Epworth League
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Epworth League. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a society of young people of the Methodist Episcopal Church; formed May 15, 1889, in Cleve land, O., by the union of five societies affiliated with the Methodist Church. It adopted as its motto: "Look up, Lift up," and its declared object is to "promote intelligent and loyal piety in the young members and friends of the Church; to aid them in the attainment of purity of and heart and constant growth in grace and to train them in works of mercy help." The league is governed by y a board of control, appointed by the bishops, and Presiconsisting of one bishop, who is dent, and one member for each General Conference District. The general secretary, the assistant-general secretaries for conferences, and the German and colored the editor of the "E "Epworth Herald" are advisory members. From the United n, States the league extended to Japan, , the Philip- China, India, Norway, Sweden pines, Burma, Mexico, South America, Bulgaria, and other Denmark, Finland, countries. In 1920 there were 30,000 chapters enrolled, with over 2,000,000 members.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
an organization of the young people of the Methodist church. It was formed in May, 1889, at Cleveland, Ohio, much on the model of the Christian Endeavor society. Members take the following pledge: I will earnestly seek for myself, and do what I can to help others to attain, the highest New Testament standard of experience in life. I will abstain from all forms of worldly amusement forbidden by the discipline of the Methodist Episcopal church , and I will attend, as far as possible, the religious meetings of the chapter and the church, and take some active part in them. The society has extended its organization to many foreign countries, and now numbers about 2,000,000 members enrolled in nearly 30,000 societies. The general management is entrusted to a board of control.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The organization Collier's described in 1921 as having "30,000 chapters enrolled, with over 2,000,000 members" no longer exists under that name. When the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and the Methodist Protestant Church united in 1939 to form the Methodist Church, the Epworth League was folded into a single youth program, reorganized in 1941 as the Methodist Youth Fellowship; after the 1968 merger that created the United Methodist Church it became United Methodist Youth. The Epworth Herald, listed here as the League's paper, ceased publication, and the pledge Aiton's quotes in 1910 -- abstaining "from all forms of worldly amusement forbidden by the discipline" -- would not be asked of a Methodist teenager today. The name survives mainly in place names: Epworth camps, retreat centers and church halls across the United States, plus scattered youth societies in smaller Methodist bodies.
Written for this edition, 2026.