The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-04-21

ance ana fellowship dliAoiS 1870
and denominations; to obtain, SO lar as
possible by interchange OF views tne
consensus of clerical opinion upon all
questions Of general interest to the
churches, such as public charities, NOR
al reforms, the establishment OF mis-
sions and mission schools, the over
crowding of localities already well sup
piled with mission help, the religious
needs of destitute portions OF the CITY;
to secure a more thorough parochial
visitation of the Protestant population;
to furnish for the workers i'll our
churches and for all benevolently dis
posed persons in the city bureau OIL m
formation upon all questions OF mutual
interest upon which there is substantal
agreement among the city pastors; 10
encourage and regulate attendance
upon Sunday-school; to scrutinlze ana
advise upon new claimants for general
benevolence, and to consider new or au-
ditional methods proposed for winning
men to the church. These OBJECTS are
to be effected by thorough lnVestlga-
tion of various sections of the city, IN
co-operation with the churches in such
sections, for the purpose OF obtaining
data on which to base an accurate
knowledge Of the social, moral and re-
ligIous conditions thereof; by co-opera-
ton with existing agencies to meet the
needs disclosed, and by stimulating the
creation of new agencies wherever ex-
listing agencies prove inadequate.
Each church in New Haven and vi
cinitv desiring to do so may be repre-
scented in the Federation by its pastor
and two lay members, one man and one
woman. Each cooperating organlza-
ton that may be selected by the Fede-
ration, on recommendation of the exec
utive committee. may be represented ny
one member There are at present thlr-
ty-five churches and two cooperating
organizations enrolled.
The officers of the Federation are
president, two vice-presidents, q secre-
tary and treasurer, and an executive
committee, composed of two pastors ana
three laymen, and of which the presl-
dent is ex officio a member. Regular
meetings are held on the last Monday
of each month except July and August
meetings of the executive committee are
held on the call of it's chairman.
This is the simple plan of our organi-
cation. No salaried officers are en-
ployed, but all necessary expenses for
books, printing, postage, etc. are borne
by the churches cooperating with the
Federation and enjoying it's benefits.
The actual work of the Federation Is
to be done by means of district auxilla-
ries. For this purpose theacity has been
divided into six districts with two out
lying districts in adjoining towns. The
constitution provides that in each dis
trict an auxiliary may be organized IN
whatever way may seem best adapted
to meet the needs Of the several fields,
but it shall be under the general super
vision of and report to the Federation.
The work committed to the auxiliary is
as follows: The number of families In
the district not attending any stated
church shall be ascertained, and such
families, shall be divided among the
churches of the district for regular,
friendly visitation and means shall be
taken to learn the names of all new
corners in the district and to introduce
them promptly to the church of their
preference. Special attention shall be
given to gathering children and young
people into existing Sunday-schools and
Young Peoples societies.
This work has already been we'll
started in all the districts. In some dis
tricts the preliminary investigation has
been finished, the information tabulated,
the names apportioned among the
churches and the continuous visitation
begun. The blanks furnished the per
sons who conduct the preliminary inves-
tigation are so ruled as to permit the
entry of the name of the family, the
street and number, and the composition
of the family as to relationship and de-
nomnat onal divisions, also the answers
to these questions numbers of persons
in the family, nationality, number OF
church members, number not attending
church. number of children in Sunday
school, number not attending Sunday
school. church preference. On the back
of each blank Is printed this declaration
in part for the guidance of the can
vasser. in part for the satisfaction of
persons who wish to know why theyare
visited: Our purpose io not primarily
to build up individual churches or de-
nominations, but to enlarge the king
dom of God to discover those families
and persons not now reached by the
churches, and to bring them under the
influence and care of the church they
may prefer We are not simply gather
ing statistics, we are striving to show
the real spirit of the modern church,
through loving ministry to the social
and moral needs of men in His name
fully tabulated. Where church prefer
and for His sake"
The informatio thus obtained is care
ence is expressed the names are given
to the pastor of the nearst church of the
denomination preferred-Protestant to
Protestants, Catholics to Catholics, Jews
to Jews; there is no attempt at poach-
ing or PROSECUTING, where no preference
is expressed the names are assigned tC
the pastors of the district in such pro-
portion as they may agree upon.
Up to this point everything is easy;
here arises the danger and the difficulty
Of all federation work, and here all pre-
vious schemes and methods have broken
down. 1t is proposed to separate the
families who are to be continuously Wis
tied into groups of eight or ten, each
group to be placed in charge of wise
and godly men or woman for intelligent
kindly, prayerful permanent treatment
until every family in the group has re-
u ~