The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-09
LAST SERVICE At ACTON
SOME OF THE PLANS OUTLINED FOR
NEXT YEARS MEETING.
A New Treasurer EIected-A March
Around JerichO-Three Thousand
People at Bethany.


Fenwick Reed at the pavilion, and every
soul in the grove seemed swayed by the
spiritual influence of the hour. The de-
vout marchers made the rounds of Jeru-
salem singing hozannas and giving vent to
their praises of the Almighty, and the scene
was a fitting climax to the period of power.
During the day sermons were delivered
by Dr. Lewis Curtis, of Cincinnati, senior
agent of the Book Concern, and by Evan
geists J. d. Hartsock and Fenwick Reed
The auditorium was crowded at all the
services. notwithstanding the fact that the
attendance on the grounds was smaller than
on any previous Sunday.
The board of trustees of the association
and the association itself held meetings on
Saturday evening, at which some matters
of Importance were attended to. The as
ISOLATION meeting was called for the cleo
ton of a treasurer to succeed George Ho-
dell, who has been made superintendent of
grounds Three candidates were voted for,
Il. L. Williams, c. Spiegel and Rev. 7. w.
Northcott, of A1apleton, the contest result
ing in the latters favor. Some doubt is
expressed as TO whether Mr.. Northcott will
accept, and in case he does not the trustees
will fill the place. The trustees turned the
matter of making the lake improvements
over to E. L. Williams and A. A. Young,
who will obtain a survey of the ground and
estimates on the cost of the proposed un-
dertaking and report to the board on Sept.
IA at the Y. M. c. A. hall. If it is found
that one well is not sufficient to fill the
lake additional wells will be sunk. 1t was
decided that the spring meeting of the as
ISOLATION would be held May 10. and the
assembly next year will probably extend
from July 20 to Aug. Is. E. l.. Williams
md A oV11 tod
mittee to endeavor to secure better rail-
road services so that business men can go
to the camp at night and return to the city
in the early morning
PLANS FOR $685.
Although the programme for the season
just passed proved very satisfactory, the
trustees will likely spend some money in
lettering 1t for next year. The Whiteland
band may be secured for week or more,
and some prominent lecturers will be OBJ
tanned. The Epworth League convention
for the East Indianapolis district will prob
ably be held at the beginning of the
sembly, and with this end in view efforts
are being made by the cabinet of the lee
ture chapter to secure funds to build
Epworth headquarters, which is to con-
tain a medium-sized auditorium with DOR
mitory quarters A large sum has already
been raised for the purpose, and it may be
stated as a settled fact that the building
will be erected.
Most of the cottagers will pack their be-
longings Tomorrow and return to their
homes, although quite a number will re-
main indefinitely. The season has been a
very pleasant one to all the campers, and
they carry away with them memories to
be cherished and consciousness that they
have received great benefit by reason of
their sojourn in the religious and intellec-
tual atmosphere of the shaded grove. Much
of the day yesterday was devoted TO max
in 70 oil lie nd rviFlcr
pactS to return next year The young peo-
pie held their final merrymaktng event late
was had in the woods on the hill. This was
followed by a midnight serenade of the viii
lage of Acton, and, sad to relate, a raid
upon some apple orchards as we'll
The morning service at the pavilion was
particularly notable for its large audience
and fervid spirit An old melody resur-
rected by DR.. Curtis had been printed and
distributed. It's singing caused some of the
older persons present to weep Another
Laura Jennings, a gifted young lady from
Lawrenceburg, who has been the organist
during the revival period Miss Jennings
sang the well-known song "One Sweetly
Solemn Thought" and produced an effect
on the audience that was fiattering to her
ability as vocalist Professor George L.
School, directed the chorus as he has done
so efficiently all through the season.
Dr. Curtis. who is a prospective bishop,
took for the subject of his discourse
christian Positivism." His text was:
Verify verify / say unto thee, we speak
that we know and testify that we have
seem
There is a spirit of material positivism
abroad in the land" began the speaker,
a poSitivism that diScredits everything
which does not appeal to the senses. Those
who entertain this positivsm look upon
Christianity as a fairly good speculative
philosophy in which, however, too much
stress is placed upon mere faith and too
little regard paid to positive knowledge.
To these critics of Christianity we might
hot how RaAf fctA -, .rl1
material science which in it's final analysis
does not rest upon some undemonstrable
hypothesis. In chemistry the foundation of
the science rests on the particle of matter
which no one ever saw, heard or tasted. In
astronomy is the law of gravitation which
no one ever saw heard or tasted and so on
with all the other sciences. But with refer
ence to Christianity, admitting that its
mightiest working factor Is called faith yet
1t possesses q category of facts which the
church will not yield as less certain than
any other set of known things.
''Fhe first of these facts which the church
has knowledge of is that God exists. The
idea of God is common to all men that
are capable of reasoning. The manifesto
tion of a design in nature is an evidence
of the being of God Again the atheistic
argument begins by saying there Is no God,
therefore no law, no consciousness of
gullt and no forgiveness of sins; but the
Christian. argument begins with the recog-
milton or the consciousness of guilt in all men
and from which is inferred the existence
of law and therefore a lawgiver. The
Christian also knows that God exists be-
cause he hears and answers prayer. To-
day those who doubt that God answers
prayer must doubt the most positive die
ton of positivism itself The existence of
God is also a fact of certainty because of
his indwelling In the soul. This cannot be
explained, but every Christian knows it to
be so.
THE second positive fact in the Christian
creed is that every man is a sinner, a
transgresSor against what he believes to be
right; and the third fact is that of re-
generation or consciousness of a change
from death to life, experienced at the time
OF conversion. So positive is the Christians
knowledge that he is born again when he
is converted that he often remembers the
time and place when it occurred After
conversion the Lord keeps us from all de-
sire Of SHINING, but it does not follow that
we cannot sin for may do evil and NOT
be cogniZant of 1T.
1.-THE Christian, therefore, knows that
God is, that by nature we are sinners that
we pass from death to life at conversion
and that God saves us from day to dav
by His infinite grace. The Christian also
knows something of the hereafter because
of the comforter that Christ sent after his
resurrection to be a witness for Him on
earth, a comforter that brings to MS the
clusters of flowers and the honeycomb from
the fields of paradise"
After the sermon DR.. Curtis was COM
PEELED TO take the noon train for Illinois
where his wife's mother is lying at the
point of death.
THE AFTERNOON SERVICES
Evangelist Hartsock filled the pulpit at
the tabernacle in the afternoon. He deliv-
cred a sermon on the shutting of Christ
out of politics. out of business and out of
the home. He said that if Christ ran for