The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-05

1
| followed more or less slowly, Massa-
chusetts being the last to break the
connection in 1884. In the meantime
the missionary spirit asserted itself.
The American Board of Commission
ers Of Foreign Missions was the first
| of these missionary bodies. estab
| lished in 1910, and embracing the Con-
| gresational. Presbyterian, Dutch Re-
| formed ana German Reformed church
| cs Four years later Baptist repre-
| sentatives from eleven states met In
| Philadelphia and established a society
| for foreign missionary work. Asia and
| the south sea islands claimed first at
| tcntion, and on these heather shores
| many missionaries fell victims TO can
| nibnlisn. The Jesuits in the new world
| Wero pioncers for Christian CiviliZi-
tion. in Mexico and Central and South
| America doing their greatest work.
| Madagascar, Africa. china and Japan
| were the later fields OF Protestant en-
| deavor. and in al Of these countries
| the work of ChristianiAirc IL still GO
| ing ON. rive missionary boards ar.
working in the United States alone: A
| hundred missionaries are employed
where one was working in 1915. and the
money available for tho work is count
| ell by millions of which the United
states is contributing oEe-third
FIGHT AGAINST SLAVERY.
| Slavery in the United states was one
| of the first problems for the churches.
| AZ early as $50 the Methodist churcn
| had protested against the institution
| as out of harmony with a republican
| form of government and against the
| Christian spirit of the times. The gen
| erai assembly of the Presbyterian n
| church took similar action in 1917.
| Other churches followed. In 1874 the
| Methodist church divided on the ques-
tion. after deliberate conference and
! debate. still. through the disturbc
churches opposition to slavery was
| agitated. leading at last to one of the
| greatest wars of history and to the
final emancipation of 100000 slaves.
| In the early '40s drunkenness was
vice that called upon itself the atten-
ton of the churches. 1t was wide
| spread evil. drink being kept in tn,
houses, shops and fields of the people.
where it was dispensed almost like
water Inc church moved against
liquor and about the same time the
Washingtonian movement started in
| Baltimore. In that city six notorious
| drunkards met and signed covenant
to give up the use of intoxicating
| liquors. This movement, resulting in
making it a reprehensible thing to
nave strong drink in the homes ami
fields and shops. paved the way for
the saloon. 1.Ie hysterical reformation
| which ran through city and country
| ,x.it1 -; ,,,t
lifted hundreds of drunkards from the
depths of depravity to the public plat
form. and even to the pulpit, from
| which places they boasted of their for
| mer shames. John B. Cough, as the
great disciple of temperance. has esti-
mated that of the probable 100000
drunkards who professed rssSrm from
| this wave 100000 went back to the for
mer depths of degradation. 'the blua
tering braggodccio of reformed onss
had begun to pail upon the public,
and there was nothing in these object
lessons to spur the converts to con-
tnued abstinence.
PERIOD OF SCHISMS.
The prohibition period began with
Loo. and various phases of it are stlil
in force. The Womans Christian
temperance union came in 1874. AMI
| today it stands for the most sustained
| and systematic siege that has been
laid by Christianity to the strong.
hold of drink.
| In al! of these definite moves toward
radical ends. it is not strange that the
churches should find disappearing ele-
ments within themselves. The perio
between 1880 and 1S45 has been desig-
| mated as that of the schisms. The Uni
| tarians of Boston led the movement
In 1882 Rev. Ralph Waldo Emerson,
pastor of the Second church in Bos-
| ton, proposed certain changes in the
| administration of the Lords supper;
perhaps its omission altogether. The
church refused the suggestions and
Emerson went to Concord, where, as
someone has said. "he might, without
| sneering teach the rest to sneer."
The higher pantheism" was evolved
and following this departure. the sub
| ject of slavery began to divide the
churches. In 1887 the Presbyterians
| broke from the original composite for
eign mission board and established one
| of their own. Other denominations
followed. and out of this rivalry and
| competition of the creeds arose mucl
| Of the spirit that afterward evangel-
ized the American great West" fro i
| the Alleghanies to the shores of the
Pacific.
Accomplishing all these things for
| humanity, the churches of the United
states have done much for themselves
IT. doing so they have proved them
| selves adaptable to new conditions
| liberality marks the churches today
as it never marked theiT before in any
age. Agencies have been evolved tha !
| are feeders tn the churc ches almost be-
yond the possibilities of mere pulpit
and pew.
YOUNG PEOPLES SOCIETIES.
London. in 1874. evolved one of the
chief Of these in the Young MEMS
Christians association. In the United
States, Hostcn was the first to take
up The movement in 1851. Today there
| are ','0o associations ia North Amer.
| ica. having 2fc,O00 lnenlhcrs and build.
irSs and real estate valued at $4,000
00n
The Young Womcn's Christian asso-
| citation WAS a natural nffshot of this,
and was formed i'm 1856. Great Britain
leads IN the number nj associations,
AID in membership. but nearly dozen
countries are numbered IN the inter-
national organization, While there are
$1,000 members in America.
The Young Peoples Society of Chris
| tian EndeaVor was organized i'm 1881,
by Rev. Francis r. Clark, of Portland,
Me. Denominatioral ramhcations