The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-10-12
ADDRESSES BEFORE NEV HAVEN
 CONGREGATIONAL CLUB.
Many Distinguished Guests Present. Opening Meeting of the Season-Ad- dresses by Vice President Blatchford of the American Board, Gen. o. o. Howard and Othars

Board, which commence to-day.
 The social hour began at o'clock. At 6:30 supper was served by the ladies of the church in the church parlors. Rev. l. s. Chandler missionary from India, asked grace at the table. At 1:30 the meeting adjourned to the audi ence room, where regular business was dispatched and some able addresses lis tened to.
 Rev William M. Parsons presided, this being the first meeting at which he has performed the duties of presi- dent since his election, Music was fur nished by the choir of Davenport church under the direction of Dr. D. A. Jones.
 Rev. Lyman P. Peet of Foo Chow, China, made the opening prayer. Min- utes of the last meeting were read by the newly elected secretary, Rev. Charles r. Clarke. The following names were proposed for membership: Rev. William G. Lathrop of North Haven, Rev. l.. N. Gotham of Winsted, Theodore K. Hand of the United church and MT. Charles W. Whittlesey of Gen. ter church. The names were referred to the proper committee for considera- tion.
 The following names proposed at the last meeting were unanimously elected to membership: G. A. Kilborn, Plants vile; Charles w. Holbrook, M. D., East Haven; L. L. Bradley, Grand avenue Congregational church; D. F. Lloyd, Dwight Place church.
 RpN Dr phil1inc nf tha Cbu,nb ,f the Redeemer made some announce American Board.
 President Parsons in a few appropri- ate words welcomed the guests and in- troduced the speakers of the evening. The subject of the occasion was Mes sages From Other Congregationalists to New Haven Congregationalists.'
 Rev. William w. Gist of Osage, Ia, was introduced and said, in part: T deem it privilege to meet this club this evening almost in the shadow of the great institution which has been a light not alone to New England, but far beyond her borders. I have had the pleasure this evening of sitting beside of and grasping the hand of the great est general of the late civil war. (Ap- plause.) I myself had some experience of army life and about the pleasantest part of it to me was the getting home. T propose to speak this evening on the great middle west To-day with it's teeming millions. with it's great cities, Chicago and the twin cities of the north, St. Paul and Minneapolis, we consider it a region of some importance. In this great region there are questions for us to settle. Some believe that reforms can be secured through social changes, but we believe that the questions before us are in the end to be settled by the salvation of the individual. It can hardly be said of us in that region that we have not opinions. We do have them, sometimes wrong perhaps, but I believe generally sincere. My own state (Iowa) has the honor of having less illiteracy than any other state, and we aim to take high stand in educa- ton.
 "Hamlin Garland however great a
 writer he may be, in so far as he at tempts to picture farm life in Iowa, is wrong. I happen to live in the same town where Hamlin Garland grew to manhood"
 The speaker at this point gave several instances in which Iowa farm boys had attained marked success. In closing the speaker said that he did not be- lieve at this time that the west has any desire to emphasize sectionalism and that the west owe a great deal to the colleges and universities of the east
 Rev. John M. Sturtevant of Evans ton, H., who was down on the pro- gramme for an address, was unable to be present.
 Hon. Eliphalat w. .Blatchford, vice
 president of the American Board. of Chicago, was the next speaker. MT.
 Blatchford spoke in highly compliment tary words of Connecticut and New
 Haven and the part they had taken in the work of missions and in making the nation.
 MT. Blatehford said, in part: "I wish to call your attention to two dates, 1872 and 1897, the two years in which the American Board has met in New Ha- ven. It is twenty-five years since the
 board last met here.
 At the meeting of the board at Sa- lem in 1871 it was voted to hold the | meeting for the ensuing year at Chi cago. But before the date of the meet ing arrived the Lake city had been laid in ashes. The people of Chicago felt that they could not receive the meeting
 of the board under the circumstances and an invitation was sent by New Haven to hold the meeting here The invitation thus cordially extended was gladly accepted. The meeting was held
 Tn this beautiful city, was largely at
 tended and great spiritual power was
 manifested in it.
 At that time Mark Hopkins was the reVered president of our board. Pres ent at that meeting from your own city and state were Rev. Leonard Bacon.
 pastor of Center church; Noah Porter of Yale college, and your war gover-
 nor, Buckingham. Time fails me to name the many noble men The speaker then recalled the mart that Connecticut had taken in the work of the American Board. In 1928 tbe meeting of the board was held within few miles of this place. at the home
 of Noah Porter, in Pennington. Seventy years have passed since that meeting, and the remarkable progress