Newport weekly independent., 1901-07-12
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR[RS.
Twentieth Annual Convention of the International Christian
 Endeavor Society.
CINCINNATI FILLED WITH DELEGATES.
The. Gathering Promises to Re the Largest in the History of the So- ciety-Synopsis of President Clark's Annual Address and Sec retary Baer's Report.


 Cincinnati, July 7.-The twentieth international Christian Endeavor con vention began a. tive-days' session III this city. The registration of delegates and visitors is unusually large, and the indications are that the attend ance will be the largest in the his tory of these great gatherings. In ad- dition to the receptions and rallies at different state headquarters, the busi- ness session of the United Society of Christian Endeavor was held during the forenoon, at which the annual re- ports of the officers and business agents were submitted.
 The annual session of the trustees was held during the afternoon.
 The grand openings With welcome addresses and the annual address of President Clark and the annual re- port of Secretary Baer took place simultaneously in the Auditoriums at night. Three large auditoriums and large hall have been arranged on the old exposition grounds adjoining Washington park, on Elm street. A large platform has also been con- structed in Washington park for overflow open-air meetings.
 Music hall has been designated as Auditorium Endeavor; Power hall is called Auditorium Williston, and Hor- ticultural hall is known as Auditorium Ohio. Odeon hall is the fourth in this group.
 nr 'Tnnnic To,,olin nf NTo irr ton, D. C., presided at one of the night meetings, with F. H. Jacobs, of Brook lyn, as musical director.
 Bishop Samuel Fallows, of Chicago, presided in the other, with Percy S.. Foster, of Washington, D. C., as mu- sical director
 President CIarl's Annual Address.
 President Francis E, Clark, in his annual address, said in part:
 For every age God prepares his agen- ctes. As the bee is made for the flower, as the birds wing fits the air, and ;he i'm Of the fish the yielding water, so in the moral and religious world God adapt.; his plans and methods to the needs of the time.
 ''The nineteenth century saw peculiar peris assail the young man. The saloon, the brothel, the gambling den, commer- - ciaiism. and materialism laid their traps for him. But God looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, and in the middle of the century the Young Mems Christian association was started to set young men at work for young men in new evangelism.
 "The days of the rampant infidel and atheist are in the past as l devoutly be- lieve. No Robert Hume could to-day greatly influence the thought of the number his followers by millions. Rob- ert Ingersoll to-day is little but a mem ory of eloquent bathos and pathos.
 But something more insdious and harmful, a thousand times, than blatant infdelity is the foe of the church of thn twentieth century. This infidelity is a scepticism of life rather than of talk. IL is the indifference that is born of luxury and of fashion. The twentieth century church needs the Christian Endeavor e0- ciety because it needs the prayer meet ing. It needs more thoroughgoing and cf- fective organization in church life and it needs to be more united
 ."The new century will be a century of mighty Combinations and tremendous az gregationS of material forces. There should be a combination of the Christian forces of the land to work together in harmony for the advancement of the kingdom through their own churches and denominations.
 '"rhe Christian Endeavor society Goes not aspire to be such a trust for the ehurch- h-at-large. but it does aspire to pro- mote harmony and brotherly love and united service for the kingdom of ou: Lord and for their native land"
 Synopsis of Secretary Baer's Report
 The report of General Secretary John Willis Baer was, in part, as fol, lows:
 Tn 1891 the close of the first decade of Christian EndeaVor. there were l6,2H cieties, and we returned hearty thanks to God for what He hath wrought. In this year 1901 at the close of Christian En- deavors second decade. we must em ploy the same numerals though different. ly arrarged, to tell our numerical strength, for the 274 societies have be. come 61 ,427. The nearly one million mcm bers have become nearly four millions This growth is marvellous, and nothing comparable to it can be Bound in his tory. The rapidity with which the so cieties have multiplied is so familiar. hay ing compelled attention around the world that we have in late years accepted tha fact as commonplace. I remind you o this wonderful numerical extension O. me beyond doubt that ours is not ; man-made society, but a broad, inter denominational international, and inter racial brotherhood. Man can organiZ, a society, God creates q movement
 '',rhe net increase in numbers of new societies since we met in the great Lon don convention last July. is nearly tive thousand members. In other words. tn net increase during the past year equal the total number of societies organze' during the first seven years of our splen did history. There have been more thai 2.000 new societies added to the lists, bu the net gain has not been quite that, he cause we have had to drop from our fel lowship societies that have disbanded fo various reasons, or that have become ex clusively denominational societies.
 '"rhe interdenominational fellowship which has sJeen from the first a bles sn, fruit of Christian Endeavor, has, durin, the past year, been fostered as neve before. There was a time when it scene, that this unique feature of Christian En d fn11lH 10 mn aril hut . 1.r have gone, never 10 return, we believe The denomiuational loyalty of local Chris tian Endeavorers is seldom challenged but, on the contrary, we find it officiall.