The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-05

ford, Washington, Boston and Atlanta,
and year by year the membership of tho
association and the number Of delegates
present at the conventions have in
creased. EtThe root idea of these con-
ventions, - says one of the most earnest
members Of the association, sis that
they shall be expositions of the diversity
of ministrations by which men and wom-
en- have been led of the spirit in the
work of winning souls The result is
spiritualizing and energizing of agencies
for Christian work, and the stirring up
and bringing into active relations Of
many who for various reasons have not
hitherto been thus active" The conven-
lions are held to be Of especial value to
pastors, since they not only afford the
means Of studying closely the men who
are most successful as evangelists, mis-
sion workers, pastors and otherwise, but
they bring out new helpers and make
the adoption of new methods possible.
The Rev. John G. Collins, secretary
and chief executive officer of the associ-
alton, has held that Office for a number
of y ears, and has filed it with great sue
cess. He is a graduate both of Yale col
lege and Yale theological seminary.
Upon leaving the seminary he entered
at once upon city missionary work in
New York. There his duties consisted
in preaching Sunday evenings in large
centrally located hall, in conducting
Sunday school, in attending the police
courts regularly for the purpose of
studying the fallen masses and aiding
the unfortunate and in carrying on saw
ings banks and clubs for boys. Certain
" he must have been kept reasonably
busy.
After he had been thus engaged for
time he founded a remarkable work
among street boys, which has since been
extended into various cities in different
parts of the country. By its operations
tens Of thousands of boys have been
brought under religious influences who
must otherwise have been left entirely
outside the pale. 1t was Mr.. Collins
also who organized and introduced
among the masses of city population the
plan of saving small sums, called the
Penny Savings bank, which has proved
to be of such great material benefit to
thousands Of poor boys. He was also
active, together with the late Colonel
George r. Clarke of Chicago. in the
movement which resulted in the forma-
ton of the present association, and to
him has been intrusted the chief execu-
tive work of carrying on the work of
the association ever since its formation.
He was ordained to the Christian minis
try as an evangelist by the Congrega-
tionalists of New Haven in 1886.
No notice of the Christian Workers
association would be complete without
a mention of the Rev B. Fay Mills the
evangelist, who has been one of its
chief pillars and who is known for his
energetic and effective Christian work
almost from one end of the land to the
other. He is still a comparatively young
man and is as pleasing in his address as
he is earnest III his work. He was grad
uated from Lake Forest university in
1879, and so has been in the work not
more than 3 years, but the number Of
persons who have shown an interest in
things spiritual under his preaching is
very great. He aids the association con-
tinually by suggestion and advice and
is always an active delegate at the con-
ventions
Jacob A. Riis, another of those whose
names are identified with the associa-
ton, is perhaps best known from his
exhaustive study of the underside of
metropolitan life, which led to his writ
ing the now famous book, Chow the
Other Half Lives. :" He is Dane, but
he has succeeded in penetrating deeper
into the mysteries of American tene-
ment house existence than any one else
who has essayed to comprehend it.