Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-03-12

gram, and so far as possible the same
speakers were provided at both places.
The Charlotte convention enrolled
1867 delegates, and that at Dallas
something over one thousand.
Everybody was astonished at the
magnitude of the meetings, and at the
fact that they brought forth such a
large percentage of churchmen who
had never before attended a conven-
ton.
One reason why so large a proper
lon of the international religious
leaders accepted the invitation to ad-
dress this convention was their desire
to study the situation and, if possible.
learn the reason why this one small
denomination leads the whole nation
IN the work of and for the laymen.
Charles a. Rowland, of Athens, Ga,
the president of the movement, is the
greatest single factor: for year in and
year out he gives the same attention
TO the laymen's movement that he
gives to his business.
These men from the North, who
We're accustomed to feel the pulse of
puDlc movements, say that the re-
cent convention revealed the deep and
powerful undercurrent of religious in
terest that is sweeping through the
country. The phenomenal character
OF these gatherings of men in Dallas
and Charlotte is of a piece with the
worldwide manifestation of q spir-
itual awakening; the most notable
symptoms of which have been the re-
v1vals , in various places.
There is something doing in the
world religiously which is not vet
fully articulated and not at all led.
Students of present phenomena feel
that this deep tide of feeling and pur-
pose may ''break" in some signal
manifestations, If the man appears
who is wise enough to sense it accu-
rately, and strong enough to express
and lead it.
Aware of the World
There is more than appears on the
surface in the fact that this two-sec-
tion convention had to do with the
world aspects of religion. 1t was dis
tinct1Vely foreign missionary in it's
character. All the mission fields of
the church were in review, yet the
meeting was not one of specialists,
but of average laymen and ministers.
World conditions in their general
aspects occupied more attention than
the detailed reports of the Southern
Presbyterian mission fields. The in
depreciation of the providence of these
new times, and of Americas interna-
tonal mission, and of the laymens
part dominated the common thinking.
John r. Mott and Robert E. Spier,
veteran missionary leaders, made the
greatest addresses.
New Ideas in Religion
On the platform of the Dallas meet
Ing on the last day was a new yellow
motorcycle, which the alumni of Aus
tin College had given to the Rev. Will
liam r.. Junkin, of mid-China. This
Will Supplant the wheelbarrow for it.
inerating purposes, and enable him to
cover in day ground that formerly
occupied nearly week. That motor
cycle symbolized the new ideas that
are dominating church work under
the impulse of the laymen. One of
the notable addresses of the conven-
ton treated Business Efficiency Yer
sus Church Efficiency without mine
ing words. These laymen are not
afraid to face the facts. Thus there
was a period of relentless self-exam-
ination under the leadership of one
of the ministers OF the denomination,
who showed that it was quite the fact
that the Southern Presbyterians have
doubled their foreign mission giving
since the Laymen's Movement came
into existence. Fifty-four per cent. of
the membership has given nothing
whatever to this cause. These figures
searched fully and fearlessly into the
life and giving of the denomination.
They were the efficiency expert ap-
piled to denomination.
What all this means is the eXalta-
tion of democracy and nonecclesias-