The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-07
DIR. HARNESS IMPRESSIONS
OF the Recent EcumcnfcaI Confer
ence, Which He Attended.

ence, Which He Attended.
DR.. NJ. L. Haines preached yesterday
morning at the First Presbyterian Church
on 1.-THE Coming Kingdom from Matthew
xiii. Is. 'The field is the world. the good
seed are the children Of the kingdom"
In speaking Of the Ecumenical Conference,
which he attended, DR.. Haines said: The
field is the world. the good seed are the
children of the kingdom. Those words of
the Master, printed in large letters, were
upon the upper border of the great map
the large hall where the gatherings Of the
conference were held. Day after day,
morning, afternoon and evening, those
who crowded into the hall faced that mes
sage and the large map Of the world that
stretched clear across the rear of the stage
That ma the largest 1 have ever seen,
had the different islands. countries and
continents marked upon IL I'm colors ac-
cording to their religious conditions. Upon
the stage were gathered several hundred
representatives and officers of the evangel-
ical missionary societies of the earth, and
on the main floor were the fifteen hundred
delegates and the six hundred mission
aries. together with specially invited
guests. In the four galleries, rising tier
above tier. were packed men and women,
not a few of whom were leaders in the
realms of business and professional, mill
tary and educational life. But while these
audiences were remarkable on account of
tnelT NUMBERS, YET TO my NINA the quality
OF the crowds was more impressive than
the quantity.
Each of the great Protestant denomina-
tons of the Protestant Church all over the
civilized world had conspicuous representa-
tives present In its bishops, divines and
university presidents and secretaries. and
men and women who are in the realms of
literature and finance, legislation and
statesmanship, are in the front rank. And
there were the missionaries themselves, un-
assuming heroes of our nineteenth century,
who had journeyed far. many of them
coming from remote and unciyilized lands
TO attend this meeting. And the one i'm
preston borne in upon all those who were
IN attendance was the ecumenical appear
ance of the conference. 1t was a world
gathering met to further a movement as
wide as the earth in it's sweep. Some one
has declared that the civil war in the
United States accustomed the American
people TO large ideas. 1t did. and in the
different parts of our country men rose
above the dominating idea Of statehood and
state rights into a consciousness of nation
atty. So in this missionary conference
there was present a feeling that went be-
yond national boundaries-there was a
world consciousness. Those present could
feel in a newer and larger sence what Soc
rates expressed, but could so little realize,
Il am a citizen of the world 1t helped us
TO realize the brotherhood of the human
race and to feel that in Jesus Christ, as
the Master teaches us, there is neither Jew
nor Greek, barbarian nor Scythian, bonds
1870 Nhoe 81 ~ Wv ~
Christ. 1t gave us a foretaste of the COM
ing day when the horizon shall be widened
and men the world around shall realize that
there is only one blood and that we are all
the children of the same Father.
I'm certain respects the conference has
shown itself to be the most significant and
impressive religious gathering of the cen
fury. The browning glory of the nineteenth
century in the realm OF religion has been
this mighty missionary movement that is
unparalleled by the record of any other CEN
49,. A~1 a r~t1l he CO... .Ana a. H. ~. -
suits. 1t has already lifted a great cause
into recognition and has declared as never
before the depth and breadth and character
OF the movement for the evangelization of
the world.
lone thing has impressed itself upon me
with new force. We nave not come to a
halt in this enterprise for the redemption
a retreat. There have been mistakes and
there have been plumbers made In the past,
and there have been temporary defeats, but
every decade of the nineteenth century has
on the whole marked an advance in the
number of missionary societies organized
and more workers have been sent out in
the last quarter of the century than in
any preceding quarter. TIE growth of the
Christian missions in the nineteenth centu-
ry has been five times what is was
In the preceding eighteen centuries COM
bined. And not only the human side of the
missionary movement has been revealed,
but the divine side as well. The confer
ence brought in its recitals Of Gods deal
lngS q new COnVlcllOn Oh Ills power ana
presence in the world.
Another thing that was impressed upon
me by the conference was that the evan
gelization of the world is not a visionary
scheme. 1t is practicable. There are, there
can be no greater difficulties 10 be met than
those which have already been overcome.
The redemption OF this world by our Lord
Jesus Christ may not be so far of as many
think. The organizations for its conversion
are now established, and are doing a vastly
greater work than is imagined. The chan
nels have only TO be filed up with the
necessary funds and the work can be ac-
complished. The conference made clear
that the methods being employed by the
different organizations in the missionary
field are wise and practicable and such as
will themselves to every business
man.
.'But after all the most impressive fact
about the gatherings of the conference was
not found In the addresses or discussions,
or In the achievements, but I'm the mission
aries themselves. These missionaries I