The Life of Sir William Hartley

At this point it is desirable to give a connected record of Mr. Hartley's relations with the Primitive Methodist Church. Several things will be dismissed with bare mention, because detailed reference is made to them elsewhere. His challenge offer of £1,000 for the liquidation of the Missionary Society's debt was made in 1884. At the annual Missionary Meeting held in the Metropolitan Tabernacle in May, 1885, he was the Chairman, and the removal of the debt was announced. At the Conference of that year the question of Chapel debts was considered and a scheme proposed by Mr. Hartley was referred to a committee of which he was a member. This committee recommended the formation of an Association on the lines suggested by him. The scheme was finally sanctioned by the Conference of 1889 and the Chapel Aid Association was registered January 2, 1890. Mr. Hartley became its treasurer. In 1890 the Conference appointed him Missionary Treasurer. In 1891 he took up the cause of ministerial education, offering to pay for five years the salary of a tutor at the College in Manchester. This led to my appointment by the Conference of 1892. Of this Conference Mr. Hartley was the Vice-President. As the Jubilee of the Missionary Society was to be celebrated it was decided to raise a fund. The proposal was for a comparatively small sum, but Mr. Hartley urged that £50,000 should be raised, of which he promised £5,000. During his year of office he travelled all over the denomination advocating its claims. The President of the Conference was the Rev. James Travis and he rendered the most valuable service to the Fund by his powerful appeals on behalf of the causes to which the Fund was to be devoted. For several months he was speaking at meetings in all parts of the denomination. As he was constantly accompanying the Vice-President it is fitting to quote the tribute he pays to the services rendered by his colleague.

-"The Vice-President (Mr. W. P. Hartley), especially considering the demands of his great business, cheerfully devoted an amazingly large portion of his time to this important movement. His clear and convincing presentation of the question was always listened to with great respect. And his persistent exhortations to proportionate giving, so strongly emphasised by his own example, often made a great impression, and are still bringing forth fruit. It is bare justice to say that, but for his munificent generosity and personal influence, the movement would never have culminated in the success it did" (_Seventy-five Years_, pp. 136 f.).