Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-16
WILL REDEEM CITIES.
An Important Convention of Meth
Odist Church Unions
TO FORWARD. CHARACTERIZATION.
Talks at an Open Meeting by Various Visit
ing DivineS
UNITED PRESBYTERIANS IN SESSION.

The opening session of what promises to
be an important conference of the various
Methodist Church unions was held last
night in the Smithfeld- Street NJ. E.
Church. The object is to adopt plans and
discuss the best way for procedure in the
evangelization of cities. About 40 dele
gates have arrived, and many more are ex-
pected to-day. The delegates represent
different sections of this country, many of
them being ministers
Last nights meeting was what is called a
platform meeting 1t was largely attended.
The services were opened by reading of
Scriptures by Rev. DR.. Creighton, of Mil
waukee, after which Rev. A. ID. Traveller,
superintendent of the Chicago City Mission,
was introduced. The speaker, after paying
neat tribute to Pittsburg and still
more glowing tribute to Chicago, said
the. movement for the evangelization of
cities was God-like in its sweep. The OBJ
ject of the meeting was to do away with
apathy in the church, and muster some
push and energy SO as to bring the multi
tudes IN large cities to Christ.
Union of Ideas Needed.
of procedure in the work." said he, land
what is wanted is concentration of ideas
The work is not one of benevolence on
the part of the church, but
it is matter of defense The first step will
be to Americanize and Christianize the for
eign element For this work men of brains
are eneeded, and no cranks should be given
a place, because they will not do. The best
ic ha e ~
who accepts the Bible from start to finish.
In Chicago in five years they have organ
lied and put into operation 81 missions.
Twenty-Five of these have become self-sus-
tanning. The purpose there is to build ten
churches year for the next ten years, and
10 keep on until they make Chicago the
grandest city in the world.
Rev. Merritt Hulburd, d. D., pastor of
the Spring Garden Street NJ T. Church, of
Philadelphia, said large cities afford a first
class field for evangelistic work. The
speaker differed with men who claimed that
the highest type of Christian life could be
found in the country. This, he claimed,
was not so. The highest type of Christians
were to be found in the cities Dr. Hull
burd claimed that Foreign Mission work
can be better accomplished by Christianiz-
ing the foreigners who come here and send
them back to Christianize their own people
machinery THAT has no friction and is well
disciplined.
a Work of Great Importance.
Rev. George P Mains, D. D., pastor of
the New York Avenue Methodist Episcopal
Church, Brooklyn, was the next speaker.
DIR. Mains said that the question was one of
vital Importance to all religious denomina-
lions in tine country, and the work is tunda-
mental to all church work. ''The great |
cities, said he, will hereafter not only be |
the center of civilization, will also be the |
storm center. One of the difficulties to be |
encountered is the wide gulf separating the |
social conditions of the people The rich /
as rule care little for a subject of this |
kind, so that their children are brought up |
iii ignorance of it, and it can be well said |
that 'one-half the world does not know how
the other half lives
''The first duty then is to bring both
classes together. The Young men in large
cities especially need looking after They
stray away from their church and 1 know
that they pay five times more for the sup
port of play houses than the church. In
Brooklyn, though it is known as the City of
Churches, there are five saloons for every
church and 1 am sorry to say most of them
are open seven days in the week. What is
wanted is Christianity that will close the
doors of the saloons so that the Young men
may be saved"
Will Get Down to Work To- DaT.
Rev. DR.. Pierson, of Cincinnati, spoke OF
mission work III that city, and the services
were ended by singing the Doxology.
The Conference will get down to work to-
day. The first session will begin at 10
O'Clock, and in the afternoon a question
drawer will be conducted.
A meeting of the Executive Committee
was held yesterday afternoon, at which
plans for guidance of the Conference were
adonfed |