The Portland daily press., 1899-10-30
Are Portland People Becoming Less
Hospitables
Entertainme Mt Commit
tee Was Embarrassed.
1t Cost Over 5000 to Feed a nd
Lodge the Delegates.

Since the close of the recent State Sun
day School convention at the Chestnut
Street Methodist church, 10 has developed
that the delegates came higher In the
cost of entertainment than the most
careful. had figured. In the first place
It was the largest Sunday school conven-
tion ever held In the state. There are
some 1910 Sunday schools doing business
In the common wealth, but the represen-
tation at any of the conventions rarely
reaches 200. Building their estimates on
this basis, the reception COMMITTEES, con-
sisting of Messrs w. J. Knowlton and
4. s. Everett. essleoted this numter M
the outside figures. But owing TO the
fact that the convention was held In
Portland, the biggest city In the state,
the influx went way beyond all estimates.
The following circular was sent to the
superintendents Of all the evangelical
churches yesterday and was read to the
several schools with view Of seeing what
plan wou Id be adopted to meet the def
cheney;
Superintendents of Portlsnd Sunday
Schools:
You are undou btedIy aware before this
time that the number Of delegates who
attended the State Sunday School associa-
tion convention mere largely exceeded the
numb1r for whom free entertainment had
bsen provided, thus necessitating quite
large expense to b borne by the schools
of this city. as viii appear by the follow
ing statement:
Numbsr of places for free enter
tainment, no
or which there had been previous
ly assigned, 10
Leaving at the disposal of the COM
mittee. lI0
Number of persons applying to the
committee for entertainment, 2s5
Deduct places provided, 40
Leaving to bs provided for 1i5
The 1t5 were sent to the neiehboring
board houses at an expense Of 500. IL In
detail as follows:
Meals paid for 4s9 ut cost OF $l22.2a
Number of lodgings furnished l72
at cost OF 80. w
Total cash expenditure, saO9. Is
There has bsen received from
day school. SIC rs
From Second Parish, 1000
-
Total. $22.75
Leaving balance to bs provided
for Of $3.50. 4s
Please take such action as will enable
you to act ut the meeting OF the superin-
tepdents to be held at the Y. N. 9. A.
building next Thursday evening after DIR.
Bakers Bible class. Please be present, II
possible at the nesting and IL you can
not attead kindly see that some ons 10
present who will be authorized to act for
your school.
Portland, Me-, October 9th. 1890.
W. j. knowlton, h 5. Everett, Recep'
t ion Com-nittee.
The fact that i15 should be left unpro-
vided for shows that quite number of
homes to which the delegates were as
signed were either unwilling or unable
to receive the delegates. One night, after
one of the evening meetings Of the con-
vention, the number Of unhoussd dele
gates, so to speak, were lined up in
formidable row In the vestry, and the
task of disposlng of them began to as
sumo alarming proportions. But the
meurh hers of committee, energetic and
resourceful. were soon able to place the m
all in comfortable quarters. The dele
gates were assigned, SO many to a church
For instance one of the churches on
MuDjoy Hill had twenty assigned to the
different families, hut only four were
taken and these all went to one fami ly.
Another church in the heart of the city
had thirty assigned but could take only
q small percentage.
There was considerable talk yesterday
among tine churches about the inhospi-
tality of the people in not freely opening
their homes to the delegates.
az do not for moment believe that
this state of affairs was due to inhospital-
ity," said Mr.. G. S. Everett, a member
of the entertainment committee, "nor
to lack of interest in the work, but
rather to accidentally adverse oondit'o1
know there was sickness In "a eo~:
many families, Others perhaps were jast
moving In or out Of new houses, few
were out of town and some were unable
to obtain hired help. Perhaps If little
more activity had been shown here and
there In some of the churches all would
has been housed comfortably. but we ex-
peotsd 20 pay for few outside. Howey-
or, tina churches will all contribute will
ingIy to make up the deficiency, and
though there has been some slight incon-
venisnce there is the satisfaction of
knowing that 1t was one Of the largest
and most pr ohtabls Sunday school con-
o-ov hold