Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-09
J. Y. FAREWELL.
THE GREAT WORKER IN THE YOUNG
MEMS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
He Discusses to the st. Paul Public
Through the Plymouth Church-Ho
Thinks Business Should be United With
Christianity.

At Plymouth church last evening the Hon.
John V. Farwell. of the firm of John v. Far
well Co., of Chicago, and one of the Presi-
dental party, addressed the congregation. The
intimate connection of the gentleman with
the growth and spread of the Young Mems
Christian Association alone sufficient to
make the fact important and interesting. The
church, however, was not nearly filed, owing,
no doubt, to the fact that the appointment was
not announced in the SUNDAY GLOBE.
After the usual service of praise and prayer
the honorable gentleman addressed the congre-
CATION. His discourse was in no sense a ser
mon, commencing as he did by abiding to his
connection with Young Mems Christian associa-
lions, following with rambling statement of
the duties of Christians to the world and the
church, and concluding with some vague COM
ments upon what he called short sermon of
Peters. Mr.. Farwell is not fluent nor very
pleasing speaker, and if last evenings effort
may be taken as fair specimen of his style he
must be considered dull, wander
ing uninteresting, prosy, but, it is
hoped, not altogether proftless. He
said that when he became associated
mems association at all, but rather an old
mans association, it being formed by old men
to provide good reading-Christian reading for
young men,. But this did not go far enough
and missionary spirit was soon manifest.
This was in 1857 and 1858. At this time there
were no buildings which the associations any
where could call their own, and Chicago has
the honor of possessing the first Y. M. G. A.
building, and to-day there are millions of dol
lars invested in Y. M. G. A. buildings through
out the world and the associations
have grown wonderfully; he believed them to be
has blessed. He said time would not admit of
even the mention of the numerous good men
who had grown out of the associations, but he
could not refrain from mentioning Moody.
without whom Chicago would never have had
her Y. M. q. A.. building, and it is doubtful
even if the society would itself have existed.
Here he abruptly broke off, and quoted
Christ's question to st. Peter and his answer,
'"Thou art the Christ the son of the living
God" On this statement of facts he said Christ
built his church. This was Peters creed and it
would have been we'll if no other creed had
been promulgated-it would have saved much
bloodshed and strife. Wars have arisen from
a multitude of creeds and strife, from the fact
that each man wants his neighbor to go to
heaven through his door. But the speaker
thanked God that this state of affairs was
rapidly passing away, and he was particularly
glad to find that the armies of the Master in
st. Paul are as one body. He gathered from
the prayer of the pastor that all sects had
united in the gospel meetings. 1t had been
estimated that in 1880 the population
of the United States would be 200, 900, 900.
When he read that statement it surprised him
and aroused his ambition to live another fifty
years to what Christian unity would ac-
complish. AS business men we ought to take
a glance at the position, as to what we can do
to save the boys of the future. There is moth
ing of more importance or interest to us than
what we can do to Christianize the people,
Many object to Y. M. G. associations because it
is a separate organizations new church. He
did not see it in that light. In his time a large
percentage of sermons preached were devoted
to propounding particular doctrines of
particular churches with an oc-
casional bomb thrown at some other church.
Then he thought it right, but after his
second conversion he could see no difference
between Presbyterian or Methodist or Baptist.
The speaker thought it should be the business
of all Christians to make this nation in 1880
the foremost Christian nation in the world;
we know from the developments of the nation
what can be done. He was glad St. Paul has
such representatives. in their pulpits as they
have, coming from the East and taking hold of
this union. He then went on to say that Peter,
who gave the formula for creed he had read,
was not promising Christian and not
very orthodox-he denied his master
and did many foolish things. This should en-
courage weak ones, who should study his life.
He would like to read little sermon to them,
he said, written by Peter, and he read from the
second epistle of Peter, the first chapter, COM
menting upon it as he read. The gentleman
occupies upwards Of three-quarters Of an hour
with his address, the concluding part being the
necessity of works as we'll as faith but warn
ing not to work to be saved, but to work be-
cause we are saved. Go home, he said, and
reason with yourselves as to what you can in
dividually do to mould the character of the
country SO that when the population is two
hundred millions those millions shall be
Christians.
At the conclusion of the address Rev. DR..
Dana spoke briefly. saying that the grandest
thing that can be said of man is what st.
Peter said Of himself-''a servant and an
apostle of Jesus Christ 1t was not the rev.
erend this or that, or the pastor of this church
or that church, but the servant of the Lord
Jesus Christ. A man holding God by one hand
could strike the city with the other. He
alluded to John Knox before Queen of SCOTS
and Whitfield and John Sterling. We should
not hesitate and choose our work, but be ready
to do anything for the Lord. The services were
brought to a close by long prayer by Hon. J. V
Farwell and the benediction pronounced by DR.
Dana.