The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-10
ENDFAYORFRS
INACCURATE
" EHEEU MFEllNA.
WEFF4E Z
Thousands of Members Con.
vene at Denver and Are En-
Iiahtened as to the Work of
the Past Year.


first annual meeting of cne United So
ciety of Christian Endeavor opened to-
day. The attendance, though taxing
the capacity of the immense tent, did
not include as many delegates as had
been expected, on account of delayed
trains.
The opening Of the convention was
preceded by the annual business ses-
sion of the Christian Endeavor COM
mittee, at which officers for the ensu-
ing year were elected and reports OF
officers submitted.
All the old officers were reelected,
as follows: President, Rev. Francis e.
Clark, D. D.; treasurer, William A.
Shaw; clerk, George B. Graft; auditor,
Fred H. Kidder. UNCONVENTIONAL trus-
tees for the ensuing four years were
elected. The presidents of states, terri
torial and provincial unions were elect
ed for one year.
Miss Mary T. Aldrich, of Minneapo-
lis, was made life member of the as
ISOLATION.
Treasurer William Shaw's annual re-
port showed receipts for the year end
ed June 1 to have been $95,543; cash
on hand, $50. The publishing depart
ments expenditures the past year were
$62,915; cash on hand on June l, $3,O42.
It's total assets are $43,139; liabilities,
Slab.
A song service, led by Rev. F. H.
Jacobs, of New York, preceded the
convention, which was called to order
at 2 o'clock by President e. Francis
Clark, father of the Christian En-
deavor movement. Several responses
were made, Rev. Ernest Shurtleff, of
Minneapolis, speaking for the North.
Rev. George B. Stewart. of Auburn.
N Y, presided at tonights meeting.
The tent Endeavor was again crowded
to it's full capacity. Song service led
by c. S. Foster. of Washington, D. c.,
was followed by service by Bishop
Arnett. of Wilberforce.
Revealed by the Secretary.
William Shaw. treasurer of the So
ciety, and acting secretary since the
resignation of General Secretary John
Willis Baer. read the general secre-
tary's report which contained the fol-
lowing:
pastor in little Congregational
church, in one of our smaller cities, or
ganized the first society of Christian
Endeavor. No ecclesiastical court,
council or committee said, Go to, now,
we will organize a movement that will
girdle the globe But to help one pass
tor, to strengthen one church. and to
train one company of young people, the
first society was organized. But, it was
born, not made. In purely providential
ways it spread until today there is no
land to which it is a stranger, and no.
tongue in which prayer and testimony
in Christian Endeavor meetings are not
heard
From one society, in 1881, to $4,000.
in 1903, from one denomination to more
than eighty, from one city to every
20
3,822,300, and a million and a half more
in societies bearing strictly sectarian
names, but patterned after Christian
Endeavor and gaining their inspira-
ton from it. A net gain in number of
societies in one year of over 1000. This
numerical increase will be made vivid
when in the closing session of this
convention the fellowship banners made
by Endeavorers across the seas are
presented to the states and provinces
that have made at least 10 per cent in
crease in number of societies during
the past eight months. The following
is the list: Colorado, New Mexico,
Alaska, Oregan, Louisiana Georgia,
Washington, Oklahoma, Utah, Indiana,
Missouri, Assiniboia.
Great success has attended the work
for the boys and girls through the
junior and intermediate societies. The
idea of dividing the young peoples So
ciety into two or more sections of fifty
members EACH SO that all the young
people of the congregation can be
reached and trained, is meeting with
great favor. The increase in foreign
lands has been equally marked Espe-
cially notable has been the progress
made in Germany, Finland, France,
Spain, Sweden, Japan Korea, Persia,
India, China and South America Dur
ing the past year $4,000 have come
from the ranks of Christian Endeavor
into the membership of the churches.
The banner junior society in gifts for
missions is the First Presbyterian
Omaha, Neb., with record of $548."
President Clark Speaks.
Rev. Francis E. Clark, president of
the society. then gave his annual adj
dress.
"a Definite Increase Campaign to
Double the Number and Efficiency of
Christian Endeavor Societies in a Sin
gle Decade" was the theme of DR..
Clarks address. He based his adj
dress on the fundamental idea that
Christianity is religion of expansive
forces, that you can no more confine
the religion of Christ to it's old limits
than you can grow an oak in a flower
pot and that ito cease to grow is to
begin to die
Inc marked growth OF the society
during the past year in this country.
and it's larger expansion than ever be-
fore throughout all the world, made
such an Increase seem not only pos
sible, but well nigh certain within the
next decade.
Along two great lines he urged this
increase; first, an enlargement of the
membership of the local societies. The
fundamental idea of the society is
service, and service for everyone. The
youngest, the weakest, the most ig-
norant as we'll as the best educated
and most gifted among the young peo-
pie, can be trained to serve God and
their day and generation.
A true society of Christian Endeav-
or should reach every young person in
the community either through its ac-
tive membership or it's associate mem
bership. To this end he urged a spe-
c1al effort to enlist more active mem
bers, the working force of the society.
to obtain more associate members also
those who may afterwards be won for
Christ and the church, this being the
eVangelistic end of the society; and to
enlarge the honorary membership for
the sake of promoting sympathetic re-
lations between the older members of
the church and the young people.
Two Thousand New Societies.
This part of his appeal was empha-
sized by the fact that during the past
year thousands of societies have en-
larged their ranks, some of them gain