The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-10-25
The STATE Y.P.S.C.E.
ENDEAyORERs BEGIN THEIR con-
vESTIoN AT GREENsBURG.
An Enthusiastic Gathering That Is
Easily Crowding the Entertaining
Capacity of the Town.
LAST NIGHTS MEETING
BIGGEST AUDIENCE EVER ASSEM-
BLED IN THE OLD RINK.
Rev. DIR. sims's Tnlk-BIue and White
CoIors Everywhere-Contes for
Next Convention.
LAST NIGHTS MEETING
BIGGEST AUDIENCE EVER ASSEM-
BLED IN THE OLD RINK
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

burg is in gala dress for the eighth annual
Christian Endeavor convention of Indiana
The convention hall is the skating rink-a
reminder of an amusement craze which
swept over the country few years ago and
succeeded most worthily in giving numerous
small towns capacious audience rooms. The
building is on the ground floor and un-
slightly without, being of frame and un-
painted with numerous windows made
Opaque by white paint II is. naturally not
more attractive within, but was made at
| tractive by the several thousand yards of
pale blue and white drapings-these being
! the colors long 20 be associated with this
convention. The gallery balcony running
along three sides of the building Is hidden
with festooned white and blue, cedar
wreaths still further embelishing the fes-
! tooned points. A pleated festooned curtain
gave the balcony canopy effect. The stage
loft was hidden by cedar background
with the words in white. For Christ and
| the Church." From the center hung a cres-
| cent containing the words. in blue letters,
upon a white background 'Mizpah," stand
ing for the Christian Endeavor benediction;
THE Lord watch between me and thee
while We are absent one from another"
From this hung pendant the letters in mon
ograph, &C. e. Large blue letters in diago-
nal lines DEPRESSING from the center over
The stage was reserved for the choir of $50
/ voices. and the rostrum is a square plat
! form with railing, draped with the conven-
I flags and banners, and the balconies were
/ also relieved in the same way. The rear of
,s,s .ne nan e was : also decorated in design The
I eye. Thus embellished. in the white light
Of four arc burners. the hall made beauti-
! fui appearances. There was enough of color
to give gala day effect to the auditorium,
and the colors symboIized two cardinal
principles Of Christian Endeavor.
So much for description. There Is an al
most phenomenal capacity in that hall.
which IS 1e5 feet long by about so feet in
| gallery there were said to be about six hun
dred. The, stage and aisles admitted prob
ably ss.x. hundred more-a total of about
i ZOO. Ibis is approaching the seating ca
pacity, UNDER present accommodations, of
Tomlinson Hall. and shows that there is a
| great deal of waste of space there, owing to
| the character of the seating. When a town
| of FIVE thousand people turns up with a
an attraction of very unusual force there
about. This phenomenon of interest was
| observable at the c. f. convention
THE HALL FILLED
The hall was full last night twenty min
utes before the time for the song service
at 7:45-and 1t is not usual for the first
meeting to have an overflow. Four great
in the big room, but when the song service
began the heat began to be quite notice
able.
Prominent on the stage were Rev. r. ".
Hunter. Rev. s. L. Nicholson, Rev NJ. "
Binford and the local ministers. 1t was TAI
O'Clock when the first strains of stirring
gospel hymn, More About Jesus" rose from
the choir. There was at first seant volume
and a lack of warmth but the second stan
| ant ou-ov voIl 6oGn = oHad ffc
stanza TO concentrate attention. Mr.. Excel
had an infectious energy and power, which
timhers tremble with the sound. The musi-
cal accompaniment was piano and cor
net The second song was Scatter sun
shine" hymn more familiar to the multi
tude and the singing was much more gem
eral; The full. rich basso of the leader could
be d distinctly heard thTorshout rTo the - hall
| mo, president of the State Union, made the
! announcement for the morrow. There Will
r. Hall for business men~to this he called
special attention. He announced also that
the executive committee would meet. at $50
p. M, tomorrow, to hear the application
of the various delegations from Richmond.
| Logansport and Muncie, which have organ
* the Msh that this
meeting, being one for conservation, that
the partisans Of these. cities refrain from
called for a moment of silent prayer. The
hush that fell upon the large co1course was
ling strknsly impressive i've. The splnt
pressed cough We're the only sounds audi
BILE Audible prayer was then offered by
Rev. j. G. Kaufman, Of Logansport. The
Jesus and Rev. DIR. Sims, of Indian
apolis, began his sermon. 1t was well
pose of this first meeting. and heard
with reverent attention His exposition of
at tmes eioaSent With Sentences p3sr of rusged @
truth. The sermon was marked with Incl
dents of deep pathos-born of the narration
of human trials and life's experiences. AS
the preacher closed there was much COM
motion owing TO woman having been over
come by the oppressive atmosphere which,
i'm the intense interest drawn to the sermon,
had not before been noticed The Doctor.
however. quickly regained control of the
a prayer under which the congregation was was
luled again into the depths of silence.
DIR. sIMSS SERMON.
Dr. Sims chose as his text the words from
the fifth chapter of Second Corinthians:
For the love of Christ constraineth me-
His first sentences were congratulatory OF
the multitude OF young people he saw be-
fore him, drawn together with the purpose
of worship and the study of Christian meth
DDS. Their presence. he said. would give
cheer to their hearts ard he expressed the
prayer that there would be manifestations
of the power of the Holy Spirit in the midst
|
1t win enable those who attend the conven-
ton, he said. to win a better knowledge oi
Foods service, and, with the spiritual power
! gained. they will be more patient to en-
dure The real fruits of the convention viii
be the acquisition of higher ideals. There
are however. he said, lessons that may bs
learned. fitting one for the more common.
place duties of life. 1t is for these that one
need be consecrated as well as for the
greater duties of life. The love of Christ. hs
said bears people UP with unspeaka5le af
! fection and invests their lives with blessing
!, and beauty. Conservation was the keynote
of ST Paurs life. Ii the foundation o
success as liz Is OF all great lives. Most lives
! some one has said, are unconsecrated a1t
they go skipping along without unity ol
purpose and 80 accomplish nothng. s.W.
have only TO turn 10 history to discover tha
all great lives have been dominated by som,
great and useful purpose. said the Doctor
who then alluded TO the life of Noses o
! Columbus OF Martin Luther and of Dr
. Livingstone as examples of the truth OF hi.
, declaration. All such lives. he said. ar.
! founded on the same consecra ZION. and thef
y he added that In the turmoil of every
day life the same principles hold.
''ff We can take Christ along with u.s." h'
said. III We can make life of such char
acter that We can say that to be Will
Christ Is gain. then We have the supreme
, condition of happiness There We're thre'
: questioners in the life Of ST. Paul Their
| Was the jailer who, at the evidence Of di
vine wrath In nature. exclaimed in COW