Evening journal., 1909-02-26
CHRISTIAN
ENDEAVOR NEWS
Topic, February %. Home Missions:
Present Day Pioneers. Eccl. ti:14.
NOTES ON THE TOPIC.
BY Charles f. Eastman.

In thinking of present day pioneers
we must not forget our great debt to
the early pioneer home missionaries. /
Grave. broadminded, enterprising Chris
tian men they were; such men as Whit I
man, Eliot. Brainerd. and a host of
others. fearless sturdy patriots. the
best Of our Christian church and with
wisdom equal TO their faith they laid
for our new states a Christian foGnda-
ton. The home missionaries of to- /
day are building upon the work OF these 1
pioneers Of the past.
But the day Of the pioneer home
has not gone by. Some
times we hear people talking about
pioneer days as If they we're all in
the past as IL our great grandfathers
who went west and carved great new
states out Of the wilderness were the
last Of the pioneers, and the frontiers
were all occupied long ago. Not. az all.
Wo have pioneer home missionaries to-
day laying Christian foundations in our
island possessions. carrying the gos ,el
TO the millions of immigrants that are
reaching our shores, and TO their chill
dren. preaching to the Indians, the
Mexicans, the Mormons. the noun
taineers, the negroes and all the cX-
ceptional classes OF our country; work
ing in communities mainly settled by
foreigners. among the miners and the
lumbermen, in Alaska, in Hawaii. the
Philippines, in Porto Rico and Cuba
and in most Of these directions only a
bare beginning has been made. The
problems that threaten our country.
that of capital and labor. Of the inn
migrant. the race problem, the saloon
problem. these and many others call
for some heroic missionary work If they
are TO be met and permanently solved.
We are by no means out of the pioneer
days OF home missions. And after all,
a pioneer is one who first opens up a
territory and what territory is so full
of possibilities a. an uncohverted soul2
a missionary. though he be I'm New
York city. is on the outposts when
ever he meets an unconvertcd person
Three agencies are calling upon the
church, as never before. for pioneer
work. One is the railroad. ever eager
~ reaching out into new territory. One
is the vast irrigation enterprise Of the
government, transforming deserts by
magic into fertile farms. one is the
admission Of Indians to citizenship and
the opening Of their great reservations
to settlement. These three causes arc
creating great new populations in the
west The saloon and gambling hell
and brothel follow rapidly Ought not
the church also to be on the ground
in power?
During the past century our Pro-
testant churches gave s350.O0O,OO0 for
home missions. With part of this
I -,..,, f.r-rt,trr- s,fr,n rr~aat afufae rr-arc
saved during their formative period
from lawlessness and irreligion. If
this work had not been done what
perils would now confront our nation,
But a work even greater remains 70
/ be accomplished. Statistics fyill show
how successful this work has been
From 1850 to 1880 the population Of tho
United states increased nearly twelve
fold, but the membership Of evangel
ical churches 3 increased thirty eigh
folds From 1850 to'1S9e. while the pop
| ulafion- increakeet 10 Per cent. tht
membership OF evangelical churches in.
creased 291 per cent. a century ag'
there was in the United States onl,
one Protestant church member to ever,
fourteen inhabitants, now the ratio 81
one TO four.
for pioneer work I'm this country. Ac
cor3ing to the estimate of a compel
ent authority. there were in 1903 onl,
2O0O0,O00 out of our population o
50. 900. 900 who were members Of evan.
gelical churches, and probably 25.OOO.
600 OF our people were absolutel,
/ churchless. This is an empire in it
self, waiting for its pioneers.
During this month we have had oui
hearts stirred more than usual by
thoughts Of patriotism and love OF
country. In addition to the lofty feel.
ings with which every true American
celebrates Washington's birthday, tn,
centenary OF Lincoln's birth has thi.
/ year called forth a host Of memorie.
of this noble man, and made us fee
more than ever the desire 10 emulate
their devotion to their country AND
how better can we prove our patriot
ism in these days than by the sup
port OF the home missionaries in their
field of endeavor? Theirs is the chiei
leavening force which has made oui
country what II is, and which is most
effectively meeting and dissolving the
great problems which threaten the very
existence of our nation. There /.
NltvAbA plnlttF Wolk To-Day TO koef
every one busy. II you want 10 show
the patriotism of our heroes OF the past
Just look around you and undertake In,
first bit of home missionary work that
presents itself
Who is the patriot? He who lights
The torch of war from hill 20 hill?
OR he who kindles on the heights
The beacon Of worlds good will?
Who is the patriot? He who nails
A flag to some defiant pole?
Or he who follows unknown trails
And guides a people to its goal?
Who is the patriot? Only he
Whose business is the general good
( Whose keenest sword is sympathy.
Whose dearest flag is brotherhood
Christian Endeavor News.
DO not forget the regular MONTH,
meeting Of the Wilmington Christian
Endeavor Union. on next Tuesda,
evening. March End. which will be held
in St. Paurs church., Market st. abov,
Seventh. The nominating committe,
viii make its report at this meeting
and IT is desired that every societ,
he fully represented and have a par
in choosing the officers OF our Unior
for the coming year.
The Hanover Christian Endeavol
Society held "A Washington's Birthda,