The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-04-22
THIS IS MAN s WORK
MISSIONARY MOVEMENT; FIELD
FOR HIS LABOR
Lay.ncn Gather at the Y. M. c. A.
Building Last Night to Discuss the
Great Movement Which Is Spread
ing Over the Country; What Has
Been Accomplished and What the
Future Will Bring Forth.
From Tuesdays Daily.

'pSsGSy
That the men OF Mankato are Vi
tally interested in missions and mis-
sionary work, was evidenced by the
number of men who sat down to the
Laymen's Missionary Movement dinner
III the Y. NJ c. y. building hast even
ing Scventy-three men, representing
the various churches of the city were
present. The ladies OF the Baptist
church served Il splendid dinner. Fol
lowing the dinner, short speeches were
made by men who had attended all
or Il part of the sessions OF the great
convention held in Minneapolis Il year
ago. Rev. L. IL. Willisford presided,
and after few Introductory remarks,
called on Dr. C. ID. Snow.
TIE Meeting in February.
Dr Snow spoke in particular OF the
banquet ut the West hotel, Minncapo-
liz, in February OF last year, at which
some J0O men sat down and as many
more could not be served. j, Campbell
White. said Mr, Snow, was the lead
ing spirit of the convention and made
the principal addresses. Mr.. W. ID. VIII
lard followed, stating that he was sur
prised, as were scores of other men,
when he entered the hotel at the time
of the above mentioned banquet. and
saw the representative men present.
The thiu9 taat appealed To him was the
busineos-likc manner OF approaching the
great missionary problem. First said
ne. they studied the field. to see how
many ought to be reached and this
number was divided among the differ
cnt denominations. Then the matter of
the number of missionaries needed was
figured out and apportioned and then
the amount of money needed 10 make
the enterprise success.
Evangelizing the World.
W. W. Davis spoke OF having at
tended Il previous convention and
hoped Il large number o. Mankato men
would be present at the one in ST.
Paul. President c. II. Cooper again
referred to the fact that the lead
ing men in business and professional
life were identifying themselves with
this great plan of 'evangelizing the
world i'll this generation The appeal
from small. isolated points did not APP
peal to men with vision. but whel
whole nations are taken into conSid
Grafton, it becomes Il mans work and
appeals to men of big minds and
hearts. Rev. +. L. Heermance said that
the day had gone when the missionary
work could be left to the women of
the churches. That the raising of
funds for the prosecution of this great
enterprise, could not be left to the
penny collections. This is Il mans job.
On the worlds great field of battle,
In the bivouac of life.
See the modern Christian soldier,
Represented by his wife.
The Greatest Opportunity.
George i. Ncttlcton followed Rev.
Hccrmalcc and said that the greatest
opportunity of this age was not COM
mercial. not educational. not along the
lines of arts and science. but the great
est opportunity that has come to men
today is the opportunity of being CO.
workers with God III the spreading of
His Kingdom. The speaker spoke at
length Of the history of the Laymen' 5
Missionary Movement. 1t began some
three or four years ago, on the Tooth
anniversary of the famous Haystack
prayer meeting. in November. 1906. n
hundred wears before, group of stu
dents from Williams college, decided
to withdraw from their busy life for
short season of prayer Tor the
heather. They went out into u field
but were caught in a storm and took
refuge under Il hay stack. Here they
held their prayer meeting in the interest
of the mission work and in this meet
ing the American Mission board had
its birth. One hundred years later, Oh
the anniversary of this meeting the
great Missionary movement, which is
the greatest united effort ever under
taken by the churches, for the spread
ing of the Gospel had its birth.
Growth of Organization.
,iich il may be called. is phenomenal
Within three years it has reached out
and influenced the leading men of all
the larger cities of the country by the
thousands. no other movement ever
has. The gifts toward missionary work
have been increased by the hundreds of
thousands. and if the work keeps up,
no some can predict what the result
may he. Within the last year seven
tv-iivc conventions have been held, in
the larger cities of the United States.
The one at st. Paul will be the last
of the local conventions and the great
national convention will be held in
Chicago May 3 to &. At st. Louis
l.6C0 men sat down to the dinner at
the opening session: 1000 in Buffalo.
400 in Cleveland, ], 535 in Baltimore,
1900 in New York, l.S40 in Kansas City,
100 in Denver l.575 in Lincoln, etc
These can be multiplied. What has been
the effect on gifts toward missions ?
Buffalo advanced from $4,000 to $780,
600, Baltimore $4,000 to $4,000,
Cleveland from $4,000 to 100000,
New York from 100000 to 1925. 900
One Buffalo church jumped from So, l5l
TO $4,000. And this has been dupli-
Gated in practically every city visited
by the leaders in this movement.
The Work at Home.
The statement has been made that