The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-19
one YEARS OF WORK.
The Port Society Looks Back More
Than Half a Century.

| Celebration of Another Anniversary
of It's Work Among Seamen-Dr.
Palmer's Choir of a Hundred Voices
Takes Part in the Exercis ss-Rev. A.
NJ. Williams Address-The Work Of
the Society as Shown by the Chap
lain's Report-Ths Presidents Re-
port - Donations to this Charity
Needed-The Election Of Omcers.
The Port Society celebrated the Fifty
first anniversary Of its good work among
the seamen by interesting and appropriate
exercises at Wesley Monumental church
last night.
Long before the hour at which the
exercises were to begin, the church
was filled to overlooking, both in
the gallery and downstairs Some of the
evangelical churches united in the SER
vice, which added materially to the con-
gregation.
A feature of the exercises was the sing
ing by the choir of nearly 100
voices under the leadership of DIR.
H. r. Palmer. The members of the
choir were seated around the pulpit. The
voices were well arranged by DR., Palmer.
The music festival last year, took place
about the time of the anniversary Of the
Port Society, and similar choir under
DR.. Palmer's direction, sang during the
exercises.
The exercises were opened with the song,
30, Lord, how excellent thy NAME" sung
by the choir under DR. Palmer's direction.
The 100 voices blended beautifully in this
| song of praise. The choir was a strong
one, and its members were well arranged
with view in harmony.
After an earnest prayer by Rev. A. NJ.
los, Il, h@l - he as,N,,
its promoters and supporters, and of the
seamen, to whose comforts it ministers,
the choir sang the hymn, Where is
God2"
Rev. MIR. williams read portion of the
18th chapter of the gospel according
to st. John, and the choir sang another
hymn.
THE ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS.
The address of the evening was deliv-
Wesley Monumental. He said while the
members of the church felt highly
honored that Wesley church should
have been chosen for the
exercises, he appeared as speaker of
the evening with some embarrassment.
He said he always loved to preach the
gospel of Christ, but that he approached
his task with much difidence, as he had
never been in seaman's bethel and had
never worked among them. But the COM
mand to go among all men and preach
the gospel included these.
He spoke of the sailors
hard and difficult life, and the tempta-
tions with which the seaman is ever sur
rounded, "But the sailor has the same
feeling, the same passions, the same mis-
sion in the world as other men" he said.
land the Savior of men came unto the
sailor as to all others. Christ has in.
vested in him his hearts blood, as
he has in the moral welfare of other men,
and he looks for reform from him
as well as from the lordly and noble.
II sometimes try to picture the love of
Jesus in the souls of men. have tried to
type this love among the loves of man
kind. There is but one that can APP
proach 1.-THE mothers love- From that
1 have tried to go up and see the love Of
Jesus, superior even to the love of the
mother. While the same loving
glance is upon me it is upon
the sailor. 1t seems to say
to me in pointing to the sailor, "You have
another mission there"
WORK AMONG THE SAILORS.
If the sailor comes under the same
classification as other men for whom
Christ died, why is it we should have
special agencies for his salvation2 Why
cannot these churches reach out and care
for our sailor brother3 | have an answer
to that in the day of Pentecost The
coming of Christ into the world,
his death on the cross, his resur-
rection and the outpOuring of his spirit
among his disciples on the day of Pente-
cost, express the hight, breadth length
and depth to which the work of salvation
should be carried. We find an answer in
the day of Pentecost when Christ in
structed his disciples to go and preach the
gospel to all nations, 1t has been carried
out, and now all nations have the Bible
and the Word of God,
Christ could never have reached mems
hearts and minds had he not taken upon
him their weaknesses and infirmities
We must reach out the hand Of a sailor to
a sailor and tell him 10 come to the cross
of Christ. We must aGcustom ourselves
to their condition and surroundings in
order to influence them and teach them.
That is the mission of these societies II
one soul has been saved for each of the
fifty years of its existence how glorious
has its mission been"
After the anthem, so, That 1 Had
Wings Like Dove, by the choir, the re-
ports of the society's officers were read.
CHAPLAIN IvERsEN's REPORT.
Chaplain II. Iversen stated in his report
that since the last anniversary he had
held los religious services for seamen.
The attendance has sometimes been
over 100, at Christmas 22O, and the aver
age attendance has been IS. The average
attendance at the reading rooms has been
43 day. The chaplain has made during
the year 1865 visits to vessels, and 1863 to
hospitals There are 81 beds in the dormi-
tory and lodging has been furnished
5,'b2 seamen during the year, some
of them, OF course, remaining for a
week or two The dormitory, he said, was
not large enough for the purposes Of the
BAKING