Evening star., 1896-01-20
Convention Of the District Christian
Endeavorers Ended.
ADDRESS OF DR.. CLARK AND Mr.. BAIR
Impressive Conservation Service
at the Final Meeting. :.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED

The fourth annual convention of the Dis
trict Of Columbia Christian Endeavor Union
is ended. Beside those already reported in
The Star, services were held Saturday even
ing and yesterday afternoon in Central
Hall, which was crowded to the doors on
both occasions.
Saturday evenings session was devoted
to the interests of the approaching interna-
tional convention, and It was fitting, there
FORE that members of the great auxiliary
committee who are to perfect the arrange
ments for that large gathering should be
admitted to the hall in advance of the gem
eral public. Tickets Of admission were used
by the committee members until 7:45, and
as they arrived they were escorted by the
ushers to that part of the audience room set
apart for the particular corps of workers to
which they belonged.
The Flag Of 100.
Chairman w. H. H. Smith Of the commit
tee of '96 presided at the meeting, and
seated with him on the platform were his
co-workers and fellow-members Of the COM
mittee, as also DIR. Clark and Secretary
Baer, president and secretary of the United
Society of Christian Endeavor; Rev. NJ.
Ross Ftshburn of the Mt. Pleasant Congre-
gational Church and Rev. DR.. F. ID. Power
of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church.
After a brief praise service by the Moody
choir. devotional exercises were conducted
by Rev. Mr.. Ffshburn. and the Offering
was received.
An Interpolation in the program just at
this point proved to be of the greatest in
terest. Chairman Smith spoke Of the decor
ations Of the hall and the prominent place
in them which the convention flag of
washington, &c. occupied. 1t was his
pleasant mission, he said, to present the
three flags Of the new design which we're
first made. and it was appropriate that the
first of these should go to the flags de-
signer, F. D. Bliss. The second one he pre-
sented to DR.. F. E. Clark, by whom 1t was
accepted on behalf Of the united societies of
Christian Endeavor. The third was handed
to Miles NJ. Shand, president Of the District
Union. The flags were handsome silk en-
blems of the design already familiar to
local Endeavorers, and soon to become
known throughout the land, mounted on
light gilt-topped sticks.
Mr.. Baer's Biblical Quotations.
A great fluttering of dainty white lace
and linen greeted Mr.. John Willis Baer of
the United Society of Christian Endeavor
as he stepped forward to address the COM
mittees on the Responsibility of the In
dividual Worker" Indeed. the Chautauqua
salute has been the prevailing method of
welcoming a speaker at every session of the
convention, and the waving of thousands of
handkerchfefs an attractive feature. Mr..
d
charge to the various committees, and he
called on all the members of each commit
tee in turn to rise while he spoke to them,
defining their duties and urging them to
faithful service. An apt quotation from the
Bible ended each charge, and they were so
pointed in reference and so unique in appli-
cation as to create general laughter Of sur
prise and approval: To the printing COM
mittee he quoted from Job: 20 that my
words were now written; o that they were
printed and from the same author. to the
finance committee: THE Almighty shall be
thy defense and thou shalt have plenty of
silver To the other committee as fol-
lows: Reception, "And when the brethren
heard of US they came out to meet u.s." reg
istration, And Solomon registered all the
| strangers that were in the land" decora-
tfons, In the name Of our God we will set
up our banners;" ushers, And He COM
manded them to make all the people to sit
stranger did not lodge in the street, but 1
| opened my doors to the traveller" music,
Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His
praise unto the ends of the earth;" press.
Write the things which thou hast seen, and
the things which are, and the things Which
shall be hereafter"
He closed his remarks with an earnest
plea to every individual worker to realize
his responsibility and to be faithful to his
trust. Mrs. Carrie Kidwell Stewart then
sang a solo.
Rev. DIR. CIark's Address.
| Rev. DR.. Francis E. Clark, Father En-
deavor" Clark. as he is sometimes called
| the founder of the Christian Endeavor or
| ganization, and its president, made an earn
| est and impressive address on the subject
of the spiritual benefits to be expected from
| the approaching international convention
| He said he believed the present time show
| ed the high tide Of spirituality in Christian
Endeavor circles. From all over the coun-
| try every week comes this glad news of
renewed interest ard activity. He did not
claim any special gift of prophecy, yet he
! said he believed the coming convention will
| be one Of great spiritual uplift, such as
has never been experienced before
The Christian Endeavor Society, he said,
| is a society of conventions. He remarked
about sthe first convention, which was held
small that the gallery of Central Hall
would, he thought, have accommodated the
| audience. but it was a prophecy of what
| was to come. Each convention since has
| been marked by some one noteworthy fea-
| ture. At Minneapolis it was Christian fel-
| lowship and brotherhood. New York's con-
| vention aroused the attention Of the com
| munity and caused unusual comment, so
| that the leople were all asking each other
| what 1t all meant and the papers took up
| the question: saying a new social force ha $
come into the world. force powerful for
the development of good citizenship, and it
| must be recognized.
A. Montreal, said DR.. Clark. the distin-
| gushing characteristic was Christian mis-
sions, and great impulse for missionary
activity was felt over the world as a re-
suit. And then came Cleveland Just at the
time when the railroad strike was in pro-
| gress, and 1t was a perplexing question
whether there would be any convention at
all. Yet thousands attended, and at Cleye-
| land demonstrated the courage, devotion
| and genuine heroism of the members to the
principles of Christian Endeavor Boston's
| meeting brought out the evangelistic idea
| and wave Of evangelistic work swept over
the whole country, and is yet being mani
| tested in the state and county conventions
that are being held. DR.. Clark expressed
the confident expectation that Washing
| tons would be a convention of conventions.
and would serve for the strengthening and
deepening Of the spiritual life, not only
| Of the assembled thousands attending its
sessions. not only Of the city itself, but of
the whole nation at whose capital It will
be held, and of the whole world
Attractions as Religious Conyen.
ton.
There is no combination of secular attrac-
| tions that can bring SO many young people
together as religious convention, affirm
| ed the speaker, and he related an illustra-
tion he used in argument to some Boston
tans when he was urging this same propo-
Sition. You NAV have Patti in vour 10 ro