The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-29
oENoMINATIoNAL Comfy.
President Whitman's Paper at The Par
lament of Religions.

President Whitman, of Colby Univer-
sity contributed to the Parliament OF
Religions now in session at chicago
valuable paper on Observation-Disclosures
comfy. In substance he said:
Christian interests are larger than de-
nominational interests. All truths are
true, but not all are of equal Importance.
There Is such thing as system OF
truth. In "a system right subordinatlon
is indispensable. One OF the fundamen-
tai principles of comfy. whatever the
sphere, is that emphasis may be- laid
upon the supreme things without dam
age to things relatively unlmportant.
phasis rightly placed A man responds
to personal interest more quickly than
to the interests of stranger. The near
seems larger than the distant. This
life is more real than the life TO come.
So men deceive themselves when they
intend to be fair. There is safety only
in larger view. The practical effort
comes out in the local body. Where man
is work must be done.
For long time it has been customary
in Maine as in many parts OF the country
for the different denominations to extend
| greetings at their annual meetings. Three
years ago when the Congregatlonal1st
body was in session the fraternal dele
gate of the Eastern Maine Methodist
Conference was unable to be present,
and therefore sent his greeting by letter
In that letter was expressed desire Tor
closer UNCONVENTIONAL relations. The
suggestions contained in that letter met
| cordial response, and steps were at once
taken to bring together committees from
the Baptists, Christian, Congregational,
Free Baptist and Methodist denomina-
tions A meeting of these committees
was held Dec. Is. $780, The result OF
that meeting was that the following
platform of the InterdenOmlnatlona
Commission on church work in the State
of Maine" was adopted as follows:
Recognizing the evident desire OF the
evangelical denomination OF Maine to
do more efficient work for our common
Lord and believing that the Holy Spirit
is moving Christians towards practical
cooperation, we rejoice in the progress
already made in this direction and de-
sire to reafirm our conviction as follows:
That chucrh extension into destitute
communities should be conducted, as
far as practical, according to the follow
| ing considerations-viz
/. No community in which any de-
nomination has legitimate claims should
be entered by any other denomination
through it's official agencies without con-
lGIGuC0 WIUu Uut QCAOlUldctulOl Va Wv
nominations having said claims.
2. A feeble church should be revived,
| if possible, rather than a new one estab-
lished to become its rival.
7 8. The preference of a community
should always be regarded by denomi-
national committees, missionary agents
and individual workers.
4. Those denominations having
churches nearest at hand should, other
things being equal, be recognized as In
the most advantageous position to en-
courage in their vicinity.
5. In case one denomination begins
gospel work in a destitute community it
should be left to develop that work with
out other UNCONVENTIONAL interference.
g. Temporary suspension of church
work by any denomination occupying a
field should not be deemed sufficient
warrant in itself for entrance into the
field by another denomination. Temper
airy suspension should be deemed perma-
| nent abandonment when church has
had no preaching and held no meetings
for an entire year or more.
z. All questions of Interpretation of the
foregoing statements and cases OF
friction between .4 denominations or
churches of different denominations
should be referred to the commission
through it's Executive committee.