The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-08
NOT INTERFERING.
That is What the Congrega tionalists Say
In II futatl0n.

and dependent churches and consequent ex-
pensiveness. the Congregational Home Mis-
sionary Society, with headquarters at New
York, issue today statement 10 its constitu-
ency relative 10 its responsibility for the
multiplication of churches ON missionary
ground. This statement sffirms that superin-
tendents are instructed 60 guard carefully
the relations OF the society to other societies
doing missionary work on the same field.
and that the claims Of comfy and Christian
courtesy are always respected. ft is the in
variable rule not 20 plant IA Congregational
church mission on ground which. in the
proper sense OF the word, is cared for by other
evangelical denominations
AS far back as 1892 efforts were made 10 So.
cure conference of the representatives of
the home missionary organizations Of the
Methodist Baptist, Episcopalian, Reformed,
Presby terian and Congregational churches.
with view TO adopting such methods Of
common action as would avoid duplication.
Representatives were present from the Pres
bytoran, the Reformed and the Congrega
tional home missionary bodies, the others
declining. A report adopted contained the
statement Of principles of each OF tho three
denominations represented, together with the
procedure 90 be- followed in exceptional cases
which might ariss on the field. In these ex-
ceptional cases a committee OF conference on
the field were to consider the matter, and il
possible settle the point II such COMMITTEES
failed of reaching conclusion the matter
was referred TO the secretaries OF the mission.
airy societies in New York.
In 1892, of tho whole number OF fields occu.
pied by the Congregational Home Missionary
Society, 75 per cent were those In which the
Congregational church was alone, so far as
the Methodist. Baptist, Presbyterian and
Episcopal churches were concerned. or the
remaining 25 per cent one-fifth were in popu-
lations of three thousand or more. and large
proportion Of the remainder were in fields
which were first occupied by Congregational
lists. During the intervening five years since
these facts were first investigated, constant
watch has been kept by the executive com
mittee and the officers of the society TO guard
against any cases of planting churches in
fields that were already provided with Christ
ian privileges.
In the spring of 1851. six months before DIR.
Ecobs criticisms were published, invostiga-
ions covering the past five years were made.
IL was ascertained that in this half decade
thirty-one churches were organized in Flor
ida, all directly or Indirectly under the Con-
these thirty-one churches, twenty-six were
organized i'm towns or fields whore there was
no Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal or Presbyte-
rian enterprise Mt the tgr.e they were organ
lied. Sixteen churches were organized in
Kansas under the Congregational Home Mis-
sionary Society and thirteen of these new
churches were organized at points where at
the time OF organization, there was no Meth
odst Baptist, Episcopal or Presbyterian
tarprise Twenty churches were organized
in South Dakota Only one of these was
organized where there was at the time a
Methodist. Baptist Presbyterian or Episcopal
church. In Colorado seventeen churches were
| organized, sixteen OF them in places where
| there were at the time no other Protestant
| services of any kind, not even Sunday
school. In Southern California twenty two
churches were organized. Fifteen Of these
were in towns where there was Methodist,
Baptist, Episcopal or Presbyterian enterprise
at the time they were organized. OF the
meining seven, five were in towns or fields
OF two thousand or more inhabitants. The
other two were in fields of about one thousand
inhabitants each. In one Of these there was
an Episcopal, in the othor a Methodist church
at the time. In both these places the Congre.
gational church is the larger and more iniu-
ential. Over ninety churches were organized
in Oklahoma, and in not more than ten
places was there any other organization, and
these were invariably in towns and cities
where there was room for Congregationalists
Thirty y-one churches were organized in Me-
brasha. Two OF these were German and one
Scaniinavian. OF these twenty three were in
communities where there Is no other Prote St
ant English speaking church. Four more were
in communities where there was only Meth
odist church, and in three OF these the Meth
odist church was well nigh extinct. In North
Wisconsin twenty-one churches were organ
lied in as many different localities In
eighteen of them there was no other church
whatever. The three others were in spirit
the same, that IS they were Scandinavian
churches, organized where there were no
other churches Of the denominations named
reaching that nationality. There has not
been i'm this missionary district single ex.
ception 20 the principle on which the Congre-
gationnl society locates churches. In Indiana
fourteen churches were organized. Two
were the first and only churches in isolated
villages; six were in isolated sections OF cities
otherwise unsuppled; two were in villages
where the only other church was Methodist:
two were in places less than eight thousand
population where there were already Metho-
dist and Baptist churches, but no Episcopal or
Presbyterian; two wero in cities of moro
than forty thousand inhabitants In the
state OF Washington twenty-nine churches
were organized, and OF these twenty-five
were in "clear fields" those in which there
was no other denomination. superintendent
Grassie of Northern Wisconsin characterizes
sectarian rivalry as "A crime, the scandal Of
Christendom, waster ~ funds and the de-
strnyer Of the best effect OF Protestant mis-.
sions.
In the fields above named in the past Eve
years aG2 Congregational churches have been
planted and assisted by the Congregational
Homo Missionary Society, Of which 2l2 were
alone in the fields thcy occupied. Tho others
were either foreign speaking or are justified
In every instance by the size and promise Of
the population.
Colorado ia the state used by DR.. Ecob as
his own example. During the last five years
the Congregational Homo Missionary Society
has organized seventeen churches in that