The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-12

Win eAC CHOh III StISiHE AL ian tliC
Power of Jesus. Name after which the
Invocation was delivered by Rev. DR.. Mac
Intosh. In introducing DR.. Withrow. Gen
Harrison alluded to the fact that he had
formerly lived in Indiana. and that he late
~ presided over the General Assembly OF
the Presbyterian Church. THE General
Assembly, said General Harrison, ap
pointed committee to take into consdera-
ton the home missions of the church, and
that committee has been in session in In
dlanapolis to-day. The questions before
them are grave and important to the future
OF the church We have assembled here to-
night to hear some Of them speak on this
great topic. The evangelization of our own
land and carrying the message Of God into
the barren places of our own country is one
of the important duties of the church at
on this topic''
DR.. Withrow. on behalf of the committee.
expressed hearty thanks for the hospitality
Of the city, and spoke of the pleasant mem
cries he himself had of the place
could there be any greater mission for
the Presbyterian Church. he asked, than
the evangelization of our country? The
church has gone through many critical pc
RODS. 1t is now passing through a very
serious period The country is emerging
from a condition of financial and other de-
ing the dark hours, religion has had its
gay; Here we have been going through
10 great spiritual blessing to offset the
Nations calamities. Prosperity is dawnng.
Times are improving. Men are turning to
the new Eldorado-to Klondlke There is
danger in the search and requirement of
riches. Rome rotted and ruined under
riches, and it will ruin any country that
does not have a religious spirit equally as
strong to offset it. am not pessimst.
/ have no doubt the church is going to win.
Armies Arr sss1 win by and by, after great routs
seen above things that are not seen. There
must be an uprising of wright in
tent Christian work to offset the drift to
material things. We are threatened with a
movement toward reformation before regen-
eration-perhaps had better say reforma-
ton is being substituted for regen-
GRAFTON. Whether the multitude Of societies
that have sprung up in our church are do
ing good is question. Saving the whole
crowd is not making them to be born anew
We want some of the old fervor, fervor
like that of the Salvation Army, out in the
streets raising up the submerged tenth"
DR.. Withrow spoke then at length of the
work that is necessary in what are known
IS the mountain districts of Tennessee and
dwelling in ignorance ard darkness. but
with minds ready to receive the faith.
Those people he said. have the seed
of Presbyterianism in them. In the midst
of their ignorance and darkness it abides
with them. Their ancestors were Presby-
terans.. We ought to have the enthusiasm
to go into such work to relieve the ig-
norance, restitution and darkness"
DR.. Withrow's plea for the mountaineers
ing the ripeness of that field and the desire
the mountain people have for intellectual
and religious teaching.
DR. KANE'S TALK.
Rev. DR.. W. p. Kane. of Illinois, said that
the work of to-day is not so much to con-
vince men that the Bible is true as to drive
into their minds the necessity for conse-
Grated service to the Lord 1.-THE church.
he declared, lis to be Gods agency in reno
waiting society The country is not to be
saved by the wisdom of her statesmen nor
the valor of her soldiers. for over them is
mightier power, the power of the cross.
aolxi pcr ifca1f faIt In all he n Ia
day The church should take it's place in
leadership In broad sense there is no dis
tinction between home evangelzation and
foreign. There is but one commission to
disciples-'Go We into all the world Yet
in the division of the work we must
recognize the distinction between that which
We must return to the simplicity of the
primitive church 1t was not the doctrine
that man must accept Christianity for self
others. We receive in order that we may
give. believe we ought to consider that
who is not imbued with the mission spirit,
that no one should be recognized as In good
standing who is not recognized as an en-.
1t was to accomplish the most good that
there is a movement after new methods. ne
said. not to discredit the agencies or the
past, but to devise new ones that will reach
farther
In introducing DR.. Spinning, the next
speaker, General Harrison said that he was
constrained to follow the scriptural iniunc.
tion with reference to "heaping Goals of
fire. on his head. 1t seems that In the heat
meeting of the General Assembly Dr. Spin
ming had metaphorically called Paul
down from heaven to select the greatest
modern missionary. In naming over prom
inent churchrnen as candidates for this dis
tinction he said that Paul would not want
to be introduced to them-among them
s.Dr Spinning animated" said Gen. Har-
rison, with one of his. genial smiles, that
Paul would not apply for an Introduction to
me- If Paul were here tonight, | know
he would want an introduction to DR.. Spin
ming and that he would recognize in him
a man after his own heart-a man imoued
with some Of his own missionary spirit. and
with his own zeal and conservation"
DR.. Spinning acknowledged that the happy
introduction disarmed him and made use
less the Introductory remarks he had pre-
pared for the occasion. Il have been i'm
pressed" said he, with the splendid loyal
ty of Indianapolis to Presbyteranism. / be-
lieve that your hearts are in sympathy with
the work of evangeliZation."
He eulogiZed the work of the pioneers
of PreSbyterianism and ad1ured his hearers
to live up to the high standard they had
planted, not to forget their heroism and to
hold the ground they have taken. He spoke
of the great influx of foreign ideas and
citizens into this country as a growing dan
ger, and read few statistics going to show
that native NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of the
revolutionary pioneers-are rapidly becom-
ing outnumbered. The duty of the church
make of the Nations guests true Christian
Americans. After travelling over the CONT
nent score of times and after visiting the
country from New Mexico to Alaska from
Maine to California he was convinced that
spiritual restitution does not exist to such
an appel ling extent in the heart of Mormon
ism nor in the wilds of the Western coun-
tries so much as in the great cities. 1.-THE
greatest spiritual restitution" he said us
churches of the city of New York.
Rev. DR.. NiccollS was the last speaker.
General Harrison, in introducing him. spoke
of the pleasant associations they had had
as neighbors in the Adirondack mountains.
where they angled together, and where DR..
Niccolls was much beloved for ns kindly.
helpful Christian spirit DR.. Niccolls said
that he would not dwell on special fields of
missionary work, as they had been so well
covered by the speakers that preceded him.
purpose. He reads to little purpose the his
tory of this country who fails to see In it
the fact that God has nodded it to his own
purpose. 1t is no longer the pioneer ma
tion the country across seas, but is now
the center of the commercial world, with
while the commerce of nations moves across
it, This country, he said, is to-day influ-
encing and will influence the work for veal
woe as no other country is nor can. He
likened the position of America to-day to
that of Canaan, the home of Gods peculiar
people who were set in the center of the
then known world and from whose land
Jehovah's religion spread outward.
General Harrison, at the end of the meet
ing on behalf of the Presbyterans of the
and interesting addresses that had been de-
livered
A DINNER TO THE VISITORS.