The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-26

great men now. no great issues. no sfrik-
ing features This IL all wrong. Inc
race OF heroes has not died out, there are
still great issues to be settled now before
us. These are momentous times, marked
BY thres striking features, individuality
Organization, education. Strong individ'
uals lead and inspire Us. the power OF
organization Is manifested on every:h ano'
In business, In politics, in social work, 10
missionary: efforts. How are these three
forces working 10 the Fchurch Today
Individually lie showing itself In the
prominence Of the laymsn, who is put
ting the priest into the shadow, Inc
laymen Of the church are its fortress and
strength. Their praetical. knowledge ana
business capacity and acquaintance with
affairs should be Of vast aid-are OF AID
when they come into the church and ap-
ply their business talent to Its orgsniza-
tion and Its finances. Another lay ele-
ment Is the lay woman, silent and I'M
known century ago, but, now well
known and surely sufficiently laxative,
she is the complement of tho laym lie
gensralizes: she specializes. Another
great influence in the modern church Is
youth, the young people rith.their circles
and societies. Yet another enormous In
| huence Is the minister OF the present, who
has ceased to be priest, and Is really
and truly minister.
These are Individual influences. Now
We have organization; our conferences
voupo ,rapss and voung xVomen's Christ
ian associations, temperance, various
young peoples societies. BY the aid and
Inspiration of these education, the third
great force of the closing century has been
enlarged and promoted. In this educa'
tional work women have been prominent
and arduous and effective laborers. Take
for illustrations, the Women's Christian
Temperance Union, and the Women's
Missionary Society. They have organized
to educate and in turn the organizations
have been aides to education Organiza
ton inside the church means promotion
Of the gospel and its spread. The church
today Is more in accordance with the
great humanitarian Split of the age than
ever before.
We can't de pend upon intellectual be-
liefs for loyalty to the church today.
Church people want more than that.
They must feel that they are in accord
with the active, in promoting this great
Humanitarian spirit. The speaker did
not deprecate UNCONVENTIONAL loyalty.
she approved 1t. This feeling of family,
this home, feeling, is necessary to elf-
cacious work. But in order to Greats and
cherish 1t the denomination must lie
abreast of the age Its aid must DO to
make the world better. That should be,
that Is, the aim Of the Free Baptist-the
aim of all Christians,
Mrs. DeMerritt closed with an eloquent
plea for the missionary societies and edu-
cational Institutions and literature of the
denomination. OF the literature she can
certainly speak out Of the fullness of
knowledge, for she Is herself an accom-
plished literary worker and practical
journalist Her admirable address was
listened to with the deepest interest and
satisfaction by the captivated audience.
MIR. Malvern, announcing that the audi
ence would have the Opportunity to meet
Mrs. DeMerritt In the church parlors.
expressed high qualification at her ad .
dress and besought her to say something
about the Rev. MIR. Porter, whose death
was announced this morning. This she
did in few simple, touching words. pay
ing tribute to the lofty nature and loving
kindness of "the father of Ocean Park
and telling of the noble work he had done
there.
The session closed with benedietion by
the Rev. MIR. Malvern.
EVENING SESSION.
The evening was devoted toa young
peoples meeting, conducted by MIR. II.
III. Crandall of this city and DR.. Jewell
OF Cape Elizabeth. The word of welcome
was spoken by the Rev. Mr.. Malvern,
pastor OF the church, who snid the young
people are the backbone OF the society.
He told his hearers that their emphatic
motto should lie Christ and the Church.
For his own congregation no claimed
that the Christian Endeavor society there
in is one of the strongest, brightest and
best Opening prayer was offered by Mr.
Craudall and then service OF praise,
prayer a nd song was held. The address
of the eve ming was made by the Rev. W.
L. Nickerson of Cape Elizabeth, who
took for topic Making Mark as "a
Chri stien." We often hear IL said that
so and so will make his mark in the
world, that is, do something worth doing
and rememb ering. That probably Is ana
certain ly should he the aim of every body.
This Is true Of the professions, Of the
era fits, of business and industry in all
their branches. So 1t should be the high
aim and ambition Of the church member
TO make his mark as Christian to
achieve place and an influence In God
work. This excellent idea was elaborated
ard illustrated in most happy, albeit
plain, practical manner. The discourse