Evening star., 1896-07-09

priately comparable to the life in the little
mustard seed, the least of all seeds. than
to the most famous creation of art that
skilled man has produced. The whirligig
of time has sped on these fifteen years, and
Christian Endeavor grows. and has already
waxed a great tree. and the fowls Of the
air lodge in its branches; and ]. for one.
am confident God has not prepared a worm
with which to smite 1t in a night or in q
year. or in a decade; no. never!
Extent of 1t.
Now let us count the branches on this
great tree. 1t is task upon which we
enter with enthusiasm. OF the states and
provinces that now have each over one
thousand Young Peoples Societies of
Pennsylvania still heads the list with
3,2l3; New York next, 2.97l; Ohio. 2.311
ontario has now passed to fourth place
with 1.sl.; sn, Illinois. 1,s2; Indiana, 1852;
These figures do not include the numer-
Gus other kinds of Christian Endeavor So
ciettes that are Eow fast becoming sturdy
branches of the mother tree, such as the
the Senior.
The Junior branch" claims our first at
tentton God be praised for its growth It
IS said a root of corn will grow an inch in
fifteen minutes. and the Junior branch
bids far to surpass that. There are now
1OO4 Junior Societies. Pennsylvania leads
with 1.224. then New York not yery FAR
behind with LION: Illinois s36; Ohio. 716;
inaiana, IN, 49s; Iowa, 4Ss; Massachusetts.
461; California. 49, Notwithstanding MANY
OF the states have made splendid advances
In Junior Societies. Pennsylvania will for
the third time secure the Junior badge"
panner Tor the largest gain in number of
Junior societies.
And the other banner, now in the. hands
OF Assiniboia, must pass across two imag.
mary lines to our enterprising neighbors in
Mexico, for her record for the greatest
proportionate increase in number of Jun
lor societies Is far ahead Of all others.
intermediate Societies..
Next in numerical strength comes the in
termediate society. When this branch first
put forth Its stem, we know not; 1t is but
a few years old. but promises richly In
many large churches there is need Of band
ing the older juniors together, for aggres-
sive work. preparatory to their graduating
into the Young Peoples Society," There are
row 115 Intermediate societies enrolled,
and many more Of which we have no
record. Illinois leads with II recorded.
California, Indiana and Ohio each have IL
enrolled. Another years growth of this
branch will be watched with interest as
will that OF still two other new branches
the Mothers Society and the Senior So
ciety. There are 30 of the former and ~
of the latter. Illinois leads in both. having
y Mothers and Senior societies. New
Hampshire and Pennsylvania each report !
Senior societies, and Kansas IL Mothers,
and Pennsylvania, T.
These three last branches named, Inter-
mediate, Mothers and Senior, like the
Junior and Young PEOPLES. have great
promise ofspower, athrill with life as they
are. AS the Junior is for the boys and girls,
the intermediate for the lads and lassies,
the Young Peoples for the young men and
women, the Christian Endeavor succession
Syy-nG GIl afcd info fhn
AS one pastor says: "It Is not too much
to hopo and predict that the churches will
gradually welcome the application Of Chris
tian Endeavor principles to all their activ-
tiles. These principles underlie all Chris
tan work, and by the force of their in
herent reasonableness have the right of
general application, and the day draws on
apace when the church will foster the
christian Endeavor idea as another
method, like unto the Sunday school, SUBJ
ordinate to itself, and will do through 1t
it's manifold work"
Numerous Branches.
We have not time to investigate the
branches in schools, in colleges, in public
institutions of all kinds, in prisons, and
schools Of reform, in almshouses, asylums,
institutions for the blind, ETC., on board
ships. men-of-war, at navy yards, in life
stations, and among life savers, among the
boys IN blue IN United States barracks. in
large factories. among car drivers, police
Een. and patrolmen. in the Travellers
Union, etc: but we cannot pass by the
growth Of the Canadian and foreign
branches" for they next attract our ad-
miration. All Canada has 1892 societies,
and in foreign and missionary lands there
are now $3.50 societies enrolled. The United
kingdom has over 1900; Australia. over
ZOO; France. 66; West Indies. 6s; India,
12s; Mexico, 81: Turkey Il; Africa, 3S;
China. 40: Germany. 1s; Japan. &C; Mada-
gascar, 93; and so on until every country
in the world is represented, save three or
four. making a grand total of 1928
branches.
The badge banner, which is given for
the greatest absolute gain in number Of
Joung peoples societies, can again be car
ried back to England's shores. Pennsyl-
vania and other states have made a splen-
old effort to keep 1t on this side of the
pond" but it is evident that our brothers
and sisters on the other side have firm
grasp upon 1t. ],
The banner for the greatest proportionate
gain In number of societies for the first
time crosses the "briny deep to Scotland's
shores. What will another year bring
forth? Shall both banners float on the