Omaha daily bee., 1901-03-10

anlsm in the city of Philadelphia, Pa. ON
Thursday, May IL, 1901, will set apart Fri
day, May II, as a day OF spcciaI services
to occupy forenoon, afternoon and evening.
The program for these services includes
some of the most distinguished names In
the Presbyterian church, III connection with
the following themes: Prof. Wills u.
Craig, ID. d., LII. D., of Chicago, Review
of the Nineteenth Century" Rev Henry Z.
McCook, ID. d., Philadelphia. Progress ot
the presby yterian Church III the Nineteenth
Century Prof. Henry Z. Mlnton, ID. d.,
The Divine Purpose Developed in the
Progress of Time Rev. George L. furvos,
ID. d., LII. D., The Problems OF the Twen-
tieth Century Robert h. Speer, "lnc
Speedy Bringing of the World to Christ"
Rev. Henry Van Dyke, d. d., poem, Pre-
vision of the Twentieth Century" Rev.
samuel J. Nichols, ID. d., LII. d., "Oppor-
tunity and Duty OF the Presbyterian Church
in the Twentieth Century"
The most prominent feature of the TWEEN
tieth century movement is the effort To
raise IA Twentieth Century Fund for the
enlargement and strengthening of the work
of the Presbyterian church both at home
and abroad. When in the year 1870 the Old
and New School branches of the Presby-
teran church, after forty-three years of
was celebrated by the proposal to raise a
memorial fund of sj,OOO,OO0 as u special
thank Offering to God. The committee ap-
pointed to have charge of this work was
able finally to report in 1872 the sum OF
1888, ,9S3.S5 actually raised. And since that
date the growth of the Presbyterian church
has been far more rapid than in the same
number of years during any previous por-
ton of its history. There was great for.
ward bound in 1S70-72 in all lines of work
and the ground then gained has never been
lost. 1t was thought that the opening of
the twentieth century afforded another and
even more auspicious opportunity for
similar advance.
One Hundred Years OF Growth.
The century just closed had seen great
things in the Presby yterian church. From
Il little body with a membership at the
opening of the century of only 10000 and II
ministry of only 1S3, with only score of
home missionaries and with no foreign
missionaries or communicates in foreign
lands, and with no Sunday schools mission
boards or societies, and contributing to
mission work only $4,000 per annum the
Presbyterian church has grown until at
the beginning of the new century 1t en-
rolls a membership of more than l,OOOOUJ,
with 7,i67 ministers, over 100000 children
in the Sunday schools, eight strong boards
for missionary and benehcent work, be-
sides womens and young peoples socie-
ties by the thousands. Instead of score
We have 1,7i3 home missionaries Whereas,
in heather lands, We had nothing century
ago, we now have 1890 communicates, or
nearly twice as many members as the
church had in the home land at the open
ing of the century, and, besides these, we
have among heather peoples 730 American
and 1,701 native workers, 627 churches and
eighty hospitals. The contributions Of
the church to missionary ana benehcent
causes have risen from $500 per annum
100 years ago to the sum of $l2S25,755 dur
ing the year 1899. 1t is estimated that
during the century more than 100000
persons were received into our church on