Evening star., 1898-11-19

nothing
can demonstrate this more clearly and
forcibly than our experience in the field and
at home during the last feventful six
months.
IN THE G H u RC HE S
The Friends of this city have acquired two
-ots of ground on Capitol Hill, at the corner
of list and streets and Will build meet
ing house there. The cost of the lot was
nearly $4,000. Plans for a meeting house
have been adopted and its construction al
| ready begun. Only the lower floor will be
completed at present, the remainder to be
finished when the money is raised, as it is
one of the laws of the society that no debt
can rest on a meeting house. The total
amount already expended is $S,616 and it
will take $3 400 more TO finish the building
Mr.. Edward Easterling of this city has
been elected president OF the Christian En-
deavor Societies of the Yearly Meeting of
Erie ends in the District of Columbia, Vir-
ginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The board of bishops of the Methodist
Episcopal Church have, according to ad-
vices received in Washington. determined
to ask the membership to raise $20,OOU, 900.
This great sum is to be known as the twen-
tieth century memorlal-a million for each
century of the Christian era. The time in
which 1t is to be raised is the next five
years, and 1t is not TO interfere In any way
with gifts to missions or with the sums
which American Methodists of all names
contribute annually to support and extend
Methodism in this country.
The details Of the plan will be not the
raising of one great fund and then applica-
ton Of it, but rather general movement
supported by bishops, ministers and prom
lnent laymen to pay Off debts on churches
each working for the most part on its
own behalf and among its own friends
but record to be kept of all spec
ial gifts under this project and an effort
made to have them reach the large total
named.
New work by Methodists will soon be be-
gun in Cuba. Porto Rico and the Philip
pines, for the Missionary Society of the
church has practically decided to enter all
of these fields II the Methodists Of this
country furnish the funds Rev. C. A
Owen, former member of the Puget Sound
conference has already been sent by Bish-
Op McCabe to Manila. Upon arriving there
he Will enter upon missionary labor and will
have the assistance of the Methodist chap
lains of regiments of volunteers, three of
whom are now stationed at near the
Philippine capital. The Methodist Episco-
pal Miss Onary Society has raised the en-
tire sum of it's floating Indebtedness, which
amounted to $1S6,O0O.
The next meeting of the western section
of the Alliance of Reformed Churches, of
which Rev. DR.. a. W. PitZer of this city
is leading member, will be held in Wash
ington. This section represents about
7,OOO,OO of people and takes in all the
Presbyterian churches of this country and
Canada. Presbyterianism Is divided into
many branches, and the meeting thus of
delegated body representative of all these
branches means that minor differences are
forgotten in a survey of the many points
in common between the many schools of
PreSbyterians.
The word presbyterian" as applied to
the meeting. is used in it's broadest sense.
Not every church represented has the word
Presbyterian in its title. The basis of uni
ty is that all hold the Presbyterian system
of faith and government. The western or
American section, is part of the great
Pan-Presbyterian council of the world,
which has existed for twenty-seyen years
and has had seven general meetings. The
eighth, as stated, is to be held in Wash
ington.
There are eleven different general
churches connected with the western sec
ton. There are now about 9, $50 mission
ariS employed by these churches about $50
missionary teachers under salary and about
iOo churches were aided in securing build
ings. There have been at feast'1 300 Sunday
schools organized during the year, and the
contributions amounted to 81 63S 723 These
figures include mission work church cree
ton and church extension, freedmens work
and the French evangelistic work carried
on in Canada
A conference is to he held in this city in
few weeks which, ii is expected will have
large consequences for the Baptists of the
north and south. For a long time there
has been a dispute between the general
conventions of the two great organizations
regarding work in Missouri and the Indian
ana Oklahoma territories. The white Ban
lists Of the south split off in 1S45 and form
ed the southern Baptist convention, a col
lectve name for all organized effort of
Eaptlst churches South, the missionary or
ganlZation being made boards or denart-
ments of the convention, and not independ-
ent societies, as is the case with Baptists
in the north. There was a clear line of
uLFis!oh between them, except in the case
of Missouri.
That state was claimed by both, and so
much friction arose that at last If vas
agreed that neither should send agents into
lne state, but that churches there shoiId
De lell 10 contribute to either side thew saw
Mt, ana that afterward a division should he
made on fixed ratio. With the settlement
OF Oklahoma by people from both north
ana south, slmllar conditions arose as in
Missouri, and friction has also deeelonad
The Washington conference is to undertake
10 ADJUST matters. The conference will
also decide upon cooperative work between
oaptlsts horth and south in Cuba and Porto
I.co, ana may issue appeals to Baptists for
money to prosecute the same
Inc Washington Congregational Churches
"hl pe enlllled 10 one delegate and one for
every 1000 members or major mart there
of III the international CONGREGATIONAL conn
Gil, winch Will assemble In Boston next
year. OF the several hundred delegates
VINO are to constitute the body, 200 are to
represent America and the delegation will
be made up as follows: The national cOun-
ell or 1888 chose thirty and to that num-
Der added at its meeting in Portland ten
more. The original thirty will be allowed