312
Methodism in Kentucky
with only twenty-five parsonages. There were no Sunday Schools reported at the first session in Lexington, and we doubt if more than a very few. were then in operation in the Conference. In 1845, there are one hundred 'and nineteen Sunday Schoods, with 796 teachers, and 5路,988 scholars. There was no other young people's work. While it was attempted to cover the territory of the State with a gospel ministry, and this made necessary the appropriation of some missionary money to poor charges in the mountain& and elsewhere, the missionary operations of the Conference were confined almost entirely to the slave population. Ministers everywhere were charged to give attention to the slaves, and a few men were appointed exclusively to this work. The gathering into the Church of nearly ten thous'and colored people was no small achievement. It should be remembered by our readers that the M. E. Church, South, always showed a deep interest in the salvation of the slaves. In 1860, there was a colored membership in this Church of 207,766. Our statistical tables carried a column for colored members until 1896. The total amount of the contributions by the Conference for Missions in 1845, was $2,277.18. In educational matters the Methodists of Kentucky have never been fortunate. We have undertaken to do great things when our resources were too small for the tasks. It was not for want of stUdents, but for lack of money that Bethel Academy failed, and had been entirely abandoned when the Kentucky Conference came into being. With Augusta College it was the same story. This institution, founded in 1822, accomplished wonderful things upon very small capital. Some of the best men that could be found in all Methodism