Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-07-04
pRESBYTERIANS OF
CANADA INACCURATE
CONVENTION NOVELTY
Every Minister and Missionary
In Denomination, With Wife,
Has Gone to Toronto.
by the Religious Rambler.

u uiilRCtS, There IL
at III present time under way the
most spectacular religious gathering in
American history. Five thousand per-
sons, all of them ministers, elders or
ministers wives, gathered a week ago
IN toronto for a great missionary con-
ference prior to the meeting of tho
Presbyterian general. ASSEM-
Dly. These represented every congre-
cation in the denomination, and they
met as the guests of n group Of Pres
byterian laymen.
The idea of this huge and novel
meeting originated with the laymen
at once seized the Imagination of
the church. 1t was looked upon as q
grand review of Presbyterianism as
well as a school of instruction and a
time OF inspiration. Its lessons in
patriotism promise to be no less po-
tent than Its power for Presbyterian
ism. Never before has any great &c.
ciestastical body attempted to get reps
resentatives of every n of Its con-.
gregations to a single meeting. The
bigness OF the idea Is one OF the prod
ucts of the laymen's movement.
Bringing the Ends TO the Center.
Canada has never had such a lesson
In Imperialism as these Presbyteriana
have afforded. The men have come
from the klOndike and from New
foundland, and from every section Of
the country between. Literally. the
entire denomination OF Canada Is rep.
resented. Hundreds of the men from
the west have not been asst since they
first went to the frontier. What the
occasion meant as an experience in
the lives of the individuals Of the null
titude Is easily imagined.
Every pastor and missionary. and
his wife. In the denomination was in
vtted to attend, without any cost to
himself. In addition. the invitation In
U n elder from every Presby-
terrain congregation.
The transportation charges alone are
estimated to " cost the ~guarantors
100000. In addition to this was the
entertainment which Toronto provided.
The task OF caring for so many
strangers has been no slight one.
especially as 1000 westerners came
railways desired to avoid the conges-
ton of the opening day. The Presby-
terrain homes of Toronto, the hotels
and such institutions as Knox college
have been overlooking with Presby-
terrain visitors for 10 days past.
The occasion has been a striking
demonstration OF the fact which has
many times and In many ways, been
made plain by the laymen's missionary
movement, that the men Of the
churches are ready to give large sums
to big enterprises.
~ e&ytuOU 0tO uvs
Doubtless this Is the most striking
manifestation Of the power of the
laymen's missionary movement In the
churches. h movement from the
first has taken strongest root in
Canada and in the southern states.
The executive secretary Of the Ca
madam movement is an American.
Herbert 4. Caskey. formerly secretary
OF the Philadelphia Y. M. G.. A. The
Canadian churches have been led
to double their missionary gifts:
they have INDUCED in transcon-
paigns; they have quickened the
Christian imperialism of the dominion
to an unprecedented point. and now
they are massing inI the largest audi-
forum In Canada this unique COM
pany of leaders.
The educational value OF these mass
meetings has long since been demon
Strated on a smaller scale by the law
mems movement. The psychology Of
the crowd is utilized for arousing inter-
est In religious work. What it will
mean to the men, and especially to the
women. on the frontiers of Canada, to
have shared in the largest and most
representative gathering Of any sort
that h dominion has ever known, is
apparent to anybody with imagination.
An Imperial Project.
Canada has led the world In certain
religious enterprises. Thus, in the mat.
ter, Of church union, It Is far ahead o,
the states. All the Methodist demon.
nations have been merged into one
So have all Presbyterians and Baptist
bodies. Now negotiations are under
way for actual organic union OF the
Presbyterian. Methodist and Ccngrega-
tfOnal churches. +
Foreign mission leaders are prOmi-
nent in the Toronto meeting, for this
slmnaTtQI nlsOfAOf hpC fnVn1Ua6 n kRn-e
increase in the work OF the
Canadian Presbyterians in foreign
lands. A number of the missionary
leaders from the United States have
been speakers at the Toronto congress-.
A Convention Without . Program.
This Professionally congress- was called
together without the announcement OF
any special topics or speakers. Only
the American visitors were known as
among those expected. This is John r.
Motifs idea, which he has successfully
carried out in theg great student volun-
teer conferences. 1t insures thai peo-
pie will come for the convention itself
rot merely to near q few star
speakers.
me congress vas missionary, but In
the broadest Interpretation Of that
term. The Canadians nave always kent
their home n foreign mission enter.
prises> within laymen's movement
and the congress not only dealt with
China. but with the cities of Canada
with the temperance prYblem, with the
social evil, and the questions of the rur-
al church.
AS u result of this congress. the tive
UNCONVENTIONAL wOmen's societies have
been merged into one, and the Presby.s
terrain. Laymen's Missionary Movement
has been cO-ordinated with the general
assembly's committee. OF finance.
great museum Of charts; and appliances