South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-06-21
DR.. HOSTETTER In
OPENING ADDRESS
AT CONCLAYE HERE
Indiana Christian Endeavor
Conference Opens at First
Christian Church.

living In Fort Wayne and moder-
ator OF the Indiana Synod OF the
Presbyterian church, delivered the
opening address Of the Indiana
Christian Endeavor convention last
night before a gathering that taxed
the seating capacity of the First
Christian church.
Preceding Rev. Hostetter's talk,
Dan Pyle, South Bend attorney,
who delivered the address of well
come in Mayor Eli F. Seebirt's alb
sence. ELECTED the full approval Of
the hundreds Of delegates from
every portion of Indiana and a
! large crowd of local people when he
extended the full courtesies of South
Bend TO the visitors and said that
men and women are a city's great
est product you will create in
this city a moral and Christian at
mosphere that will last for many a
day and we are glad TO welcome you
here" said Mr.. Pyle. IF the Anal
gamated Order OF Pickpockets and
Sneak Thieves were holding a meet
: ing in South Bend we would detail
the entire force to welcome them
but I come here tonight as a mem
Der OF the board of public safety
and therefore the police depart
ment. 10 extend a different greet
ing"
In the opening address Rev. Hos
letter brought a message of optim- |
ism While on the subject he de- |
clared that the Bible is the most
optimistic book ever written and |
said that even the Book Of Ecclesi- |
astes, the most pessimistic portion OF
the Book of Books. ends with a |
story of optimism. The optimistic /
prophesies OF the Saviour are being |
fulfilled. said the speaker. and the !
growth OF the church is the most !
outstanding fact Of history. He |
recommended the study of church /
history to stir young people from
their lethargy.
Greatest Days In Future"
"Mohammedanism, Buddhism and
Concucianism, once great religions, |
have seen their heydey and are now
on the decline. Christianity has |
rerpetuity and its greatest days are |
still in the future. The church is /
growing FIVE times as fast as the |
population and has made net gain /
of 100000 in the past year 2,173 /
joining the church every day. Con-
verts in the foreig nmission field |
now number millions" said Rev.
Hostetter.
The church has nothing to fear |
but the indifference of its own MEM
bers. This is frequently demon
strated in Sabbath desecration, day /
likely to be entirely lost If It con-
tinues 10 be prostituted for worldly |
uses. Let us send out a new s. o. |
Save Our Sabbath The d. !
vorce evil. one OF the most alarming |
and paralyzing facts of our decade, |
bids fair to undermine the church |
home and state, and must be COM |
bated. Another danger is the pre-
sent spirit OF lawlessness, a disre- |
gard for authority particularly d. |
rected against the 18th amendment. |
Any man has the right TO agitate as
hard as he may wish for laws |
repeal but while II is on the statute |
books. its observance ia not optional !
but compulsory and the man who |
flouts It is a traitor TO our country. |
The movies present another pro- |
blem. No true christian will attend |
them on Sunday and a good deal OF |
discrimination is necessary on a !
week day" the speaker declared. |
He lauded the appointment Of VIII
Hays, a good Presbyterian elder"
by the big producers TO clean up the !
films, and the latter's subsequent |
promise that no more morally faint !
ed films would be issued by his en- !
ployers as a big forward step in
motion picture making
"WOrld Growing Better"
Citing great moral reforms, in
Guiding the abolition Of slavery and
the recent enactment of prohibition, !
the acknowledgements OF women and
the disarmament conference, as
proof that the world is rapidly |
growing better, Rev. Hostetter said
that the church must point the way
] in all great questions. naming parti- |
cularly the effort for the building |
OF a new internationalism and the |
attempts to settle the conflict be- |
tween capital and labor. He en-
phasized unpartisanship in all ques-
tons on the part Of Christian in |
stitutions.
Extending the greetings of South |
Bends churches Rev. E. w. Cole
quoted an Indianapolis architect,
who told him, on a recent visit TO
this city that south Bend has the
bes. church builders. taking itl
through and through, OF any city in
Indiana"
r. d. Kuespert, president Of the
st. Joseph county Christian Endeav-
CT union. appeared for the I6 soci-
cites of the county. Response for
the delegates was made by Rev. A. /
H. Moore, OF Noblesville. Rev. II. |
X Crosse. Of South Bend. conducted
the devotional. c. A Lehman. Chi /
cago, and c. o. Lehman Berne, led
the song service and special music
was provided by a string quartet
and Eugene Hutchins. convention pi-
anist.
Registration and assignment Of
delegates and a meeting OF the state
executive committee came in the al
ternoon and two committees were
named last night. The nominating
committee consists OF r. r. Ohav-
er. Elkhart. chairman: Herbert h.
Wood. Indianapolis; Miss Ethyl As
tey. Fort Wayne; Reuben n. Lamb.
Hammond. and Miss Clara Moore,
Monticello. Members Of the resolu-
tions committee are Rev. A. H
Moore. Noblesville. chairman: Miss
/ Elizabeth Cooper. Indianapolis.
Miss Marie Wickencamp. Evansville:
Memo Staufer. Berne. and Miss
/ Helen V, Meads, Anderson.