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Annual Conference Update from the Christman Archives...
We had a marvelous time at Annual Conference in June, and we were delighted to have met so many wonderful people from throughout the Conference area. At the Ministry Fair, we embossed perhaps a zillion passports with the seal of the 1945 Women's Society of Christian Service – and many of you got the chance to identify people in our display of archival photographs from Annual Conferences past. These photographs will be on display all summer long in the Learning Center at the Conference Office in White Plains, so be sure to come in and have a peek!
In case you missed Annual Conference in June, take a look at the slideshows we played, read our newsletter and be sure to email us at archives@nyac.com if you’d like to join us for a workshop in the fall.
Slideshows
These slideshows are self-running PowerPoint presentations. Click your "Esc" key to close the presentation at any time.Click the "Enter" key to advance to the next slide. And, please be patient on downloading — the files are fairly large (5MB and 20MB).
If you do not have PowerPoint on your computer, you can still view them! Click here to download the PowerPoint viewer program>> When you get to this page, click "Download" and follow the instructions as they appear on your screen. For more information about system requirements, scroll down the page from the link above.
Click here to view the NYAC slideshow>>
Click here to view the Poughkeepsie District slideshow #2>>
Happy New Year from the C. Wesley Christman Archives!
Do you have a new year’s resolution to learn more about your church’s history? Our Church Records and Archives Management workshop (scheduled for Saturday, January 30) might be just what you need to get started! We are also planning a genealogy workshop with historian Audrey Klinkenberg for Saturday, March 6. Click here to find out more about both of these workshops, including how to register >>
Celebrate Black History Month in February by attending an open house at the brand-new African American Methodist Heritage Center at the United Methodist Archives and History Center on Tuesday, February 9. Learn more about this open house and how you can join in the celebration. Click here to review the flyer>> Click here to review the invitation>>
Celebrate the season with the C. Wesley Christman Archives and the Epworth Herald
We are grateful to the Learning Center for allowing us to mount this exhibit in their space at the New York Annual Conference. This means that most groups that meet at the Conference Center in White Plains have the opportunity to learn about the history of youth mission work through the Epworth League.
What is the Epworth Herald?
The Epworth Herald was published from 1890 until 1940 as the official newspaper of the Epworth League in the northeastern United States. The southern branches of the Epworth League received instead the Epworth Era, published monthly in Tennessee.
What was the Epworth League?
The Epworth League was a young people’s service organization within the Methodist Episcopal Church from 1890 until 1940. Unlike the Sunday schools during this era, where boys and girls were taught separately, Epworth League organizations were co-ed. Epworth League members started as young as ages 10-12 in the Junior Division and could belong to the Senior League until they were adults aged 18-34.
These organizations were established with two great purposes in mind: to get young Methodists involved in good works, and to train Christian soldiers for the ministry. (There is not enough documentation to reflect the Methodist Protestant Church’s participation in the Epworth League.)
What did Epworth League members do?
Members believed in the Wesleyan philosophy that “the world is my parish,” and they worked to establish education that provided both academic study and practical training. The Epworth League’s efforts helped establish Clark College (today part of the Atlanta University Center); they supported literacy efforts in Appalachia and helped connect college students through religious and social engagements on campus.
Epworth League chapters were known for their zealous fundraising and serious involvement in mission work. The 1924 Epworth League Handbook notes that between 1919 and 1924, the Epworth League raised $380,000 for mission work in Africa, a sum that would be worth millions today. Local mission work was also important, and often a young Epworth League member would accompany a Deaconness in her rounds to the hospital, orphanage or retirement home.
In the early 20th century, Epworth League chapter meetings explored such issues as women’s right to vote, racial violence (taking a stand as early as the 1920s against the Ku Klux Klan and its practice of lynching), and public assistance to the disadvantaged.
What happened to the Epworth League? Does it still exist today?
The 1939 unification of the northern and southern branches of the Methodist Episcopal churches with the Methodist Protestant church meant that the Epworth League was renamed the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) and membership was for youth aged 12-24. 
Mission work continued to be emphasized, and in the 1940s and 1950s, Methodist students of all races met and worshipped together—this at a time when interracial gatherings of this kind were rare, especially in the south.
When the Evangelical United Brethren Church united with the Methodist Church in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church, the Methodist Youth Fellowship became the United Methodist Youth Fellowship, which continues to emphasize outreach work with young people today.
What’s so special about these newspaper front pages?
The C. Wesley Christman Archives is grateful to be the custodian of (nearly) the entire run of the Epworth Herald and its predecessor, Our Youth. These issues have been preserved for decades in acid-free preservation boxes by members of the New York Annual Conference Commission on Archives and History. Though we know little about the provenance of these items or how they came to the Christman Archives, we understand that they originally were owned by Carrie Hitt.
The Library of Congress describes the fragility of newspapers produced during this time:
Prior to the mid-1800's, newspapers were printed on paper made using cotton rag fiber. Many of these newspapers, even dating from the early eighteenth century, survive in excellent condition and will, if properly handled and cared for, survive for generations to come. Production of rag paper was a relatively expensive process, however, and as the nineteenth century progressed, technology and increasing literacy combined to encourage cheaper production of paper.
By the 1880's most newspapers and other mass market publications were being published on paper that was produced using a manufacturing technique that substituted untreated ground wood fibers for more expensive rag content, and included additional substances to prevent discoloration and decrease porosity. Paper made using this process carries within itself reactive agents that will speed its deterioration. Excessive moisture will cause the lignins and other impurities present in the newsprint to produce acids which weaken the paper. On the other hand, excessive heat and dryness will contribute to the paper's brittleness. While the use of wood pulp allowed production of a more economical medium for publication, it also guaranteed the instability of that medium over time. The cheapest and least stable form of this paper is newsprint. In addition to its obvious fragility, today's newsprint is especially susceptible to damage caused by heat, light, dampness and airborne pollutants.
These issues present a tangible link to the history of youth mission work within the United Methodist Church, and these 19th-century newspapers are marvelously well-preserved, providing a fascinating glimpse into printing history during this era.
Today’s artifacts, including film slides, t-shirts and program materials, are collected by the Christman Archives for preservation so that future generations might learn and appreciate the rich history of youth mission in the United Methodist Church.
A word about lithography and engraving...
These issues were printed at a time before photographs were commonly mass-produced for newspapers; they instead used lithography and engraving for illustrating articles.
Lithography is a process where the image to be printed is inked onto a lithographic limestone that is chemically treated to transfer ink from certain areas onto paper. This can provide for a rich, multicolored image with a more painterly feel and subtle gradations in shading. This video www.youtube.com/watch shows the process on a modern hand press.
Engraving is the process where an image is etched in reverse onto a hard flat surface, which is then installed in a printing press and used to create a finely-detailed, etched surface.
Can you tell which of these newspaper covers use lithography and which use engraving to create images?
Resources
Brummitt, Dan B. The Epworth League’s History and Our Pledge. Chicago: Epworth League, 1918.
Chambers, M.M. “Organized Youth in America.” American Sociological Association: Feb. 1938: 351-359.
Smith, J. Warren. “Youth Ministry in American Methodism's Mission.” Methodist History: July 1981: 224-230.
“Epworth League.” Wikipedia. November 23, 2009 .
“Preserving Newspapers.” Library of Congress. November 30, 2009 .
October is American Archives Month!
Help the C. Wesley Christman Archives celebrate the rich Methodist history of the New York Annual Conference and Visit our display area in the NYAC Learning Center during October, and help yourself to brochures that describe the rich history of Methodism in the New York Annual Conference.
Learn about how the Christman Archives can help you and your church preserve history and manage local church records.
Get involved!Get to know your local church historian, join a historical committee in your church or community, or contact the Archives to find out how you can join the NYAC Commission on Archives and History.
Find out about Methodist history in the region by reading recent newsletters, including the Northeastern United Methodist Historical Bulletin and the newsletters of the NYAC Commission on Archives and History and the Christman Archives.