The Washington herald., 1912-04-21
GROWING LAY ACTIVITY
SEEN IN ENLARGING
SUMNER CONFERENCES

The summer conferences next July and
August expect greatly increased num-
bers growing out of the larger activity
of men in religious affairs. To meet
this new interest they are having diff
fculty in arranging programmes. Few
save workers attend these meetings, and
these are women for the most part,
but the semblance Of rest and vacation
is maintained. Glasses are, restricted to
few morning hours. How to get into
these few hours social service, missions,
Sunday school work, Bible study, evan
gelism and some other lines is the prob
lem before the conference programme
makers
Northfeld is to have again this year
the Rev. F. B. Meyer, OF London; the
Rev. DR.. c. H. Patton, Of the American
board; Mrs. Helen Montgomery, of the
women's jubilee campaign; Robert E.
Speer, OF the Presbyterian boardS and
Dean Brown, of Yale Divinity School
The dates OF the general conference are
August to IS, but much is again to
be made this year of the Sunday school
workers meetings, which are held JNly
20 TO q.
The Missionary Education Movement
conferences VIII number seven this year,
three of them being in Canada. The
Blue Ridge, N, c., begins on June 25;
the Silver Bay, Lake George, July Il;
and the Lake Geneva, Wis, August p
1t is announced that into these meet
ings the new subjects Of social service,
community extension and evangelism
viii be put as for as time permits. At
Silver Bay each year about 1,5o0 are
trained, and much emphasis is placed
upon personal work. The volunteer who
l. rra.= 81 L.
urged to select definite tasks and pre-
pare herself for them. Leadership Is
the topic oftenest suggested, is being
stated that therein lies the greatest need.
Presbyterians are developing an educa-
donal system In behalf of both home
and foreign mission work. They will
have, under the leadership Sf their
boards, fve summer meetings this year.
beginning at Winona, Ind, on July Is,
and ending at Pocono Pines, Pa, August
p to g. Between these dates they have
conferences at Lebanon. Tenn; Storm
Lake, Iowa, and Holllser, Mo. Their
aim is to raise up missionary leaders
in Presbyterian churches. Their num-
bere are steadily increasing at each con-
ference, while to the number of confer
ences one is added each year.
Chautauqua will much enlarge its spir-
lNudi "OEh lllb year. DeBlunlnB Win
the first week in July. The Hall of
Christ will be utilized as the center, and
the director will be Prof Shailer Mat
thews, Of Chicago. ChautauQua has al
ways stood for religious propaganda, but
during the last few years strictly Seu-
cational subjects have developed great
ly through large enrollments. This year
viii see the Strengthening OF the spir-
itual side. in part to meet the demands
created by the Men and Religion and
similar movements.
The Herald last summer drew atten-
don to the ''retreats' conducted on Stat
en- Island for Catholic laymen Of New
York, and suggested that the example
was an excellent one for imitation by
Protestant laymen. The plans Of the
Montensc Foundation, which has leased
a suitable camp site on Greenwood
Lake, forty miles northwest of the met
ropolis, provide religious services of a
devotional nature was held Fridays, Sat
ufdays and Sundays throughout the
summer. New York laymen, the young
er element among them, all Protestant
bodies. inAugurate this new conference
beginning in June and continuing until
September. There are 10000 young men
in the working organizations OF the
churches of the metropolitan district, in
cluding Northern New Jersey, and there
has been until now no summer confer
ence within their reach. The expert
ment Is to be tried of barring women,
save as they accompany their husbands