Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-11
CHURCH IN AMERICA
Theme Discussed at Congre-
gational Club Dinner.
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
CLERGYMEN AND OTHERS.
Vocal Music Feature Of the Program
List Of the Guests
Present.
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

List of the Guests
Present.
The Church in America-Past and
Present. was the subject discussed by
the speakers before the Congregational
Club at the fortieth annual meeting and
dinner given at the First Congregational
Church last night. Distinguished men
and women from all sections Of the coun-
try were present as members or guests,
and the speakers were men Of prominence.
For many years past the Congregational
Club has been bringing together it's MEM
bers three or four times annually to listen
to words of wisdom from distinguished
men and women from different parts of
the country. 1t has been the custom to
hold a short reception at the beginning of
the function, during the course of which
all the members are supposed to meet and
greet all the other members and their
guests.
The business affairs of the club are
dealt with in special meeting while the
reception is in progress, and when every
one present seems to be thoroughly ac-
quainted with every one else the officers
and guests of the club lead the way to
another apartment, where a dinner Is
club at first secured it's dinners by con-
tracing with a caterer, but some Of the
wise women of the church put their heads
together and decided that it was much
might we'll be otherwise employed. and
therefore when the time arrived for one of
the dinners they made a proposition to
furnish 1T, and they have been doing SO
ever since
Three Big Meeting Annually.
The club has three big meetings during
the year. The first, called the annual
meeting, comes during the early part of
October; the second during the Thanksgiv-
ing week and the third on Forefathers day.
December %. Each meeting has its re-
ception and banquet and its eloquent speak
ers. Some OF the most distinguished clergy
men, statesmen and lawyers in the coun-
try have been the guests of the Congrega-
tional Club during the forty years of its
history. Each year the club has increased
in Importance and membership. At almost
every meeting new members are added to
the list. Last night there were six names
placed on the rolls by unanimous vote of
the assembled MEMBERS and 1t is under
stood that there are several applications
before the committee on membership
The meeting last night is no exception to
the rule, being as successful as any in years
past. After the reception in the parlors of
the church on the main floor the members
and guests were conducted to the large
parlor on the second floor. where a number
Of long tables were spread. The Congre
gational Club seats it's guests at tables
with a capacity of about fifteen each, and
1t supplies an abundance of tables. By
dividing the assemblage into small parties
of this kind the club members are enabled
to see that each guest is properly looked
after
Prof Charles S. Clark. one of the super
vising principals of the public schools, who
is president of the club, presided as toast
cfo act nicht tod Oft har eli 10
of him were the speakers of the evening.
Rev John l.. Ewell pronounced the invoca
ton, after which the dinner was served
by the young ladies of the church. When
President Clark made a brief address, in
which he welcomed the guests and the
speakers to the meeting, and summed up
briefly the forty years of the clubs
fulness He announced that the general
topic for the evening would be THE
Church" The address of the president
was followed by recitation, Paul Re-
vere's Ride" by Miss Grace Ross.
The Speeches.
Rev. Charles Alvin Smith, pastor of the
Peck Memorial Presbyterian Church, was
then introduced. Mr.. Smith spoke of the
value Of such organizations the Congre-
gational Club in the church and of the
sphere of usefulness that opened before
them. He illustrated his remarks with
many witty stories that kept his hearers
laughing during the better part of the time
he was on his feet. Mr.. Herbert d. Law
son sang Gounod's "Vulcans Song" with
excellent effect, when Mr.. Smith had con-
cluded his remarks Rev. F. L. Goodspeed,
PhD., of Springfield, Mass, was next in
troduced by President Clark as man hail
ing from a town which had more influence
on the intellectual growth of the country
than has any other town of its size in the
country.
Mr. Goodspeed's topic was How Much
taining?'
1T is no disparagement of the Puri-
tans," he said, that we have outgrown
some of their ideas in religion. The faith
of the early church and the faith of the
middle ages is not identically like the
faith of the twentieth century. The rea-
son is that Christ is universally sided
character, contemporaneous with every
age, abreast with all times, never to be
regarded by two widely separated eras in
exactly the same light
The work of this modern time is not
the emphasizing Of the questions upon
of the points in which all good men are
agreed. This is in harmony with the his
toric progress of the race. Christ was
never so large he appears before the
world today. He is the impulse behind
all the agitation for universal peace
Two Ideas Contrasted
THE Puritans thought of theocracy-
God over man. We pray and labor for a
kingdom-God in man. They put the en-
phasis on law; we exalt the gospel of
peace and light. The great words today
are federation, arbitration. international,
universal Why are we using these
words? 1t is because Christ is larger than
ever before.
In concluding his address Mr.. Goodspeed
declared there were many things In the Pu-
ritan faith that could well be retained
Conscience liberty, equality, intelligence
and opportunity were the tenets of the Pu-
ritan creed. and they offer foundations for
the firm structures of today. Introducing
each of these subjects to his CLOSING re-
marks Mr.. Goodspeed dwelt eloquently
upon the meaning Of each, Its relation to
the Puritan code and its necessity in the
religious and moral structure Of modern
times. He traced what he called the pedi-
gree of liberty from the law of Moses to
the emancipation proclamation of Abraham
Lincoln. and finished his address with a
stirring peroration.
DR.. G. w. Needham's Theme.
DR.. Charles w. Needham. president of the
George Washington University, was the
next speaked. DIR. Needhom greeted the
v,ar,hars of he club az men and women