The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-19
FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY.
IMPORTANT EVENT AT DAVEN-
 PORT CHURCH.

Comme m oration of tho Anniversary
 The Church Outgroyvth of a Sunday
 School, Organized by the Rev. MT. Att
 Annual Business Meeting Tuesday
 Night.
 Davenport Congregational church
 passed the fortieth milestone of it's
 journey last week and yesterday this
 import ant anniversary was properly
 and elaborately celebrated in the
 church on Green street. The morning
 services were devoted entirely to re-
 counting of the various phases and
 factors of the church and of the things
 which assisted in it's growth from the
 time of it's inception, The church is the
 outgrowth of a mission Sunday school
 founded by the late Rev. E. E. Atwater
 and which met in small building on
 Wallace street near Chapel. This was
 in 1857 and the Sunday school was com
 menced with few scholars. The school
 6tcW ctuu WdAGo otioll6 ctllo oltCl I
 time the experiment of preaching in
 the morning was commenced and prov
 ed to be very successful. The present
 superintendent, Frank w. Pardee, re-
 lated some of his personal experiences
 with the school and he has been a
 member and attendant of 1t since two
 years after it's organization or since
 1859. Scholars were first secured by
 members of other churches, principally
 Center church, together with the Rev
 MT. Atwater and Mrs. Atwater person. ally visiting the many families in the vicinity and urging that they send their children to the school. There were many trials of the young organi
 zation especially so because bad boys used to congregate about the building and throw stones and other missiles at the windows This was finally over- come and the Sunday school grew in Interest and numbers. In 1859 the Sun day school moved to better quarters on Franklin street, near Green. In 1852 the church proper was organized. The Sunday school has always been an i'm portant feature in the work of the church. The average attendance last year was 175 larger than in the past two or three years. This attendance was especially noticeable in the pri- mary department. Fifty new scholars came into this department during the year. The honor list for last year is also especially large. The honor pupils are those who have attended every session of the school during the year, one of this number has not missed a session for the past twelve years and another for eight years. During the year bout $23O have been taken up in and this amount has been to a number of worthy ob jects, principally the school at St. | Meigs, the McAll mission, the Lowell | house, the library and also to fund | In aid of the church. About S100 re- ceived from the birthday boxes was given for the purpose of securing new heater for the parsonage. MT. Pardee lrged the necessity of judicious visiting among the many families n the vicinity 1f the church in an organized effort to increase the number of attendants. This work will be commenced in the fall as will also the organization of home de- oartment. He also stated that it would | oe an impetus to the young people If nore of the adult members of the con- yregation would take an interest in the idult Bible class of the school and ,egularly attend.
 Yesterday was the last Sunday for he teacher of the adult class, John 3icknell of the Divinity school. MT. Is one of the graduates of the ,,;Iy a Iat, r; ,;e,o 1 turing the coming week. The speaker lso spoke of the urgent need of volun- ger teachers this fall. He said the larvest is vast but let it not be said hat he 1aborers are few. The report of the mission work ac- during the past year was iyen by Mrs Stackman. She said that his work had been unusually success null but that there was still room for 2 1ore earnest work. The contributions ave been most generous, principally ( Q the Y, w. c. A., the McAll mis- $ ions, the Connecticut Indian associa- on, the Ladies' Benevolent associa- ( On Monies were received from the Con- regational club supper and also from IF le Christian Endeavor society of the a nurch. The latter society contributed T 70 to the support of native mission l. ry A history of the church was not given }
 its entirety but the pastor, the Rev. S eorge Foster Prentiss, spoke at length V I the needs of the present. He said [ T lat we can be true to the past in no 2 1bler way than by giving heed to the il resent opportunities. Davenport has {! ,portunities and abundant ones for Q le enlargement and hetterment of the e lurch. He urged the necessity of all q s, ,ing more strenuous work in the pres 1t and future than has been done in H e past and that all members of the u lurch should take a lively interest in a, ,erything pertaining to the church al Id it's welfare. Speaking of the Chris "l an Endeavor he said that the attend hi ice should be considerably larger an it Is as the average attendance st year was twenty-six. There is VI, ,ed of more esprit de corps, more of H e idea of standing by the ship and re
 lea
 FAT VS. BRAINS. ty