The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-04
Juvenile Religious Societies
BY FREDERIC ]. HA5KIN.

! BY FREDERI
Preparations are now being made for
! the conventions Of the Christian Enaeavor
/ LOClety at st Paul, MInn.s and OF the Ep-
worth League at Seattle, Wash, both of
/ which are TO be held from July to T.
| Tens of thousands Of members Of these
/ great religious societies and their friends
VIII attend these conventions. tOE SIX
| days Washington and Minnesota will re-
sound with song, prayer and eXhOrtauon.
I If the past is any criterion, the world
/ viii pay more attention to the doings Of
/ these two conventions during their ses-
sions, and to religious matters generally,
/ than to the tariff crime or any other
matter Of public interest. The cOnVen-
l by wire or wireless and there may be
some discussion of the question Of
/ possible federation of the two societies
and others Of similar character.
The Christian EndeavOr society and the
Epworth League are striking examples of
successful religious organization for the
young. The movement from which they
developed began less than thirty years
ago. Today not less than 100000 mem
bers are enrolled under the banners Of
various young peoples religious societies,
including every race and creed scattered
over every continent and the isles Of the
sea
There is considerable difference Of opin-
ion as to which of the great religious so
cteties for the young was in the field
first Two centuries or more ago Cotton
Mather, the celebrated Massachusetts di-
vine and foe Of witchcraft, published an
elaborate treatise on how to revive the in
terest Of the young in religion After
him, and before him, possibly, there were
many others, who attempted to form
church societies for young people. These
organizations were local in character.
Many of them did not fill the require
ments Of the situation Perhaps the time
Tinn their success
It was not until 1881 that the present
movement really began to grow In that
year Rev. Francis Z. Clark, pastor OF
the WllliStOn Congregational church at
Portland, Ne, organized what is said to
have been the first Young Peoples So
Ciety of Christian EndeavOr. He secured
the cooperation Of a number Of boys and
girls in his congregation IN plan Wnlcn
included a promise from every one Of
them to participate in the work of the
society and in its frequent services. 1t
was not long before the idea took hold
in other churches. In 1882 the first Chris
tan Endeavor convention was held with
half a dozen branches represented. Some
MethOdists insist that in 1850 local So
ciety bearing the name Christian En-
deavOr,' was organized IN MetnOdlSt
church al Allegheny, Pa.
However this may be, it was under DR..
Clark's leadership that the society devel-
oped. As a benefaCtOr of mankind he IS
classed with George Williams, founder Of
the Young Mems Christian association,
who was knighted by Queen Victoria for
his work. and General William Booth, or
ganizer and head of the Salvation Army.
DIT. Clark is alive today and at the head
of the international society which he IN
Willingly started, Unlike other young
peoples religious societies, the CHRISTIAN
EndeavOr is not confined to seCtarian
lines. Its membership is divided among
100 religious denominations
In 1908 there were SeVenJy-Odd thousand
Christian Endeavor societies, in local
4ef-r oh q
nearly 1900 coo, chiefly in the United
States, Canada, Australia, Great Britain,
China, Japan, India and the missionary
lands The headquarters of this tremen-
dous organization is at Boston. Affiliated
with the society is the Young Peoples
Christian EndeavOr Union, With total
membership Of 1852 in 22l5 societies, in
Guiding 575 junior societies This union
was organized in 1890 More than fifty
nations or large colonial dependencies, l
and over 100 denominations, speaking
eighty languages, are represented in the
society.
over fifty periodicals devoted to the
interests of the society are published in
fifteen languages. while many other !
periodicals and newspapers nave their
Christian Endeavor departments. Prob |
ably 300 state and local unions Of sOCie- |
ties hold regular meetings throughout the
world The Presbyterian church is per
haps more numer0usly represented in the
society in this country, with the Disciples
of Christ and the Congregational church !
close seconds. In Great Britain the Bap-
fist and Methodist churches lead in the
membership Of the society. More En-
deavOrers are connected with the Baptist
temple Of Philadelphia than with any
other church, there beng fourteen socie- /
ties with sixty memoers each.
The Christian Endeavor society distrib-
utes no literature except the constitution /
Of the organization It has developed the /
convention habit TO a marked degree. At ]
the Boston convention some years go /
$500 delegates were registered. Other ]
great national or international conventions I
have been held at London. Berlin, Tokyo /
Madrid AMI Bombay. There was great /
convention at Ningpo, China, in 1895, at I
tended by delegates from every seaport /
between Canton and Cheefoo. besides I.
many from inland points There are 40y 1
Christian EndeavOr societies in China, the /
first having been established there twenty /
three years ago.
The society has had great success in I
foreign missions. It has 600 branches in /
sixty in Persia, ten IN RUTdestan, fifty /
in Spain. and branches in Brazil. Samoa, /
Madagascar, Turkey and Africa. x church /
at OhmenagaT India, has the second I
largest number of EndeavOrers, GO, in 4
nine sections. At Stanley Falls, in the !
Congo country, there is a society Of 200 /
members. There is a deaf mute Chris /
tian EndeavOT society at Edinburgh, with 1
twenty members. Besides missionary /
work. the Christian Endeavor and other i
young peoples religious societies do much ]
educational and reform work. /
ters at Sycamore Beach, Mass, where I
they hold a number Of important meet
ings during the warm weather. The Ep-
worth League viii conduct several insti-
tutes this summer.