The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-05-21
CHURCH BUILDING socrErY.


 One of the four societies which will meet in this city June 2-4 is the Con gregational Church Building society. It was born in an emergency. The wild west was fairly beginning to open. Christian work had begun in spots. Settlers cabins were rude. Everything was rude except the recently imported New England faith, The genuine Chris tian New Englander was not going west to lapse into heathenism. He must or ganize himself at once into a section Of the old home church he had left in the east. He had been brought up to know and love Congregationalism.
 He could be a first class Presbyterian If necessary; but thousands of the best New Englanders who went west forty years ago carried their piety and their polity with them.
 Ohio, then a long way west, began Congregational work at Marietta In 1796; Pennsylvania at Ebensburg in 1797. These two states seem to have formed a sort of Congregational break water for thirty five years We find no record of a Congregational church now
  gregational work in Pontiac, and Illi- nois at Princeton in 1881. Indiana ran up Congregational flag at Terre Haute in 1884; Wisconsin at Beloit in 1885; Iowa at Burlington and Denmark in 1888; and Minnesota at Minneapolis (St. Anthony in 1851.
 The battle of our western wilds was fairly on. New settlements were null tiplying. The kings business must null tiply and build or be left hopelessly in the rear In the rushing march ofNwest- ern immigration.
 With farms to open, crops to wait for, houses to furnish, the essential machin- cry of civilized society to construct and set running, there was a real and inevi- table emergency on every line of home missionary work. The east must not only send the missionary, but in part, at least, feed, clothe and house him, Eastern churches have multiplied themselves, some thirty, some sixty, some one hundred fold, in their gifts of members and money to the western work.
 The Congregational mustard seed planted in Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul, Minneapolis, Omaha, St. Louis and farther on has grown into goodly trees. No figures can fully set forth the best the west owes-the world owes-to dear old New England.
 In 1851 children of eastern parentage were marvelously multiplying They were doing their share towards filling the land. Towns were dotting the prai- ries and lining the waterways Letters l poured into the east for help to meet pressing spiritual needs. The platforms | of May anniversaries rang with ap- peals for men and money to evangelize the west. There was no system either at the eastern or western end of the line
 | Wise men called a convention at Al bany, N. Y. It was held October 5-S | 1852 One of the topics discussed was "The building of church ediflces at the west" The needs as then and there se forth were urgent and took on the pro l portions of plan for raising s50,00t for aiding in the erection of church edi- ! fees at the west" The proposed sun went up to $62041, and was promptly put into 232 houses of worship in Con necticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kan sas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Yer mont, Wisconsin. It paved the way il 1852 for the permanent organization o, the American Congregational union 1 now the Congregational Church Build i ing society.
 The unions receipts for the first yea were $1,766; the second year, $1,796; th third year, $560. Up and down its re ceipts go till 1S65-66, when they reached s123,21 The very next year they fel to s32, ,530 and the next year to $30 101 1S7S-79 touched bottom at $23, ,509. Onl. once since 1882 have receipts gone be l low $100,000, and that after special ap peals for the $25, 900 needed for a par sonage loan fund.
 Once there was an inflexible rule no to vote more than $500 to aid an. church in building house of worship The disbursing committee of the Al bany fund voted that "no sum exceed ing $500 shall be given for the erection l of any one house of worship" In on | year 39 churches asked $1,000 or more 20 asked s1,50o or more; Is asked $2,00 or more; 14 asked s2,500 or more; asked $3,000 or more; five asked S350 or more: and three asked $4,000, $5,00( 1000 each and little earlier two aske' $S,750 each. The average amount aske
 is $717.