Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-02-17
1000 men SIT AT
OPENING BANQUET
Laymen's Missionary Convention In
augurated at Davenport Coli
scum BY Monster Crowd.
1865 VISITORS FROM GENEsEO
Speakers Point Need of Laymen i'll
World Evangelism With Amer
lea rs Leader.

{
soon to be forgotten, when they gath
cred last evening for the opening ban
quet in the four days session OF the
Laymen's Missionary conference IN
| Davenport. The banquet served by 2o0
members of the Lend a Hand club and
| church women of Davenport was ready
promptly at $50 in the Davenport
/ Coliseum and every corner OF the huge
/ building was crowded with men and
women who were admitted as specta-
! tors. Four special coaches brought l65
men from Geneseo, full band accom-
panying the delegation and playing be-
| fore the time for serving the dinner.
From Aledo came 40 men in a special
car on the Rock Island Southern, the
whole composing the largest religious
gathering of men held in Davenport
| for many years. Following the serving
of an elaborate course banquet c. J.
| Won Maur, acting as presiding officer
| introduced the speakers of the even
| ing, giving a short preliminary address
| in which he pointed out three ques-
| tons that presented themselves to the
! laymen: Whether civilization has fall
ed, which must be answered by the in
| dividual; whether the church has
| failed which must be answered by the
churchmen and whether Christianity
| has failed which can be answered by
every layman with an emphatic no.
/ hn
the lack of Christianity and that is
| the problem that confronts the lay
man today.
The speakers of the evening, Hubert
C. Herring on America and Christian
leadership" and W. E. Doughty on
The Present World Situation" gave
eloquent and impressive discourses
that held closely the attention of the
vast audience.
South Needs Evangelism.
Mr. Herring pointed to the great cit
les as the district for evangelism
those places where concentrates the
influx from the old world, to which are
drawn people of all kinds and condi-
tons that need the helping hand. He
also called attention to the south as ]
field in which there is need of much
work especially among the negroes
where men minister now who are
largely incapable of spreading the Cos
pei of the Christ.
Mr. Doughty took the world aspect
of the missionary forces which have
been inadequate to grapple with the
conditions that confront them. He said
that much real work is awaiting people
to do it and that the time has come
istry the burden of bearing the cross
He further said that great calamities
as the present world war might occur
at any time as long as the world is
not evangelical. Christianity, he said
is the only means of removing the
spirit of war and the spirit of revenge
and destruction. In this movement
America must take the leadership
the evangelist of the world
Standing the enormous audience
Soldiers" in such a manner that every
one was moved with the impressive
incident.
Wilbur L. Clapp, secretary of the
convention, told of the general plan
Of the conference and made the neces-
sary announcements.
The invocation was pronounced by
Ri. Rev, T. n. Morrison, bishop OF
Iowa and Rev. Leroy Coffman of the
First Presbyterian church gave the
benediction.
The general sessions of the conven-
ton opened at $50 this morning and
will continue through Sunday with adj
dresses and conferences.
Friday Program.
The program for the Friday ses-
sions follows:
$50 a. M, st. Johns M. E. chorch
Theme, Inspiring and Training the
Church"
THE Kind of Christians That Can
Conquer the World"-Henry S. Brown
How Arouse the Church"-C. G.
Kindred
THE Task of American Christianity
I-B. P. Fullerton.
2:30 to 4:30 p. INST. Johns M g.
church.
Theme, Putting the Church on a
War Footing"
| Drilling the Forces"-D. Brewer
Eddy.
"Organizing for Victory"-John L.
Fort.
THE Sinews of War;. A. Agar.
4:3O p. m. to 7:45 p. INST. Johns
NJ. E. Church.
Theme, THE Specific Task of Our
! Church"
| Conferences by communions.
| Baptists at First Baptist church.
Frank w. Padelford, F. A. Agar.
Congregationalists at Edwards Con-
gregational church-Hubert C. Her
ring, D. Brewer Eddy.
Disciples at First Christian church
&C. G. Kindred.
Episcopalians at Bishop Morrison's
residences. H. Littell, Bishop T. N.
Morrison.
Presbyterians at the Lend-a-Hand
Club. P. Fullerton, Henry S. Brown,
W. S. Marquis
Reformed at the Y. M C. ADAM
lei Burghalter, John C. Horning.
Lutherans at st. Paul's English
church-A. C. Anda, Edwin C. Harris
Methodists at st. Johns M. T..
church-John l.. Fort, julius Hecker.
Other communions at Y. M. C. A
r I Michel / Z Eonaau