The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-01-01
FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY,
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(Continued from Fflrst Page.)
 moving spirit in it, and was himself well on in life. But the sixty-five members whom he gathered about him in Bethesda hall must have been for the most part under thirty years of age. Within that year had occurred the fall of Richmond, the death of Lincoln, and only nine days before the constitutional amendment had been adopted abolish ing eslavery. As 1t had been young people who furnished the force and spirit of those stirring events, so it was young people under the advice of older, who put this church upon it's feet as an institution of Christian civilization in this community.
 They stood by it faithfully and with enthusiasm; and through it they have done a work for this community the Importance of which no man can esti- mate. And not only For this commit nity, but for scores of other communi- ties that we might name all the way from New Haven to India and China, and others that we know not of, have felt the molding force of characters that received their strength and disc pline in this church. So those who have lived and wrought in this church have not only won for themselves a crown of life, but they have done much to leaven the whole world lump with the same life.
 This is exactly what church is for. It was what Deacon E. s. Minor and his band of ardent supporters had in view forty years ago. It Is what all the changing membership has had in view ever since. It is what at this for tieth anniversary wish to bring clear NV into view as the aim of our work and the reason for our continued exist ence as a church-as Christian insti- tuition which can have no other legiti- N mate reason for being except to serve Nhe community in the molding of char acter and in improving the ideals and AQtives of life.
 Aly a few of the youngest of those 5goung people still survive; and they are Fno longer young, save as their youth is renewed like the eagle, because their desire is satisfied with good things from the Lord. Upon them now fells the task which then fe'l to Deacon D. s. Minor And they are now surrounded by far greater following of younger persons upon whom now falls the duties which then were theirs. It is true now, as 1t was then, that much of the labor IS well as the counsel is furnished by he older members. It is matter of Thief congratulation at this anniver- sary time that not only the eight orig bnal members who are still with us, but others whose memberships date back to the earlier years, are sharing the re- wards as we'll as the responsibilities and labors of this good work now. May they continue so to do for many years to come. They need no eXhortation, Abut only zealous cooperation from us iwho are younger in the service. They are entitled to this, and it is the impor- kance of this which I wish chiefly to emphasize here.
 There are a large number of young md middle-aged people in the member ..ship of this church. They have strength of personal force and of moral land spiritual energy that is the equal gUf any like number in any former day. But is 1t centered upon definite aims, ] and are those aims the best? Are we able to throw the united force of the whole church into line of action for the real purpose for which the church ex- lists, as they were forty years ago? We have not been doing it, but believe we Nre able to do it. The reason we have not been doing 1t Is that we have not zen sufficiently awake to the momen- Jus character of the things which are ssing in our time. Our souls have felt as they ought the grip of great
 II passion. Our faces have never
 d pale at the menace of sin in it's dern forms and adaptations.
 his church was born in the heat of
 eat moral passion for patriotism
 liberty. Not only was that passion
 peculiar and direct way the occa-
 of it's founding, but, what was
 Important, the people had become
 ghly awakened to the overshad-
 importance of moral issues. For
 Ae, at least, these things took ? Nper place of ruling importance
 Regardless of what ones view
 f&Nsd questions might be, people
 Rsensitive to moral values. They
 "a ready, without hesitation or ques-
 to sacrifice other considerations
 She sake of the passion whuch burn sn their souls. No doubt there were
 gvely clements in that passion. In
 y cases 1t was blind and misguided.
 s drew them away from the ab-
 g pursuit of money and pleasure,
 l them to believe for once that
 are some things of more conse-
 than these things.
 Eas a great moral struggle over
 es. Men of equal earnestness
 to meet the issues in different