This field includes all our work in the counties of Cass, Otoe, Nemaha, Johnson and Richardson except two charges in Cass and two in Johnson; and also Table Rock in Pawnee and Adams to Gage.
   The number of people living in these five counties owning at present real estate and personal property valued at $17,900,600, according to the census of 1900 is 89,381 of whom 35,515 or about 40 per cent reside in towns and 53,866 or about 60 per cent in the country, and a little less than five per cent of the whole are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
   Of the 52 Methodist Episcopal Churches in this district 38 are in the towns and only 14 in the country which shows that about 73 per cent of our churches are in the towns where there is only 40 per cent of the population which population exclusive of the people living in the country and attending church in town, is less than that of the city of Lincoln and only 27 per cent or 14 churches are in the country where there is 60 per cent of the population or 53,800 and five of these country churches stand forth practically abandoned as monuments of missionary improvidence and neglect. These five deserted churches cost from 6 to 8 thousand dollars, and there are three or four others costing from 12 to 15 hundred each that have been weakened by removals to the verge of desperation. The few struggling members in some of these churches feeling unable to support a preacher and receiving no help from the Conference Mission fund or elsewhere, want to sell the church property and disband and the only thing that prohibits this calamity to Methodism and the communities is the consent of the presiding elder. This suicidal policy of vacating the field to the unchurched or to church affiliations that believe in the saloon, Sunday picnics and beer gatherings, Sunday baseball and the like bringing a reproach upon the cause of Christ, and disgrace to the Methodist church comes about by several causes, chiefly among which are two misapprehensions; first that of supposing that the wealth of these rich localities belong to our people and the other that of supposing that our responsibility ceases when our people sell their farms to others whether they are saved Christians or not. This policy alike disloyal to God and ruinous to the country to say nothing of the church is wrong and should be changed to one of missionary work for the bringing of these unchristian masses to Christ and good American citizenship. The soul saved of a beer drinking Sabbath desecration American sinner is as great a trophy to Christ and the church as the soul of a heathen Chinaman in China. The present situation discloses two difficult problems, that of the town and that of the country. The town problem is the problem of the municipality largely controlled by the saloon that feeds on town and country. This deadly foe to all, the saloon, is a special foe to Metho-

dism. If the saloon is kept out, the laws enforced, and the people protected Methodists have to bear a large share of the battle. Whenever or wherever, a man is assailed by the saloon press or assaulted by a liquor mob or maligned by a liquor official his name usually is Methodist. Brothers, this battle, must be fought to it Christian victory not only by good resolutions annually on conference day but also by constant work every day of the year and especially on election day.
   Close to this town problem is the country problem. The tide of today is sweeping our Methodist people from the farms into the towns to educate their children leaving the farms to the unchristian and non-Methodist foreigner who either buys the farm or rents it to buy in the near future because he lives on less than Americans, thus bringing our young people into closer touch with the evils or town life and leaving the broad fields where there are the best conditions for the strongest type of youth and manhood to the populations needing Christian missions as much as millions in many parts of the world where we send Methodist missionaries. What is to be the outcome to our Methodist churches, to our Christian Sabbaths, to our State of Nebraska if these non-Methodists and non-Christian people continue to buy up the best lands and crowd in upon our little country churches? Shall we allow our churches, our Christian Sabbaths and by and by our free institutions swept away as the western Roman Empire was swept away by tire Huns, Goths and Vandals? "God forbid!" We must, save our churches and Christian citizenship by making them mission stations thus taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these people that they may be saved to Christ and a Christian Republic. But this cannot be done by deserting our little country churches to the bats and sunflowers or by selling them to Roman Catholics or others who oppose our free schools, our Christian churches and favor saloons and desecrate our Sabbaths. While we help to send the Gospel to the heathen nations we must at all hazards make and keep our own nation Christian. We need home mission work its well as foreign whereby the help of the few may be turned to the rescue of the many at home.
   And now from this field imperfectly described we workers come to make our annual report.
   The work left to be supplied a year ago has been diligently cared for and in spite of some ups and downs is doing well.
   Early in June J. H. N. Cobb, transferred to the Oklahoma conference, and Prof. M. L. Wickman, of the Nebraska Wesleyan University has since been in charge at Humboldt as supply. A little later Asa Sleeth went on a vacation to Portland, Oregon, leaving the church at Plattsmouth in the hands of a committee to supply the pulpit but has recently asked for consent to transfer to the Oregon conference. With these exceptions the men appointed to the work of the district have

faithfully served the churches as "stewards of the manifold grace of God" regretting that we have not done more but glad that we have been able to do as well as we have.
   The presiding elder is thankful that he has been able to hold all his quarterly conferences himself, to preach from two to five times a week, travel 9750 miles and to study the situation and conditions of all the churches and in not a few cases to hold communion services where no quarterly conferences were to be held hoping thereby to do some good in these needy places of Zion and to obtain information for more good in the future.
   The material results of the year's work are considerable. Important repairs have been made at Elk Creek, Brownville, Johnson, Rulo, Table Rock, Talmage, Tecumseh and elsewhere.
   Valuable improvements have been made at Nebraska City in a $200 porch to the parsonage and at Douglas in a $900 Epworth League room which adds fifty per cent to the seating capacity of the church.
   A new parsonage has been erected at Unadilla costing $1150, and one at Falls City costing about $2,200. The new church at Adams costing $7,000, and the reconstructed and enlarged stone church at Weeping Water costing for these improvements some $6,000 are both completed and are worthy monuments to Adams and Weeping Water Methodism and to Brothers Duke Slavens and T. H. Worley their pastors and a credit to the conference.
   Next year Johnson and Adams will report new parsonages. The evangelistic feature of the work has been constantly kept in view and revivals have been held in most all of the churches with more or less success, but in few places up to the earnest desires of the earnest workers.
   Obstacles to soul saving are met alike everywhere but the great problem of the church is to overcome these and to magnify the Scriptural doctrines of regeneration and sanctification.
   Our Sunday School and League work at many points is in good condition and growing. The advance is marked at Nebraska City and elsewhere.
   On the other hand we need a reorganization and spiritual awakening among some of our Leagues and a widening of their work by establishing and keeping up Sunday Schools in many places. The Christian care of the children is constantly emphasized.
   Some of our pastors have given special attention to the class meeting work of their churches with the satisfaction of better conditions in the church work generally. They have learned that six or eight consecrated class leaders do more good among 150 members than one whose sole work has been to lead class occasionally.

   Our district meetings have been occasions of profit. The Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Societies held at Table Rock are reported successful. Greater interest is being taken in these societies in the district with noted progress. This progress has been noteworthy at Nebraska City especially.
   The Epworth League Convention at Auburn though not well attended because of obstacles not looked for in the future was not profitless. Many of our Leaguers and their friends attended the Epworth Assembly where if the many good things are multiplied and the few worthless and doubtful ones are eliminated they will continue to gather in greater numbers. Our Ministerial Convention at Talmage April 28th and 29th was well attended, greatly enjoyed and very profitable.
   The finances of the district are an occasion both of gladness and regret. We are glad we are practically out of debt and hope to stay out, but we regret that many of our people have not learned the joy of self sacrifice in giving to the work of the Lord.
   While none of the pastor's salaries are more than adequate to a comfortable support with a small margin for future needs many of them are pinchingly small and yet there is hope for improvement in even the weak places if we can hold our ground and get on our feet.
   Our benevolences have been in general faithfully presented and many of the people have done well by them, at Nebraska City, Tecumseh and Falls City for example, and the hope is cherished that in the near future the few of our people who are blessed with considerable of this world's goods may see their duty and privilege in Christian giving and that the many may learn that God takes delight in cheerful giving according to one's ability whether the amount be much or little.
   But let no one hastily conclude that our people are lacking in liberality as compared with others. While it is quite certain that but few pay one tenth of their income to the Lord the statistics show that they gave last year ($8.60) eight dollars and sixty cents per member for the support of Christ's Kingdom. When therefore we set forth the alarming needs of some of our little churches that should be soul saying centers let no one think that we are not trying to help ourselves.
   On the other hand while the district is in earnest to save those needing missions at home, it gives its check for $100 of the $500, pledged by the Conference, over and above our collections, for the open door emergency fund. The cause of Christian Education is growing in our churches. More of our young people are lending toward our own University. A great opportunity is at hand on this subject. Let us improve it by keeping our University out of debt, by maintaining a University standard of education and not allowing our classical or scientific departments to be supplanted and by manning the faculty

with the D. W. C. Huntington type of Christian manhood and scholarship up to the demands of the church and age. Our Methodist University and our Methodist people will come in closer sympathy and affiliation and the Methodist young people of our district will gather in constantly increasing numbers in the halls of our Nebraska Wesleyan University.
   And now a moment of thanksgiving and call to prayer will close this report. Our lay ranks have been somewhat thinned during the year by several translations to the church triumphant.
   The pioneers of Nebraska Methodism who made the bleak prairies glow with rich harvests and helped to plant the church as God's beacon light to the people are fast disappearing. We thank God for their lives, experience and influence and pray that their children may be their worthy successors.
   The death angel has touched but one pastor's family, taking Deloy, the infant son of Brother and Sister Samuel Keiser of Nehawka. Deep is their grief but the Holy Ghost continues the comforter. We give hearty thanks to God for His abounding mercies and especially for health and strength to do and enjoy His work. 0, He is wonderfully good to us. The present annual conference hour is ours; and let us make it glorious by holy communion with God and One another as a needed preparation for future success in Christ's work.
   Great things abound in that future. Great is the power of worldly indifference to our holy religion, great is the power of the liquor traffic with its created evils, great is the power of selfishness, worldliness and indifference to duty by some of the people in the churches, great is the power of Satan in the path of our mission everywhere. But greater than these is the power of good men and good women in the churches and there are many of them to welcome and help us.
   Greater than the evils of the world is the power of a clean consecrated holy Christian ministry and this is our high calling, brothers, bur greatest of all is the power of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost working with us, in us, and through us, for the conquest of the world in holiness. By this Almighty Power let us conquer.
J. S. W. DEAN.

DEAR FATHERS AND BRETHREN:
   The Kingdom of our God as represented by Methodism in York district is marching on, deepening in spirituality, growing in numbers and enlarging in things material. Some notable losses are to be reported. The distinguished layman, Gov. John H. Mickey, has removed to Lincoln, an exodus of two thirds the membership at Ware, numerous removals elsewhere, great floods preventing much land from being tilled, and destructive hailstorms completely spoiling the crops in several localities. For our success we give glory to the Captain of our Salvation, thanks to an untiring, faithful ministry, and gratitude to the free hearted loyalty of lay members.
   Pastors. Sickness has visited many parsonages during the year but life has been spared to all thus far and health has been generally restored, except that Helen Coffman and G. C. Cobb's mother-in-law are still very sick. M. A. Wimberley has been so troubled with his eyes that he will be compelled to quit the pastorate for a year. This is a severe trial to him as he greatly loves the work and is meeting with marked success, and a grievous disappointment to the Exeter people who have greatly profited by his ministry. H. E. Bromwell resigned Goehner and Ruby March 1st and J. C. Street has since supplied the charge. Two school houses, East and West Olive, were organized as a small charge in March (weakening Garrison and David City numerically). Bert L. Story has supplied them. Thirty three pastors appointed last conference remain at their posts.
   Revivals. Soul winning battles have been fought on nearly every charge with consecrated endeavor and expectant faith. The largest successes have resulted in professed conversions as follows: Rising City 140, Aurora 140, York 126, Bellwood 55, Exeter 48, Osceola 30, Ruby 43, Surprise 28, Utica 25, David City 18, Arborville 16, Bradshaw 14, Phillips 13, Stockham 9, Olive 9, and in the other charges enough to bring the total to 711 in the district. For these glorious victories, we "thank God and take courage."
   Membership. 550 have been received on probation, of whom 110, were at York, 103 at Rising, 67 at Aurora, 54 at Bellwood and 36 at Exeter. There have been 357 probationers received into full membership. For the fourth year we have made a substantial gain in membership. Net increase at York is 101, at Rising 77, and then follow Exeter, Aurora and Bellwood.
   Epworth Leagues. The Epworth League work of the district has improved in quality. York, Bellwood, Aurora, Osceola, Seward, Benedict, Charleston, Beaver Crossing and Gresham have efficient Epworth Leagues and many others are improving. Junior League work is flourishing at Surprise, Stromsburg, Ulysses, York and David City. An

enthusiastic and profitable convention was held at Ulysses in March. The Leagues have mostly reorganized under the new constitutions, and are broadening their views, deepening their interest and enlarging their activities, Sunday Schools are generally flourishing, interest and efficiency, equalled by few schools in the state and surpassed by none. Schools at David City, Bellwood, Osceola, Aurora, Rising, Utica, Seward, Garrison, Benedict, Pleasant Dale, Beaver Crossing are excellent, and others are doing well. The relation of the children to the church is generally looked after with growing care.
   Class Meetings are quite successful at Osceola, Surprise, Pleasant Ridge and 'Benedict. They are held on nearly every charge usually with an average attendance of 9 per cent. The interest in them is greatest in the rural communities.
   Prayer Meetings are well maintained as a rule. At David City, Rising, Surprise, Osceola, York and Benedict they are exceptionally good.
   Salaries. Pastoral salaries have again advanced in the aggregate, the larger gains being at Hampton, Thayer, Benedict, Arborville, Beaver Crossing, Surprise, Rising, David City, York, Exeter and Utica.
   Debts. Brainard has succeeded in paying the long standing debt to the Church Extension Board, but it required pertinacity on the part of Pastor Burres. Church Extension debts exist at Linwood and Stromsburg. Parsonage debts remain at Gresham, Waco and Ware, about as last year. No other property debt not fully provided for is left except at Exeter, hereinafter mentioned.
   Churches. Wesley Chapel on the Shelby charge, with an auditorium 32x38 feet and a pulpit alcove, a class room 14x28 feet, a tower 8x8 feet, 50 feet high, a bowled floor, circular pews, beautiful interior, heated by a furnace, costing $3,300, has been built and paid for. Pastor Lemon proved himself a sagacious leader in this undertaking. Funds for a hall are provided. This beautiful structure was dedicated by the presiding elder on May 3rd. The Horace Geiger Memorial Church at Stockham was erected and all the cost provided for during the year. The church has an auditorium 28x4O feet, with bowled floor, a lecture room 16x20 feet, a tower with a 1200 pound bell in it and a basement for a furnace, and the entire cost was $2,300 The church was dedicated by the presiding elder May 17th. This achievement required generous giving by the small membership and efficient leadership by the pastor, and was a larger success than the membership deemed possible. In the enthusiasm of Pastor Wilson the few

people at Eldorado have raised a subscription of nearly $1,200 and are proceeding rapidly in the erection of a church 24x4O feet with a vestibule. Knowing the field, I must concede that J. M. Wilson is a success in church building enterprises. On December 7th the enlarged church at Utica having been completed was dedicated by the presiding elder free of debt. Pastor Moore ably led in carrying to a successful completion this enterprise, well advanced under the pastorate of M. C. Smith. Osceola has sheathed the interior of the church with beautiful steel. Hampton has put in a steel ceiling. papered the walls and got money on hand to paint the exterior. York has beautified the interior walls, made a Sunday school room and a toilet room in the basement. Bellwood has an acetylene gas plant and has painted the church. Aurora has added a fine new organ and brick pavement. Benedict and Stromsburg now light with electricity. Charleston and Brainard have thoroughly renovated their churches. Seward has papered the church and got a new stove. David City has put in a new furnace, carpeted the lecture room and fixed the roof. Stromsburg has shingled the church and painted and papered the interior. Greenleaf, Garrison, Giltner, Pleasant View, and Pleasant Lawn churches have been painted and repaired. Exeter shingled and papered the church and got a new furnace.
   Parsonages. York has completed a beautiful and commodious parsonage with all the modern conveniences at an expense of $3,560. The balance of $900. unpaid is amply covered with good subscription. Pleasant Dale has erected and paid for a parsonage of five rooms with out buildings at a cost of $800. Ware has built a barn. Rising City has spent $175. for a porch, painting and walks. Osceola has added a large new coal house, a well and new side walk. Giltner, Thayer and Shelby have painted their parsonages. Other minor improvements have been made in many places. Exeter has sold the old parsonage and purchased a larger one joining the church property, having finely fixed up the old parsonage early in the year and recently papered the new one. A debt of $500. remains however.
   Benevolences. Although York district exceeded its apportionment for missions last year, an advance of $432. has been made swelling our total to $2,467. Substantial gains have been made in Sunday School, Tract and Woman's Home Missionary Society collections. The Omaha Hospital has been generously helped where its cause has been presented.
   Temperance. There are no saloons in York, Aurora, Osceola, Rising. Milford, Beaver Crossing, Marquette, Stockham, McCool, Bradshaw, Waco, Gresham, and a number of smaller towns. Seward came within ten of carrying no license, and Ulysses tied the vote, at the spring elections. Temperance sentiment is aggressive where the saloon question is agitated, and elsewhere it is dormant. The Epworth League movement in behalf or temperance will greatly arouse the sentiment the coming year.

   Woman's Work. The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society has been more aggressive this Year and the outlook for continued advancement is good. The Aid Societies are active and successful generally. The Woman's Home Missionary Society is well organized and is doing efficient work. The Mother's Jewels' Home, situated at York continues its good work, but our conference needs to know that it sustains orphans and finds homes for them more cheaply than the other finding societies doing work in Nebraska. This phase of our benevolent work needs more support from our pastors and people and should be sustained by them in preference to other societies doing a similar work. The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society and Woman's Home Missionary Society held profitable meetings during the year.
   District Conference. A profitable session was held at Osceola in May.
   Items. York has had a wonderful career of prosperity during the pastorate of O. W. Fifer. Her membership has grown from 468 members and 4 probationers to 711 members and 44 probationers. Her benevolences aggregated $471 at its inception and are $1,000 now, and this year nearly $2,000 have been paid on the parsonage and church improvements. The cash salary has gone from $1,100 to $1,400. This has been the most successful year of the pastorate and the reasons for its continuance are more weighty than ever.
   Rising City has had the most successful year in her history. Seventy-seven increase in full membership, $115 advance in salary with at least $100 more to be added for next year, a gain of $95 on missions, great growth in attendance on all of the varied public services, spiritual activity multiplied and an auspicious future, all indicate the value of W. T. Cline's ministry.
   Much heroic work has been done by pastors on charges not specially named. The compensation and fruit are delayed but we trust are sure.
   The four years of uninterrupted success enjoyed by the district are due to the fact that the pastors generally have been men of one work, guided by the Holy Spirit, believing the Savior to be Almighty, and are well suited to their charges; and also to the consecrated, intelligent activity of lay members. Only as all these workers have given Jesus Christ the leadership and realized that without him they would fail, has success crowned their efforts. Our future success is secure if we keep our faith, perfect it with works, and abound in love. To the pastors and their wives for their love and faithful help I am very grateful. The laity have continued their kindness and responsiveness to leadership. My heart overflows with love as I think of the gentle goodness and patient leadership of our Savior Jesus Christ and I pray that we may all be more efficient in well doing and make the coming Years what we can with faithful servantship of the King of Kings.
GEO. I. WRIGHT.

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