The record-union., 1895-05-27
Superintendent of Commercial Tray
elers-E.W Ehmann of Oakland.
Afternoon Session

paper on Christian Endeavorers as q
Factor in Good Government by Pro-
fessor E. P. Coleman OF Auburn. He
said that one of the great problems in the
life of every Individual is to determine
for what he is intended, where he belongs
and what his part is in the great drama of
life. Each has his mission, and he only
makes success of life who finds and full
fills this mission.
AS with the Individual, so with the
organization. Some particular mission
is before it, and upon the memb bers of
that organization deyolves the duty of
determining what IL is and how it can be
1ulnlled. Its success in life, as with the
Individual. depends upon grasping the
one gIe eat opportunity of its life.
w hat Is more necessary for the ad-
vancement of Christs kingdom upon
earth than good government? One in
which the laws are made. Interpreted and
executed Tor the common good, cOnsc1-
entiously in the fear of God. Under this
government the rich and poor would
stand equal before the law. No bribery
would corrupt legislation nor clog the
wheels of justice, and vice and crime
would receive their just and speedy de-
serts. Protected by law, no one would
be permitted to degrade his brother with
that which destroys both the human and
divine in man. No LeXow Committee
would be needed to cleanse great munic-
lpalities OF unspeakable corruptions,
but purity, peace and prosperity would
reign supreme and His kingdom would
come, His will be done on earth as in
heaven.
Inc Americans as people have be-
come so eager in their pursuit after riches
that they have permitted, especially in
the cities, the government to fall into the
hands OF corrupt minority. Like wheels
within wheels, our city, county, State and
Federal Governments work together. So
clogglng OF one sci endan.ers the whole
machine. Which set of these wheels is
most likely to clog? The city's. The
city government Is Satin's citadel, and
there he should be attacked there he
must be routed before we can hope for
good general government. The chief
factors Of bad government in our munich
palItles are the saloon, the bawdy houses,
the gam bling dens and the professional
politicians, the last-named factor being
the most powerful and dangerous.
What is the reason for this condition of
affairs? Has the bad finally triumphed?
Is evil in the majority? BY no means,
but rather in the great minority. TLen
how is it that bad minority can rule
good majority? By organization, the
utility and power of which is well illus
trated in Tammany's rule over the great
has just such an organized ring, composed
| of the corrupt classes. They spare neither
money nor labor to elect to office men
who will overlook their corrupt doings.
On the other hand. the law-abidiug
classes are lacking organization. and the
personal and pecuniary incentives which
act so powerfully in making unit of the
bad vote of every city is almost wholly
wanting. The aw-abiding citizens who
do not do their duty at the primaries, in
the convention and at the polls are re-
sponsi BILE for such condition of affairs.
The Christian Endeavor holds the
unique position of being interdenomina-
t1onal, having membership of some
2,O0O,0O0 members representing almost
every denomination. No other organiza-
tion could unite these Christian forces
so well as the Christian Endeavor. 1t
will find faithful allies in the Young
Mems Christian Association, the Ep-
worth League and in all other religious
| and temperance organizations, and
ernment can last.
Then followed ten-minute papers on
"Who Are Our f:eighDors?"
COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS.
E. w. Ehmann of Oakland was to
have spoken on behalf of commercial
travellers, but he was not present and his
paper WAS read by Ii. s. Black we'll.
What can we do, asked the author, to
further Christian Endeavor interests
among our neighbors, the commercial
travellers? The question is a pointed one
and the answer a matter OF serious and
prayerful consideration. Among no
class of business men is so little effort
being put forth for the salvation of souls
or even the uplifting and purifying of
morals and character as among the COM
mercial travellers, and IN no field is SO
great possibility OF a splendid return
for the effort put forth.
But the vital point of the q question is
how can we reach class OF men who
are never in any community for great
length of time, and who manifest if not
decided aversion to all religious affairs,
at least an apathy toward such matters
that is discouraging in the extreme to
any well-meant efforts. Not all the COM
mercial travellers are the black sheep
they are popularly supposed 10 be-
To commercial Traveller i'll new
territory there is no day of the week that
he breads SO much as Sunday. 1t means
to him a long, dull day in a strange town,
to be passed as best he can in writing let
ters, reading or sleeping in the cheerless
solitude OF his room. Should he go to
church he receives a welcome that has no
warmth in it, and that he feels is only an
act of courtesy upon the part of the well
conner. Probably the entire service has
only intensified the feeling of loneliness
that has possessed him through the day.
What is more natural than the seeking
for companionship and good-fello owship
when man is in this mood And where
does he find heartler welcome or more
cordial invitation to join in the general
s0ciability than from the class of mon
that frequent our hotel barrooms?
We are competing directly with the
good-fellowship offered by the saloon and
its environment, and when we place
against this the comparatively cold well
come and entertainment of the stranger
by the average society, the result is a la
mentable failure.
In but four out of the forty towns that
visit have l been able to find card of
Christian Endeayor services posted in a
hotel office, and an inquiry as to where TO
go to find them generally elicits the reply
from the landlord: 81 don't know: /
don't attend any church,
The Church Committee should see that
all hotel offices and railroad depots have
directories for both church and Christian
Endeavor services.
The practice Of merchants of the inte-
rior towns to open their stores during
/ Sunday morning offers temptation and
an opportunity to the traveller to sell
| goods on that day. Endeavor. through
! your Executive Committee, to have your
merchants sign an agreement to close
! their stores during the entire Sunday.
| This Will force the traveller TO go either to
| church or TO the saloon, and it will be
| your duty to see that he does not 90 to
the saloon. Ii you are q good. live
| Christian Endeayor Society YOU WON'T
rest until you get that saloon closed on
Sunday.
RAILROAD MEN"
!, 4. p. Soule of Sacramento was an
nounced as being unable TO be present.
and his paper on Railroad Men" was
read by 3. l.. Spence.
OF all the great business enterprises in