Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/520

 460 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI W. A. Tetley, Poplar Bluff, 307. C. L. Kirkendall. Poplar Bluff Ct., 198. A. R. Sander.s, Pine Ct., 272. E. Jones, Sherry Ct., 162. T. W. Glass, Williamsville Ct., 302. J. C. Reid, C. Francis, Zalma Ct., 220. Total, 6,822. De Soto district has for its Presiding Elder Rev. J. W. Worsnop. Of the organization in this district the following are within the ter- ritory covered in this history. E. J. Rinkel, De Soto, 208. J. P. McDonald, De Soto Circuit, 228. Geo. J. Evans, Festus, 317. D. R. Davis, Hematite Circuit, 101. J. R. Kincaid, Plattin Circuit, 256. West Plains district has for its Presiding Elder William A. Humphrey. The following organizations are considered here. H. L. Taylor, Ellington Circuit, 341. Geo. Jaycox, Lesterville Circuit, 90. The church has entered upon an era of great expansion in this part of the state. This is evidenced not only by the large in- crease in numbers, the greater influence pos- sessed by the church in all social and moral questions, but also by the remarkable im- provement in church buildings. In the last ten years the church has erected a number of buildings of great cost, well-planned and con- structed and adapted to the work of the church as it is now carried on. Cape Girar- deau, Jackson, Charleston and Sikeston, have recently erected churches each costing more than $40,000, and each of permanent and en- during materials. The church at Cape Girar- deau is built of native stone. It is of Gothic architecture, handsomely finished and fur- nished, has a large auditorium, Sunday school rooms, a kitchen and dining rooms, offices and all the equipment necessary to the work of a modern church. The church at Jackson is of brick and equally as well adapted for its purpose. The Charleston chui'ch is of stone, and is one of the best in this section. Perhaps the best building owned by the church in this part of the state is that at Sikeston finished and occupied in 1912. It is built of brick of the modified Romanesciue style, has a handsome auditorium with domed roof, is finished in handsome woods, and beautifully lighted and seated. The audito- rium contains one of the largest pipe-organs in the state. There are many rooms for Sun- day school purpose so arranged as to be thrown into the main portion of the church as occasion demands. Other churches of the St. Louis Conference, outside of St. Louis are almost equal to these. That at Dexter is of recent erection and is a handsome and dignified structure. In another chapter an account has been given of the educational work of the church in supporting Marvin Collegiate Institute at Fredericktown. In all that pertains to the welfare of society at large the church in Southeast Missouri takes an active and ef- ficient part. To the heroic pioneer jirtachers of the IMethodist church is due a large debt of grat- itude for the work which they accomplished in this part of the state. At a time when frontier conditions prevailed over the entire section these men faced the perils and hard- ship of the wilderness in discharge of the dut.v which rested upon them. Through the period of growth that preceded the Civil war, while the wilderness was being subdued, towns built, farms cleared, and the state en- tering on its marvellous career of prosperity