New-York tribune., 1902-05-21

Carnegie Hall was filed to its limit last night
zrirh the representatives Of a million communi-
cants Of the Presbyterian Church. on the plat
farm were the officers of the General Assembly
and many of the leaders Of the denomination In
This and other cities In the body of the house
we're the six hundred commissioners to the as
semhIy. representing every State and Terri
tory in the Union and nearly every country be
,-ond the seas. For an entire day in the Fifth
Avenue Church. and for half of the preced-
Irg day this large company Of earnest minded
men and as many the church would
hold had heard Of the birth and growth and
present condition Of the home mission cause
which this year celebrates its centennial NOT
-5niv was Carnegie Hall crowded and the Cen
tral Presbyterian Church filled also with peo-
rIe holding tickets. but enough persons stood
? bout the hall and the church to fill another
overflow meeting. And in addition to this great
company of Christian people, evincing their in
terest in one of the great boards Of the Church,
ten thousand other people had applied for
tickets only TO be told that none could be had
Home missions is always enhancing sub
iect for the life Of nearly every home mission
arv is an unwritten romance. Last night the
subject was douby interesting, because the
President Of the United States whose knowledge
rf home mission work is exceeded by few men,
was the principal speaker. His address was
not at all perfunctory; he spoke from the fulness
of ms heart and every word was received with
manifest sympathy. He told Of his own church
relation and related an amusing incident from
the life OF his former pastor, DR. William ADAMS,
or the Madison Square Presbyterian Church,
whom he iustlv termed "a sanity pastor After
addressing himself specifically to the work OF
home missions. Mr. Roosevelt recalled to the
minds Of his auditors the great event OF the
day-the institution of the Cuban Republic. In
his home mission references he entered into the
life or his friends before him; in his references
10 Cuba several thousand hearts beat in the
closest unison with his own. If there was
critic in the house he forgot for the time his
ordinary occupation. for apparently every hand
either cIapped or waved a handkerchief in recog-
milton Of the splendid labors so finely performed
at San Juan in helping TO make the island free
and in Washington in helping to establish the
republic.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID.
Mr.. Roosevelt had few pages Of notes in
his hand. but the greater part Of his speech
was extempore. for as he said, he had been
thinking as he came from Washington about the
new republic and about the recent disaster in
the West Indies. He spoke as follows;
Mr.. Chairman and you my friends and neigh
bors-for if this meeting means anythihs ~
means rhe commemoration of the embodied splIit
~ friendship and neighborness WORKING
through the Church and generation am sldd
10 have the chance of greeting you to-hgnl,
belong TO closely allied Churcn' lne Dutcn
Reformed ] want u tell you curious INCL
dent in regard to that told me by MI Robert
C. Ogden one of the gentlemen who met me on
your behalf and brought me up mere. ne toId
that two hundred and sixty or seventy years
ago the first church Of my denomination erected
IN this citv was out up under contract py one
n his ancestors who lived in Connecticut You
see We Dutchmen had 70 get the Yankees 10 90
things for even then. -,
bOli n muFn
Church has contributed to the life OF the people
that the descendants Of those who worked LOT
the church and of those VINO, under cohtIacl,
put il up. should be meeting here But there -
another bond between me and you; there are NOT
many Dutch churches in the country. ana not
enough in this city. For considerable poruoh
of my life l had 70 go to Presbyterian chufches
because / could not reach the Dutch heIoIl@leo' @
In my early life I want 10 the Madison Square
Presbyterian Church. where DR.. Adams pre-
sided These of you who remember him VIII
understand me when say that he was in truth
sanity man. Now, that have chlldren ot
my OWN 7 often recall an experience Of his that
illustrates the we have to take TO make
the things that clear 10 use clear TO the
children with whom we deal
DR. Adams had a little grandson who was
afraid to go into the church by himself. IL
there was no congregation there the little boy
would rot 90 One day DIR Adams walked up
the aisle Of the empty church with the lad
empty church the lad said. Grandpa where is
the zeal2' DIR. Adams did not understand and
he said so, and the boy explained. why. don't
you know. grandpa. IL says: The zeal of thine
mouse hath eaten me M. The youngster had
heard that, afraid Of the zeal and had de-
cded not 10 90 to church unprotected
n is a pleasure behalf OF the people of the
United States 10 bid you welcome on this hun
aAHosET RocKLAND BREAKwATER. ME-,