The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-09-04

strength of their lives forever answer the |
theopstscal objections TO the pledge.
At tAe beginning many societies tried
to weaken the pledge or tone II down.
They. tried to leave .loop-holes In IL
Through which the less conscientious could
lescape from their duty.
! but such societies gradually weakened
and waned and revived only when re-
organized on the basis of the strict
pledge. - Once or twice the pledge has
but only with the purpose and result OF
making It more strenuous and binding
upon each young heart.
l Moreover the society Is declared to be
a halfway house to the church when
parents and pastors are not willing that
the children should at once join the
lchurch; a training school within the
church for all the young people: and "a
watch tower for the church from which
pastors and older members can see how
the young disciples are progressing in the
religious life. and what help they need
in fitting them for larger service.
Sometimes people say, 1--WE do not be-
llieve in anything outside of the church.
God appointed the church to accomplish
the conversion of the world. and what is
outside Of the church is wrong in prin-
ciple and practice"
But in what sense Is such an organiza-
ton outside of the church? No more
than the Sunday school, no more than
the prayer-meeting. are outside of the
church. and for the purpose of bringing
young people into the church, and of
keeping them from falling after they are
! in the church.
Surely nothing could have q more init
mate relation with the church than just
such an organization.
: Connecticut has the honor of establish
: ing the first local union Of Christian
; Endeavor and the first State convention.
! One very patent fact concerning the
: Young Peoples Society of Christian En-
? deavor is that its growth has not been
forced. In the popular phrase of the day,
! no one has attempted to boom IL. AS the
Lord has led US on we have tried to fol-
low: as He has opened one door after an
I other we have tried to enter In. From the
very beginning this is true of It.
: In single church. in fearfulness and
5 self-distrust, the work was started. 1t
was considered for a long time mere
I experiment. until God seemed to set upon
II the seal of his approval A single
e newspaper article, written without any
+. thought of attracting special attention,
. was widely copied and became a living
I, seed. which sprang up in many places.
I One society after another was started,
= at first mostly in the city and vicinity
: of the original society. From mouth to
!. mouth the story went; from church 10
: church the news spread. until, in Gods
: way and according to His plan, the little
: one became y thousand.
e At the convention held July and 9
1885, the first mention of Christian En-.
y deavOr badges was made.
J. Though there may be some pardonablt
l. confusion of mind as to the exact mum
Der of the societies brothers and sisters
l. there Is no possible question as to the
lie mother of the Christian Endeavor Socie
T. ty The church of the Living God hai
90 always been acknowledged reverently an
p laffectionately as the mother to whom !
" owes obedience and respect.
se Sometimes, to be sure, she has treate'
"a the infant society more as the traditiona
H. stepmother is supposed to treat a child
,; but for the most part, the affection of tn
81 Echild has been heartily reciprocated. GU
D. motto: For Christ and the Church is n
empty formula.
10 IL Is not matter of printed letters o
a. OF fancy silk, but is a living legend Ell
~ graved upon the hearts of millions @
20 young disciples. 1t has been seen fror
pc the history of the early days, alread
= rehearsed, that the object of the societ
was to help one Individual church, to al
" its pastor. and to make the young peopl
=, connected With that church more efficier
- in her service. -
~ The object or the secends society wa
sn the very same, and of the third and tn
e fourth and of the very last, among a
- lcieties, to he sure, may have more full
ne realized the object of their being tina
-, others, and have more thoroughly fu
In filled their mission. But the real obje
=. of all has been the same, and, as the
-. come to realize ,.4e true meaning
~, Christian Endeavor, they have come
W DO moro and more helpful TO the churC
of which they are a part.
- AS the child is n part of the mother
~, Il.fe. so the society is a part of the churc
~, IL is Of the church and for the churc
- and is to do the bidding of the churt
81 as much as the hand is meant to do q
90 bidding OF the brain. The relation of &
- society to the church has been discuss
irnumerable times, some times by host
- critics, sometimes by friendly advocat
- of the society, and It has been too oft
- assumed. without argument and witho
81. justification, that il is something apa
~ from and one side of the church. 1t
- n relation. a poor relation, q young rel
a. tiCn, n relation that needs to be rebuht
~ o. n relation that needs a little patron
S1 ing approval But until we find out VIII
= ire!aton the child Is to the family. un
we can properly speak Of the relation
~ the finger to the hand. we cannot VI
.. leNactness talk about the relation of I
III society ITO the church.
~ What, pray. Is the church? am spea
ing now OF the local organization.
r,s- Is It a certain number of older me
erv beers? Is 1t the Congregation that gath
inc to hear the pastors Sunday morning $
,me mon or TO engage in the evening serviC
10 lis IL the mid-week prayer-meeting? \
ard lit is all these and more. The church
aho the local body of Christ's followers W
hen worship Sunday morning and Sumo
,nly evening
by Inc church ~ the people AT prayer III
eak lmid-week service. The Sunday school
the church giving and receiving instr
,ver ton. The sewing circle, IL composed
2 Gcdly women. Is the church working
ting the poor.
aIlv The missionary society Is the chu
,rtv praying and giving for the advancem
,erv and extension of the Kingdom OF @
tia The Christian Endeavor Society Is
hso- church training and being trained
aiea practical service In the kingdom.
the |. Fault has sometimes been found v
the the young people because they do
onIx, all attend the Sunday evening service
,eat. the mid-week prayer-meeting as faith
the ny, IL Is said. as they attend their c
the young peoples meeting. To remedy
very possible defect in this direction and
.,,nac Impress upon the youthful host the
of maintaining the ont "