Evening star., 1896-06-18
AN ANIMATED SCENE
The Object Lesson to Christian En-
deavorers Last Night.
ACTIVITY At CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Committees All Rehearsing Their
Duties to Delegates.
SOME OF THE FEATURES

When delegates to the fifteenth interna-
tional Christian Endeavor convention,
which meets here three weeks from today.
arrive in the city they will be met at the
station by one committee of local Endeav
orers and escorted to tteir church head
quarters by another committee. There
they will be registered, given an official
badge and copy of the official program and
map Of the city. assigned to boarding
places and. fiEally, escorted personally to
their temporary homes.
Last night the whole operation as it will
be gone through with in July was rehears-
ed at the Calvary Baptist Sunday school
house by the members of the local union.
The members of the reception, entertain
ment and registration committees Of the
local societies represented themselves to be
the visiting delegates, while the Calvary
society's members, assisted by the men,
bers of the central committees of the three
convention bodies who will have most to
do with tie delegates themselves, acted in
the capacity of hosts. Real instruction was
given in a matter of vital Importance to
large proportion of convention workers.
Meeting the Supposed Delegates.
AS soon as the make-believe visiting del
egates arrived at the Goor of the Sunday
school house, which, for the purpose of
last nights meeting. was regarded as one
CT the railroad stations, trey were met and
cordially greeted by members of the sta
tion section of the central reception com
mittee, consisting of Ella NJ. Chase, chair
man: n. T. Elliott, Anna p. Shields, r. =.
Waddy, Charles Cobarth. NJ. Clark, Louis
H. Neill, Chrstene Pogeensee, Stella Drane.
Jennie Furmage, r.. B. Burnham, Mae
II l,,l Vn,,
ME Rugg.A. D. Srangler, Mrs NJ NJ. North
and G. P. Bohrer.
The supposed visitors had all previously
been provided with registration blanks. and
were supposed to have filed them out prior
to their arrival at the church. just as the
real visitors will be provided through their
excursion mana gers with registration cards
and will have them filed out before they
arrive in the city. Such, however, as had
not performed this duty beforehand. were
given instruction in the matter by the sta
ton section.
After being met at the station. the mas
querading visitors were conducted to their
church headquarters, where they We're to
register. But before they were shown to
the registration tables. however. they dis
covered parcel room right at the entrance
to the church, where hats, umbrellas and
grips were properly checked and cared for.
TO make the object lesson more real in all
its phases, large Eumber of the attend
ants last night came with satchels and
bundles, just as if arriving from journey.
The Repatriation Tables.
The march was again taken up toward the
registration tables. in charge Of Chairman
W. F. Stowell of the convention registra-
ton committee, about which there was a
dense crowd of visitors. eager to have their
names recorded and to receive the official
map of the city and copy of the provisional
program. No badges were given out, for 1t
a fO
their design a profound secret until the con-
vention time actually arrives; neither were
the official programs distributed, because
they have not yet been prepared for the
printer. But the local Endeavorers received
for the first time a glimpse of the official
map, which has been prepared by the print
ing committee, the first copies of which
have been received in their finished state
from the printer, and these useful souvenirs
were literally distributed.
When the delegates had registered and
been given maps and programs, they next
proceeded to the entertainment booths,
where home assignments were supposed to
be made. Chairman Shand and the men,
bers of his central committee had charge.
and questioned the delegates to the char
acter of accommodations they desired, and
then endeavored to fill their wants out of
the supply of places which the two cam
vases of the city has disclosed. Some in
search Of accommodations were assigned to
the Executive Mansion, which was said to
be especially convenient to the convention
tents, or to the monument, in whose favor
1t was stated that the rooms were high up
above the heat and dust of the city.
Next in order was the plotting of the as
signed delegates to their newly argained-
for homes. The church section of the re-
ception committee was charged with this
duty, Miss Anna ]. Bell and her assistants
being piled with all sorts of questions as
to the route delegates should take to reach
their homes.
An Animated Scene.
The scene presented in the Sunday school
rooms was a brilliant and animated one.
Hundreds of summer girls and their escorts
were moving about between the different
tables. being registered. securing quarters.
asking questions about the city and its
points of interest from the occupants of the
Information booths, or making pleasant
aCquaintances among those who were act
ing their hosts. The trimming of the
rooms themselves was model for the men,
bers of the decorations committees of other
churches. The pillars in the center were
completely wrapped with the national col
ors; Washington SO flags were displayed
over gas jets tackled upon the wallis, grace
fully grouped above doorways and at other
available spots. while the Pennsylvania col
ors and state badge and flag were also very
much in evidence. for Pennsylvania is to
be entertained by the Calvary Church while
the convention is in session. One room for
reception purposes was specially fitted up
with couches. easy chairs, writing desk and
other conVenlenceS, ana wholly decorated
with Pennsylvania colors.
One feature of the arrangements at last
nights object lesson was a post office in
charge of Miss Carrie q. Aver, where mail
for the visitors was received and distributed
There was a table also for the display of
literature and the sale of convention badge
flags and guide books
A most amusing feature of the exercise
was the presence Of two would-be Oklahoma
delegates, Mrs. and Miss Simpkins," whose
unique dress and quaint manners attracted
considerable attention.
Chairman Smiths Friendly Criticism.
When the Endeavorers in attendance at
the meeting had passed through the var
ious stages of instruction as to the manner
of receiving and properly caring for the
city's visitors in July, they were invited
upstairs to the audience room, where a
friendly criticism of the evenings exercise
was made by Chairman w. H. II. Smith of
the committee of 90 He emphasized the
necessity of continuous attendance at
church headquarters during all the days
and perhaps through the first night of the
convention season, and urged the members
of the committees to be thoughtless of
their own comfort and pleasure in the ef-
fort to show to the visitors every court esy.
He explained at some length a plan by
which the process Of registration could be
very much simplifed and expedited, a plan
by which all the work would be done with
ont the stroke of q pen and as fast as the