The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-07-12

even an easy boss in Christian En-
deavor. II anyone in your State or local
| tage, elect him 70 stay at home at the next
| opportunity. The society has prospered in
the past in every state and province be,
of unheralded workers. l know of no or
ganization that Is SO indebted TO recruits
who ask for no pay. no uniform, no epau-
lets. no decorations, no reward except the
reward of a meek and quiet spirit and a
consciousness of duty done.
IL / may be allowed TO refer for a mo-
ment to the United Society of Christian En-
deavor. Its great missionary. work is done;
the constitution Is translated into and cir
serves as a bureau of information for So
cieties in forty-four States. five Territories,
eight provinces and half a hundred coun-
tries outside of America. on a total yearly
expenditure of about $4,000 all OF which it
earns. This IL Is enabled to do largely be-
cause there is so much gratuitous service
In our State and local unions. They employ
no paid officers; they have no large ex-
p tse selass a shey arord We Nc SSp ppe nn ySte to
no patronage. no influence. which. as an or
ganization, We can or would deliver TO him
tons of our national and State Endeavor
unions are clearly defined. Their func-
tons are, as they always have been, those
of inspiration and stimulus never of legis-
lation. The conventions are mass meetings
for spiritual upl1t and fellowship, where
almost no business is transacted. and to
N NJ 1ASr4 Apply
Our success in the past has been won along
these lines. The guide board to our success
for the future points in no other direction.
FIDELITY AND LOYALTY.
Second-Past successes have all been won
along the lines of fidelity and intenset
loyalty; loyalty to God and his word, loyal
ty TO our individual churches and their
interests. These very successes thrust
upon us the same course for the future.
In order that we may be more intelligently
faithful, may ! suggest that greater at
tention be paid to the study of Gods word.
Systematically and consecutively? To be
sure. ii may be said with much force that
the Sunday school is the place for this
study, for the Sunday school is the church
instructing the young, the Endeavor society
all very true, but 1t is also true that there
is much special Bibls, study which may
is also study for each one of his own
church, her institutions. her creed, her
polity. her missionary. work. This, under
m sls di aeesESr,s Of the ts sa gastgHI nd If possible sSeisty is
it is no empty boast that it is as loyal
tional society possibly can be. statistics
recently obtained relating to the Sunday
services. the mid-week prayer meeting. the
of church work.. abundantly prove this.
Let this loyalty be as intelligent as 1t is
intense, let us know why we are Baptists
Lutherans and Disciples of Christ and Con-
gregationalists and Episcopalians. Let US
base our service on intelligent devotion as
we'll as on traditional kyeneration.
Third-The successes of the past have
been due to certain distinctive principles,
which have come to be known as Christian
Endeavor principles. This convention is
not an aggiomeration of all kinds of young
musical and literary and social and amuse-
ment societies. 1t is a convention, of Chris
tian Endeavor societies. The growth of
these fourteen years is not a happy COM
b~ination of odd elements which have come
together by chanee.clAs every plant has
a ar root So every; Eldesvor society has g
pledge. the conservation meeting, and a
system of committees by, which its prac-
n might se as we'll l1r e snsss' as a P piane ae grow rS%
strong without these cardinal principles;
and yet some people have not only pulled
have deliberately cut off one or more of
them. They could not accept the expert
enee of Of on ten Or thousand muss q, 9TH rco, but sor must ,ss
then they have wondered that it has so
organization is sometimes a good thing,
but 1t often costs too, much, as many an
Endeayor society can testify. To speak
ence has gone IN every part of the world.
in every climate. under all circumstances
of every color and condition, / have never
known a Christian Endeavor society to
long flourish which ignored the pledge, the
mittees. Ali of the untimely deaths of
which / have heard, except those due to
sccle sssc stica d,rs sstr;nns III : or nes freszi IN tb ssn
fundamental ideas, which make a young
peoples society a Christian Endeavor So
PURPOSE OF ENDEAvoRS.
While there is the utmost 1exibility and
adaptability to circumstances, doctrines,
church poiity and ecclesiastical conditions
in all lands, there are also in all lands these
common and essential elements, which the
Endeaor Society has introduced int the
organized Christian life of young people,
and which differentiate this society from
every ether. The vast significance of this
truth is found in the fact that these three
features (he pledge. tho CONSERVATION meet
ing, the leading committees) embody the
distinctive religious idea of the society. No
form of words is commended for; no exact
uniformity of method is my plea, but for
the predominance of the supreme religious
thought embodied in the pledge, the conse-
Grafton meeting, and the essential commit
tees, i do plead. eEo@
The God-ordained purpose Of the Endeavor
movement is TO raise the Standard of prac-
tical devotion and consecrated religious en-
thusiasm of young people. 1t is constant
1y saying by means of the pledge. the con-
secration meeting. and the leading commit
tees: Make of your religion the nrst thing
in all your lives. Place it before your
business, before yourrsocial pleasures, be-
fore your school. before your a-musements;''
There is one supreme thing In the world,
and that is the service of the MASTER
ALLOW no paltry excuse, no mood. no in
cllnation, no whim, no worldly pleasure.
to come between you and your religious
duties.' o friends. this. is the burden of
my message tonight. Raise and keep aloft
the spiritual standard of service and devo-
ton as you ever have done in the past:
Raise it higher and higher if you would
win new victories. Our Christian citizenship,
our missionary zeal. our fellowship. depend
irst Of all and draw their power from
this lofty devotion. This gives Christian
Endeavor a right TO live. This accounts
for its success in the past. This guarantees
its success in the future. Not only the sue
cess of the movement as a whole. but of
every individual society. teaches us this
lesson; loads US with this responsibility;
forces upon us this inevitable conclusion:
faces us with this necessity; that the spir-
itual standard must be maintained, that
the means to this end must be observed
in other words. that an Endeavor society
must be an Endeavor society, and must
have the distinguishing marks of a pledge
and a conservation meeting and a lookout
committee. which God has crowned with his
seal of success.
T~-..-I Io.k Lii ~ L-~1