Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-09-23
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
Beginning Sept. II, 1908.

DS lNIsN. a. H. III
Topic-Home missions The cry Of the
city.-Gen. xviii 1878.
Most people who live in the country
and in small towns and have travelled
but little or none at all have the inn
preston that cities are nothing but
cesspools of sin and iniquity. The
newspapers are to some extent re-
sponsible for these false views. A
few crimes are committed, and these
are blazoned forth, few politicians
engage in crooked work, and these
are given great headlines; a few con-
pies apply for divorce. and prominent
places are made for these. But, after
all, how few are the criminals in
comparison TO the millions in cities
who are upright and honest-how
few political rascals when placed be-
side the thousands who honorably
perform their civic duties, And how
few are the divorce cases when com
pared with the thousands and thou
sands of homes where married life is
not a failure, Cities are well church
Christians dwell in our large cities.
The pastors of these churches are
most faithful and energetic. There is
absolutely no comparison between the
work done by city pastor and one
whose passionate is in the country or
a small town. Moreover, city pastors
do not, as many suppose. preach any
all I.r1t tl., Tho hacf
gospel sermons to be heard today are
heard from city pulpits. These are
facts and need TO be emphasized be-
fore we look at the other side of the
picture.
While the best people as general
thing live in the cities. so also do the
worst. The attractions TO evil are
great. The opportunities to success
fully commit sin and crime in great
populations is also evident. and hence
the criminal classes seek shelter in the
cities, and one of the great disadvan-
tages to the progress of the gospel in
American cities today is the large per-
centage Of foreigners who have come
to them in recent years This is es-
RClAdlIy t1uC VI .NSW 1OIh, SuitdEt
and Philadelphia Colonies Of various
nationalities are herded together in
these great centers of population. This
increases the difficulty Of making our
cities Christian.
There is one thing. however. about
city missions. The Christian people
who live in the cities consider the
work largely their own. and no APP
peals are made for money outside the
cities themselves. In the cities already
mentioned this is true and also of Pitts
burg, which is fast becoming a great
center for foreigners of all kinds. The
cry Of the city is great. but it has
never yet reached in our very worst
American cities what it did in Sodom
and the cities Of the plain More i'm
portant still, our great cities contain
churches and Christian workers capa-
bic and willing under God to evangel-
Ire the most discouraging elements. In
our large cities especial efforts are fire.
Quently made to reach the Indifferent
and unsaved. such as the Torrey move
ment and the great simultaneous evan
geltsttc meetings held under the lead
ership Of Chapman and Alexander
The various religious denominations.
through their ecclesiastical bodies, la
Dor earnestly for city evangelization.
Many individual churches have special
missions and do splendid work The
outlook is most encouraging. Vice and
sin are driven from the public gaze.
Life and property are defended by the
splendid police forces Of our larger
cities. The gospel is making Roadway
into the hearts and lives Of men. Let
us trust God, therefore. and go for
ward to win our cities for Christ.
BIBLE READINGS.
Ps. lxxxvii, 1-6; cxxii. 10; cxxvii. i;
Jonah /, 2; Acts /, s; vii. Is; Luke xix,
41-44; Rom. K, IA, Is; Acts xvii, 1921;
Rev. xxi, 1-6.
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