The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1900-06-14
A MELANGE Of
LIVE TOPICS
Penned for Journal Readers
by a Local Scribe.
Young Peoples Societies.


The present period may be considered
as one in which two elements of society
play part to an extent never before
known. Women and young people now
assert themselves in every line of hu-
man energy, but especially in religious
and intellectual movements. Hardly
a church, not situated in the rural dis
tricts, but that has it's young peoples
societies whose ostensible object is to
assist in the work of evangelizing the
world to make the young people use
full by employing them in such a way
that they can be in sympathy with
their environments.
The idea is not bad one but it is to
be feared that the young people are GO
ing faster than is good for either them
selves or the churches which they rep
resent. Zeal is highly commendable,
but it should not take the form of
breaking loose from the guidance of
older and wiser heads. Having attend
ed an international and state conven-
ton Of the Christian Endeavor Society
| am OF the opinion that this is theIten-
dency of that organization, though I
believe the local society in this place is
entirely free from it. The Christian
Endeavor Society is supposed to be an
undenominational institution, though,
in point of fact, it is confined in the
South, and also throughout the world
to very great extent, to the Presby-
terians, Congregationalists with a few
Christians and other minor denomina-
tions, Both the Methodists and Bap-
fists have very wisely established de-
nominational societies of their own for
their young people, thus keeping them
within the bounds of the doctrines.
principles and practices of their res
pective churches. The undenomina-
tional society, in its ambition to appear
great land influential through the
weight of numbers, is willing TO COM
promise basic principles in order to Sc
cure a platform upon which all can
stand
Thus at the recent state convention
of the Christian Endeavor Society sec
ular matters were discussed, such as
the duty of the members of the society
to plant flower gardens and otherwise
ornament their places of abode women
were allowed to speak in public and it
was moved and seconded that the
Georgia yell" and song, "a silly little
piece to the air of "Suwanee River'')
rs used at the Detroit convention, be
repeated in the church in which the
Atlanta convention was held and dur
ing one of its meetings. The motion
would have been carried but for the
fact that the delegates were upon the
eve of taking a trolley ride, and the
yell" and song were postponed for the
occasion. In order to better please the
young people and attract to the society
other denominations, one OF the lead =
ing general officers of the G. E. Society.
who is Presbyterian, favors revision
Of the Presby terrain creed. To all the
innovations mentioned above the South
ern Presbyterian church is bitterly op-
posed, and it is hard to believe that
young person of that communion at
tending one of these general conven-
tions and sympathizing with such mat
tiers as his or her church dsapproves
can be made more loyal to that
body to which he or she has promised
obedience
1t is proper to state that none of the
large and important churches in At
lanta have @. E. societies. OF the
Presbyterians, there are four, but they
are all weak and very obscure At the
recent General Assembly of the south
ern Presbyterian church, which con-
vened in Atlanta, steps were taken to
appoint field agent to organize young
peoples societies of that church, and it
is probable that in the near future the
G. E. Society in the South will be SUI
perseded, to great extent, by the
Westminster League, a Presby terian
organization.
/ notice that there will be a Hen