The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-07
MAKING GOOD PROGRESS
WORK OF THE CONGREGATIONAL
HOME MISSION SOCIETY.
Report of Rev. f. ID. Curtis on COndi-
tiOns I'm Indiana-A Profitable
and Growing Field.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
DETROIT, Mich, June 6.-The Congrega-
tional Home Missionary Society began its
seventy fourth annual meeting here to-day.
The annual reports were made public. The
report for Indiana, presented by Rev. f
d. Curtis, d. D., Indianapolis, superintend-
ent, showed that the receipts from Indiana
within the year have been 3.2S. Thirty
missionaries have been in service during a
whole or part of the year in connection
with thirty-fve churches and stations.
Thirty-three Sunday schools report a MEM
bership of $500.
The report of Superintendent Curtis
stated that Trinity Church, Indianapolis
has enjoyed goodly degree of prosperity
and is a useful institution among the resi-
dents of the South Side. The membership
has increased nearly one hundred during
the year and the missionary pastor has
been installed by council.
The first year of a resident pastor with
Union Church at Marion Park has resulted
most happily. The membership and Sun
day school have doubled and the finances
trebled in amount. cordial neighborhood
unity is maintained and the membership
is composed of representatives of seven
different denominations. Increasingly in
city districts Is 1t possible to unite Chris
tians in Union Church? Cosmopolitan
| life does not favor sectarian prejudice.
Fellowship church occupies with tenn
porary building important place in
growing residence district. A crisis in its
affairs was precipitated when it found it
self directly in the track of the northern
movement of some strong churches of 9th
er names. A consolidation with Mayflower
was proposed and favored by many. But
an energetic and aggressive movement,
aided by the society, TO hold and develop
the field, is under way. The four aided
churches have made considerable gain,
Covenant coming to the front with new
chapel en- its fine lot, which has space for
the future edifice.
| Congregationalism is represented in only
| fifteen OF the ninety-two counties of In
diana and the excellent progress it has re-
| Gently made in the capital city is of mo-
ment In the hills of Greene county Con-
| Gregational principles have been taking
| root and the extension of the work has
| been marked by an earnest commitment OF
| the population to better ideals in religious
| life and service. Solsbery Church has for
years been a beacon light, shedding rays
| throughout the region, and now the mis-
/ sionary is taxed to care for the various
| Sunday schools and out stations in region
| eighteen miles from end TO end. One pre-
| iiminary organization of a church has been
| made and others will follow. Two mission
| aries are sustained in the coal mine mis-
| sion. Six hundred children are in the Sun
| day schools and a new point has been
| opened. Troubles relating to temperance
have distracted one of the churches ''but
| the battle must be fought" the report
says. as intemperance is the deadly vice of
| the coal miners.
1.-THE apportionment to Indiana is quite
inadequate to meet the demands for denom-
national progress. 1t Is the center Of
| population for the Nation, and in location
is absolutely strategic. The transconti-
| mental lines of railway crowd its area be-
| tween Lake Michigan and the Ohio river
The immense gas and oil sections furnish
| light. heat and power for incoming indus
| trial and manufacturing enterprises. The
| oolitic limestone Quarries and the newly
developed coal fields cause constantly the
| appearance of new towns and villages.
/ There are no failures in crops and there is
| comparatively little waste land. The In
1 come from railways capitalized in the East
/ or in Europe and taxed at high valuation
1 brings public revenue. Some counties have
| from seven to seventeen different railway
/ lines within their boundaries. The aggre-
| gate in taxable property is a very pretty
1 sum. There is a phenomenal increase in
| population, and the development of the
| State has but just begun. 1t is bound to
| be a wealthy and densely populated and in
fiuential State in the future destiny of
/ America. In eight of the county seats now,
| besides the metropolis. there are flourish
| ing churches, and in several other import
| ant centers. Yet there is much land still
| important manufacturing and railroad CEN
| tiers of from eight to sixty thousand popu-
lation have no Congregational church.
Congregational people sitting into these
places. and, with an appropriation designed
| to encourage aggressive movements,
churches could speedily be started 1t takes
| only ordinary prescience to see into the
I future and realize the Importance of OPEN
ing fountains of benevolence in the larger
| centers of wealth and population. To in
sist In this policy Is to secure a strongly
| conferred UNCONVENTIONAL life in the future.
1.-The year. as a whole, is worthy of rec
ord, because of faithful devotion to duty on
the part of missionaries and people. The
| salary average is small. and the opposition
| TO the truth sometimes takes the form of
| open antagonism, but revivals have been
| held in many fields, some of them of a
marked character, and 263 have been added
| on profession. as well as 126 by letter.
A feature of to-day's session was the
| reading of a paper entitled Five Points y
! in which Rev. Washington Choate, d. D.,
| secretary of the society, presented some
| of the salient features of the society $
| work Gen. .. o. Howard. president of the
society, followed with a brief, energetic
| address.
Later the eighteenth annual meeting OF
the woman's department of the Home Mis-
sion Society was held. Miss Lydia Hartig
of Vermont, told How We Solve the Prob
lem of Rural New England Mrs J. L.
Hill of Massachusetts. spoke on Our Boys
and the Future of Home Missions and
Rev. II. G. Rich, of North Dakota related
some of his Frontier Experiences
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