New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-24
TO EvANGELIzE BROOKLYN
BoUsE-ro.HousE CHRISTIAN WORK.
BRANCHES OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE BEING

going masses of people, who form the bulk OF the
population of municipalities 1t Is under the dircc-
ton Of tho Evangelical Alliance which held natioaai
conference in Washington last fall
The subject OF reaching people outside of church
Influences was then discussed and the germ Of the new
movement was started On the return OF tho dele
gates who went from Brooklyn 10 Washington, they
held meetings and organized Brooklyn Evangelical
Alliance with the Rev. DR.. L. T. Chamberlain presi-
dent and tho Rev. Charles B. Chaplin secretary, and
hoard Of managers representing all evangelical denom
nations The movement was worked out in plan
for branches of the Alliance In convenient parts OF the
CITY, like the district conferences Of the Bureau OF
Charities.
ALL DENOMINATIONS INTERESTED.
The plan now In operation is thus described by
Secretary Chaplin:
Thu city has been divided into thirteen groups OF
churches each group containing fifteen or twenty
churches and population Of some 10000 fsch church
in given group appoints supervisor and ten visitors
for each 100 members Then, when the nonehurchgoing
families are dscoveredand they may be ascertaned by
special visitation by the examination Of the several
church recordsthey TO be divided up IN snch way
that each visitor will have about ten families 70 look
after upon whom he or call once month; and
they be adjacent families the calling can DO done
In half day.
record OF the calls to carefully kept and reported
to the supervisors and through them to the Branch
Alliances This visitation is 10 be done in favor Of no
one denomination but In behalf Of all the aim being to
find the denomnaona preferences Of each family and
place at in connection with the pastor OF
some church Of that denomination. This is TO be kept
UP month in the hope and expectation that
II family does attend church after one or two vista
tons they may after Dozen But the plan is nexibe
enough to 1T itself varying circumstances
The plan ITSELF for comprclensiveness and simplicity
cannot be surpassed and 1t is feasible end practicable
as IL is commemorative and simple 1t does not enlarge
church machinery simply utizes what is already In
existence and IL for all IL Is WORTH wheeling into
line al organizations making them more effective than
ohfef chi tprfSti q
church movement a united church movement ana apos
tolic fits spirit BY organization ana cooperation
different and denominations can DO FAR more tha
alone. BY unity, instead Of division and Jealousy, each
church will be prohted. This plan suggests better'
more hopeful and practical the perpexng prob
lem OF city evangezaon than any other yet proposed
1t is designed to establish close warm, living synpa
thetc contact between church and the masses without
which almost nothing be done toward saving their
souls.
THE PERKS OF CITY LIFE
DR.. Josiah Strong, the secretary OF the National
Evangelical Alliance, who set foot the movement
IN this city, is the author OF ntlc book entitled
sour Country in which he has stated the pers which
assan the security OF this Nation by the tendency
10 mass population in cities lie IS actively engaged
in the work of organizing the Branch Alliances In
Brooklyn and already several have been put in shape
for the work to be done in the parts of the city
whore they are most needed. He said recently
In regard to the need for the work.
Of the Nineteenth Century is the evangezaton Of cities
The pers the country from indscriminate imiGra-
often been pointed out For the whole country
only onehrd Of the population Is foreign born or OF Tor
ogn parenage large cities hreefourths are So
The with which the Anarchists are identified are
confined to cities. Who heard of an Anarchist in
the country The city is also the seat of the saloon
power Sec how vastly the saloons outnumoer the
churches in New-York and Brooklyn
In Brooklyn. which formerly known as the Ciy
OF Churches" there was in 1910 church for each
7 1900 people there is only one to 1910 of the
population The tide Of population is sweeping IN upon he
cities such that adequate church accommodation
Afforded Brooklyn has good sized city added TO the
people every year. and where are the new
churches for themi Only here and there new ana
struggling enterprise And why are not the churches al
ready existing ned7 Something must be done to arouse
the people bring them IN 1t is not enough TO con-
tInue to has been done in the past This new
plan proposes 70 go the nonchurchgoers Visitors
from churches WIN go out and invite them IN All
evangelical churches are TO cooperate TO AVOID iIoh
and weakening of the work In other cities the work
has successful and expect great things In BOOK
Ign.
BRANCH ALLIANCES FORMED.
The plan to DO carried out in Brooklyn is to organ
ze the Branch Alliance in each district just as has al
ready been done in several as for instance the one
composed of the First Second, Fourth and Fifth Wards
It's officers are President, the Rev. Charles Cuthbert
Hail. of the First Presbyterian Church; vicepresident,
the Rev. DR.. r. L. Alsop, OF ST. AIMS Episcopal
Church; secretary. the Rev. f. S. Wolfe, OF the Mora
Wan Church. and treasurer, William Preston, Of the
johnson Street Methodist Episcopal Church When
Nil tho districts have been organized and the visitors
have done their work, mass meeting VIII De cailed
for the purpose Of aonsng interest In the work and
perfecting the further details. ,
Dr. Chamberlain as president of the Brooklyn Al;
10 the Protestant portion Of the Community that
Would occupy the Whole could be devoted to
81. The first step of tho visitors will be 10 call upon
each household to ascertain conreousy whether The
members attend church not. II not: their dcnomna-
Will he choice
church asceitaned II possible, and then visitor rom
thai church will go to the house and invite me people 10
the church and effort viii be made TO induce them
There viii be no rivalry or competition to see who
can get tho most members, but dsinerested spirit
viii be shown. II sufficient force of visitors would
volunteer from the churches at once the entire cry
could be canvassed in week, Dr. Chamberlain thought
When the churches have each attended to The district
Which have not been covered viii be assigned to
special corps of visitors.
caused I By tie of FACT that When the first meeting to ar
range for the work held the halfdozen UNIVERSAL
is, Unitarian and swcdenborgIan churches of Brook
iyn which are unevangelical were included in the in
vitatiOn and the pastors of some OF them ATTENDED,
for the membership only Of those who recognize the
divinity of Christ 1t was felt by the members not in
cncd to liberal views that the liberal churches were
not eligible to representation in the work, and they
were informed that It was by clerical error they
churches is small In Brooklyn that the matter is of
no serious moment and they are not at all desrons to
gecal churches viii carry on their own work In their
own way. Many OF the pastors say That they VIII
recommend people whom they learn Of outside Of
churches, who prefer the liberal ones to 60 TO them
COyGRESShAN MILLS TO THE IRoQUOIS CLUB
Chicago, April 23.-The fifth annual banquet Of the
IroQuOi Club held tonight the anniversary Of the
birthday Of stephen A. Douglas was success from
a Democratic standpoint Plates were laid for $50
guests and every seat taken when President New
berry called tho assemblage to order. Many proml-
nent Democrats from all parts of the country were
present and the enforced absence Of Henry Waterson
was productive OF universal regret Among the let
tiers OF regret received and read was one from George
william Curtis, who wrote among other things:
"Aiy occupations already made for tho time
tionei compel 10 lose the signal pleasure which
you propose to me, and can only assure you Of my
confidence that the counses of the Iroquos Club, by