A word here respecting the genuine hospitality of the people might not be out of place; this, however, is characteristic of Southerners. The presiding elder was not compelled to put up with the pastor all the time because nobody else wanted or invited him; far from it. A half dozen or more at a time would claim him as their guest. Instead of wondering where he would or could go, he was puzzled to know which of the many invitations to accept. How it embarrasses a man to be in a neighborhood where no one seems to want him. Or, if entertainment is proffered he may be further embarrassed by a question mark at the end of the invitation, “Well, are you going with me?” or, “If you’ve no place else to go, come with us.” I have been chilled many, many times since leaving the mountain State by just such half-hearted treatment. Nor were the presiding elder’s official duties performed without an occasional break caused by a wag or ignoramus. Rev. G. W. Weekley was traveling a circuit in Gilmer County with Rev. E. Harper as his elder. At a certain meeting the latter was presiding with his usual grace and dignity while the pastor, being a stickler for law, was making the Discipline the rule of his business conduct. A young man was before them for license to preach. He seemed to be all right, and had made a favorable impression upon his pastor. “You will please state before the chair and conference,” said the pastor to the applicant, “what your reasons are for desiring permission to preach the gospel.” In an instant the young brother was on his feet. The question was easy, he thought, and so his answer was clear-cut. “Well,” he said, “I always had a desire to see the country, and I thought that being a preacher would give me a chance to do so.” Then it was that the elder wilted and the preacher collapsed, and the quarterly conference looked blank, while the dear young brother felt himself the hero of the occasion. We met at the Bethel church in Mason County, in September of 1887, to make reports and to review the work of another year. Bishop Kephart was with us for the first, and Dr. Warner for the last time. To show our appreciation of Dr. Warner, the conference gave him a purse containing $25.00 in silver. My district paid, in salary and presents, $526.20, out of which $153 was expended for rent and car fare; 3,720 miles had been traveled by rail, 941 on horseback, and 415 on foot. The average salary in the conference was a fraction over $200. Including “presents,” which were considerable in some cases, only one charge, Parkersburg Station, went above $500. One other, Pennsboro, reached $400; eight got above $300, while seventeen paid less than $200 each. The financial report generally was much better than that of the previous year. The aggregate increase in ministerial support on Parkersburg District was $600. Slowly but surely we were pushing ahead and making progress, but at a cost known only to those who were on the field.