Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-05-23

THE Laymen's Spiritual Life" was
the theme of the Saturday morning
conference. At o'clock the delegates
| were gathered in a Bible study group
and were lead in a devotional service
by Orlando E. Frost of Belfast. Ar
thur A. Head, executive secretary Of
the Laymen's Federation, presided over
the forenoon meeting which opened at
$50.
In the absence of one of the speak
ers, James Whitmore of Boston, the
time for the first hour was given over
TO an open forum over which Charles
E. Nesbit of Washington, D. c., pre-
sided. The questions that were taken
up in the most informal way dealt
chiefly with the causes and reasons
INV men were not interested in Chris
tan work. Mr.. Nesbit has had a varied
o~perience in studying the question and
'alked in most interesting way upon
t. The forum, however. was not con-
s"ed to this phase, but general topics
ore taken up and about Is of the mer
present participated in the discussions
winning Men by Personal Work"
as the subject assigned to James
McConaughy of Mt Hermon, Mass. The
| speaker gave to his hearers the result
Of his experience in personal work
| among men. He advocated organiza-
| ion, wherein the efforts put forth by
| individuals might count for more, while
he individual personal work might
still be kept on. The speaker frankly
said that men were not doing enough
personal work.
a question was asked Mr.. Nc
Conaughy about increasing the eff
cheney of the Sunday school and dis
cussion followed. Bible study work
was also touched upon. leading
question asked was whether a minister
was justified in approaching men upon
religious matters at any time, even
during business hours. In the discus
sion the point was made that if he
minister could not do so, the laymen
could. That was what the laymen's
movement was for.
1t would be difficult indeed to state
just exactly the valuable ideas and
suggestions that were brought out in
The address by r. A. Waite, Jr., of New
York City. His topic was Elements
of Successful Work With Boys" 1t
was plain that the speaker had given
time to study the question and his
practical experience with boys and
their work enabled him to speak on
the subject with emphasis. He divid
ed the subject under two heads. recog
milton of the rights of boys, and Coop
| Grafton.
THE boys have their rights" said
Mr.. Waite. Every boy has right to
be well born. If we were to success
fully treat this subject we must deal
with the parents, yes, to the grand
| parents. Some boys, instead of be-
ing born into the world, are damned
into the world and that is the way
they are started through life.
| THE boy has right to sympathetic
mpanionship. Our churches. our
schools, our brotherhoods, our Y. NJ.
c. AS. are not sympathetic with the
boys. say what they like. Until we
recognize that the boys have a right
to sympathetic companionship in our
| churches, we are not going to hold
them in our churches and Sunday
schools.
1.-The boy has a right to his own
ehOuSheS' o' ihiibctuEe, lCdAdiouS
as they. are. In our schools today we
are just beginning to feel the effects
brought IN by recent college graduates,
who know modern philosophy, who are
beginning to influence our boys to-
day. If one Of these boys comes into
the Sunday schools and asks questions
that are 'stingers for the teachers, he
is looked upon as doubter, and is
swept ont of the Sunday school, out of
the church, yes, out of the kingdom
of God, because we say boy has no
business to have such thoughts. In
dealing with boys we must recognize
his right to think his own thoughts.
'-The boy has right to an intelli-
gent religious training. We cannot
take a group of boys and expect to put
as their leader anybody and anything
and keep that boy lined up for Jesus
Christ There should be individual,
personal, frank instruction when a boy
is asked to join the church. am talk
ing to laymen now. there should be in
telligent instruction in the home as
well as in the church and Sunday
school.
And how false is the religious train
ing of boys when we do not call upon
them to work, to give, to serve Give
the boy something to do. Give him
some definite expression of the religi-
ons life for the religious life