Evening star., 1896-03-31
THE BIG JULY GATHERING
Committees Satisfied With the Railroad
Time Limit.
Churches In Which Exercises Are to
Be Hc1d-The Mass Meetings
In the Tents.

cuncement of the determination of the
railroads to amend former action regard
ing the time limit of tickets to be sold fol-
the July convention. An extension has been
granted, as announced in The Star, so thai
the tickets can be used for return passage
up to the 31st Of July, upon certain con-
ditions.
About the 1st of February the railroad
trunk line commission named the rates and
conditions under which tickets will be sold
at the time of the Christian Endeavor con-
vention, which is to be held in this city
from July to IL next. No objection what
ever was found with the rate which was al
lowed, as the railroads conceded the liberal
terms of ore fare for the round trip. But
with the time limit considerable dlssatis-
faction existed. 1t was at first stipulated
by the railroad officials that the tickets
must be used in returning within four days
from the closing session of the convention,
allowing only the smallest sort of a margin.
At the time a special committee was ap-
pointed to secure the efforts of business
men i'll order to induce the railroads to
grant more liberal time limit. Word has
been received at headquarters informing
the committee of '96 that the trunk line as
soc.ation had agreed to an extension. Tick
cts will be sold from points within their
territory, which includes New England and
tie middle states July c. and g. good to
i,
II deposited with the joint agent here on or
before the 14th of July. The railroads re-
Qu.re the ticket to be deposited, for which a
receipt will be given, in order to prevent
scalpers from dealing with them. 1t is the
belief of the committee of '96 that the one
fare rate will, IN all probability, prevail
throughout the United States and Canada,
and. if so, tickets will be sold from all points
outside of the trunk line associations ter
ritory in sufficient time to permit the hold
ers to enter said territory within the dates
stipulated.
The committee of '96 is naturally gratified
over the action of the eastern roads While
the conditions are not as liberal as have
conventions, yet the members of the COM
mittee express themselves satisfied with the
present terms, and believe that the low rate
Of fare and the time allowance of one month
will result in an increased attendance in
July over the number that would have been
present had the former time limit not been
extended.
Where Meetings VIII he Held.
AT this date but little of the detail of the
invention program can be definitely an
nounced. 1t is safe to say, however, that
all the features which have in former con-
veEtions proved so helpful will pe retained
and that several new and interesting ones
will be added. The early morning prayer
meetings, UNCONVENTIONAL rallies, commit
tee conferences and evangelistic services
will be held as heretofore, as will also the
preliminary meetings, in twenty-five of the
largest churches, Wednesday evening. July
9. The churches which have been selected
for these Wednesday night meetings are as
follows:
Gunton Temple Memorial Presbyterian
Calvary Baptist First Congregational Mt
Vernon Place Methodist Episcopal South,
New York Avenue Presbyterian, First Bap
t'st. Church of the Covenant Presbyterian,
n AYrrS ,o1 ~ fntr -f.t-
terian. Hamline Methodist Episcopal, First
Presbyterian. Kendall Baptist, Metropoli-
tan African Methodist Episcopal, Nine
teenth Street Baptist, Epiphany Episcopal,
Central Presbyterian, Eastern Presbyterian,
West Street Presbyterian. Gurley Memoir
ial Presbyterian. Vermont Avenue Chris
tian. john Wesley African Methodist Epis-
copal Zion and the Congress Street Metho-
dist Protestant.
During the morning and afternoon of
Wednesday there will be held, at Calvary
Baptist Sunday school house. council of
TIE presidents of state. territorial and pro-
vinCial unions and the trustees of the
United Society of Christian Endeavor.
The Big Tents.
The tent, made specially for the coming
convention, has been named Tent Wash
irgton.'' and it will be pitched with Tent
Williston" and Tent Endeavor'' upon the
ellipse south of the Executive Mansion,
known as the White Lot" In addition to
the mass meetings in the great tents. meet
in gs will be held in ten or more of the larg-
est churches. While these meetings are
being held. the tents will be used for meet
ings for the public, at which leaders in
evangelistic, missionary and reformatory
as well as prominent Endeavor-
ers, will speak.
The use of the Armory Hall Of the Wash
ington Light Infantry, situated just across
the street from the White Lot, has been Sc
cured by the committee of '96, and will
be used as headquarters for the committee
and for the exhibition of Christian En-
deavor and denominG tional supplies, litera-
ture and periodicals.
The meeting Of the reception committee,
Eeld in the First Presbyterian Church, was
the first gathering of that large body of
workers, which numbers more than one
thousand persons. Before the formal pro-
gram an opportunity was given the men,
bers to make each others ACQUAINTANCE
and to meet the chairman, Rev. f. B. Bag
by, and the members of the staff: After
ward the company assembled in the audi
torium and listened to addresses by Mr..
w. H. H. Smith. chairman of the COM
mittee Of '96, and Miss Anna J. Bell, who
responded On behalf Of the reception COM
mittee. Mr. Bagby also had something to
say to the members of his committee. Mr..
c. s. Clark, chairman of the '96 music
committee, led the singing, and Mr.. Percy
s.. Foster was at the organ. The work
which the members of the committee would
be called upon to perform was outlined by
the speakers, and advice given them as to
how to prepare for their duties. 1t was an
meeting, and the attendance
was gratifyingly large.
The Committee of '0G.
The regular weekly meeting of the COM
mittec of '96 was held at headquarters last
evening, and besides the members of the
committee there were present Messrs. Fred.
L. Fishback, secretary of the reception
committee. and w. W. Tuckey, w w. Ev-
erett and Jerome F. johnson, chairmen,
res spectively, of the subcommittee on deco
ration, ushers and excursions.
A letter from General Secretary Baer was
read, announcing that Mr.. Percy S. Foster
had been selected as one of the three
chorus leaders for the convention. Mr.
Foster has performed similar duties at
prior conventions, and his appointment for
the approaching gathering is regarded with
satisfaction. Mr.. Baer also requested the
committee to name twenty-nine meeting
places for the great UNCONVENTIONAL rallies
of the convention and fifteen meeting
places for the committee conferences.
The music committee reported, by Mr..
c. S. Clark very satisfactory progress in
the formation of choirs in the churches
Sixty choirs have already been formed, and
more than 1000 singers have been reported
and many more are known to have been
enlisted. OF the choirs already formed the
following were reported as having a large
membership: Mt. Vernon Place NJ. E.. 13I:
Niv-e-tf ,11