years ago, I alighted at Greenville, Illinois, from an eastern train. Greenville was not a great city, a cozy community of twenty-five hundred inhabitants with nothing to perturb its repose which is so ideal for a college town. The campus, although attractive, was not large. No great quadrangle with stately halls of Gothic greeted the eye. There was one plain substantial brick building. The material assets were meager, the enrollment was small, the faculty were few in number. But in one particular the new-born institution was great -- it was great in the person of its founder -- Wilson Thomas Hogue. [18]

Emerson once said in paying a tribute to heredity, "If you wish to produce a gentleman, you must go back to his grandfather." The subject of this chapter was well born. His father, Thomas Hogg (the spelling was later changed to Hogue), related to James Hogg, the Etrick Shepherd poet, was born in Scotland, home of many illustrious sons. The words uttered by Ulysses in Homer's Odyssey may equally apply to Scotland . . . As Ulysses was returning after long absence to his native island of Ithaca, scarred with craggy mountains, he exclaimed "A rugged country but a nurse of noble men." His mother, Sarah Carpenter, came from sturdy English stock. Although he was raised a Scotch Presbyterian and she a Baptist, they both belonged to the Methodist church in the community. Because they attended a camp meeting held by the Free Methodists, they were read out of the church along with a number of others in those days when such proscriptions were common. They then united with the Free Methodist Church and were staunch defenders of its principles to the day of their death. They were of that stalwart type who "feared God and eschewed evil."

To bless their home Wilson Thomas made his advent at Lyndon, New York, near Franklinville, March 6, 1852. He had that greatest heritage any child can fall heir to -- godly parents and a Christian home where a family altar was established as regularly as the daily meals.

When Wilson was only a week old, his older brother died. After the funeral his father went upstairs to pray in secret. He begged God to spare the life of the new-born boy. As he prayed, God spoke directly to him, "That boy is not yours, he is mine. You can't have him to spend his life on the farm. You must fit him to be a preacher." In that upper room, Father Hogue made a secret covenant with God. Later he greatly needed the boy on the farm. Following the Civil War, agriculture was given a heavy blow in the financial reaction that struck the nation; but true to his vow he kept the boy in school.

When nine years old he was taken to camp meeting at Allegheny, N. Y., for the purpose of taking care of the younger children. In a children's meeting he was deeply convicted of sin, went to the altar and was so clearly saved that he never doubted its genuineness. Sister Matthewson, the local pastor's wife who had charge of the children's services, saw that the child at the altar was deeply moved upon. She patted the boy on the head and said, "Wilson, can't you believe Jesus?" At that moment a light from heaven shone upon him -- the same that centuries before shone on Saul of Tarsus.

When eleven years old, the Holy Spirit definitely called him to preach. He said that even the thought of being a minister was repulsive to him. As a consequence he gave up his religion, although he never went into outward sin. During this time he was under constant conviction. When alone in the field or along the streams the Spirit of God would thunder in his ears the call to preach. At the age of sixteen, he again sought the Lord and made his consecration complete. From that time he never wavered in his devotion to Christ-like the Psalmist he could say "My heart is fixed."

During the years young Wilson was away from God, his father was deeply concerned lest some judgment from heaven should fall upon him or he should fail to carry out the purposes of God; but characteristic of the sturdy Scotchman he was, he never revealed to the boy his vow to God or his deep concern and anxiety until later years when he was a preacher of the gospel. He received local preacher's license at the age of nineteen and soon after was baptized with the Holy Spirit. He united with the Genesee Conference in 1873; was ordained deacon in 1875 by General Superintendent B. T. Roberts; was ordained elder by General Superintendent E. P. Hart in 1877.

His work as a pastor was within the bounds of the Genesee Conference, in which he served with conspicuous success the following pastorates Dunkirk and Jamestown circuit 1873; Jamestown, Buffalo 1877-8; Albion 1879-80; Rochester 1881-2; Buffalo 1883-4; Albion 1885-6; Buffalo 1887-92. In addition he served as district elder on both the Buffalo and Genesee districts.

For many years it had been the desire of Mr. Hogue to see the Free Methodist Church organize a full-fledged college. Divine providence strangely brought this about by moving upon a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church -- Mr. James T. Grice of Abingdon, Illinois -- whose munificence made the enterprise possible. Mr. and Mrs. Grice attended a camp meeting at Prairie City, Illinois, in July, 1891, which, though not large, was remarkable for its manifestations of the Holy Spirit's power. Being disappointed in the worldliness of a college of their own denomination which they had generously supported in their own town, they desired to see a college established under the direction of a distinctly holiness church. They were so impressed through this camp with the Free Methodist people that they sold a fine farm and gave the proceeds, $6,000, on the annuity plan to establish a college.

In September of that year, the Central Illinois Conference, upon the urgent recommendation of Superintendent Roberts, approved of the project and elected a board of trustees. Accordingly, the property of Almira College at Greenville, Illinois, an institution established as a woman's college by the Baptists, but later privately operated as a co-educational institution, was purchased for the sum of $12,200. The property consisted of ten acres of land and one substantial four-story brick building with its equipment. This, in a brief word, is the story of the birth of Greenville College.

Divinely led, the trustees called Wilson T. Hogue as president of the college yet to be. In September, 1892, he left the pastorate in Buffalo and the eldership of the Buffalo District boldly to pioneer in the untried field of higher education, in the Free Methodist Church. For years he had felt the need of a Christian college and now he had the opportunity of translating into actuality his high conceptions of the character and aims of such an institution. Only those who have had experience in our church schools can fully understand the great difficulties inherent in establishing such an institution. Yet in spite of the tremendous obstacles and the financial difficulties he held firm to his original plan to establish an institution of higher learning. His determination and tenacity of purpose were finally rewarded in securing for the school its rightful place in the recognition of the church. For twelve years he guided the destiny of the college.

President Hogue believed in a culture based upon reverence for God and upon the principles of righteousness. Of such a culture alike for the good of the individual, the church, and the state, he was the zealous exponent. His power as a platform speaker gave him unusual opportunity both to defend the principles of Christian education for which he stood and to promote the interests of the institution of which he was the head.

We give the following estimate from Mr. William Carson, editor of the Greenville Advocate:

"The editor of the Advocate will always be glad that he was a student under Bishop Hogue when the latter became the first president of Greenville College. How well we remember his address in the court room prior to the opening of the school in 1892. It was what would now be called a convocation address. The great dynamic force of magnetic personality of President Hogue was all-compelling and impressed itself upon the people. These first impressions were lasting. He was an outstanding figure because of his unusual characteristics and his versatility. He combined the qualities of an organizer, business man, literateur, theologist and diplomat. No situation seemed too difficult for him to master. He seemed equal to any emergency and as he forced his way unobtrusively to the front in his own calling, we believe that he would have climbed to the top in any other business or profession that he might have undertaken. He was a many-sided man, one of the bright and shining lights in the history of Free Methodism and a man who had a peculiar grasp upon the people of Greenville in the days when Greenville College was young."

Ex-county superintendent of schools in Bond County, Illinois, a student of Greenville College during the administration of President Hogue, in remarks made at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the institution said, "I once regarded Bishop Hogue as the greatest man in the world and in my association with many men since that time I do not know that so far as my personal knowledge and associations are concerned that I have had occasion to change my mind."

The lasting impress he left upon Greenville as president of the college will be seen from the following from the Greenville Advocate:

RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT TO BISHOP WILSON T. HOGUE

By the City Connell of Greenville, Illinois

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to remove to the world beyond, Bishop Wilson T. Hogue, a former resident of this city, which act has caused sorrow and mourning throughout this place; and,

Whereas, President Hogue, as he was known to most people here, on account of his connection with Greenville College for twelve years as a thorough educator, great pulpiteer, worthy citizen, loving neighbor and sincere friend; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That these lines of respect to his memory, from us, with Newell Dwight Hillis, who said in speaking of his friend, David Swain, "Today in this presence we remember that the true measure of a city's greatness is the kind of a man it reveres and loves. It is to the lasting praise of our city, and proves how high our society has risen in the scale of refinement and character, that in his lifetime an eager hearing was given to this sage, whose theme was the folly of ignorance and vice, and the supremacy of truth and duty."

All will know that eloquence is due to the orator's personal charm and to the responsiveness of his hearers, so in President Hogue was comprehended a large measure of the rarest gifts of his Creator and in turn a kindling interest of ever-widening scope was manifested in him by his generation. His sermons and literary work were refined, eloquent and forceful and possessed a certain grace and delicacy and sweet completeness characteristic of this great man.

It would seem therefore a special token of divine favor that we were privileged to have him live as a citizen among us, and to have felt the uplifting of his daily life.

S. W. ANDREWS, JR., Mayor.

CHARLES T. MYER, City Clerk.

He had that unflinching tenacity of purpose, that patience in dealing with details, that spirit of toleration toward those of differing opinions, that poise in times of stress and strain which made him an administrator of the first order. The portrait of President Hogue hangs on the wall of my memory. I still see him now as he stood before us on that last Sabbath morning in 1904 delivering our baccalaureate sermon, with the light of eternity beaming on his brow. Next to my revered father, he made the deepest impression upon my life.

Born with the scholarly instinct, all his work evidenced the touch of the scholar and that touch he unmistakably left upon the school in spite of the lack of equipment arising from meager finances. The famous compliment paid to Mark Hopkins, the imperial educator, that a log with a student on one end and Mark Hopkins on the other constituted a university may be fittingly applied to the founder of the first full-fledged college in Free Methodism. Greenville College stands as the living monument of Wilson T. Hogue.

A Promoter of the Publishing Interests

At the passing of Bishop Roberts, he was elected by the Executive Committee to fill the vacancy, serving the unexpired term during the years of 1893-94. He was then elected editor at the following General Conference held at Greenville, October 10, 1894. During the twelve years of his presidency of the college he did double duty as bishop and then as editor.

It was a felicitous providence in the development of the Free Methodist Church that he was elected editor. The nine years in the editorial chair gave him opportunity to pioneer in the field of our church literature and to establish our publishing interests on a firm basis. Like John Wesley, he saw clearly the value of the printed page not only in spreading scriptural holiness but in building up the organization to which he gave the services of his life.

A story of heroic sacrifice is recorded in the annals of the infant church by those men who, when the small denomination was not financially able to publish a paper itself, assumed personal risk and for many years published the Free Methodist at a personal loss. It was not until the General Conference at Coopersville, Michigan, in 1886, that the church took over the paper. The printing equipment was bought from T. B. Arnold. B. T. Roberts, then bishop, was elected the first editor. Resigning after four years, he was succeeded for a period of four years by Burton R. Jones and then Mr. Hogue became editor. [19]

The story of W. T. Hogue's work would not be complete without making reference to his relation to the publishing house. He was the chief factor in its establishment in Chicago. It was he who, after several years of agitation, finally secured an action of the General Conference of 1907 favorable to securing an eligible site and building in Chicago. A suitable site 100x100 feet on the corner of Washington Boulevard and North May Street was purchased for $20,000. The work of securing the architect's plans and financing the project involving about $70,000 was entrusted to him and Rev. M. B. Miller, secretary of the executive committee. Soon after operations were begun, Mr. Hogue was stricken with illness which disabled him for two years, leaving the execution of affairs fall upon Mr. Miller. Fortunate indeed was the church in having that able executive and financier, M. B. Miller, who completed the work and skillfully financed the project so that it was paid for without any financial strain on the denomination. Our publishing interests entered upon a new era of success. Since moving headquarters to Winona Lake, Indiana, this splendid four-story brick and stone building in Chicago was sold.

Not only was he editor of the church paper but for a time he also carried the burden of editing the Sunday School literature. In this he was ably assisted by his wife, Emma L. Hogue. This extra load was borne until 1898 when W. B. Olmstead was elected as editor of the Sunday School literature. Mr. Hogue was responsible for much important legislation concerning the Sunday schools and the development of the Sunday schools in the church. His interests embraced every department of the church.

He had long served on the missionary board and when he became editor he issued a beautifully illustrated missionary number. In fact, he originated The Missionary Tidings. Feeling the time had come for the launching of a missionary periodical by the Woman's Missionary Society, he published once a month in 1896 a Missionary Supplement." It consisted of four pages the size of the church paper and was inserted between pages 8 and 9. He continued this until it was taken over by the W. M. S. and published as a separate monthly periodical with an editor elected for that specific work. The first number appeared in January, 1897. The wisdom of this new venture has been demonstrated by the ever-increasing usefulness of this magazine.

To assist in carrying on the work of the Woman's Missionary Society, he compiled "Missionary Hymns" in the year 1907. In 1908 he presented the copyright to the society.

The Earnest Christian was purchased the latter part of 1907 and its publication was begun by the publishing house the first of the following January. Mr. Hogue was chosen editor as the one capable of maintaining the standard established in this monthly magazine by Bishop Roberts in the very beginning of our church and continued by his son, Rev. B. H. Roberts, until the above transfer was made. Failing health necessitated the resignation of Mr. Hogue in October, 1908, and the publication was discontinued at the end of the year.

It will be clearly seen that practically all the important publications of the church have at some time been under his editorial direction or have been produced directly by him. The fortified position that our publishing house now holds is largely the fruitage of his vision and initiative assisted in its business policies by that master financier, Rev. Mendal B. Miller of the Oil City Conference.

His Literary Productions

Bishop Hogue was an accomplished writer, felicitous in the combination of original thought and lucid style. His English had an elegance characteristic of the make-up of the man, possessing both solidity and grace. His published works, regardless of the subjects treated, are of a uniformly high order. This power of impressing personality on language is one of the strangest and most inexplicable facts in the world of mind. Wilson T. Hogue possessed that power to an unusual degree.

His sympathies were always with the preachers and he always had a peculiar interest in them. It was a natural consequence that his first book should be "Hogue's Homiletics and Pastoral Theology" published in 1887, a guide to the young preacher in preparing sermons and a mine of helpful directions for pastoral work. It justly found a place in the preacher's course of study where it has held its place until the present time. It has been widely used as a textbook in other denominations. The part of the book on Pastoral Theology was also printed in a separate volume entitled "Revivals and Revival Work."

To counteract the rising tide of Christian Science, "falsely so called," while pastor at Buffalo, New York, he read before the Buffalo Ministerial Association a paper upon the subject which was of such worth that it was ordered printed and appeared in an expanded booklet under the title, "Christian Science Unmasked." In 1901 he published another booklet in opposition to the Seventh Day heresy, entitled "The First Day Sabbath."

When the church needed a Catechism especially for its Sunday School work and when committees appointed by two successive General Conferences failed to make any report, at the request of the publishing agent Mr. Hogue prepared and published the work. The first issue appeared in 1902.

Harry Agnew, our pioneer missionary to Africa, left material concerning the building of our enterprise in the dark continent with Bishop Hogue with the request that he would produce the book in his stead in the interests of the foreign work to which he literally gave his life. After the death of Mr. Agnew, he wrote in 1904, "G. Harry Agnew, a Pioneer Missionary," a splendid piece of biographical craftsmanship.

"Hymns That Are Immortal," published in 1906, is a devotional classic. In each chapter the author gives the history and content of the great hymns which will live in the hymnology of the church until the end of time. He urges young people especially to commit them to memory as an aid in character building and in coming years to afford delightful companionship along the highway of life as well as invaluable sources of light, inspiration and comfort in times of darkness and depression and amid the gathering shadows of life's declining years." Bishop Hogue himself wrote some excellent hymns, some of which were included in our 1910 Hymnal and other song books.

In order to counteract the decline of the fundamental institution of original Methodism, the class meeting, he published "The Class Meeting as a Means of Grace." His reason for writing the book is given in the preface: "There is evident danger of the class meeting so far falling into disesteem and change of character as to become only the nominal representative of what it once was in reality . . . There is certainly need of reformation at once. Restore the class meetings of Methodism to what they once were and the power and efficiency of Methodism in all its branches will be incalculably increased." It is a valuable handbook which every class leader of the church should study.

Being vitally interested in the Wesleyan doctrine of Christian perfection, he edited and was a contributor to "A Symposium on Scriptural Holiness." This volume published in 1915 contains an excellent exposition of holiness.

In 1915 a small volume, beautifully bound for gift purposes, was published. As the title indicates, "The Believer's Personal Experience of Christ in the Process of Salvation," it is a valuable book of instruction to all believers who, having experienced the beginnings of divine grace, are desirous of attaining "the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ."

"The Holy Spirit -- A Study" was the last work published by Bishop Hogue. It was a theme very precious to him and upon which he expended his serious and mature effort. In the preface he says that it burned in his heart for more than thirty years and that it absorbed his spare time for Bible study from 1884 to 1890 when most of its contents were written. "Since then the manuscript was occasionally reviewed and revised and the subject was one of much thought and study, the results of which have been incorporated in the book as it now appears." When about to publish this work earlier, he consulted a competent friend who advised him to wait for ten years, brood over it, revise it, then publish it. As a result, we have the present edition. In the opinion of the writer, no better work on the Holy Spirit has been published.

The crowning literary work of Bishop Hogue is his "History of the Free Methodist Church" in two large volumes. This work is all the more remarkable since it was written after the author had been disabled by a stroke which would have forced most men to retire from active service.

To understand properly a movement, we must know its background. To have an appreciation of the upheaval which brought into being a church, we must understand those forces which united to produce the upheaval. Nothing can give such an intelligent understanding of the Free Methodist Church as the careful reading of its history. The rising generation of Free Methodists needs to know the history of their heritage.

As a denomination we are most fortunate in having Hogue's "History of the Free Methodist Church," a masterpiece both of history and of literature. Its perusal will impart a sympathetic understanding of the origin of the church and a love for the heroic principles for which she stands. What could be more fitting and more profitable at this time than a widespread reading of the history of the church throughout the denomination?

The New York Christian Advocate of February 24, 1916, contained the following notice of Bishop Hogue's "History of the Free Methodist Church," from the pen of Professor John A. Faulkner, of Drew Theological Seminary:

"Methodism has been peculiarly fortunate in its historians. Speaking of America only, we have the classic work of Dr. Abel Stevens, "History of the Religious Movement Called Methodism," three volumes, and "History of the Methodist Episcopal Church" (to 1816), four volumes; Dr. E. J. Drinkhouse's very important "History of Methodist Reform and of the Methodist Protestant Church," two volumes; and now we have the first thorough and adequate History of the Free Methodist Church. Thanks to the diligence and skill of Bishop Wilson T. Hogue, we now have a full, interesting, well-written, well-documented, well-illustrated history, worthy to stand beside Stevens, Atkinson, McTyeire, Drinkhouse and other authorities in the noble temple of Methodist literature. Of course the author writes from the Free Methodist point of view, but that is all the more welcome because we already have the 'official' Methodist Episcopal view, from three or four hands. But we have never had the full facts of those tragic times in old Genesee from the Free side, with a welcome republication of all the old valuable, rare documents, and especially we have never had the full history from that day to this of those heroic souls who were thrust out -whether rightly or wrongly let the reader judge, after studying both sides and the original sources -- in the bitterness of their souls to build up from the bottom what they thought a genuine Methodist Church after the original pattern. He will find the whole story told here with sympathy, literary interest and ample quotations from the contemporary writings, now exceedingly scarce. It was a piece of work well worth doing, and it is now done so admirably and thoroughly that it need never be done again.

After almost nine years as an outstanding editor of the Free Methodist, he was elected bishop at the General Conference at Greenville in 1903. The next year, as soon as his contract with the college would allow, he resigned the presidency in June, 1904, in order to give himself wholly to the duties of his new office.

In September, 1908, on his way home the day after the close of the Wabash Conference at Henning, Illinois, he was stricken with an attack of cerebral hemorrhage. He rallied from this attack but on the sixth of July, 1909, he was stricken with paralysis, which affected his whole right side. Through the prayers of the church and the aid of the best medical skill, he recovered sufficiently to assume his official duties and to complete a remarkable amount of literary work. After he was first stricken he told the family that he hoped to live ten years longer in order that he might write the "History of the Free Methodist Church" and complete "The Holy Spirit -- A Study." The Lord graciously granted his wish by sparing his life eleven years so that he was able to complete those volumes, although under great difficulty.

Notwithstanding his grievous handicap, he bravely continued to struggle on in holding his conferences. In response to his invitation the writer made the rounds of the most of his conferences in 1918 in order to assist him as his strength was failing. His faithful wife then accompanied him in September to the Kentucky and Tennessee Conference. As he opened the session of the conference he suffered a collapse which ended his public work. Since that time he steadily declined until pneumonia ended his career, February 13, 1920.

Like Moses of old, he had a premonition from heaven that the time of his departure was at hand. He told Mrs. Hogue there would be a funeral in the house within a week. He then inquired if his son-in-law, Mr. Middleton, with whom he was living, would be home immediately from his trip as a traveling salesman. As the end drew near the family in company with Professor John LaDue gathered by his bedside and with remarkable resolution sang the entire hymn, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." As they sang "he took his feeble hand out from under the cover and tremblingly held it up, toward that heaven and that victory into which he was just entering." He hailed with joy the rising morn of eternal joy. In the charming stanzas of Bishop Burns, he heard the trumpets of heaven calling.

The trumpets are calling, I've come to the sea,
But far out in the moonlight glow
I still hear the trumpets, they're calling to me,
The trumpets are calling -- I go.

And lo, a strange boatman is here with his bark,
And he takes me all silent and dumb;
But my trumpets! my trumpets! they peel through the dark,
The trumpets are calling -- I come.

Funeral services were held at Springfield, Illinois. Rev. John LaDue, a life-long friend, preached a memorable sermon from the text: "Father, I desire that they also whom Thou hast given me be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which Thou hast given me: for Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24). His mortal remains are sepulchered in the family burial plot in Franklinville, New York, where a substantial monument has been erected by his friends throughout the church in appreciation of his noble service.

In his domestic life he was most fortunate. It was a day destined to yield increasing happiness when on December 29, 1874, he took as the partner of life's pilgrimage, Miss Emma L. Jones of Jamestown, New York. Gentle, capable and sympathetic, she made home a place of quiet heavenly retreat where his energies were refueled for his arduous tasks. The family circle consisted of three estimable and deeply attached daughters, Mrs. Nellie Orr of Louisville, Kentucky; the late Mrs. Grace Middleton and Clara, a literary editor, of Winona Lake, Indiana.

He was a tremendous worker. One of his favorite texts "I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work," was also the motto of his life. Samuel Johnson etched on the crystal of his watch in Greek "The night cometh." Sir Walter Scott inscribed the same Greek phrase on her sun dial at Abbotsford that old Greek epigram made immortal by Jesus, "The night cometh when no man can work." During the twelve arduous years he was founding Greenville College he was also bishop and then editor of the Free Methodist. During the same period, when men usually have their formal education completed he was toiling to take his degrees from the Illinois Wesleyan University, receiving his Ph.B. 1897; A. M. 1899; Ph.D. 1902.

Even after his stroke, he did an unthinkable amount of work. In addition to his regular official duties as bishop, he wrote the exhaustive "History of the Free Methodist Church," involving toilsome research. Upon request the writer spent many weeks in assisting in this work, and one of the pictures that will never fade from memory is the persistent historian with the shadow of death falling upon him typewriting the manuscript with the fingers of his left hand, since his right hand was paralyzed. The candle of life, fanned by his resistless spirit and giant intellect, burned out prematurely. Yet we can say with the poet:

Better a day of strife
Than a century of sleep:
Give me instead a long stream of life
The tempest and the tears of the deep.
A thousand joys may foam
On the billows of all the years;
But never the foam brings the brave bark home --
It reaches the haven through tears.

BISHOP HOGUE'S MESSAGE

Bishop Wilson T. Hogue whose health prevented his continuance in the office of bishop, sent the following message which is great in its simplicity, to the General Conference.

To the Members of the General Conference assembled in Greenville, Illinois, June 11-26, 1919.

DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS:

In the providence of God it is probable that I shall not be with you in this session of our general conference. For the first time since I have been a member of this body I shall not be able to answer the roll call. God alone knows the bitter disappointment and how I shall miss being with you; but He also gives grace and patience, and helps me to say Amen to His will.

By the blessing of God I have been able to hold the conferences allotted to me during the past quadrennium, have dedicated several churches, and assisted in holding some revival services; have also done considerable writing.

Last fall after presiding at five of the large conferences, without a day's rest between, I started for the Kentucky and Tennessee Conference to be held in Petroleum, Kentucky. While on the way I suffered a nervous collapse and was unable to hold the conference after reaching the place. My physician says the attack was the result of overstrain. Since that time I have improved in health, but am not able to do any public work.

I wish to thank you all for your prayers and the kindness shown me during my affliction. My heart is and shall be with you to the end. I do not wish to be considered for any position. I only crave your prayers. May the Lord guide you in all your deliberations and lead you to wise and right conclusions. And may the blessing of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost be with and abide with you all. Amen.

As a Minister and Administrator

Wilson T. Hogue was a prince among preachers. To those natural qualifications of the preacher -- dignified presence, diapason voice, forceful gesture -- were added the finish and breadth of culture. His presentation of the gospel was at once philosophic and evangelistic, appealing both to the intellect and the heart. The pulpit was his throne and mighty was his dominion over that throne. The heights to which he habitually arose will never be forgotten by those who were privileged to sit under his peerless ministry.

A true picture of his character and versatility will be given by the following tributes:

TRIBUTE BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Bishop Wilson Thomas Hogue was a great man. Those who knew him need no argument in proof of this statement. But in loving tribute to his memory and for the stranger, who, perchance, may read these lines, the greatness of the man appeared in the following particulars:

1. Benjamin Franklin said, "There never was yet a truly great man who was not at the same time virtuous." Bishop Hogue was all that and more, because he was a Christian. Negative virtue and morality are a definite asset to any character, but, when these are based upon, and grow out of, a holy heart and are exemplified in a holy life, they become the outstanding features of a life truly great. Bishop Hogue was truly great because he was truly good.

2. One has said, "Great men undertake great things because they are great." Great in mental powers, magnanimous in soul, courageous in spirit, Bishop Hogue was ever undertaking the great things. Perhaps he attempted too much. But it must be admitted that where others would have said, "It can not be done," he did it. Pastor, district elder, college president, editor, bishop, author and historian, he magnified every position because he was great enough to attempt and successfully accomplish great things.

3. Bishop Hall once said he who is his own master is great. The sturdy sense of right which came to Bishop Hogue from his Scotch forebears; his vision of truth in its many aspects; his fearlessness and his zeal for the cause of God led him often into the arena of debate. His duties as bishop brought him to the trying scenes which come to the lot of a presiding officer in annual and general conferences. But Bishop Hogue was ever master of himself because he had been mastered by Jesus Christ. As greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right use of strength, so the greatness of this fearless leader was revealed in the mastery of himself while his magnificent talents of mind and soul were literally poured out for the church of his choice and the salvation of men.

4. South once wrote, "There never was any heart truly great and gracious that was not also tender and compassionate." The intimate friends of Bishop Hogue know full well how this attribute of greatness was exemplified in him. In his home, in the community, to his friends, to the needy everywhere, he was always personifying the Master who came not to be ministered unto but to minister.

But why say more! A character so strong; a life so active; a mind so fertile; a service so versatile-language is lame in attempting to render tribute to it. It is fitting that this body should pause at this time to honor the memory of our departed friend and brother and leader. Bishop Wilson Thomas Hogue -- devoted Christian, able minister, tireless student, wise counselor, skillful administrator, gifted editor, faithful historian, manly man -- "God's hand touched him and he slept."

BY BISHOP WILLIAM PEARCE

I am thinking of his smile, the combined expression of the refined gentleman and the saint. Even such a supposedly little thing as a smile is an index of character. With him it was tender, benign, and absolutely genuine.

What he conceived as righteous principle he unswervingly upheld. No consideration of cost in public disfavor, or anything else, caused even a delay by his great soul in carrying out the plan of rectitude and honor. He was granite of the finest grade. Such sturdiness is often coupled with rigor and the unapproachable, but in him this undying force of character served to adorn his native tenderness and "sweet reasonableness." A lady of great refinement once said to me, "What a gentleman Bishop Hogue is!" His friendship, too, was a very valuable asset.

Anywhere in the wide world and under any true standard, he would pass for a great preacher. In him the well-trained homilist never obscured the Spirit-guided gospel preacher, and one could but feel as his well-chosen introduction yielded to the orderly massing of his divisions and those to the grand climacteric and application, "Could anything on earth be richer, more directly profitable to the soul, more sublime!"

His aim evidently was to keep abreast of the best thought of the day. It is rare indeed that one man carries so many excellencies. As president of Greenville College he revealed dignity, efficiency and scholarship; as editor of the Free Methodist, comprehensiveness, beauty and strength of editorial diction, and a general wisely guiding hand, and in every department of life nobility.

His devoted wife, intimate friend of his wonderful career, and the children who gave to their distinguished father a love that was rich and beautiful are bereaved indeed. And all the relatives will feel the privation of his death. May the consolation of the Spirit be theirs profoundly. The eleven years of personal subduedness through suffering have now given place to personal vigor and untrammeled energy in the presence of the Lord and a future of great reward.

He was a fine church officer, not a prelate but an overseer of souls, an exceedingly capable president of conferences, annual or quadrennial, skilled in parliamentary law, luminous in conference addresses, wise in administration. The church of Christ at large has suffered immense loss in his death.

As an example of Bishop Hogue's forensic ability we give his address at the dedication of the monument to B. T. Roberts at North Chili, New York, which is also worthy of preservation as a historical document.

MY FRIENDS: We are assembled today to do honor to the memory of a great man. Nearly twenty years have passed since he left the scene of earthly action, and during those two decades his greatness has become more and more apparent to those who have watched the trend of affairs which he, during his lifetime, set in motion. We knew he was a great man while he lived with us and wrought among us, but we did not know the measure of his greatness as we know it now. We were too near him then, and too familiar with him, adequately to appreciate his eminence. The distance of twenty years from those stirring events, in the midst of which he lived and was a principal actor, lends a perspective to his life which gives us a juster conception of its influence and worth to the world.

Men like Benjamin Titus Roberts are never adequately appreciated by the generation in which they live. There is too much of the prophetic in them to admit of their being understood and estimated at their true worth. They live so far in advance of their contemporaries that they are usually misunderstood and regarded as enthusiasts and visionaries. No generation properly estimates its great men. A just verdict of their worth must ever await succeeding generations.

"Eight Grecian cities strive for Homer dead,

Through which the living Homer begged his bread."

Men like Moses, Elijah, Paul, Luther and Wesley are usually persecuted by the very people whom they seek to benefit and bless, while their greatness as benefactors of mankind is made more and more apparent as decades and centuries pass away. John the Baptist lost his head as the price of his fidelity to duty, but centuries, and even millenniums, have since emphasized the character and greatness of his work. John Brown was thought to be a reform fanatic in his protest against American slavery, and especially when his reformatory principles took the practical form of the historic raid at Harper's Ferry, and he was. ordered to be executed as a consequence; but a few years later the defenders of the Union were singing over all the land,

"John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave,

His soul goes marching on."

It was much the same with the man in honor of whose memory we gathered here today as it was with those illustrious men of an earlier time. He was too great, too profoundly impressed with the magnitude and responsibility of his mission among men, too full of holy earnestness and fiery zeal, to be understood and appreciated by his contemporaries generally. As a consequence he suffered great persecution from those who should have been foremost to hail a man of such unswerving devotion and fidelity to God. In the midst of it all, however, he steadfastly pursued his course, and "endured as seeing Him who is invisible." Moreover, the tongues that once wagged in attempted defamation of his character have long since been silenced, while the same conference which placed the ban of excommunication upon him more than fifty years ago, but two years since testified to the injustice of that action by declaring its belief in his blamelessness and purity at the time it occurred, and by publicly restoring to his son the parchments of which they had deprived him. They also bore similar testimony in behalf of the noble men who stood with him in defense of truth and righteousness, and who shared with him the same humiliation, reproach and persecution.

It is meet that this monument should have been erected by friends of Mr. Roberts and his most estimable wife throughout the church of which, in the province of God, he was the chief founder. It is a fitting testimonial to our appreciation of the heritage bequeathed to us by their self-sacrifice and zealous labors. Few of the younger generation of Free Methodists have any adequate conception of the degree in which they suffered, sacrificed, toiled, wept and prayed, in their unswerving fidelity to principles of righteousness during the conflict which raged within the Genesee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church back in the fifties, and which finally resulted in the formation of the Free Methodist Church. Others, who stood by them, and who shared the persecutions which gathered first about the head of Mr. Roberts, and the disappointment, humiliation, sacrifice, hardship and toil which ensued, are entitled to equally grateful remembrance by the church at large; but inasmuch as the providential turn of events finally made him the chief instrument in founding the church, and in shaping and guiding its development for nearly a third of a century, it is peculiarly fitting that this monument should have been erected to his memory and to that of the noble woman who ever stood heroically at his side, and was a tower of strength to him throughout his public career.

But why do we erect this monument to the memory of the departed dead? Why do men instinctively try to perpetuate the memory of public benefactors and of their deeds in monuments of enduring character?

"Can storied urn, or animated bust,
Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
Can honor's voice provoke the silent dust?
Of flattery soothe the dull, cold ear of death?"

Impossible! Naught that we can say or do can in any wise undo the wreck and ruin death has wrought, or change the condition of those who have departed. "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them."

We erect monuments commemorative of the deeds of great men as a means of expressing and cultivating gratitude for the benefits they have transmitted to us and our posterity. We do not worship the ancestral dead, but we do venerate their memory, and we appreciate the beneficence of their lives upon ourselves and others. Moreover, we seek to cultivate in all a lively sense of gratitude for those who have been benefactors of the race.

Also by such events as that which we here celebrate we exercise an educative influence upon succeeding generations. Forgetfulness of the worthy dead is indicative of low ideals; and, where it becomes general, it betokens a declining civilization. Respect for the dead is always a means of cultivating self-respect. No man or woman whose sensibilities are normal can reverently walk among the monuments of Britain's illustrious dead in Westminster Abbey without being quickened in intellect, elevated in morals, inspired with veneration and broadened in all that makes for the loftiest type of manhood. A monument commemorating the virtues and achievements of a great man or woman preaches to all succeeding generations the excellence of virtue and the loftiness of service to one's fellow men.

Then, too, the monument of one who has been illustrious in personal character and in self-sacrificing service to mankind has a subduing, mellowing, refining influence upon those who behold it, and who trace thereon the inscription which, in few words, sums up those virtues and deeds of service to others in which the departed one excelled. Who that visits the tomb of Washington, Lincoln, Grant, McKinley; of Wesley, Clarke, Fletcher or Whitefield; does not instinctively uncover his head, tread softly, speak in whispers if at all, and even breathe more lightly than usual, feeling that he is on holy ground, and being thus softened and mellowed by his surroundings? Only the most hardened wretches are unsusceptible to such an environment.

Moreover, monuments commemorative of our dead are silent but effectual testimonials to our belief in immortality. Why should we or others care to be remembered when we are gone hence? Why do we who survive the death of the friends we loved care to perpetuate their memory in monuments of marble, granite, bronze, or other enduring material? Are not both of these things due to our instinctive sense that the real man is immortal? Were we assured that death ends all, who would care to be remembered, or who would care to be at trouble and expense to perpetuate the memory of his departed friends through coming generations? Thank God! though our departed loved ones have gone within the veil, they have not ceased to be nor ceased to love. We remember them with pleasure; and we love them still, though they are gone beyond the reach of mortal vision. We shall go to them, but no more can they return to us. In the erection of monuments to their memory we proclaim our faith in immortality, our love for those who are gone from us, and also our hope of ultimate reunion with them in "the resurrection of the just."

The man whose memory we honor today was well worthy of all the recognition the Free Methodist Church gave him from the time of its formation until his death. He was also equally worthy of the honors paid to his memory by the erection and dedication of this monument. Benjamin Titus Roberts was indeed "a prince and a great man in Israel." Nature formed him for distinction among his fellow men. His robust physique, his striking physiognomy, his well-formed head, his striking penetration, his mental balance, his incisiveness, the quickness of his intuitions and his readiness and clearness in speech, all indicated the man born for leadership of others. His was a striking personality, such as would command attention and mark him as a distinguished man in any circle of society. He was one of Nature's noblemen.

To his natural endowments were added the acquirements of a thorough university education, which, instead of being used for purposes of self-aggrandizement, were consecrated to the service of God in the service of mankind. Graduated with high honor from the most representative university of American Methodism, his university equipment was turned to such employment as ever reflected high honor upon his alma mater. He was not only thoroughly but broadly educated. The breadth and thoroughness of his mental equipment, together with his natural aptitude, gave him much versatility, and contributed to his efficiency in various directions. Being a diligent student all his days, he never crossed the deadline from growing usefulness. His educational acquirements were never used for display, but rather as tools to accomplish the various duties of his calling. Instead of mystifying men with a show of learning, he used his educational equipment to simplify the truth of God for their edification. So unaffected and simple was his manner of speech that, occasionally, one who heard him, and who expected him to use "great swelling words" of worldly wisdom, would go away saying "What a power for good that man might have been if he had only been educated!" As with the Master, however, "the common people heard him gladly." Moreover, those who heard were sure to be instructed and edified. His presentation of truth was so simple, so concise, so lucid, and so vividly illustrated that men of very ordinary minds could carry away the entire sermon in substance, and never be able to forget it. He was a very ready man on almost any subject. One great secret of his power as preacher, writer, debater and conversationalist was the fact that "his tools were always ready, and he carried them in his pocket."

But the greatest element of strength in the character of Mr. Roberts was that of his religious experience. As another is to speak particularly of this, I need say but little concerning it. However, had it not been for the depth and intensity of his religious convictions, the consecration of his whole heart and life to God, and the consequent depth and genuineness of his experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ, he might, and doubtless would have risen to eminence in the legal profession, and to leadership in the political world; but the Church of God would never have been able to enroll him on her list of great men. The grace of God, added to his natural and acquired abilities, quickened, refined, exalted and consecrated them, bringing them all into effectual contribution to the service of God in the social and moral uplift of mankind.

There are several respects in which the subject of this memorial service particularly excelled as a public man, and which required a passing notice. The chief of these are mentioned, in the inscription on his monument, as, "Preacher, Writer, Educator, Reformer."

First, he was remarkably effective as a preacher. Bishop Sellew was to have spoken of him under this head, and so I will barely remark in passing, that, while he was always unostentatious and made no effort at studied eloquence, he always spoke to instruct, convince and persuade his hearers, and there were few who excelled him in these respects. As a preacher he aimed at and usually accomplished immediate results. Few men could say so much, make every point so clear, and drive the truth home so effectively by way of application as could he. Few could so admirably and effectively adapt themselves to high and low, rich and poor, learned and illiterate, refined and unrefined, either as separate classes or in a mixed audience, as could Mr. Roberts. Also when it served his purpose, as on some state occasion, he could approve himself as a scholar abreast of the times: and, on occasions that called out his reserve force, he could speak with an eloquence born of conviction and earnestness, and adapted to producing like qualities in those who heard him.

Mr. Roberts also excelled as a writer. This topic has been assigned to Bishop Pearce, and so here I must also confine myself to very narrow limits. Bacon tells us that "Reading maketh a full man: conference a ready, and writing an exact man." Brother Roberts excelled in all these respects. Because of his broad and constant reading he was always full of important matter. As a consequence of his lifelong habit of writing he had learned the secret of exactness in his way of putting things. He was likewise a ready man, because of his having learned to think on his feet. He wrote with simplicity and dignity, with purity and strength, with energy and suggestiveness. No one tired of reading after his pen. In no other respect did he excel more than as a writer.

Moreover, Benjamin Titus Roberts was an educator of no mean rank. Yonder group of seminary buildings, with the splendidly equipped farm belonging with them, are a monument to his zeal and ability in this direction. For the founding and early maintenance of that excellent institution Father and Mother Roberts bore burdens for many years such as added new wrinkles to their brows. At a time when no one else desirable could be obtained to act as principal, Mr. Roberts assumed the principalship of the school in addition to his other duties, and proved himself successful in that line of work. He also took an active interest in the founding of several of our other institutions of learning and to the close of his life did all that he could in connection with his manifold other duties to further the cause of Christian education.

Again, the subject of this memorial service was a true reformer. He espoused the cause of abolition in the very beginning of his public career, and never ceased to employ both tongue and pen in favor of the emancipation of the slaves of our country until American slavery was dead. He espoused the cause of abolition, too, when to do so was most unpopular -- when to take such a course was to risk reputation and position, if not life itself. He was not one of those pseudo-reformers who hold their peace until the lion is dead, and then attempt to make a show of bravery by kicking the carcass. When any form of political, social, or moral evil lifted its head against the welfare of race or nation, he was ready to "beard the lion in his den" and fight the battle to a finish. He never compromised with evil principles, or with evil-minded men. He never asked concerning any contemplated course of action, "Will it be popular?" or, "How will it affect my reputation and my standing among my friends and neighbors?" The only questions with him were: "Is it right?" "Is it duty?" "Will it please or displease God?" In the light of such questions, honestly asked and answered, he decided upon his course with reference to every issue he was called to meet in church and state.

This characteristic of the man also made him a strong advocate of the temperance reform. He believed that the manufacture, sale and use of intoxicating liquors should be prohibited by the federal government. His whole soul hated the business with all its alliances and associations. He framed the section in our church Discipline which prescribes our line of action for its destruction. He both spoke and wrote frequently and strongly against the saloon as a menace to the nation. He was absolutely intolerant of the giant evil, and ever desired the church to maintain the same attitude regarding it.

Nor had the cause of woman's emancipation from those laws and customs of society which in all ages and countries have more or less enslaved her, and of her full enfranchisement, until she should stand on an equality with her sturdier brothers before both civil and ecclesiastical law, a more sincere and earnest advocate than he. Many in our own communion thought him at least extravagant in his early utterances on this subject; but it now begins to look as though the Spirit that stirred the hearts of ancient prophets may have been moving him; and we shall do well to pause and inquire seriously if this was not another instance illustrative of how he lived a generation in advance of most of his contemporaries. At all events, it was in the spirit of a true reformer that he applied himself so diligently and vigorously to the championship of woman's cause, and that at a time when it was much more unpopular than it is today. Could he but have lived to see one of the great political parties, besides several lesser ones, making woman suffrage a prominent plank in the platform of its national campaign, as we have lately seen it, he would in some measure have seen of the travail of his soul and been satisfied.

Mr. Roberts was not only a reformer on social, civic and political questions, but as well on questions of religion and the church. In fact, he was a religious reformer first of all. When the Methodism of his day had "forsaken the heroic ideals of the elder time," and had entered into compromise with the manifold forms of worldliness and evil, the burden of this condition so weighed upon him that he could not rest. Many others sympathized with him in this, and together they sought to stem the worldward tide and recall the church to her primitive simplicity and purity. Opposition was aroused, which finally took an organized form, and which sought, by most unworthy means, to crush out the spirit of reform and to defame the character of the reformers. It was in the midst of such a conflict that Mr. Roberts wrote and published his article on "New School Methodism," which brought on the final crisis, and led, ultimately, to his expulsion from conference and church, involving others who sympathized with him in the same humiliation. Thousands of protests were raised against such perversion of judgment, but in vain. The expelled ministers, save one, appealed to the ensuing General Conference, in an honest effort to have their wrongs righted and themselves restored to their former standing; but their appeals were refused consideration, and the doors of the church were thus effectually barred against them. When Roberts' appeal was denied, he sadly turned away, saying, "I appeal to God and the people." Being Methodists of the primitive type, and having nowhere else to go, the excommunicated preachers, and a goodly number of laymen who had been more summarily dismissed from their church relation because of their expressed sympathy with the persecuted ministers, finally met in convention at Pekin, Niagara County, New York, and organized the Free Methodist Church, August 23, 1860.

Through all this agitation the paramount issue was that of holiness, or entire sanctification as expounded by John Wesley and incorporated in the then standard works of Methodism. This is the point at which the defection of the mother church began. This was the point at which to begin the effort at reform; and this also was the real storm center about which the conflict raged. Other things, such as the church's departure from her primitive unworldiness and from the traditions and usages of her fathers, came in for attention, but all else was in subordination to the earnest contention for spiritual religion in opposition to that of a formal and worldly type. It is unpleasant, and might also appear unseemly, to go further into detail in this direction, which I shall not attempt to do.

Unpleasant and deplorable as the split in Methodism which occurred at that time, and which grew out of the state of things just recited, appeared to be to all who were familiar with those conditions, in the light of the present, it must be equally manifest to all that these things have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the kingdom of God. Free Methodism has been given to the world as an evangelizing agency, which otherwise would not have been the case; and the Methodist Episcopal Church has evidently felt the reformatory effect of the agitation which then occurred in a much greater degree than would have been the case had the division never taken place. The reformatory effect upon other religious denominations is also generally acknowledged by those who are intelligent on the subject.

Benjamin Titus Roberts was a man of unflinching courage and indomitable perseverance. With him to know his duty was to do it at any and at every cost. Though one of the gentlest of men, he possessed the courage of a lion and the determination of General Grant. He was a man.

"who feared

Not, had heaven decreed it, to have stood

Adverse against the world, and singly stood."

It is said of Athanasius, "the Father of Orthodoxy," who was several times banished from his country for the courage and tenacity with which he held and avowed his belief on the Sonship of Christ, that when one who would have persuaded him to a different course said, "Athanasius, the world is against you," he replied, "Then Athanasius is against the world." Athanasius against the world may have seemed to his contemporaries as a foolhardy attitude, but it finally gave the Christian church that part of her creed which declares the eternal Sonship of Jesus, or the equality of the Son with the everlasting Father, as against the Socinian doctrine that Jesus Christ was a created being and therefore less than God. It was with the man whose memory we honor today as with Athanasius. If the world was against B. T. Roberts, then B. T. Roberts was against the world. To be sure, this firm adherence to his convictions was characterized by many as ambition, obstinacy, contumacy and fanatical zeal, but the final outcome has fully justified his claim to have been acting from divine conviction, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The world owes much, yea, more than can be estimated, to the influence of such men. They help to arrest the drift of the world toward destruction. Isaiah says, "A man shall be . . . as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." In his exegesis of this passage Dr. George Adam Smith tells us that a great rock in a desert arrests the drifting sand, and also forms a shade, both of which are conducive to the forming of a beautiful oasis on its leeward side, where the weary traveler may find rest and refreshment. The great boulder accomplishes this beneficent result simply by arresting the drift.

"Now that is exactly how great men benefit human life," says this great exegete. "A great man serves his generation, serves the whole race, by arresting the drift . . . History is swept by drifts: superstition, error, poisonous custom, dust-laden controversy. What has saved humanity has been the upraising of some great man to resist those drifts, to set his will, strong through faith, against the prevailing tendency, and be the shelter of the weaker, but not less desirous, souls of his brethren. 'The history of what man has accomplished in the world is at bottom the history of the great men who have worked there.' Under God, personal human power is the highest force, and God has ever used it as His chief instrument."

Of course, "when the prophet says a man, he means any man, he means the ideal for all men." Jesus Christ alone is the ideal Fulfiller of the prophetic thought, and every man becomes a benefactor of the race in proportion as he "follows in His train." Tested by this standard, Mr. Roberts was a great man, a public benefactor, to whom succeeding generations will be greatly indebted.

There are other points in the character of our lamented father in Israel which it would be both pleasing and profitable to consider, but as it is my purpose to be consistently brief, they must be unnoticed here. I do wish, however, to emphasize one thing more which, as I view it, contributed more to his success than anything else save the grace of God; and that is, the lofty Christian character of Ellen Lois Stowe, who later became Ellen Lois Roberts, his affectionate and ever faithful wife. I trust Miss Carpenter, who is to speak regarding Mother Roberts, will pardon me for barely making mention of this good woman, and giving, in a word, an estimate of her character. I seldom think of her without being reminded of the Wise Man's words. "Favor is deceitful, and beauty vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." It has been said, and I judge correctly, "No man ever becomes greater than his wife will permit." Ellen Lois Roberts imposed no restrictions upon her husband's growth in knowledge and efficiency. On the other hand she was ever the inspiration of his life, the sharer of his burdens, the partner of his toils, the sympathizer with his tears, the helper in his prayers, the earnest co-worker with him in all the manifold activities of his busy life. The heart of her husband safely trusted in her. She was ever a tower of strength to him, an unfailing source of comfort and joy. To the very close of his life he was accustomed to look upon her with the affection and delight of a young lover. She was "the desire of his eyes," as she was also, next to God, the joy of his life.

My friends, we should all be better men and women for having attended this memorial service. We have unveiled and dedicated a monument of granite to the memory of the chief founder of the Free Methodist Church and his devoted and excellent wife, and in doing so have acted the part of their sons and daughters in the gospel. But there is a greater and more enduring monument to their heroic self-sacrifice and toil, namely, the church itself of which Benjamin Titus Roberts was the principal founder, and for nearly a third of a century the leading spirit; and, if we would observe the present occasion most in keeping with what would be their wishes, could they speak to us from the world of spirits today, we should, around their graves solemnly dedicate ourselves anew to the defense and propagation of those principles which were so dear to them; and then, inscribing upon our banners, "NO COMPROMISE WITH SIN," go forth to fight the battles of our King as good soldiers, singing as we enter the conflict,

"Thy saints in all this glorious war,

Shall conquer though they die;

They see their triumph from afar,

By faith they bring it nigh."

This is to me, as I trust it also is to you, a deeply impressive hour. The spirits of the departed seem to be hovering near, and we are treading on holy ground. Voices from within the veil seem to be speaking to us, and exhorting us as of yore to be faithful to our trust. A cloud of witnesses seems to be hovering over us, deeply intent on the course the Free Methodist Church will henceforth pursue. Among them I fancy I see Redfield, Kendall, Stiles, McCreery, and other "spirits of just men made perfect," with Benjamin Titus Roberts in their midst. He is calling and waving the church on to victory, while those about him are responding, AMEN. HALLELUJAH! THE LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT REIGNETH!" Shall not our response be,

"Faith of our fathers! holy faith!

We will be true to thee till death."

We shall soon bid adieu to the spot where lie the ashes of our sainted dead; but, as we go forth from this hallowed place to resume the ordinary duties of our respective callings, we shall go forth with renewed faith and hope that "some sweet day by and by" we shall meet them and greet them again on the banks of that "river of the water of life, clear as crystal, which proceedeth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." In the meantime let us give diligence so to emulate their example of integrity, devotion, self-sacrifice and flaming zeal for God and the cause of holiness, that, finally, with our work accomplished, we may, like the good man whose memory we have this day tried to honor, say our final "AMEN" and mount upward to be "Forever with the Lord."

19 A detailed account of our publishing interests will be found in Hogue's History vol. II, p. 237 ff. also 'Dedication Number" of the "Free Methodist," November 9, 1909.