The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-27
TWENTIETH CENTURY LEAGUE
WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION NOW
BEGUN.
Plans to Secure n Membership of One
Thousand - Stock Certificates for
About 100000 to be Issued-A Series
of Big Mass Meetings to he Held.

The movement inaugurated by the
Twentieth Century league, the objects
and aims of which were fully and most
ably set forth in the address delivered
recently by the clubs president, Henry
Fl. Benedict, is taking definite shape
and the work in view is well started,
AS will be remembered, the object of
the organization is to pay off the debts
on the Methodist churches of the city.
In a few cases the debt is a great bur-
den to the churches involved and has
threatened not only their usefulness but
their actual existence. Owing to the eff
forts of the Twentieth Century league,
an advisory committee of two members
from each of the eleven Methodist
churches of the city has been appointed,
making twenty-five members of this
committee, and under them one hun
dred and twenty solicitors, each church
being represented in this body Of work
ers. 1t is not intended to make any
special eXertion to raise funds towards
the $4,000 needed to pay off the church
debts in question until membership
of one thousand has been enrolled. Ten
dollars is the fee of membership. Stock
certificates to the amount of say $780,
uUU nave DtGu lSS uGu. Lie CC4 LlllSpLS5
are from 81 upwards and are very
handsomely engraved and autographed
like certificates of stock of railroad and
other large corporations. The certifl-
Gates are from 81 denomination up
wards. Any person who gives 81 Will
get 81 certificate Of stock in this Twen-
tieth Century Wesleyan league organi-
cation; a ten dollar subscription entities
the donor to a $40 certificate and SO
on. These certificates will be handsome
souvenirs of personal Identification with
the very worthy cause in question. A
large call for these certificates is al
ready indicated and not few $1,000 GER
tificates are already engaged by some of
the big givers in the Methodist churches
in this city.
Another gratifying fact is that not
few non-church members have become
members of the organization, freely es-
pousing the cause, and thus are iden-
titled with this debt cancelling project.
series of big meetings is to be held
later on in the season in furtherance of
the project. All the bishops of the
Methodist church in the United States
have expressed a warm personal inter
est in the project and signifed their de-
sire to participate in the movement
personally by coming to New Haven
and delivering addresses in aid of the
plan. The first grand rally will be adj
dressed by the eloquent and scholarly
Bishop Vincent, the founder of the
Chatauqua movement, and who was at
one time a number of years ago pastor
of the First Methodist church of this
city. This meeting will be held April
Sd under the auspices of the executive
committee of the Twentieth Century
league. The executive committee are
Henry I'll. Benedict, John II. Manson,
Mr.. Moody, P. E. Bowman of the Con-
solidated railroad, N. A. Fullerton the
noted grocer, and Rev. w. H. Bergwin,
pastor Of the Summerfeld M. E. church.
The league is now concentrating its in
itial work in obtaining membership and
already large list has been obtained
and the prospects are that the work
for which the league was organized will
be successfully accomplished in the not
distant future.