The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-10
Twelve Thousand Religious Workers
in Convention at Minneapolis.
Opening Proceedings Of the Tenth Annual In
ternationsl Meeting Of the Young PeO-
pies Society Of Christian Endeayor.
Over 10000 Local Organizations, with q
Total Membership of Over q Million.
Report of Secretary Baer, Showing the Growth
ofthe SOciety-Address of Father Endeav-
or Clark. the Founder and President.
LARGEST EVER HELD,

LARGEST EVER HELD.
Twelve Thousand Delegates Open the Young
Peoples Endeavor Society Convention.
Special 10 the Indianapolis Journal
MINNEAPoLIs. MIMI, July a-Sunpy
skies. balmy air, hospitable bomes-this
was the days welcome of the city of Min
~neapolis to the throngs of youthful endeav-
ors who have been trooping into town ever
sincedaybreak. The multitude iseven larger
than the Woodworking local committee of
1891 had counted on. and even now il is ex-
pected that the infiux of delegates and Wis
itors to the decennial convention of the
Young Peoples Society of Christian En-
deavor will surpass the fifteen thousand
mark set for il. In fact. 1t gives promise
of being the largest convention ever held
by any society. All the morning was spent
in getting the ~visitors domiciled- A very
ingenious and thorough system has facili-
tated this work of quartering the visitors
in haspitable homes all over the city.
Couriers met the twenty-eight special
trains at points forty or fifty miles from the
city. They provided each delegate with O
slip giving the locator of the home to
which he or she was assigned and
explicit direction how to reach it. This.
combined with IN admirable system at
the depots, served to accelerate matters
well. Besides the special trains all the
regular trains were double their size. The
largest delegation to arrive in one body
was the New England train. bringing five
hundred. On this train was Father En-
deayor Clark. as he has been lovingly
dubbed by the society he founded. He -
the president and head of the movement.
General Secretary Baer, Ray ID. Sankey. the
singer, William Shaw, the general treas
urer, and other leading officers were aboard.
The ST. Louis train brought 80 of the most
enthusiastic young people. The Omaha
and Nebraska delegation. two hundred
strong, steamed in with silk banners fly
ing. The Endeavorm motto, For Christ and
the Church." was emblazoned every where.
canada sent fou hundred in one solid
train to ask the next convention for
Montreal, a plum which will be battled fox
by New YORK. too.
THE HALL AND IT'S
All day long the trains came, coming
right up to the hour of the opening of the
convention. The hall has q seating capac-
ity of fifteen thousand and is accessible TO
both cities. The auditorium had been
handsomely decorated for the occasion,
flags and bunting Astounding every where.
Most notable of al was the Christian En-
deayor motto, "For Christ and the Church."
NntCu nulk QlfcCt1y ONtI Tic cthkc. lh
front of the speakers stand hung the stars
and stripes. and beside 1t the British flag.
greeting the delegates from the United
States and Canada. On either hand were
pOtted plants, and evergreens. aud cut
flowers One thousand seats for the chorus
were banked up hack of the stage, ana the
twelve thousand seats for tae audience
were located on the main floor and the
one big gallery. Before, and during. and
after the singing of tho invocation hymn
the delegates came trooping in by groups.
and States. aud whole sections. badges
ffuJtering and banners flying. Each new
those already seated. As the $50 st. Louis
delegates filed in after their handsome
banner and marched across the hall TO
their seats on the right the applause WAS
seats. but her representatives came in
smaller groups and being there early well
coined those coming after.
Fully ten thousand were in their seats
when President Clark raped for order.
Directly in front of the stage and extend
ing more than half way across the hall
were the hundreds OF Illinois members.
Ohio filled the extreme right-hand seats
Just back of Ohio were the Missouri dele
gates. next To whom. in the center of the
great hall. sat the large Iowa delegation.
Wisconsin sat on the extreme left. st.
Paul aud Minneapolis were assigned to
seats IN the extreme rear of the main floor,
but over one thousand of their delegates
were In the convention chorus seated back
of the stage. However, there were few
vacant seats on the first floor. and the gal
leries also were well filled. In the gallery
on the right were the Minnesota members;
New York was to be located IN the center
directly opposite the stage. but had not ar
rived. and Oklahoma. Massachusetts, aud
Michigan occupied the extreme left. Penn
sylvenis sat next TO Minnesota and be-
side the New England States. while the
Others were scattered around the hall.
OPENING PROCEEDINGS.
The formal beginning of the convention
came when President Clark called the body
to order, and ten thousand voices joined IN
singing A Hail the Power of Jesus
Name" Rev. H.. w. Gleason, of Minneapo-
lis. was chosen scribe, and the convention
was ready for business. Rev. DIR. Vasser.
of Kansas City. then formally opened the
convention with prayer. Frank b. Daniels,
chairman of the committee of 1851. vel
coined the convention in the name of his
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS committee. TO whom 10
due the credit for the perfection of the ar
rangeneIIts. He babe them Welcome to
this building. TO our loved cities, TO our
homes and to our hearts,
Rev. DIR. III. Ii. French. of the Centenary
NJ. L. Church, Minneapolis. brought well
come, a welcome from pastors of the city
and church attendants to the number of
5000, O list of communicates upwards of
thirty Thousand strong and an army OF
Sunday-school scholars. He said: Be
cause Christianeadeayor stands for all
that is progressive and aggressiveIn church
work we sustain il as pastors. Besides. we
love ii because IL stands for the best Chris
tian effort the world has yet seem"
Rev DIR. Robert Christian, of the House
of Hope Presbyterian Church. spoke a well
come for the pastors OF his city. he said:
"A great enterprises are in the hands of
the young people; the throb of new life you
communicate Is welcomed, not feared"
He expressed that welcome lin the name
of the better day, when the test of loyalty
J and brotherhood shall not be in fealty 10 q
party or particular ensign. but 10 one blood
stained banner of the cross that Is over all
and above all.D
Secretary j. III. Elliott. Of the Y. NJ. G..
A.. expressed a welcome from a kindred or
ganization.
An eloquent response was made to these
welcomes by Rev. DIR. George ii. Wells. of
Montreal, whose response ended with q
strong invitation for the next convention
to meet in Montreal, and, as he announced
the invitation, it was seconded by the
shouts and waving handkerchief of the
Canadians from their seats IN the gallery.
This closed the afternoon session.