The Portland daily press., 1895-07-03
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVORERS.
Outline Of the Coming Convention in
Boston.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST RELIGIOUS
GATHERINGS EVER HEARD OF.

GATHERINGS EVER HEARD OF.
Speakers from all Parts of the World
Meetings In Tents and on the Common
Boston Decorating for the Occasion
An Excursion to Portland Among the
Features.
Boston, July 2.-One week from today
there opens in Boston one of the most re-
markable meetings, as it will certainly be
the largest religious gathering, that has
ever assembled in America. From the
Information already received in this city
there will be more than $4,000 delegates
present during the five days of the Chris
tian Endeayor Convention, July .1O-15,
and these will represent seventeen different
nations. The magnitude of the gathering
will be somewhat appreciated from the
fact that during the short time the Chris
tian Endeavorers will be in this city more
than $50 meetings will be held, and over
thousand addresses will be delivered by
different speakers. Boston, which rarely
loses her dignity over anything, is all
aglow with excitement concerning the
coming of this great host. All the promi-
nent business houses are preparing to
decorate extensively, some firms spending
more than thousand dollars for this
purpose alone. The local press and pull
pit are filled with Christian Endeavor
messages, and busy housewives in every
part of greater Boston are actively pre-
pairing for the entertainment of their
guests. Tens of thousands of visitors will
all be housed within the limits of greater
Boston. Every hotel and available apart
ment house has been secured by the COM
mittee Of arrangemgents, and a thorough
canvass of the private houses of the city
has been made, so that there will be am
pie accommodations for all the delegates
who may come. Boston is pluming her
self on her ability to easily feed and house
this vast concourse OF people which will
settle down upon the city like swarm
of locusts minus the destructiyeness. The
largest auditorium in Boston will not
hold fifth Of the delegates who will at
tend the convention, so in addition to the
immense Mechanics Fair building two
mammoth tents have been made for the
convention, and these, through the cour-
tesy of the city. will be pitched on Boston
Common. Simultaneous meetings will
be held every day, and it is probable, that
overflow meetings in number of the
churches will constantly be necessary.
No matter to what length the officials
are obliged to go, they are resolved to &C
commodate every one of the delegates.
Boston authorities are cooperating hear
tily in all the work of the Christian En-
deavorers. The extensive Public Gardens
are abloom with Christian Endeavor de-
signs in growing plants and with the
convention colors, crimson and white.
All the police officials of the city will re-
main on duty during the convention to
handle the crowds and arrangements have
been made whereby detectives from every
large city in the country will accompany
the special Christian Endeavor trains to
the convention, in order to protect the
delegates from the crooks who will surely
swan to this city. AT past conventions
considerable trouble has been experienced
in this direction, and Chief Eldridge has
been put on his mettle, 4 has declared
that very little of this hing shall
The convention opens with twenty
meetings in as many of the
largest churches of Boston on Wednesday
evening. Two and sometimes three adj
dresses will be delivered in each meeting
by leading clergymen, reforners, and
religious workers generally from this and
other lands. A more representative dis
play of oratorical talent has seldom been
seen at one convention.
On Thursday afternoon the convention
will again split up into number of lesser
meetings, the members of each denomi-
4sor& L. IL
UNCONVENTIONAL rally The Christian
Endeavor Society, while it is represented
in every evangelical denomination in
America, stands prominently for adj
herence to local denominational princi-
piles. The Society is not undenomina-
tionai, but interdenominationai.
Again on Friday there will be no sess-
ions in the tents and in Mechanics Hall,
but the delegates will attend large num-
tian Endeavor work, the delegates being
divided according to committees. These
Friday afternoon meetings are called "a
school of practical methods of work"
One of the most impressive things
about all this great gathering, certainly
that which savors most of the spectacular,
will be on Saturday, July ID, when the
topic of good citizenship is to be the chief
subject for discussion. There will be
pillCC lllCOulilSS LII ullS lipiAS5s OIL VI
which patriotic addresses will be delivered
by leading preachers and reformers
After the morning meetings the dele
gates will repair to Boston Common,
where monster open-air demonstrate
Is to be held The thousands of Endeav-
,rers and of other people who will attend
ibis open-air meeting will doubtless fill
)ne end of Boston Common. The speech
IS will be made from the hill on which
The Soldiers monument stands. On it's
rest will he located the chorus of 1900
voices to lead the singing of patriotic
lymns To help the delegates to keep
his occasion bright in their memory
zach one will be presented with souvenir
,opy of America, beautifully Illuminated,
md EN- blematic of the character and pro-
yress Of our country. These cards, 50. 900
# which have been presented to the com
nittee by Miss Helen M. Gould, were
prepared for private distribu-
jioit among the friends of that lady. DIR.
j. F. Smith, author of America" has
written an original hymn which he will
'ead on this occasion. The principal
speakers will be Gov. Greenhalge Mayor
edwin U. Curtis, Francis E. CLARK, D.
D., founder and president of the Chris
ian Endeavor Society; Rev. Donald Nc
Lauren, d. D., of Detroit, and Hon. S.
B. Capen, president of the Boston NUM-
,ipal League, and chairman of the Chris
ian Endeayor convention committee.
Thic will douht1ess he tho Low, ,,oIi ,,;o,,e