The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-16

son streets. This meeting convened at
4 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, and will
continue until Thursday noon. All of
the sessions will be held at the Con-
gregatfonal church with the exception
of the last one which will be held in
the chapel building at Washburn col
1ege
According to P. B. Lee, present Sec
retary of the association. over forty
one churches are represented at these
meetings. each of which is expected to
send two delegates-the pastor and a
iayman-besides an additional delegate
for every fifty members. About fifty
delegates have reported, but it is ex-
pected that by the time this evenings
session convenes all will have been ac-
countd for.
The programme that has been ar
ranged by a special committee ap-
pointed for that purpose. is an excep-
tionally good one, and contains the
ministers in Kansas. Subjects of es-
pecial interest to church workers have
been put in competent hands, and the
reading of the papers on these sub
jects, together with the associations
business transactions and devotional
services completes programme which
more than repays the members for any
inconvenience they may have expert
ence0 IN order to come to Topeka to
attend the meeting
At the Tuesday evening session the
principal address was. made by Rev.
Charles NJ. Sheldon of this city. In re-
gard to the active exhibition of person
al religion, the subject assigned to Mr.
Sheldon, he said:
Amy religion that amounts to any,
thing at all must be a personal religion.
1t must be characteristic of ourselves.
Some men are content to worry along
on 6y al 20 1iaFc I.rxf - Il
it will be found that they cannot profit
by so doing. In order to reap the bene-
fits of q religion a man must have a
religion of his own. marked by pecu-
liaritieS characteristic of the man him
self. Furthermore. he must have a de-
liberate passion for his beliefs. He
must think of it, he must believe it, it
must be a part of him. Everyone should
learn. sooner or later to hold God and
the kingdom of heaven far above every
thing else. They should learn to regard
such things as politics and wars as very
small matters when compared with the
kingdom of heaven. Take the war that
is now going on in the far east for ex-
ample Why, it is pigmy as COM
pared to the war that is being waged
by the missionaries in Korea in their
endeavOr to bring the heather from out
the darkness into light Through the
efforts of Napoleon nearly the whole of
the eastern hemisphere once became
envolved in war. That one man changed
the map of Europe for time but even
his campaigns in which monarchies
were overthrown and built up again at
his command, were nothing compared
with the Importance of saving one hu-
man soul I consider this holding God
and the kingdom of heaven above
everything else, no matter how i'm
portant that other thing may be, to be
one of the chief essentials in the active
exhibition of personal religion"
Following Mr.. Sheldon's address Rev.
o. B. Thurston was to have addressed
the association upon the subject of
The Nourishment of a Personal Relig-
ion." Mr.. Thurston was unable to be
present, however, and Rev. Francis L.
Hayes, pastor of the First Congrega-
tiona1 church of Topeka, spoke a few
words relative to the subject assigned
to Mr. ThurSton. Rev. William s.
Crouch presided at the meeting and
read a short paper concerning the foun-
dations of a personal religion. The
meeting terminated in communion
service conducted by Rev Dwight Dur
ham, of Arizona. and Rev. Stewart
Sheldon, of Topeka.
The following is the programme OF
today's and Thursdays sessions:
WEDNESDAY.
900 a Devotional: Following
Christ-Matt 1e.21:27 What does it
mean in the Twentieth Century? Are
we doing it?-Rev F. D. Jackson
1000 a. m. Business.
10:15 a. m. The Society for Minister
ial Aid-Mr. j. G.. Haskell.
1920 a. m. The Kind of Preaching
We Need. A hearing for the Laymen.
Fifteen minutes paper or address-Mr.
A. w. Root, Council Grove; Mr. j. A.
Kissler. Overbrook; Mr.. D. H. Forbes.
Topeka; Mr.. J. A. Codding, Westmore-
land.