The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-29
CITY Pastors and
Their Hard Work
Religious Developments of One Week
in All Our Churches.
AUXILIARY ACTIVITIES NOTED
Carefully Compiled Compendium Of News
and Personal Mention Relating to the
Churches and the Benevolent and
Charitable Religious Societies.

are passing uHuer IRE anu lIle WhOiS
world stands aghast at the relations
of corruption made by the LeXow COM
mittee, it is consoling to find among
this class one who is engaged in some
thing better than blackmailing and
bulldozing. We have such a one in
Edward Nesbitt, handsome, muscular
man, who does some preaching in the
Old Slip Mission station.
Nesbitt generally breaches to police
men Sunday afternoons at a service
specially held for their benefit. At
recent meeting, when many Of the force
We're present in citizens clothes, Mes
bitt got up and spoke with a rough
eloquence and power Of expression not
to be looked for in a New York police
man. His remarks are always practical
and bearing upon the policeman's life.
He earnestly urges them to do their
full duty, to be prompt in attendance,
truthful in their statements, respect
full to superior officers and particu-
larly to abstain from alcoholic drinks.
1t is said that Nesbitt likes the study
of theology and devotes to it his spare
hours. He is called elsewhere to make
addresses, and lately spoke to an audi
ence of 400 Bowery inhabitants, at the
close of which eight persons rose for
prayer. He has done great amount
of good, and has been in the work these
many years. His record is a model
one ,and he is held in high esteem by
his fellow-otficers.
Christian Culture Course.
Rev. w. G. Partridge, pastor of the
Penn Avenue Baptist church, conducts
a very successful class in Christian
culture. From fifty to sixty young
peoplem meet every Friday evening in the
parlors of the church, where they are
trained by their pastor. The study pur
sued at present is the History of
the Reformation" and special attention
being given to the leaders of religious
thought in the Christian church
through the ages. The students are
greatly interested, and as they passed
lately through the lives of Arnold of
Brecia, Savanorola and Zwingle, their
admiration for such staunch men was
pronounced
Mr.. Partridge makes use of the black
board and also illustrates the lee
lures by several pictures in his pos
session. But his chief aim is to get
the young people themselves so inter-
ested that they are anxious to get hold
of all available sources of information
on the subject under consideration.
The church library as well as the
public one are frequently consulted by
the scholars, and the result of their in
vestigation is shown in the intelligent
and ready answers they give to ques-
tions. Rev. Partridge visited many
historical scenes during his trip
through Europe, and charts now in his
possession add considerable interest to
the study. The good done by this course
in church history is great great. 1t
leaves a permanent influence for good
upon the young minds that are thus
peeping into the chaos of the middle
ages.
Women Missionaries.
The success of missionary enterprise
in many parts of the world is largely
due to woman, and, although she was
not first on the field, yet her increased
zeal and earnestness bid fare to excel
the labors of man in this department
of Christian work. She has played as
important a part on the foreign field
as has man, and if the ratio of increase
of women in the work will increase in
the rest of the decade as 1t has in the
past, they will outnumber their male
fellow-laborers. The first unmarried
woman sent out among the heather be-
gan work in 1920, under the Church
Missionary society. AS late as 1888
there We're only fifteen in the work, but
in the following year the number was
increased to 100, and in 1898 the number
of female missionaries had risen to one
fourth of the men employed. Native
female teachers are now largely en-
gagged, and in the above society there
were S92 on its lists for last year. Dur
ing this year, the number Of unmarried
female agents of all Protestant mis-
sionary societies numbered $500.
The Boys Drilled.
The Boys Brigade has had a per-
manent foothold in the Penn Avenue
Baptist church, and from sixty to sew
enty boys are weekly drilled by Fred NJ.
Koehler, and their proficiency is sur
prising. Discipline is enforced and the
prompt obedience given by the boys
to their captain is so admirable that
many Sunday school superintendent,
receiving equal attention from the
classes, would imagine the millennium
about to dawn. And not only do these
boys learn military drills, but they are
also trained in Scripture history, and
their love for the church is as deep and
strong as their love for the Monday
night exercise. The boys are anxious
to secure uniforms, but the requisite
amount of money is not yet secured.
"A complete outfit is expensive, but the
members of the two companies are
steadily working for this object, and
are gradually reaching the object of
their ambition. They have just Sc
cured guns, and probably before the
winter is over they will also be the glad
possessors of uniforms. There are sew
eral other companies in the city, and
tn pastors of the churches in which the
boys are so organized feel that the or
ganization is one of the best devised to
hold the boys and train them in ele-
ments Of character that are essential to
true manhood and Christian useful
ness.
EndeavOr Notes.
The Scranton union, through its special
committee, of which Charles Il. Daniels
is chairman and Harry Lathrope secre-
tary, is busily engaged In securing the
state convention of Christian Endeavor
workers for 1896. Very encouraging re-
ports are received and the outlook is most
promising. The committee has every rea-
son to believe that its efforts will be sue
cessful, and preliminary arrangements
are being made to welcome the conven-
tion to this city. 1t has never been held
in this part of the state, and the argu-
ments advanced by the local union have
carried conviction wherever they have
been considered, and should the societies
decide to meet in this section there is no
city so favorable as ours.
During last year Pennsylvania came
very near taking the banner for the larg-
est number of societies organized during