The Republican journal., 1898-11-17

utN udu tlRnG COnmlUVeeS, OUT a1Ger a trial
OF two years it was voted to drop the Benev-
olence, Sunday school and Music committees
(Aug 1861 Almost Immediately after this,
however, the nominating committee was
empowered to appoint temporarily what
ever committee they should think best and
the Music committee was re-appointed.
On some points, especially in the first
years, our records are provokingly meagre.
1t is impossible to tell how much money
our society has raised, though it must
be at the smallest estimate between seven
and eight hundred dollars. We have
to the A. B. G. F. NJ, to the c. 81. NJ S., to
the A. NJ. A, to the Maine Missionary Soc-
ETY., the w omens Board to the missionary
steamer Morning Star, to individual work
ers in Montana, Dakota, Alabama, to weak
churches in our own State. to the work in
Waldo county, and in our own city to the
Girls Home aud the kindergarten. We
have sent barrel of clothing, books and
papers to a colored preacher in South Caro-
lima Qo93), and again to the south box of
clothing valued at $50, barrel and a box of
clothing to Nebraska QS95) a box of cloth
ing to Saco, Me, 1S9l), to the family of the
workers among the French Canadians
books and papers to Alaska 0S9l) a colec-
ton of Christmas gifts to Indian children in
Idaho, and a barrel of clothing to Outer
Long Island on our own Maine coast Often
we have had grateful letters of acknow ledg-
ment; the French missionary from Saco
wrote in his quaint English, "Everything
fits as though they have been made to order"
Money and clothing have again and again
been given to the needy classes of Sunday
school and Bibles provided for some of the
scholars. a pound party given on one
occasion and the pounds afterwards distrib-
uted among eleven poor families. In our
own church we have paid for renovating the
lower vestry at one time, helped to keep
the church open during summer vacation,
bought the picture, Christ among the Doc
tors, which hangs in the lecture room, and
paid toward music, 1924 5S. For five years
1t has been our task to pay the soprano sing
er in our church choir. Our society has
made much of the social side of its work, as
long array of socials can testify. Wash
ington and Mother Goose socials conun-
drum, anagram and nutting parties, a who
ls-lt social, and a military social, several
summer p1cnlcs, reception rendered to the
church and parish, and the public entertain
ments, these are but fraction of the long
list.
Such has been the financial and social side
of your work but ever most important of all
i'll Christian Endeavor are the spiritual re-
suits, these most surely be more than any ig-
ures can show, and yet two statements can
be given which show in part at least what
these results are.
From associate into active membership
there have come twenty persons, and from
the society into the church there have come
twenty-three Doubtless in the ten years
there have been failures and mistakes. many
of them, but there has been also honest,
earnest effort On the opening page of the
second book belonging to the first Christian
Endeavor Society at WillistOn Church were
inscribed these words 'NOung Christians
may make mistakes 10 working for
Christ: they make greater mistakes in not
working for Him. No failure in making
the attempt is so bad as to fall to!uake it. 70
The address of tho a,-.,,i,,, ,x,o b,- 1sa,- p
-,
= iiaoh ~ 0It'ah''' i"lHlff pastor ol Vhis
church, and during whose pastorate the
Christian Fpdeavor Society was organizad
in 1888 Ioll,,,.i,,,, is -, ,l,.+r,.,- 80 49,,
- i'V iAS 10 d" "'''i"N' Va ms
discourse;
He had no text, but took for his subject
the thought What is YOUR life ?" Life is
lived on different leves-some have only the
lowest aims while others are shaped by de-
vOtion to the noblest and best ideals He
contrasted the lives of Bloody Mary and
John Milton. "A good man. he said, sis
the ripe fruit that the earth holds up TO
God" What is your life? 1t is what you
seek. Everyone follows some guide, the
plrsuit of some ideal. There is no such thing
as tree living, free thinking, for all living
and all thinking must be according to the
facts, must accord with the truth The
Christian man is immeasurablv more free
than the sensual man. There can be no real
antagopism between morality and religion
but an so-called moral people are not the
salt OF the earth The rich young ruler who
. ~ ms "1 NOV NL,ing w. pe a L!e.ie
standard. When a mar ia moral when II
costs him solse thing his morality partakes
oi 'Ioa, Men ana women are so shlne as
ed anvane ~ he hattar Thsra ia snurn,1s
religion that is selfish and thanks God that
ne IS not as otheF men.
life in man are one and tht. SAM. thing fif
visions are we following For to be car