Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-12-30
AT KALAMAZOO.
Members Of Men and Re-
Hgion Movement,
{. B. Smith Talks to Visiting
GoyernOrs OF Western States.
Great Mass Meetings-.actisltles In
Michigan Towns.

Kalamazoo, Mich, Dec. 29.-(Spe-
| ciaD. The most helpful and signifi
cant wave of religion which has ever
swept this city has passed in the
Men and Religion Forward eight-day
campaign just ended. The team of
| experts has gone and the campaign
| is over, yet the real work is just be-
gun.
| Among the most important events
OF the weeks campaign was the add
! dress of Fred 3. Smith to a large
number of business men Of the city
| ut 3. noon day luncheon, and his talk /
| 70 the ten visiting Governors from
| the west who are, touring the East
ern States. The large Mass Meeting 4
in the Academy OF iiusic was the big :
event of the campaign Many men !.
| decided for the Christian life and.
/ many others renewed their covenant
| with the church. The David Russell
meeting IN the Academy of Music was :
! a fitting Wind-up for the last day of
| the campaign, at which he gave one
| of the strongest eTangelistic adj
dresses that has been given in the
y -
mnny men decided for the better life.
RAYMOND ,Robins Of Chicago, mas I
ter1uh worker along social service :
lines, pointed ont existing evils OF tho
city, ana It is planned TO form Il ciYii
service commission to see TO il that
the city is socially clean in the, flu
| tire. Robins brought a great mes
sage to KaIamazes, whirh will not
sooh be forgotten The social service
committee contemplates auch definite
work within the next six months. a
survey has been made Of the city,
and unexpected conditions have been
uncovered. II will be enc of the I'M
portant aims ef The committee to wipe
out this blot upon the city.
All southwestern Michigan will be +
affected, Tie auXiliars towns COM
| ,nittec planning rG carry the work ac-
eornplisheG here to every city and
| town in this part oe< tie state. and to
that end ten cities and towns have
asked for three-day campaigns, and
it may be said here that remarkable
! interest Wss aroused in the smaller
cities ON Tuesday and Wednesday,
convention days here. Cities and
towns within sixty miles of Kaiama-
200 were reached and it is hoped
that as great an interest az that ex-
,ibiteae here On convention days may
survive in the permanent work which
/ is % be vaged until next May.
One Of the many things that was
| impressive in connection with Kala-
| mazoos campaign was the formation
Of Workers League. This organ
| igation which is To be perpetual, was
| created for the purpose of carrying
on great shop meetings here. On
recent evening forty-Ave men, rep
sesenting the largest shops in Kala-
rnazeo, gathered at the Y. NJ. G. "A.
Headquarters where they requested
iethat the meetings be continued. John
NJ Dean. community i. extension ex-
| pert. quickly formed an organization
| and speakers viii be sent To all of
the shops represented at stated in
tervals The best men will address
the workers and those interested look
for a great amount of evangelistic /
good as a result
In accordance with Il resolution
passed at Il community extension
banquet the community extension
and evangelistic committees have
been combined in order to conserve
that the organization now in existence
i'll Kalamazoo may be continued. An
executive secretary will be employed, |
| whose duty will be to see to it that
| the impetus given during the eightsl
days does not die.
In the course of his powerful adj
dress already referred to- Raymond
/ Robins succeeded in awakening the
people of Kalamazoo to realization
/ of the part they have in making So
i cial and industrial conditions. He,
/ wanted to arouse them to a sense or
their own responsibility. He did not
upbraid. He did not chide. He did
not denounce. He admitted that the
present social system is the strong
! est and finest which has yet come in
! to civilization. But what he wanted
! the people of Kalamazoo to UNDER
! stand was that there still are many
/ Calling and intolerabie hardships
which are laid upon the people who
do the worlds work, upon those who
labor in mills, factories. offices, and
/ stores, and who by their work make |
possible the luxury and comfort when
mark this as the greatest civiliza- |
I ton the world has known.
The chief of these hardships, Mr.,
! Robins felt, was that while we. have3
/ solved the problem of production so |
we'll and thoroughly that there is now |
produced an abundance of everything
| to supply the needs of all, still there-l
are thousands in every great city anuj
hundreds in every small city who |
have not even the ordinary comforts
4 of life and many of whom are deniedl
the necessities. In other words, dis |
tribution of the fruits of industry isl
the big problem before the present |
society.
And the interest which attaches to
Mr.. Robins talk lies chiefly in thet
fact that he made it apparent that
this is problem of the Chrlstiant
church, problem which must be
4 solved before there is any further |
| progress, but a problem which cant
| be solved only by a great awakeningj