The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-25
HOUSE TO HOUSE CANVASS.
The Churches Have Planned an Active
Movement.


Movement.
The City Is Divided Into Sections and
Earnest Workers Will Visit All
Families.
The active church workers of this city
have been planning united movem on t
to secure larger church attendance. They
make the following interesting statement
OF their objects and methods;
The subject of thorough house to-
house canvass Of Portland has come into
the minds Of many of the city pastors.
superintendents or Christian workers at
different times since the movement first
began to be prosecuted in other cities. So
near did the matter come to It's accom-
plishment few years ago, that cards
were printed by the Superintsndents'
Union, to be used by canvassers from
the CITY Sunday SCHOOLS. But before the
work could be outlined new set Of
superintendent came into position, who
failed TO continue the union, and SO the
matter was dropped. 1t has remained for
the movement just now agitating the
churches to bring the can ass TO place
where. a successful completion seems just
ahead. The preachers Monday meeting
discussed the idea at a recent session,
and prepared to look into the matter. A
few days later at q meeting of one of the
city Sunday schools, the movement took
shape by the appointments OF a committee
co confer with their nearer church
wi tn the work. The committee has at
last grown until, at a meeting at Free
Street Baptist church, last Wednesday
evening, twenty two churches were repre-
sented. There are about that many or
CARNATIONS now ready to push the grand
campaign, with sufficient workers to in
sure a speedy, though careful, visitation
of all the homes.
The main obect OF this canvass is to
ascertain the names of people who, for
any reason, do not attend some church
regularly or send their children to Sun
day school. There are always those
who, coming from other places where
they may have bean church goers, have
neglected to look around for church
home here. Some have dropped In once
or twice, but did not perhaps meet with
just as hearty welcome as they had
looked for, probably because they did not
make any effort themselves to become
known, or happened to be overlooked:
for the experience of hundr eds who are
now fully and freely at home. Ia that
Portland church people are warm-hearted
and genial, and ready to go little more
than halfway to meet and welcome
strangers. Then some have concluded
that the church does not need them, or
that they do not need the church, for.
getting, or not sensible of the fact that
but for the existence of the churches
they could not sit at home on Sunday OF
go visiting or pleasure seeking, without
means of protection near. The church
needs them, too, and calls for their CO.
operation and support.
But. on the whole, 1t is believed that
many will be glad TO come to church and
send their children to Sunday school If
the matter is brought before them by
kind friends at their homes. In this be-
lief, the canvassers will 60 forth, two by
two, on the morning of Friday, Novem-
Der 9th, visiting every home not already
known to be identified with some church
and Sunday school, and kindly inviting
them to name the church they prefer,
and ask them to attend that church or
school. Stores and places of business
will not be called upon.
Those who are to engage in this work
are mainly ladies and comprise many
earnest Christian workers Of almost
eyory denomination in the city. Az there
are no grades of suciety known among
true Christians, it is not i'll keeping with
the idea of this movement to say that
some of our leading people are
workers, though the fact shows that
many are.
1t is safe to say that large number
of the best and trurst people in the city
are in full sympathy with the work.
The canvassers are enlisted under
twelve district chiefs, whose addresses
are as follows:
District No. LIS. A. Skillings, "a
Vesper street.
District No. 2.-John W. Davis. 6s
North street.
s.Distriot No. 81. Park Rock we'll, 8
Cleaves street.
District No. 4.-Rev. j. B. Shepherd,
279 Congress street.
District No. b-Rev. W. 8. Ay res, 2S1
Gum berland street
District No. 6.-Rev. S. f. Pearson,
| 1875 Park street.
District No. REV. /. Luce. 295
Cum berland street.
District No. 81 NJ. Douglass, 2l7
High street.
District No. 9.-George f. West. IA
Mellen street.
Distric, No. ION. W. Edison, "a
Winter street.
District No. II. Rev. Henry MoGilvray,
III Neal street.
District No. IL. W. H. Morton, Sc
Winter street.
District No. 1 begins with the Eastern
Prom enade. and district No. 10 ends with
Libby's Corner, the districts covering
about one-twelfth each in territory.