History of the Free Methodist Church of North America, Volume II

HISTORY OF THE FREE METHODIST CHURCH pointed him Chairman. The circuits within his district were, ¡ffarwick, Galt, London, Ellesmere, and Gananoque.

The only Conference preacher besides himself in the Canada work was D. D. Marston. In addition, however, the Conference appointed three men as supplies, and one charge was left to be supplied. He found a valuable lay helper and supporter of the work in Robert Loveless, whom he reports as having been "the main stay of the whole Canada work." l\lr. Sage was faithful to his trust this year, sticking to the work, and, besides taking general oversight of the few little societies already raised up, labored also at Thedford, London, Ellesmere, and other points, as best he could, still having to encounter much prejudice against the "Yankees," occasioned chiefly by a number of the communities where he sought to labor having been visited by "Yankees," some of them profeRsing to be ministers, who had proved themselves base hypocrites. He had left his field to visit his borne but three or four times during the year, and had practised rigid economy, because, as he tells us, he had received but about forty dollars for himself and family, and had no missionary appropriation.

He was returned to the work in the same relation in 1878, and again in 1879. In the early part of 1878 the work was opened at Woodstock, and a Doctor Brown, a dentist who, with his wife and daughter, had moved there from St. Johns, Michigan, made a home for him and his wife. At Hannon his labors were greatly blessed. Agracious revival occurred, and, as he tells us, "A class of thirty-two was raised up." His labors were generally successful during this and the following year, as were also the labors of the preachers who had been appointed to the Canada work with him. He was particularly successful in enlisting a number of talented and thoroughly devoted young women in the work, who were of great service to the cause as evangelist-pastors during subsequent years, when a sufficient number of men who were made of the [154]