Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1898-09-09
MANLY s. HARD'S ADDRESS.

Anniversary of the Board of Church
Extension" at the Evening Session.
The anniversary of the Board of
Church Extension was held Wednesday
evening. &. w. Switzer, president of the
conference board presided. DR.. 4. a.
Schell, general secretary of the Epworth
league, offered prayer and read the
scripture lesson. The congregation did
the singing led by the choir using a
song service furnished by DIR. Hard,
who is an enthusiastic advocate of con
gregationsl singing.
Contrary to the usual custom of the
men who come TO address the confer
ences upon the occasion of the ami
versaries, Dr. Hard took a text as a
start. ave then that are strong ought
to bear the intirmaties of the weak, and
not to please ourselves" Rom. 10: |.
He laid special emphasis upon the
ought, as being the pivotal word He
laid down as q proposition that no
element in society can be Independent
of its surroundings. Regardless of
wealth or social position we are greatly
dependent upon one another. The
millionaire who finds the water supply
cut off from him by something getting
wrong with the main, depends upon
the laborer who was foreman when the
mains were laid. This dependency
does not only exist in one department
of life but in all departments.
The church is more than sensation,
it is more than profession. 1t is a
life and fact, and as such it must
have means with which to accomplish
its purpose in the world. No one
branch of the work of the church is so
important as to justify the desertion of
the others, but all are necessary, in
their peculiar way, for the perfection
of the kingdom of God.
The colportieres of the American
Bible society who followed Scott's
army AS he marched upon the City of
Mexico. scattered bibles among the be-
nighted people. The Roman priests
gathered up what bibles they could find
and reduced them to ashes, but those
that were missed had much to do with
preparing the way over which Baker
passed, and to the organization of q
Methodist mission in Mexico. So with
all the institutions of the church. The
Sabbath school, The Epworth league,
the Missionary society, the Freedman's
Aid and Southern Education society,
the Sabbath-school Union and Tract
society, the Education society and the
Board of Church Extension contribute
their part in building up the kingdom
of God among men. These institu-
lions are parts of one great cause and
should become and element of strength
to it.
DR.. Hard illustrated the work of the
board by several cases which fell under
his own observation while pastor and
since his connection with the board,
both as to the contribution of funds
and as to their disbursement. Money
comes to the board in various ways.
The chief of these are: from the collec.
tiOns taken upon the charges, annuities
where the donor receives the interest
upon the amount given while he lives,
and in wills. Many persons have given
$3.50 with which to insure the building
of church to be named after someone
the giver may name as memorial.
There are two ways of using the
money. First, by donations to the
needy society that applies for help,
second by loanIng them enough to help
them out, thus helping churches who
are struggling against great odds yet
willing to pay If time can be given.
In twenty-eight years of the boards
existance it has helped 1862 churches.
Out of 799 Nj. E. churches in Kansas
the board has helped 76S of them. A
bequest of $4,000, made several years