The bee., 1901-07-11
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR[Rl
Twentieth Annual Convention ci
the International Christian
Endsavor Society.
C AClasATl FILLED WITH DELEGATES.
The Gathering Promises to De the
LARGEST in the History of the So
cIcty-SynOpsis OF President
CIarl<'s Annual Address and Sec.
retary Daer'S Report.


cicty-SynOpsis OF President
CIarl<'s Annual Address and Sec.
retary Daer'S Report.
Cincinnati, July THE twentieth
international Christian Endeavor con
'ention began a five-dGys' session in
this city. The registration of delegates
and visitors is unusually large, and
the indications are that the attend
ancc will be The largest i'll the his
tory of these great gatherings. In al
dition to the receptions and rallies at
lifierent state headquarters, the busi.
ness session of the United Society OF
Christian Endeavor was held during
,he 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
President Clarlx's Annual Address.
President Francis Z. Clark, in his
annual address, said in part:
"For every age God prepares his agen-
c!es. AS the bee IL made for the flower
as the birds wing fits the air, and lie
dn of the fish the yielding water, so in
the moral and religious world God adapts
his plans and methods to the needs Of
the time.
'sTba rina,aor+b oant,r,, so,,, .,O.,,,.a-
oerils assail the young man. The saloon,
the brothel, the gambling den, CONNER
.ialism, and materialism laid their traps
for him. But God looked down from
the middle of the century the Young
Mems Christian association was started
% set young mes At work for young mon
al a new y ngelism.
ne da : of the rampant infidel and
atheist are in the past. as l devoutly be-
ieve. No Robert Hume could to-day
world. No Voltaire or Rousseau could
number his followers by millions Rob-
art lngersoll to-day is little but a men,
Dry of eloquent bathos and pathos.
But something more insidious and
aarmful. a thousand times, than blatant
nfdelity is the foe of the church OF ;he
twentieth century. This iniidelity is u
scepticism of life rather than of talk IL
10 the indifference that is born of luxury
and of fashion. The twentieth century
church needs the Christian Endeavor CO.
,iety because ii needs the prayer meet
ng. 1t needs more thoroushgoing and ef-
tective organization in church life and it
reeds to be more united.
THE new century will be a century OF
mighty combinations and tremendous ac-
gregations of material forces. There
should be combination of the Christian
forces of the land TO work together in
harmony for the advancement of the
kingdom through their own churches
lnd denominations.
1.-The Christian Endeavor society does
aot aspire to be such trust for the
,hurch-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:
''In 1891 the close of the first decade of
Christian Endeavor, there were 1874 So
,ieties, and we returned hearty thanks
to God for what He hath wrought. In this
year 1901, at the close Of Christian En-
teavor's second decade, We must en-
y arranged. to tell our numerical
strength, for the 1874 societies have be-
come 81. 427 The nearly one million men,
bers have become nearly four millions.
This growth is marvellous, and nothing
comnarable TO II can be found in hts
tory. The rapidity with which the So
cieties have multiplied is so familiar, hav-
ing compelled attention around the world.
that we have in late years accepted that
fact as commonplace. l remind you Of
this wonderful numerical extension Of
Christian EndeaVor because il proves to
me beyond a doubt that ours is not a
man-made society, but a broad. inter-
denominational, International, and inter-
racial brotherhood. Man can organize
n society God creates a movement
1.-The net increase in numbers of new
societies since we met in the great Lon
don convention last July is nearly two
thousand members. In other words, the
net increase during the past year equals
the total number of societies organized
during the first seven years of our splen-
did history. There have been more than
1000 new societies added to the lists, bur
cause we have had to drop from our fel
lowship societies that have disbanded tor
various reasons, or that have become eX-
clusively denominational societies.
THE interdenominational fellowship.
which has been from the first a blessed
fruit of Christian Endeavor, has, during
the past year. been fostered as never
before. There was time when IL seemed
that this unique feature of Christian En-
doavor would be imperiled. but those days
have gone, never 10 return, we believe.
The UNCONVENTIONAL loyalty of local Chris
tian Endeavorers is seldom challenged,
but on the contrary, we find 1t officially
and heartily commended by many ell.
clesiastical courts and assemblies in many
zone of the most gratifying facts 10 re.
port is steady growth in foreign and
missionary lands. Secretary Chaplin, ol
the British section, reported an in.
crease of 800 societies. particular men
tion being made of the number of Episco
pal Christian Endeavor societies tha
have been organized the past year in tn,
Church of England This, and othel
splendid achievements by our English
brothers show conclusively that the grea
London convention was blessed of God.
Indeed, nothing shows the adaptability
of Christian EndeaVor to every climate
and country more than the fact that thers
are national Christian Endeavor unions In
the United States. Canada, England
Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia
France, Spain, Germany, South Africa
India, China, Mexico and Japan. and thai
Christian Endeavor leaflets and constitu
tions may now be found in Chinese, Japa'
nese, Malagasy, Persian, Arabic, Turkish
Bulgarian, Armenian, Siamese. German
French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Swedish
Dutch. Norwegian, Welsh, Australian
Hungarian, Coptic, Mexican, Portuguese
Indian, the many dialects OF India arc
Africa.
Very naturally the increase IN JUNO,
and intermediate societies continues to b,
interesting. There are now over 1890
junior societies and less intermediate so
cieties, the first with lSS0o) members, an.
the second with SS,5W