Evening star., 1899-03-04
IN THE CHU r c H ES

Although year distant the attention of
the evangelical churches in this city, and,
indeed throughout the civilized world is to
a great extent centered on the ecumenical
council or conference to be held in New
York in April, 1900
In speaking of the gathering a prominent
church member said: This conference
will represent no single denomination, no
one country, no one continent, but the
whole world Of Protestant Christendom;
and SO the name given to the great cath
olic councils of the ancient church is fifty
used to describe it. In a larger sense than
was true of the famous councils at Nice
and Constantinople. at Ephesus and Chal-
cedom, this assembly will be ecunenical.
Every foreign missionary society connect
ed with the various divisions of Protestant
Christendom the wide world over has been
invited to send delegates to New York, and
the invitation has been accepted with rare
unanimity. Such representative gather
ing will be notable among all the remark
able assemblies of these later days. Fif-
teen hundred delegates were present at the
Exeter Hall conference In 1883. 1t will be
strange If 5000 are not present in New
York in 1900. a.
1T will be a wonderful spectacle as a
practical embodmentbof Christian union.
For the first time the world of Protestant
Christianity, in its central and most char
acteristic forms, will see itself and will be
seen as one united body, engaged in one
great work, drawn together by its common
faith and service, contemplating the things
that make 1t one, living and victorious, in
the earth. The differences will not be for
gotten or erased, but the unity will tower
above them and comprehend them, and will
stand out as the supreme and characteris-
tic fact" Il
Mr.. Robert E. speer. one of the four sec
retaries Of the Presbyterian board of for
eign missions, has issued an address on
that subject to the members of the denom-
ination in the United States. A copy re-
ceived here in part, says: "Our church Is
often accused of being a narrow church,
but however that may be true of us now
IT was not true of our fathers who laid out
IT'S work in every nation all over this world
We are the only Christian church whose
missions are established in every land. in
the face of every non-Christian country
We have made ourselves responsible for
souls rather than square miles of territory
and the Presbyterian Church has made
itself responsible for 100000 souls in
Japau and for 12,O00. 900 souls in Corea
3,0O0,O0O in northern China and for 5000 900
in the province of Shantung and for 1,OO0,-
0D in central China. We have planted a
strong mission at Wien Haen, and for TO-
oo0008 in southern China We are chiefly re-
sponsible, and for the 2,000OOO souls on the
Island OF Hainan we are solely responsible
No one knows exactly how many we are
responsible for in Laos and Siam. We were
among the first to go to work among 300
WHWD people of India and among the 90
oOoGoo iii the Bombay presidency. In Mex
leo we opened the work, and ours is the
only agency at work in Guatemala Colom-
bia and Chile. In many of these lands for
AT least 16o,0o,Oo we alone are responsible
and they will die in ignorance unless they
receive the Gospel from u.s.
Mrs. Edith L. Peake. a celebrated Cali
fornian is on her way to Washington Mrs.
Peake has the reputation Of being a woman
OF remarkable CT
was at one time a successful actress She
attended meeting held in San Francisco
bv D. J.. Moody and was converted.
The glare of the footlights and the applause
deiighted audiences had no further charm
for her. and her talents have since been de-
voted to the work of the church.
The bishops of the Southern Methodist
Church have asked that the members of
the denomination here take stems toward
aansins and the their quota of a fund of million
anu q hal1 or dollars as a "tWentieth CEN
.ury fund' In a letter signed by them n
is stated that "the general conference at
us late session in Baltimore, by an unani
NOUS vote, passed resolutions in favor of
raising twentieth century educational
1und to commemorate the signal blessines
OF GOD upon our church during the nast
~" years. The minimum sum suggested as
an appropriate thank offering. on the morn
ing OF the new century is 81 800 0Nl This
surely ls modest sum to be given hv a
mliilon and half of Southern Methodists.
At the next session of the Missouri SYNOD
OF which some of the German Lutheran
churches in Washington form a part the
affairs of the st. Peters Lutheran Cyh,,rcb
baltimore, will, 1t is probable, come nm for
olscussion On account of difficulties with
some or the members the pastor Rev Mr.
Burkart, resigned a few days ago. Under
the rules of the organization Mr. B,1rkart
was entitled to three months salary after
the acceptance of his resignation, and this
.ke retiring pastor insisted upon. He was
Informed. however that there were No
funds in the church treasury from which he
could be paid. Mr.. Burkart thinks differ
emily and unless his wishes in the matter
are are complied with will take the question to
the synod for settlement.
A new year begins Sunday next in the
Sunday schools of most. of the Methodist
Episcopal churches in the District of Co
lumbia, as they are included In the Wash
ington district of the Baltimore confer
ence which met this week In the Caroline
Street Church, Baltimore, and each school
makes an annual report to- this conference
The officers of Foundry Sunday School
for the new year are as follows: Superin-
superintendent, Louis P. Altschu; lady as
sistant, Mrs Irving o. Ball; honorary as
sistants, Addison NJ. Smith and BENJAMIN
H. Stinemetz; superintendent of home de-
partment, Miss Ella L. Stinemetz: superin-
tendent of primary department, Miss Ivah
j. Townsend; secretary. Edward F. Simp-
son: assistant secretaries. Miss Mary b.
Mann and Miss Matte C. Duck: treasurer,
DR.. NJ D. Peck: librarian, Roscoe F. Wash.
burn: assistant librarians. William T. Bair.
Donald A. Tracy, Walter N. Carver and
Miss Ada Stinemetz; chorister, Francis A.
Wilson, pianist, Miss Ada Wiley: organist
Miss Katie NJ Young; assistant organist.
Miss Elma Lamb; blackboard artist, Ed
ward Pitts.
The American Missionary Association
has issued report of its work amonr
n hn f,, rxyt,f fn1, y<
There are representative colored men in
the Baptist ministry, like w. n. Brooks,