The Republican journal., 1909-05-27
THE LAYMEN's CONVENTION
Held in Portland May 2O-23 was a great
Success.

Held in Portland May 2O-23 was great
Success.
To report this convention in detail is an i'm
possibility, but its purpose and the trend of
thought are admirably summarized by the Port
land correspondent of the Bangor Commercial.
as follows:
There can be no longer the least doubt of the
complete success of the Laymen's Christian
convention and it is easy to believe that it will
have great and enduring influence on the re-
ligious thought of Maine. It brought here
many men of wide experience in different lines
of work, earnest and able men, and as a rule
good business men,also.
They brought to the discussion of the impor-
tant questions considered by the convention a
largeness of experience and Wilderness of out
look especially fitting them for the work they
had to do. They wanted to interest laymen in
the work of the churches, having in view no
particular church, but rather look to forward if
they could the kingdom of the Master and to do
it in His spirit.
The convention through its speakers brought
to the attention of the Protestant churches the
necessity for affirmation as well as of nepation.
of sounding call to the Lords people to 90
forward. instead of endlessly coming before
them with message of protest. That thought
was strongly brought out by some of the speak
erS.
Then there was call to men in and out of
the church, affiliated with its work in any way
or in no way at all to do their best for the sake
of humanity, and for the good of ALL
Ihat thought, too, was well brought out, and
perhaps by no one more earnestly and effec-
lively than by Rev. DR.. c. A. Barbour of Roch-
ester, N. Y, who strongly insisted that the
kingdom of God will not be established in all
its fulness until there are vast number of
men willing to do their best as individuals and
IN spirit of conservation for the good of all
others, the comparatively speaking few work
ing for the vast army of the unchurched and
Indifferent.
DR.. Barbour denied that there is a lack of
unity of the part of Protestant churches, and
insisted that although they may differ concern
ing creeds, that they are still regiments of a
great army, that their points of differences are
few, and their faith one.
The convention took wider scope than had
been anticipated, and that is saying a great
deal, because the leaders certainly did have a
large faith in the boundless possibilities of the
convention. Friday the question, "What is the
relation of working men to the church," was
asked and very interesting discussion follow :.
ed. Hon: Carl E. Milliken of Island Falls start
ed the ball rolling, but others helped to make it
move the faster.
There was as matter of course great diff
ference of opinion, but w. H. Jordan, a locomo-
tive engineer, spoke with authority because he
.
did not think that there is special opposition on
the part of laboring men to the churches or in
difference on their part to religion, but he did
think that they are somewhat neglected.
He said that Rev. R. A. Colpitts is the only
Portland minister who ever asked, as far as he
knew, labor organization to attend church.
The first time he invited the locomotive engi-
neers there was an attendance of about 40, in
cluding the wives of members, but when he
asked them to come on another occasion over
100 accepted the invitation. His idea seemed
to be that if the churches tried to get closer to
the laboring men that they would find the men
anxious to be on the best possible terms with
them.
This showed how wide was the range of the
debates because even if an important subject
was omitted in the program and the range of
subjects suggested by the program was very
wide, somebody has up to this time made good
the lack by offering apt suggestion and it will
continue so to the end of the convention
At Fridays session officers were elected as
follows: Hon. Carl E. Milliken, Island Falls,
president; J. R. Libby, Portland, Prof H. E.
Sampson, Waterville, George L. Crossman,
Saco, Everett K. Day, Rumford Falls vice
presidents; Prof F. B. Lanman, Pittsfed Sec
retary; Edgar L. Brown, Brewer, assistant sec
ratio