The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-08-27
INDIANA'SEPWORTH LEAGUE
Interesting and Well Attended Conven-
ton Now in Progress at Bloomington.
Sunrise" Meeting, Followed By a Business
Session Later I'M the Day-Able Address by
DR.. Coulter on "The Ethics of Christ"
Special TO the indianapolis Journal.

convention of the Epworth League of In
diana continued It's sessions to-day with
great interest. The attendance has sur
passed all expect atoms. and the interest in
the meetings is not exceeded by that OF a
General Conference. All the sections of the
State are represented by delegates. and it
is already evident that they came on bust
ness and for the good of the cause. The re-
ception in the parlors of the church last
night was a success in every respect. After
the religious services all the visitors were
formally entertained by the members of
the local league and the citizens generally,
who were introduced to the strangers. As
a token of the occasion each delegate and
visitor was presented with o handsome but
ton-hole bouquet and the colors of the
league, red and white. 1t was after 10
O'Clock when the reception committee fin
ished its work.
A feature of the convention that proved
very interesting was the sunrise" meeting
this morning. At sos o'clock the first bell
rang, and when the second bell was rung
at 5:3S, which was exactly at sunrise. the
lecture-room OF the church was we'll titled.
The services were In charge of Rev. W.. +.
Sheridan. of Indianapolis, who led the
exercises, which were in the nature of q
testimony and praise-offering. Remarks
were made by thirty or more, and then the
exercises took the form of q prayer.meet-
ing. lasting for an hour.
The regular business session of the con-
vention proper began this morning at o
o'clock, and by that hour the audience
room of the church was well filled. After
the opening song and prayer, Rev. G. +.
Bacon, of Evansville, made q very interest
ing address on the topic, why Are We
AArapO Ha GnnEn nf fha rranf nnnH that
could be accomplished by the united
effort of the EpwOrth League as individual
chapters. when under thorough discipline.
and the benefits that always came from
the work of the younger members of the
church. At this point general business
was taken up. Rev. G. T.. Bacon, of Evans
VILE. was elected chairman of the onve n
ton; Rev. Lewis Moore, of Edinburg,
railroad secretary; Rev. KinzIe. of Knights
VILE. statistical secretary; assistants,
Misses Lulu Stratch, of Lafayette. and
Amy Branner. OF Wabash. Committee on
May, of DePauw University; Lewis. of
Brazil, and Hyde. of Indianapolis. Rev.
Hyde, of Brazil. and Rev. w. (: Sherldan.
of Indianapolis, were elected members OF
the Epworth League committee. A motion
was also carried with enthusiasm to make
the Bloomington League as o body q men,
Der of the convention.
After the election of officers q paper was
read on What Does the Bible Claim to
Be-" by Rev. III. s. Beals, of the theolo9-
ical school of DePauw University.
DIR. COULTER'S
The last paper on the morning programme
was read by DR.. Coulter. who took for his
subject 1.-THE Ethics of Christ" The paper
created unusual interest, and. at the close,
the Doctor was given q rising vote of
thanks by the convention. He opened his
address by stating that 1t was o privilege
to address young people, for it is with them
The destiny of the country for
good or bad is with the young peo-
pie of to-day. 1t is for this reason
that our educational institutions are
Gus habits of thought and action. he
urged upon all the robust. virile way of
thinking of things which always carry
strength. and had no stock In the common
to be cast aside. In closing Dr.. Coulter
said: 1--WE are fond of declaring that we
will have no guide but the Savior himself.
Such sentiments cannot be too highly COM
mended: and in attempting to live them
one might expect the hearty Godspeed of
every e~reed-burdened church in the world.
Such statements, however, are usually ut
tered in a rebellious spirit-a spirit of re-
belllon against rigidlty OF church creeds.
and with the notion that these lofty senti-
ments ~unfetter men from church chains
and permit laXer faith and looser conduct
as if following the teaching of Christ was a
kind of compromise between following the
church and the world. Not TO speak of the
logical conclusion of this belief, which
places Christ in the anomalous position of
being more conformed to the world than the
church. such belief is contrary to the most
The ultimate appeal in every Christian
creed is the word of Christ. and besides
this. the severest ethics in allliterature IRE
contained In the Sermon on the Mount.
We may speak of the severity of the moral
code of Paul, of Luther, of Calvin, and we
may bewilder ourselves in q fog-bank of
speculation as to its justice or applicability
to the human race. but the piercing beams
OF Christ's code admit of nc speculation,
are involved in no contingency, bringing
into clearest light the very essentials of
morality. His precepts are harder to keep
than the commandments of Sinai. 1t is no
wOnder that when Jesus had ended these
sayings the people were astonlshed at His
doctrine. Each saying is n blade cutting
sin in the heart and laying bare the super
fetal in every life. 1t is not the appearing,
but the being that is all essential; 1T is
not the prayer to be seen of men,
but the prayer that is in secret;
not the aims before men, but those
that no man sees; not the mere petition for
forgiveness. but the heart itself that for
gives wrongs; not loving respectable peo-
pie merely, but hateful people as we'll: not
a. oCCiul1 kOO0 Dub - putty VI
heart; not morality. so called, but that
which is genuine righteousness. beginning
in the heart and dwelling there. Such
precepts have, perhaps. never known a
living personitication except Christ.
The paper of DR.. Coulter was followed in
tho afternoon by an excellent address on
denominational 10y atty by Will S. Talbot,
of Orleans; also a paper by Miss Kate q.
PaulsOn. of Greenfield. The reports of the
work in the field were postponed until tho
facts could be collected, and were finally
passed over until morning, though short
verbal reports of the general condition of
the various chapters were given by the
official delegates. At $50 A. NJ. a model
Epworth League meeting was held in the
Iecture-room of the church, which was very
largely attended, q large number taxing
part. The exercises and the meeting were
indeed O model in this way.
Friends Bible-School Assembly.
Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
WARSAW, Ind, Aug. 26.-The Friends
Bible-school Assembly of Indiana Yearly
Meeting convened at Eagle Lake Park yes-
terday afternoon. Among the arrivals are:
n--e II yv NJ NJ