The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-10-18

EIno have enlisted to fight the splendid
battle AFor Christ and the Church"
Like m ost great fortunes, like most
great names, like the war itself, the
Christian Endeavor movement had a
small beginning. BY this time almost
all the neSvSpaper-reading world ia
familiar with its brief history. How
Rev. Dr. Francis z. Clark, of the Willis
ton church of Portland. Me, became
pnxiOus about the spiritual condition
Of the young people in his congrega-
ton: how. after an unusually large
number had united with his church one
week, he made up his mind to devise
some plan by which their attention
might be concentrate on church work
and churchly things, and with that end
In view invited them to meeting at
his house; how, when they got there,
he told them Of his worriment, and.
while the fervor of their sentiment was
at its height, asked them to sign a lit
tie pledge to help him with themselves
and others-all these facts are old
stories by this time
When | first wrote about the organi-
y
ago--they We're not old. Every one
who read them was amazed by two
things-the srnallness of the beginning
and the 5igness of the result. But
since then the movement has become
one in which the whole nation takes an
interest. There is scarcely city in
the hand which does not feel its influ-
ence.
This Is the story of its spread:
After the first prayer meeting at the
Milliston church (it was led by boy
OF eleven years.. West church in Port
land copied Wilhston methods. Soon
nearly all the Portland churches fol-
lowed suit. EdmnInd T. Garland soon
hnoved from Portlond TO Lincoln, Neb.,
t.nd took with him the idea. He had
;been a member of the Williston church.
Charles Il. Newton moved from Port
land to South Hadley, Mass. and
started the movement there. A Willis
ton girl married the pastor of church
at Duluth, MIMI, and that gave the
new society a foothold around the
lakes. John Chatnocb. of the Willis
ton society. went to Tacoma. Wash,
and that gave new center in the far
northwest. He was an EngGshman
and wrote the rector of an English
church about ii. The notion please
the British parson, and Christian En-
deavor societies began 10 spring up all
over England. Williston influence
started the movement among the
6hristian churches in Foo Cho. China.
Presently Dr. Clark described the plan
in letter to 4 Boston religious paper,
and thousands of inquiries coming in
Srom all directions gave the movement
Its beginning in every state ard terri
tory, IN every country. In writing of
the growth of the idea the founder Of
the society says:
Wherever one of the winged seeds Of
THE information was waited it usually
took root. and a little Christian En-
deavor plant was the result; OF. as some
one wittily expressed it at a national
convention. the society was contagious
like the measles: if one church had II
the church next il was pretty sure to
catch il also"
All this illustrates how small this
world i: how one persons single act
may influence 4 myriad. But there is
no better illust ration of how big this
world Is than the vast number OF peo-
pie who have thus been reached by Dr.
Clark : simple plan.
Should at equal number of people in
t5rest themselves in any other cause,
their power would he momentous In
politicS-even allowing that as large a
proportion as among the Endeavors
were women and minors-thelr efforts
might easily control presidential cleo
tions might save or sink the country.
II has recently been proposed that the
voting members of the society in New
York city should concentrate their bal
lots on reform candidate. They viii
not do tit would not do for the well
fare Of the society If they did; but. If
they should, that candidate would
he elected by an overwhelming