The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-15
THEY BLUSH FOR SHAME
BECAUSE OF SENSATIONAL WORK be-
ING DONE BY EyANGELIsTs.
Friends Yearly Meeting Leaders Face
to Face with q Situation They
Cannot Cou ltenance.
pecial to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
PLAINFIELD. Ind. Sept H--For the
forty-second consecutive year, the Friends
of Western Yearly Meeting are gathering
for their annual sessions at this place. Pre-
limnary to the opening of the session to-
morrow the ministers and elders. organized
under the name of The Meeting Of Ministry
and Oversight, held three sessions to-day,
which were largely attended. The opening
service is said by many to be the largest
opening service in the history Of the Yearly
Meeting This is due. in part, to the gen.
eral prosperity now enjoyed by the country.
and in part to the intense interest in the
principal subject discussed to-day. The
Present Day Evangelist"
The past year has been one In which dan
gers have appeared from this source
throughout the Yearly Meeting. In some
places the teaching of evangelists has been
such as resulted in INSTRUMENTATION TO the
church on the part of their. followers. In
other places many have gone WILD along
the line of confession. the conscience
stricken ones making public their
shameful misdeeds of the past. but which
did not concern the public. These Things
have brought reproaoh on the church. In
other cases there has been rebellion against
the regularly chosen pastor The trouble
has arisen from the fact that when the
pastoral system was adopted a few years
ago no provision was made for adopting
the evangelistic system TO the pastoral sys-
tenn. Her.ce the church has had practically
no control over its evangelists.
The subject was discussed to-day first in
an excellent paper by Eliza c. Armstrong,
editor of Friends Missionary Advocate.
showing that the church must not ignore
the idea of evangelism as being God-ap-
pointed and ordained, and that ii must come
to the place of distinguishing between evan
gelists, exercising proper control over the
system, I'm harmony, with the plans of the
form of sensational evangelism that, of
late, has brought reproach on religion by
its wild, visionary teachings. The meeting
appointed committee to take charge or the
matter and report later.
There was unusually large number OF
ministers present to-day from other States
and Yearly Meetings. with the young peo-
Henry Douglas. Of Oregon: Reba Jenkins.
of Ohio: Oliver NJ. Frazer. of Nebraska
Thomas F. Andrews. of North Carolina;
Della Rees, OF Rhode Island; Mary A. Hill,
of Ohio; Eli G. Parker and wife. of Iowa
Miriam Johnson. of Kansas; A. Edward
Kelsey, of Rhode Island, and Willis r.
Hotchkiss. for five years missionary in
British East Africa; Arthur ID. Chilson, of
H. Babcock, of New York, and Anna b.
Macomber, of Rhode Island.
At the afternoon session tie subject or
Christian Unity was taken "a: during the
took occasion to set forth the mission of
the church in preaching Christ. and, incl
dentally, gave some severe blows to Chris
tan Science, higher criticism, evolution and
other modern isms that bring discord. To-
night Rev. Douglas gave a strong address
to a large audience why Am / a
Friend?" Douglas was one of the earliest
eevangelists In the church blazing the way
Of the best-balanced men in the church on
doctrinal points.