Evening star., 1896-07-10
COMMITTEE HEADQUARTERS
Estimate Of the Number of Visiting Dele
gates Attending the Convention.
Interesting Talk With Chairman
Smith-Tent WfIllston to BE Oc-
cupfed Tomorrow.

Tent Williston will be raised this even
ing and meetings will be held in the canvas
auditorium. beginning with the Junior rally
tomorrow morning.
The total estimated registration of dele
gates to the fifteenth Christian Endeavor
convention is 5000.
These were the most important news
items given out at the committee of 80
headquarters this morning.
Il think the total number of visiting dele
gates to the fifteenth Christian Endeavor
convention, conservatively speaking, is
81, ,OOO'
So said Chairman w. H. H. Smith OF the
committee Of '96 to a Star reporter at head
quarters this morning. This estimate does
deavor societies or Of the choir. most of
whom are Endeavorers. Counting in these
would add something over 10000 to the list.
Il really believe there are a few thou
sand more than the number / indicated"
continued Mr.. Smith. 1T is very hard to
tell just how many Endeavorers there are
Ill the city. One of the most difficult mat
ters in connection with the management Of
the convention Is that of the registration
of delegates. l am quite sure 1t is not the
fault of the system, but the trouble Is with
the visiting Endeavorers themselves. ! am
positive that at least one-third probably a
larger number, who came to the city with
the official excursions from the several
states have failed to go to their state head
quarters and register. 1t is largely owing
to this fact that We have not yet received
any definite returns from the several
churches to the number who have reg
istered The visitors have come to the CITY,
gone to their stopping places and attended
the sessions of the convention without TAX
ing the trouble to register. But they will
probably get to their church headquarters
in a day or two. and thus it will probably
be tomorrow night or Monday afternoon
before we can give any really accurate and
definite figures concerning the attendance"
AS instances of the neglect of delegates
to register. Mr.. Smith cited the case of
New York and Massac chusetts. The empire
state excursion manager brought with him
1oSO delegates, but up to this morning only
100 had registered at the Church of the
Covenant which is the New York head
quarters. In the bay state delegation the
proportion of unregistered delegates is
about the same, 1.150. having Come in on
the excursion trains and only 900 register
ing.
Similar reports have been coming in from
all the churches, and 1t Is matter of re-
gret on the part of the committee of SO
that things are as they are.
Mr.. Smiths estimate Of $1,000 includes
the Endeavorers who have not registered.
He said he thought it perfectly fair to add
to this number the local Endeavorers and
members of the choir, because of the 5000
delegates registered at the Boston conveh-
ton last year 2S,00O were from the bay
state and a large majority Of the remainder
came from surrounding New England
states, where Christian EndeavOr Is strong
est in point Of numbers. Mr.. Smith thinks.
and so do the officers and trustees OF the
United Society. that there are many thou
sands more Endeavorers from far-away
states and provinces at the convention of
80 than have been at any previous inter-
national gathering. At noon today the fol-
lowing returns from state headquar-
ters lad been received by the registration
committee: Arizona, 1: Colorado. u: Flor
ida. 80: Idaho, 2; Illinois. Sl3: Indiana. 4oS:
sets, Sss; Minnesota, 50; Missouri, 30; New
Hampshire, 1872: Ohio. 1.G27: Oregon. 8:
Texas, 46; Vermont, 90: Virginia, 400;
washinsten. =; West Virginia 1s5' and
New Jersey, 1872.
one of the busiest men around head
quarters this morning was Chairman ".
A. H. Church Of the hall committee. He
has been working hard to have that
have succeeded if the rain had stayed
in the clouds this morning. 1t had been
planned to have the regular meeting in
the tent tonight and the plan would nave
weather bureau man had only let little
sunshine in. "It is very doubtful If We
can get the tent up this afternoon" Mr..
Church said. 1.-The tent maker had his men
" OF king hard all night sewing the torn
canvas, and we got the big center poles
up early this morning, but the ram came
on just as we were getting ready to hoist
the tent and spoiled plans; at least
delayed our work for a few hours. We
may by the very hardest kind Of hustling
pc ssibly get it ready for the meeting to-
night, but believe it will hardly be pos
sible However. if it does not rain any
more today we will have it ready by to-
morrow morning."
1t was announced at headquarters at noon
today that the regular services in Tent
Williston will be held beginning with the
junior rally tomorrow morning. The ef-
forts toward rehoisting the tent had SO
far advanced at that hour that 1t was
sa i'd the big canvas would surely be up
late this afternoon or evening. Then the
large force of men will rearrange the seats
fix up the electric lights and get every
thing in shape for the meeting tomorrow
nm