The record-union., 1894-03-06
MINISTER'S UNION
An interesting Meeting that Took
Place last Evening.

An Interesting Meeting that Took
Place last Evening.
The regular monthly meeting of the
Ministers Union of the city took place in
the parlors of the First Congregational
Church last night at s O'Clock.
This is an organization of the ministers
Of this city, similar to that of other places.
At the last meeting resolution was
adopted whereby the wives of the MEM
bers are privileged to attend the meetings,
and IL IS needless to say was taken advan-
tage OF last night.
The work of this association in the
matter OF reading of papers on various
subjects is confined to local matters of
this vicinity, and do not branch Oft into
scientific or theoretic discussions of prob
lens not pertinent to the welfare of the
church.
There were present Rev. Mr.. Davis and
wife, Rev. Mr.. Herrick and wife, Revs.
Mr.. Smith, Mr.. Baugh, Mr.. Dodge, Mr.
Stevenson, Mr.. Keeney, and number of
ladies OF the church. A bounteous spread
OF good things had been prepared, and
were served on violet-strewn tables by
the ladies Of the church.
After spending some time at the table
Rev. Mr.. Davis was called to the chair.
The minutes Of the previous meeting
having been read and approved, Rev. w.
ii. Baugh OF the FOurteenth-street Pres
byterian Church delivered the address
for the evening. His subject, California
and the Church." was handled with a
vlgor and with an earnestness which
convinced his hearers that his heart was
deeply interested in the problem of how
to induce the people OF the city to pay
more attention to their duty of attendance
at some place of public worship. He gave
several reasons for this apparent lack of
Christianity in the community. The old
restlessness of early California, when
people had time for nothing outside of
the search for gold, and this old careless
spirit still abideS with US. Then the mi
gratoriness of the people initiated against
large church congregations. Then the
laboring classes. or the wage-earners,
were especially lax in religious duty.
The reverend gentleman suggested sew
eral remedies. The way was, in his opin-
ion, to get hold of the young and keep
them. Several suggestions were made
with respect to the labOring mans con-
version, the main one being to form a
corporation and build a hall where this
class could hear lectures, concerts, and
give entertainments OF their own, the adj
mission price being put at figure to
barely pay the running expenses, say
five or ten cents.
AT the close Of the address an animated
discussion was entered into for and
against the speakers deductions. Most
OF his arguments were concurred in and
indorsed.
The discussion was an animated one,
and it was seen in a moment the Ques-
tions brought up by the speaker had
been thought upon deeply by the several
members of the union.
Mr.. Keeney maintained that one of the
main factors for the negligence of our
people was that our ministers did not
preach eternal punishment and personal
responsibility.
Mr.. Stevenson thought that men
preached so much of the love of God that
the justice of God had been overlooked.
a committee OF two was appointed to
draft paper expressing the disapproba-
ton of this union to the Midwinter Fair
being open to admission Sundays. to be
presented at the next meeting for further
action.
The meeting adjourned to meet at the
First Presbyterian Church on the first
Monday evening in April.