St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-04
GRAND RALLY In NEW YORK IN
THE INTERESTS OF PRESBY-
TERRAIN HOME MISSIONS.
CLEVELAND IN THE CHAIR.
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT, In
WHICH HE TEsTIFIEs TO THE
GOOD WORK.
Eloquent Speeches by Rev. Tai.
mage, Booker II. Washington
and Others.

NEW YORK, March 3-One of the
most important meetings held in recent
years in favor of the home mission
movement of the Presbyterian church
was that which took place in Carnegie
Music hall tonight. The Importance of
the occasion was emphasized by the
appearance, as presiding officer of the
meeting, of President Cleveland. Every
available spot in the hall was crowded,
and an overflow meeting was held in
the lower hall. The platform was
crowded with prominent ministers and
laymen Of the Presbyterian church.
When President Cleveland appeared
at s o'clock, accompanied by Rev. DR..
John Hall, of the Fifth Avenue Pres
byterian church, he was received with
tumultuous applause, the whole audi
ence rising and waving handkerchiefs.
When the applause had subsided DR..
Hall introduced President Cleveland as
chairman Of the meeting, whereupon
the applause was renewed again and
again. When the cheering had sub
sided,
PRESIDENT CLEVELAND SAID:
'I desire to express my appreciation of the
and OF the opportunity this afforded me of tes-
tifying to the value and usefulness of the work
undertaken by the board of home missions Of
the Presbyterian church. My interest in this
subject and my familiarity with home mis-
stonary effort are not newly acquired They
early came to me in the surroundings of a
Christian Presbyterian home, and were slim
ulated by a fathers faithful labors in the
cause. My early impressions are not, how
ever, the only basis Of the testimony l have
tonight in favor of home missions. AS your
tnn 7 n oil Dc
that deepen the religious sentiment of our
people and enlarge influence, l fully realize
the transcendent importance of this agency in
It's operation upon the hearts of men for the
salvation of their souls. The long roster of
those who have been led into the way of
righteousness through the instrumentality of
our home missions are rich trophies OF sue
cessful endeavor
'Bnt it is not only as your fellow citizen,
but as the chief executive officer of your gov
erIsnent that | desire to speak, for 1 am en-
tirely certain that l serve we'll our entire peo-
pie, whose servant l am, when l here testify
to the benefit our country has received through
home missionary effort, and when l join you
in an attempt to extend and strengthen that
effort No one charged with the duties and re-
sponsibilities which necessarily weigh upon
your chief executive can fail to appreciate the
Importance ofreligious teachings and Christian
endeavor in the newly settled portions Of our
vast domain. 1t is there where hot and stub
born warfare between the forces of good and
evil Is constantly invited. In these days the
is never without its vicious and criminal ele-
ment. Gambling houses and dram shops are
frequently among the first establishments in a
new community. 1t must also be confessed
that removal from old homes and associa-
tons to a new and more primitive home has a
tendency among honest and respectable set
tiers
TO SMOTHER SCRUPLES
and breed evil Indifference to christianizing
and elevating agencies. These conditions if
unchecked and u0cOrrncted
community by their growth and expansion a
character and disposition which, while dan
gerous to peace and order in the early stages
of settlement develop into badly regulated
municipalities, corrupt and unsafe territories
and undesirable states. These are serious
considerations in a country where the people,
good or bad, are its rulers, because the con-
ditions to which l refer would certainly men,
ace, within circle constantly enlarging the
safety and welfare Of the entire body polite
II we could not hope that churches and re-
ligious teaching would from the first be on
the ground to oppose the evil influences that
are apt to pervade the beginning of organized
communities. These churches and this re-
ligious teaching were never more needed than
now, ON our distant frontiers, where the proc
ess of forming new states is going so rap
idly and where newcomers who are to be
the citizens of new states are rapidly gath
ering together. For these instrumentalities
at the outpostS of our population, so vitality
important in view of Christian men as well
as patriotic citizens, we must depend to a
very great extent on home missionary ex-
ertion. How can we excuse ourselves, if we
permit this exertion to languish for the lack
Of proper support?
''If we turn from the objects of home mis-
sionary labor to the situation of those act
ually toilfng in distant fields for God and hu-
manity and a purer, better citizenship our
sympathy with their work must be further
quickened and our sense of duty to them and
their cause actively stimulated. They are
the association of friends under the direction
of organized mission boards to teach Chris
tianity in sDarsely settled sections and to
organize churches where none exist, enduring
discomfort, hardships
POVERTY AND DANGER
for the sake of a cause to which in a very
comfortable and inexpensive way we profess
to be attached. These are our soldiers at the
front, fighting our battles; and we, who stay
at home, cannot escape the duty of providing
for them and reinforcing them in every way
If we are to continue them in our service
Our hearts have recently been profoundly
stirred by the dangers that threaten the de-
voted men and women who have gone from
among us to preach and teach Christianity in
foreign land. Our sympathy with them and
those with whom they labor and suffer is
made more painful because the arm of COM
plete relief has not thus far been able to reach
them. Our missionary impulse should be
large enough and strong enough for both
While we will not turn away from them nor
allow Encouragement to destroy activity in
their behalf, let us not forget the missionaries
in our own land who need aid, to whom we
owe a duty and which can be reached
''It seems to me that If the Christian people
of our land estimate at it's real value the
work which the board of home missions has
in charge, and If they can be made to realize
It's extreme Importance, the means to carry
on and extend this work will be equally forth
coming and I hone that such an unuSuaI in