The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-17
RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY
SHOWS BIG RESULTS
Two Great Movements of
Protestant Churches Are
Highly Successful.
INTEREST Is GENERAL
Laynen'S Missionary aud Men
and Religion Forward Meet
With Favor.
BY D. v. FRANCIS.


| BY Leased Wire TO The Tribune.
NEW YORK. Dec. 16.-The two great
NOV cments In the Protestant churches Of
| the United States OF recent years have
| been the Laymens Missionary movement
and the Men and Religion Forward move
mcnt. The underlying motive of both
was to enlist the Protestant men OF the
country 10 take an active part In the work
OF the church and both OF them have bccn
mcasuraby successful.
The general secretary Of the Layn'. n >
Missionary movement, j. Campbcs Mate
has issued u message 10 the churches of
the United States and Canada calling at
tcntion to the fact that the movement is
now five years old. The secretary thinks
the past five years witnessed the most
extensive and inspiring increase OF mis-
sionary interest during modern times.
The greatest series of union meetings for
Christian mon ever held in North Amer
lea has occurred during this period. Sew
eral hundred thousand men have been
reached directly and many more ind-
rcctly.
The movement has proved thinks tn"
secretary that intelligent enthusiasm for
foreign missions is not hindrance but
a help TO every ether Christian activity.
With larger offerings for work abroad
have come larger gifts for work al home.
Thousands of mems missionary commit
tees have been appointed as result Of
its agitation, and all OF these work for
both home md foreign missions. Tho
spirit OF Christian unity has had phe-
Ions arc now cooperating TO degree
supposed to be impossible FIVE years ago.
Far higher standings of Christian stew
arJlship are coming 10 he recognized and
adopted That most expensive OF all hu
man effort. prayer, is being offered With
multiplying frequency by laymen.
Made Great Financial Gains.
The secretary states that financial
gains to missions during The five years
similar period by the churches OF entire
nations. Churches OF Canada have IN
creased from Sl,i92. 800 to s2206.0c an
elsn gifts. Taking the United States and
Canada together. the increase of foreign
missions alone has been from $3.50, 600
TO sl3,3 900 annually. or a gain of about
90 per cent, In addition To this increase
10 current gifts, more than $4,000, 900 has
been raised during tho past two years
in special equipment or endowment for
foreign work.
The secretary SAYS the movement cX-
poets TO cooperate with tho missionary
agencies OF the churches until the work
of world evangelism is actually accom-
plished. At present there are twenty paid
secretaries Of the movement and the
number is steadily increasing. The
movement is not n spasmodIc or tempor-
ary sentiment, says the secretary. but
the expression OF a profound and deter
mined purpose 10 rally and hold the men
the greatest task ever committed to hu-
man agency.
Hold Sixteen Conventions.
Sixteen Men and Religion campaign con-
ventIons have been held I'm as many
cities that were regularly planned by the
general committee. and seventy-four con-
ventions have been held under the cx-
tension plan of having deputatlons from
tributary towns attend main conventions
and return home to duplicate the meet
lngs. In the cities OF medium size Ii is
found in practice that practically all
Protestant churches take part. IN the
cities OF larger size f5 per cent Of the
churches do so, Others have not cX-
pressed dissent. but have simply not
united.
The average registration OF men in the
sixteen cities has been 500. These do not
include men who merely attend ban
quets, hut only those who take the fun
week instructions, and express Intention
TO maintain personal work, Many OF
them are representatives Of smaller cities.
and are therefore leaders. At one CEN
trel convention. that OF Cedar Rapids,
1l0 other Iowa towns were represented
under the extension plan.
The most tangible result of tho cam
paign thus far is largely increased at
tedance upon Bible classes In some
churches where no classes for men eX-
listed they have been formed, Represen-
tatives OF the general committee are fol-
lowing UP the work In every city where