Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-10-14

! loving officers of the Wisconsin Chris
| tan Endeavor union were elected
Saturday: President, Rev. Joseph
! Cochran, (re-elected), pastor OF First
| Presbyterian church of Madison; sec
rotary, Florence E. Baker, library
| assistant in state historical library,
| Madison; treasurer, W. A. Holt, Ocon-t
to; vice presidents, Baptist, A. ].
| Kempton, Madison; Christian, e. NJ.
| Pease, Richland Center; Congrega-
t.onal, A. J. Leffngwell, Appleton;
F. ee Will Baptist, Clara Andrews,
South Wayne; Methodist, Roderick
Mckenzie, Oshkosh; Presbyterian,
| Guido Bossard, La Crosse; Primitive
Methodist, Phil Allen, Mineral Point;
Seventh Day Baptist, Edwin Shaw,
Milton; Welsh Presbyterian, R. I.
Roberts, Racine; Dutch Reformed,
jennie Swade, Milwaukee. The de-
partment superintendent are: Mis-
sionary, w. D. Gibson, Appleton, jun
ior and associate, Nettie E. Harring-
ten, GAINESVILLE and Lizzie Allen OF
Hartford; Christian citizenship,
George H Crandall, Milwaukee; cor
respondence, Susan NJ Drew, Milwau
kee.
The annual report of the state Sec
rotary of the senior workers was as
follows:
This, our eleventh annual con-
vention, marks the close OF the hrst
decade of the history of the Wisconsin
Christian Endeavor union. Ten years
ago this fall, little company OF En-
deavorers met at Beloit, where was Or
ganized the state union and the first
convention held, Nov. 1920. So crude
was the organization at first, that, for
three wears no record of the work was
kept or report made, so it is impos-
sible to state anything definite re-
garding the size or condition OF the
Union during that period.
I'm 1889, Prof. Gibson Of Appleton
as made secretary, and in go, at the
Appleton convention, he produced
complete record of the years work,
showing 225 societies in the state
union, and the records of each sue
ceeding year shows rapid progress.
'While perhaps our figures for the
past wear do not represent as marked
a gowth as in some years heretofore,
we are thankful that God does not
reckon by any mathematical system.
Upon careful investigation this
year, we found that our roll was Tar
from right, societies having with
drawn, disbanded or changed CORES
bonding secretaries without informing
the secretary Of the fact
1.-The figures we present to you we
consider by no means correct, but as
nearly correct as we could ascetain
from the deficient number Of annual
reports from societies. Out Of 525
blanks sent out, 2S4 were returned.
This is 241 short of what should be
returned, yet decided improvement
upon last year. More than 100 soci-
cites have awakened up this year.
From the number enrolled at the be-
! ginning Of the year seventy-one have
! been taken off. Remember this num-
| Der did not disband this year, but was
taken from the roll. In place Of sew
enty-one breathless societies we have
| Ushered into our ranks fifty live work
| ing societies. While we regret that
| the number is not equal to that of the
number dropped, we are proud Of such
grand reinforcements this year. We
have now enrolled 50I societies with
J membership of about 10000. Eccles-
| iasjically the societies are divided as
! fellows: Congregationalists are in
/ the van with ITS societies: Presby-
| terians follow, with 100 societies;
! Baptists come next, with %; Welsh
Presbyterians, q; Methodist, II;
Union, 50. The rest are found in num-
! bers from one to six among many de-
! nominations.
Our state is divided into twelve
districts, eleven Of which are organ
lied. Of these the Eastern district
! has done the most aggressive work,
! but the Southern district has the
, largest number of new societies.
Twenty-six of the 284 societies that
responded, reported SIS Christian En-
deavorers as having Joined the
church. Sparta reports thirty-two.
the largest number of any one So
ciety. We trust fully as many more
members of societies that have not
reported have come into the church.
MANY societies report as their
greatest hindrance, a lack of interest
On the part of the members and dull
sense of personal responsibility
Other reports are such as: Members
away to school, bicycling, Indifference
dances and card parties, too much
reading, too little personal work, pas
tors lack of interest in young people,
and one society in Waupun reports as
its great hindrance locks and bars.
Now let us leave this doleful list
and see what good things have been
wrought through our organization
a great many are helping to support
a missionary in foreign lands; others
are carrying on work in city missions; |
some are doing evugelistic work in
the rural districts, jails, poor-houses; !
ever so many societies conduct their /
own church service in their pastors |
absence. One society takes charge of |
the evening, services every other |
week; another society hires a minis |
ter to preach every two months. |
some societies sent flowers to Chicago |!
Flower mission. One loyal Endeavor-
er society sent its pastor to California
Christian Endeavor convention. One
society is supporting one Of it's mem
Lo