Evening star., 1899-03-18
N 7 n E URCHES

Large numbers of prominent Sunday
school workers in this city. Il is expected,
VIII attend the celebration in New York in
May OF the seventy-fifth anniversary OF the
organization OF the American Sunday School
ohloh- The event is intended TO be a great
national affair, with visitors present from
every portion Of the American continent.
special committee on arrangements has
peen appointed, consisting OF Clarkson
Clothier, chairman; VIM. IL. Wanamaker.
William c. Stoever and II, c. Cara of
Philadelphia; Robert T B. Easton and
John n. Beach of New York. with J. NJ.
Andrews as secretary, and Elmer b. Stew
enson OF Iowa as assistant to the chairman.
No pains will be spared, il is said, to make
TINS one OF the greatest gatherings Of the
KIND ever held IN this country. The organi-
zatlon Is the oldest and largest Sunday
school missionary society in America hay-
ing for its field of operations the whole
United States and has established over
100000 Sunday schools during its seyentv-
five years of work
The union, in connection with the cele-
bration, has issued statement in which
1t says that from the year 1924. when the
American Sunday School Union was organ
lzed, IL has been establishing Sunday schools
Tor neglected children not reached by the
churches Its work has been unequaled in
the history of the world. being dependent
upon voluntary contributions. 1t has or
Sanized lOlOS Sunday schools for the des-
utute, and supplied them with good Htera-
lure. These schools contained at their OPEN
ing alS2Gd3 scholars and teachers.
Many of the schools have more than
doubled their membership since orcaniza-
ton, said one of the promoters NO small
share of all that has been good and pura
IN our national life may be justly traced to
these loo'ooo Sunday schools. They have
been great educational centers of morality
honor and integrity. from which have gone
out statesmen, judges, college professors
and successful business men. The contri-
button which these schools have made TO
the religious life of the nation is wonder
fuI. Thousands of them have grown into
churches of various denominations Thous-
ands OF earnest ministers proclaim in the
pulpit the great truths which they first
learned IN these little Sunday schools bum
dreds of thousands of noble men and Wo-
men now IN our churches were trained in
these Bible schools.
When the American Sunday SchooI
Cnlon was organized the population of this
country was only Il,0O0.0o0. Pittsburg was
a town OF 5000 people, Chicago consisted of
a few shanties. and the region west of the
mississippi river was a wilderness The
vast amount OF new territory opened up and
the population increasing at the rate of
nearly million year has produced some
extraordinary conditions.
A large part OF the population has been
absorbed in material things and Indifferent
TO the moral and spiritual. Those in the ru-
raj districts, seeing that IL was impossible
10 have denominational schools, abandoned
the idea of having any Sabbath schools for
their children. These and other causes have
cooper ated, until today there are many
children in the United States who have not
been gathered into the Sunday school. The
simple fact is the growth of the country
and the agencies of evil have outstrfpped
all benevolent Efforts
Rev. DIR. Wallace Radcliffe. pastor of the
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church
and moderator of the last general assembly
of the Presbyterian Church in the United
States, has in his latter capacity signed
letter to the members of the denomination
throughout the land appealing for money
to carry on the mission work of the church.
The letter gives an account Of the work OF
the board of foreign missions during the
past twelve months. and says that unless
within seven weeks, the end of the pres
ent church year, Si12, 400 is received the re-
treat must again be sounded, retrenchments
once more be enforced every missionary in
the field disheartened and all hope of send
ing out new laborers abandoned.
A copy of the letter, which is signed also
by former Secretary Of State John W. Fos-
ter, will he sent to every Presbyterian min
lister in the United States. with the request
that he bring the matter to the attention of
his congregation.
Numerous church people in Washington
are much interested in the coming publica-
ton by the American Bible Society of the
American Standard Bible" prominent
minister, speaking on the subject to a Star
reporter. said:
There is a certain national interest in
whatever merits the American version OF
the Bible may have compared with the
British. There will be real improvement
upon the Revised Version which was pub
lished about thirteen years ago
IF, however, any substitution of the bet
ter version for the poorer comes to pass it
can only be as the result of popular pref
erence. One thing is certain: The Revised
Version has gained to its side the great
weight of the scholarly judgment of the
country. II is also certain that this Judg-
ment Is not going to favor any preferential
subsidizing of the inferior version for popu-
lar use. Fourteen years of unpaid labor by
a hundred competent scholars would not
have been spent the American version
but for the certainty that the Christian in
terests demanded it."
The members OF the Congregational
churches of this city have become much
interested in movement made by the
American Missionary Association, which,
in response to the report and recommenda-
ton of its commissioners to Porto Rico. for
the investigation of the educational and
religious conditions there. has voted to en-
ter upon forward movement. and TO
initiate in that island at once the species
of Christian schools which IL has estab-
lished in this country, chiefly for the ne
groes in the south. but also for the Indians
in the west and the Chinese on the Pacific
coast Three points for the establishment
of these schools have been selected and
others will follow. The Congregational
churches of the United States are depended
upon to furnish the means to conduct the
enterprise.
The Ninth Street Christian Church. on
Capitol Hill, has adopted a new plan In
holding revival meetings. The pastor of the
church. Rev. E. B. Bagby, conducts the
services and breaches each evening and is
assisted by Prof. c. E. Millard as soloist.
Mr. Milard uses a stereopticon to illustrate
his songs. The success of this meeting
would seem TO indicate that the plan is
good one. Large audiences fill the building
every evening, and some twenty-five con-
verts have been gained. The illustrated
solos bring many children to the services.