Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-20

February %, 1908, until July /, 1909, or fiji
teen months. For the months of July
and August only a part of the money nee
essary under the contract was furnished.
About August / DR.. Henry left for Europe
and since September l none of the money
due under the contract has been paid.
"'At a meeting of the board of control
held October 16, 1909, in a resolution passed
by the board and forwarded to DR.. Henry
the board requested DR.. Henry to provide
funds sufficient to meet the immediate
requirements Of the fraternity and to de-
clare his intention as to further payments
under the contract. No reply was received
to this, but on November l notice was re-
celved in the office of the fraternity from
the state insurance department at Lincoln,
that DIR. Henry had instructed the depart
ment by cable to close the affairs of the
Christian Fraternity and that the state
examiner would at once make an
ton Of the affairs of the fraternity"
Travels a Rocky Road.
The fraternity project has had rather a
spirited career. 1t came into existence,
ostensibly, as a society for promoting the
spiritual, social and Intellectual interests
Of its members, and when the report was
published that a financial aspect would de-
velop the report was openly denounced,
bhA NA0 AiualtldA sue uSNctOpcu.
Then DR.. Henry sought to make this at
fair an adjunct Of church work, II, in fact,
not of certain churches themselves. Sew
eral Presbyterian churches first were asked
to let households into their organiza-
tons. Several declined, while others hest
tated or toleated. The session of the First
church of Omaha was notably divided on
the question, while the Third church be-
came involved finally in such a lively dis
cussion that its former pastor, DR.. ]. b.
Cherry, ultimately resigned. THIS church
did open its door to the household" and
1t was when DR.. Cherry undertook to re-
trace his step that the trouble came.
The Christian Benevolent association
was at length aired on the floor of the
Presbytery at Tekamah. Warren Switzler,
a prominent Presbyterian, member and off
Ger Of Westminster church, presented the
whole situation 10 that body, showing the
discord 1t had created and predicting that
il 1t was allowed to foist itself on the
church 1t would become an incubus thai
one day would prove disastrous.
Predicted It's Collapse.
1T, like all f~raternal insurance projects
OF its kind, will some day fail" asserted
Mr.. Switzler, "and when il fails it will in
evitably be regarded as a church failure
and TO some extent will drag the church
down withsit."
Presbytery, while taking no formal ac-
ton. puts its foot down very emphatically
as not on the side OF the Christian Benevo-
lent associations attempt to hitch its kite
to the church.
This rebuff proved so effective that be-
fore a great period elapsed DR.. Henry per-
ceived the wisdom OF recognizing his in
sutution and It partook, then, really OF
the insurance aspect changing its name
and making no effort to conceal its actual
character and purpose. To it as an insur-
anee society Mr., Switzler. DR.. Cherry and
the other churchmen who fought It had no
objection, but they seriously objected to
II as an adjunct Of the church and OBJ
Jected to the church being used as a means
OF aiding the financial income Of any one
man under the cover Of religious enter
prise.