^JSTOFI^^, .v^> Logical 8V:v^ BV 4447 .C527 1906 Clark, Francis E. 1851-1927 Christian endeavor in all lands Rev. Francis E. Clark, D.D., LL.D., The Founder of the Christian Endeavor Movement, CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR —IN ALL LANDS= A RECORD OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF PROGRESS The Story of a Great Religious Move- ment which has Spread Over all the Earth from a Small Beginning in America. BY . y REV. FRANCIS E. CLARK, D.D., LL.D., Founder and President of the United Society of Christian Endeavor. Author of "Training the Church ©f the Future," "A New Way Round an Old World," " The Great Secret," "Fellow Travelers," etc. Profusely Illustrated With Nearly 200 Half-Tone Engravmgs, Portraits and Etchings. OFFICIAL EDITION Entered According to the Act of Congress In the Year 1906 By W. E. Scull In the Office of the Librarian of Congress. All rights reserved. This work is sanctioned and approved by The United Society of Christian Endeavor and is the official record of Christian Endeavor in All Lands during its first twenty-five years of activity. In order to produce so valuable a work and sell it at low prices, it is offered for sale by sub- scription through authorized agents only. To all persons desiring a copy of this book we will, on request, send the name of our agent in their community, or if we have no agent we will arrange to send a copy of the book direct. FORE-WORD AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The preparation of this history has been no light task, not because of the lack of material, but because of its superabun- dance. In order to condense the story of twenty-five years into a volume of reasonable length, it has been necessary to discard much that the writer would like to include. Especially griev- ous has it been to him to omit the mention of the service of many personal friends and earnest workers in the Christian Endeavor movement, whose achievements are well worthy of record. But to name all who deserve "honorable mention" in such a history would be to make it little more than a cata- logue. The names of some workers whom the writer counts among his dearest personal friends are not found in this vol- ume. If any one should find any achievement of the Christian Endeavor movement omitted, to which he thinks space should have been given, he will know the reason. If, on the other hand, any line of work seems to be unduly magnified, he may remember the couplet of old Edmund Waller, which applies to historians as well as to bards : "Poets lose half the praise they should have got, Could it be known what they discreetly blot." It will be found, however, I believe, that no large de- partment of the Christian Endeavor achievement has been neg- lected, and that the leading events in the history of the move- ment are here recorded. In the preparation of this volume the writer has consulted the reports of the leading conventions in America, Great Britain, and Australia, which are contained in many large iii IV Foreword. volumes, as well as files of The Christian Endeavor World, The Christian Endeavour Times, Die Jugend-Hilfe, Activite Chretienne, Esfuerzo Cristiano, O Esforco Christao, India Christian Endeavourer, The Irish Endeavourer, the Church of England Christian Endeavourer, The Christian Endeavour Link, The Christian Endeavour News, and The Roll-Call, of Australia, Endeavor, of Japan, The South African Endeav- ourer, as well as many of the State papers of America, includ- ing The Ohio Endeavorer, The Pine-Tree Endeavorer, The Texas Christian Endeavorer, Iowa Christian Endeavor, The Christian Endeavor Visitor, of Baltimore, The Pacific Chris- tian Endeavorer, The Nebraska Endeavor News, The Varick Christian Endeavorer, Endeavor Items, the New York State paper, and many other papers published by State and local unions. I am also indebted to several volumes by Professor Wells, whose contributions to Christian Endeavor literature are fre- quently acknowledged, and have also consulted Rev. Mr. Spedding's volume on "Christian Endeavor, Its Genesis and Genius," Rev. Dwight M. Pratt's "A Decade of Christian En- deavor," and other volumes which are referred to in the course of this history. My thanks are due to Rev. W. Knight Chaplin of Eng- land; to Rev. L. B. Chamberlain of India, Rev. Frederick Blecher of Germany, and many other Christian Endeavor leaders in dififerent lands for helpful information, as well as to many who have told me of their personal experiences, which are embraced largely in the chapter entitled "Christian En- deavor in Every-Day Life." To some extent I have been able to draw upon materials used in other volumes I have written concerning various phases of the Christian Endeavor movement; but I have used them very sparingly, since I have designed this history to be as fresh and up to date as I could make it, from the standpoint Foreword. ^ of the new quarter-century, which, as I write these words, has just begun. This volume has been written in a hospitable foreign city, whither the author has come for the leisure and quiet which he could not obtain at home, and, as these pages have been penned, especially the later chapters, he would very gratefully ac- knowledge the many letters and telegrams and kind messages which have come to him from all parts of the world, inspired by the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Society. Many of the leading papers and magazines, in both America and Great Britain, and some in Germany, France, and Switzerland, and other lands as well, have contained most appreciative articles on the twenty-five years of Christian Endeavor work. May the coming quarter-century prove the Society to be fully worthy of the numerous congratulatory words and pro- phecies of even larger success which the anniversary has called forth. Above all, in making acknowledgment of aid received in the writing of this volume I cannot forbear to speak of one who has been my chief inspiration and unfailing helpmeet from the beginning of the Christian Endeavor movement. She it is to whom this volume is dedicated. She not only rocked the cradle of Christian Endeavor, but has watched over its growth with constant and helpful solicitude. In the prep- aration of this volume she has rendered me invaluable help, not only in the mechanical task of its preparation, but also in fre- quent suggestions for its improvement,and much aid in search- ing the authorities and the records of the movement. Five years ago, on the twentieth anniversary of the move- ment I had occasion to express my gratitude for God's good- ness during the first score of years of its existence. In view of the still larger blessings that have come during the last five y^ars, I may be allowed, perhaps, to repeat in part the Psalm of Praise for this full quarter-century of God's right hand. VI Foreword. 1. I Thank God for the men with whom I have been associated in the executive office of Christian Endeavor, for confidant and fellow worker, for secretary and treasurer and editor and trustee. There have not been many breaks in our ranks — few by death and fewer still by alienation. There were never more devoted friends than those who have worked together for Christian Endeavor, some of them for nearly twenty years. 2. I Thank God for the great number of Christian Endeavor leaders in State and district and local unions; for their self-sacrificing labor, which would aggregate tens of thousands of years during these last two decades. To them under God belongs more credit than will ever be known for the success of the movement. 3. I Thank God for the pastors who have so many times strengthened our hands, and overlooked our failings, and cheered our hearts by kind words of appreciation; who have so seldom been captious, so often generous and appre- ciative; who have made Christian Endeavor possible by in- troducing it to their young people, and by sustaining them in their work. 4. I Thank God for the friends I have found in every land and in every denomination; for the dear fellow workers in Great Britain and France and Germany and Switzerland and Spain, in Sweden and Russia and Bohemia and Bulgaria and Macedonia and Italy and Portugal, in Australia and South Africa, in India and China and Japan and many islands of many seas; that our hearts have all been knit to- gether by the Christian Endeavor tie that binds. 5. I Thank God for those who modestly call themselves the rank and file, really the bone and sinew, of Christian Endeavor; those whose names I know not, and who do not care to have them paraded in print. These names are written in heaven. They will all be accounted for in the last roll-call. 6. I Thank God for the Christian Endeavor marines who have sailed the sea for God; for the Christian Endeavor soldiers who have stood for Him in camp and fought for Him on the field, for the Christian Endeavor martyrs in Madagascar and Armenia and China, who have counted not Foreword. vu their lives dear unto them; for the Christian Endeavor pris- oners who behind the bars have found the liberty wherewith the Son maketh free, and who, in Him, have become free indeed. 7. I Thank God for those who have entered into the blessedness of "the Quiet Hour," who have been hidden in "the secret of His pavilion;" for those who have learned the joy of giving as they have been prospered; and for the millions of dollars which have been sent to relieve the desti- tute and to enlighten the darkened eyes. 8. I Thank God for the strong young men whose hearts He has moved to fight their country's peaceful battles, and to stand for righteousness in the State, purity in the city, and peace in all the world. 9. I Thank God for the boys and girls whose feet have been turned Zionward in the Junior societies; for their child- ish love and service; for the self-denying leaders who have guided them so faithfully. 10. I Thank God for the beautiful fellowship that has blessed Christian Endeavor, and that people whose creeds differ, whose forms are various, and whose traditions are diverse, have come to see that our Lord's prayer was for them, that "they might be one," while the world has looked on and said, "Behold, how these brethren love one another!" 11. I Thank God for the wonderful conventions, which for a dozen years have so far surpassed our early dreams and outclassed our early hopes; for these dear fellow- ships; for their inspirations; for their joy; for the eyes that have glistened, the souls that have broadened, and the hearts that in them have leaped to new impulses. 12. I Thank God for His Holy Spirit, without whose leadership all endeavor is vain. "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall con- tinually be in my mouth." "O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." Munich, Bavaria, Feb. 2, IQ06. DEDICATED TO MY WIFE. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE. I. The Soil, the Seed, and the Climate . . . . 17 II. The Genesis OF the Christian /Endeavor Society . 34 III. Some First Things 42 IV. The Exodus of the Society 52 V. The Line of March .63 VI. The Hand of Providence 74 ^VII. Underlying Principles 89 VIII. Helps and Helpers 103 IX. Helpers in Type 116 X. The Great Conventions 128 XL London and Ningpo 142 XII. Wonderful Gatherings in Australia and India . 159 XIII. "The Best Yet" 172 XIV, Cm Bono? 185 XV. Young Men and Maidens 199 XVI. The Junior Army 212 XVII. The Society and the Psychologist 225 XVI 11. The Christian Endeavor Covenant 241 XIX. The Christian Endeavor Forum 254 XX. The Society's Programme of Work 266 XXI. The Society and Its Relations 275 XXII. Back Currents and Eddies 288 XXIII. Touches of Color 298 XXIV. Christian Endeavor as an Educator . . . .312 XXV. Evangelistic Endeavor at Home and Abroad . . 327 XXVI. The Society as a Democracy 341 XXVII. The New and the Old in Christian Endeavor . 352 XXVIII. Christian Endeavor in the Americas .... 362 XXIX. Christian Endeavor in Europe 380 XXX. Christian Endeavor in Africa 400 XXXI. Christian Endeavor in Asia 416 XXXII. Christian Endeavor in the Island World . . . 438 ix Contents. CHAP. PAGE. XXXIII. Christian Endeavor Among the Boer Prisoners . 452 XXXIV. Christian Endeavor Afloat 462 XXXV. Christian Endeavor in Surprising Places . . . 473 XXXVI. Four Christian Endeavor Journeys Around the World 487 XXXVII. Citizenship Endeavors • . 497 XXXVIII. Kindling Missionary Fires 508 *^XXXIX. Christian Endeavor and the Deeper Christian Life , . . 521 XL. Practical Endeavors .529 XLI. Christian Endeavor in Every-day Life ... 540 XLII. Heroic Christian Endeavor . . . . « -550 XLIII. Christian Endeavor in Song = . 560 XLIV. Bright Plans Tried and Proved ...... 576 ^XLV. How to Lift an Endeavor Society 586 XLVI. The Pastor and the Christian Endeavor Society . 593 XLVII. Convention Oratory 601 XLVIII. " That They All May Be One " ..„.,. 614 FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS Dr. Francis E. Clark Frontispiect WiLLiSTON Church Page ig An Avenue of Palms in Honolulu " 65 Leading British Endeavorers " 75 Prominent British Endeavorers " 79 Christian Endeavor in Different Languages " 85 A Gospel Boat in Foochov^^ " 88 C. E. Convention in Bombay " 91 Prominent American Endeavorers " 105 Leading American Endeavorers . . . '. . " 109 American Endeavorers " 117 Facsimile of Swiss C. E. Paper "121 The White City at Detroit . " 129 The All-India Convention at Allahabad " 169 Dr. Clark's Five C. E. Journeys in Europe "191 Endeavorers of Many Lands " 201 Aboriginal American Endeavorers " 205 Some Chinese Juniors " 213 C. E. Badges from Many Parts of the World " 299 A Remarkable Banner from China " 310 View of Lake Manomet, near Sagamore Beach, Mass " 315 Chicago Endeavorers' Evangelistic Cruise " ZH Royal Endeavorers, Prince and Princess of Sweden " 343 Officers and Workers in Europe " 381 A Street Scene in Cairo " 401 Christian Endeavor in Egypt " 403 Workers of Various Nations " 4' 7 The Taj Mahal of Agra, India " 429 Floating C. E. Society. On Board the U. S. S. Maine .... " 465 Australian Aborigines " 475 A C. E. Society School for the Blind at Bombay "481 One Way of Going to a C. E. Convention in China " 509 An Industrial School in India " 513 Prominent Christian Endeavor Evangelists " 5-3 Two Heroes of China '" 55 1 Leaders in Song " 56 r At the National Capital " 5^7 Famous Preachers and Christian Endeavorers " 595 XI ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT An Old Book by Cotton Mather Page 24 WiLLiSTON Church Parsonage " z] WiLLiSTON Chapel " 30 Mrs. Francis E. Clark " 35 Facsimile of Original C. E. Constitution " y] First Twenty Names of Original Members " 40 IV. J. Van Patten " 43 Memorial Tablet, Williston Church " 46 Rev. C. a. Dickinson " 48 The C. E. Covenant in Tamil " 55 The Japanese C. E. Covenant " 56 Telugu C. E. Covenant " 60 The Bridge of Ten Thousand Ages " 67 A Ragged Sunday School in Foochow^ " 70 Miss A. Bliss " 71 Jamaica Christian Endeavor " 83 Leaders of C. E. Work in India " no Geo. W. Coleman " 114 Our Brothers in Type " 124 A Typical C. E. Convention Tent Scene " 133 A C. E. Convention Audience in Boston " 136 London International C. E. Convention " 144 Children's Choir, London International " 150 The Ningpo Convention Committee " 154 The Ningpo Officials " 156 Town Hall, Sydney, Australia . . . . » " 160 In the Australian Bush " 163 Mexican Endeavorers " 174 Christian Endeavor in Japan " I77 Baltimore Convention Building " 183 Ute Indians Going to Colorado Convention " 188 Christian Endeavor in Ireland " i94 Some Presidents of C. E. Societies in Persia " 208 Some Junior Endeavorers of Harpoot, Turkey " 214 Chinese C. E. Juniors at Foochow " 217 Some Spanish C. E. Juniors " 218 Bridge Built by Juniors at Melbourne Convention "221 Representing Growth of C. E. Movement in China " 223 German Boy Who Formed a Society in School 227 Junior C. E. Music Band, Konigsberg Germany "230 xiii xiv Illustrations. C. E. Juniors in Bebek, Turkey Page 235 Facsimile of a C. E. Pledge " 243 The C. E. Covenant, Turkish " 246 The C. E. Covenant, Bohemian " 248 The C. E. Pledge, Malagasy " 251 Getting Ready for a Convention in Portugal " 258 Sunshine Committee in Turkey Reading to Blind Woman . . . " " 268 Rev. Enrique de Tienda " 272 The M. E. Society of Barcelona, Spain " 282 Rough Sketches from Which C. E. Badge was Designed .... " 303 The Increase Banner Given to Oregon " 305 Johanneslund Missionary Institute " 317 C. E. Summer School, Yarmouth, Maine " 321 New Summer Home of C. E. at Sagamore Beach " 323 First Mothers' Society of C. E., Topeka, Kansas " 329 Men's Meeting during Convention, Washington, D. C " 335 Raw Material for the C. E. in Africa " 338 Monastir, Turkey, Home of Four C. E. Societies " 339 English, Irish and Scotch C. E. Convention, Scotland .... " 347 A Bit of the Last Welsh C. E. Convention " 349 Tent Endeavor, Denver C. E. Convention " 369 Endeavorers at Dr. Clark's Birthplace, Aylmer, Quebec .... " 374 The Cathedral in Mexico City " 375 The Second National C. E. Convention in Brazil " 377 Group of Endeavorers in Sao Paulo, Brazil " 378 Scandinavian Delegates to C. E. Convention in Berlin .... " 386 A C. E. Convention in Sweden " 389 First C. E. Convention Held in Russia " 391 Executive Committee of Hungarian C. E. Union " 392 Spanish C. E.'s in Costumes of Different Provinces " 394 C. E. Society, Geneva, Switzerland " 396 A Junior C. E. Society in Spain " 397 Spanish Junior C. E. Society of Valencia " 399 C. E. Society of Lagos, West Coast of Africa " 405 How Some Christian Endeavorers Travel in Africa ..... " 408 Executive Committee of the South African C. E. Union .... " 411 Seventh National South African Convention at Durban, 1905 . . " 413 Rev. D. G. W. R. Marchan "415 The Zig-Zag Bridge in China " 420 The White Pagoda in Foochow " 422 Japanese Endeavorers at Osaka " 423 The Banner Convention PIeld in Japan in 1903 ....... " 425 A Japanese Women's C. E. Society " 427 Street Scene in Calcutta " 43i Some Endeavor Leaders in India " 433 Illustrations. XV Girls' C. E. Society in Marsovan, Turkey Page 435 City Hall, King William Street, Adelaide " 440 Some Leading Endeavor Workers in Australia . " 442 Girls' School, Kohala^ Hawaii " 446 Miss Olafia Yohansdotter, Icelandic Interpreter ...... " 450 John Makins, Mgr. Seamen's Home, Nagasaki, Japan ..... " 466 Antoinette P. Jones, Falmouth, Massachusetts " 467 Floating Christian Endeavorers, U. S. Cruiser Chicago .... " 469 The White C. E. Society in Frankfort State Prison " 477 On the Valdez Glacier, in Alaska " 483 Some C. E. Veterans, National Military Home, Kansas .... " 485 A Beauty Spot in New Zealand " 488 Going by Wheelbarrow to a C. E. Service in China " 490 Mayoral Reception to Dr. Clark, New Zealand " 491 Route of Dr. Clark's Fourth Journey Around the World .... " 492 A Scene in Scandinavia . " 494 How We Travel in the Boxer Country .........* " 495 Drinking Fountain Erected by Christian Endeavorers .... " 500 Hon. S. B. Capen, LL. D., Boston, Massachusetts " 501 Hon. H. B. F. Macfarland "505 German Endeavor Officers " 511 C. E. Society Girls' Orphanage, Marsova, Turkey in Asia ... " 516 Before and After — Before " 518 Before and After — After " 519 C. E. Flower Committee in India Starting for the Hospital . . " 531 C. E. Rest for Ranchmen at Pierre, South Dakota -" 533 Lumbermen's Reading Room, Furnished by Endeavorers ... " 536 Recognition Certificate ' 53S A Native Alaskan Christian Endeavorer " 54^ An Open Air Meeting in Bahia, Brazil "545 Christian Endeavorers Among the Lepers " 556 Mr. Tung and His Family " 558 Facsimile of C. E. Hymn by Rev. Samuel F. Smith ..... " 56-2 Hymn and Music by Rev. John Pollock "566 Blest Be the Tie That Binds, in French "569 Farewell to Soldiers Leaving Japan for China ...... ', ^"^^ A Burmese Choir Leader 574 A Musical Notation ^^ 5c^o Record of C. E. Missionary Collections, 1905 '^' 581 A German C E. Cartoon « ^°^ A German Symbol of Christian Endeavor . 600 - CHAPTER I. THE SOIL, THE SEED, AND THE CLIMATE. HEREIN IS DESCRIBED THE SOIL OF YOUTHFUL HEARTS, THE GOOD SEED OF THE WORD AND OF PERSONAL SERVICE, AND THE CLIMATE, WARM AND KINDLY, OF THE CHURCH OF THE LAST QUARTER OF THE NINE- TEENTH CENTURY, TOGETHER WITH A DESCRIPTION OF SOME EXPERIMENTS IN CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR THAT ANTEDATE THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SOCIETY. " The wonder now is that we have been expending ourselves so largely on literary and mutual-improvement societies, instead of appealing to the spiritual forces that were lying unawakened in so many j'oung natures. The church life of the future will be healthier, gladder, more enterprising, as our Endeavorers pour into the churches to assume, as they certainly will do, posi- tions of great responsibility." Rev. F. B. Meyer. HE growth of a new movement in the moral or re- ligious world, or, for that matter, in the social, business, or any other world, is very much like the development of a new fruit or flower. Two things, at least, are essential, the soil and the seed. In the Christian Endeavor movement the soil is the heart of youth, warm, responsive, easily cultivated. The seed is the idea of personal service for Christ and for the church. But the soil, however fertile, and the seed, though burst- ing with life, will not produce their normal fruitage in an inhospitable climate. The most fertile soil and seed brought together at the north pole will produce no fruit, and the neces- sary climate for the growth of the Christian Endeavor seed 2 17 i8 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. and its propagation in all parts of the world was not found until the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when interest in Christian nurture and the training of the young for Chris- tian service began to be the most vital interest of the Christian church. Here, then, were the three essentials of the new movement: soil, seed, and climate. The good soil and the good seed had of course always existed, and the good atmosphere in a limited degree; but they had never been brought together for the development and growth of a new and universal movement. That the soil of youthful hearts has always been respon- sive to the highest motives and always been ready to bring forth the good fruits of Christian service is proved by the experience of all those who have had anything to do with the Christian nurture of the young since our Lord said, "Let the little ones come unto Me." Many were the groups of boys and girls who in the elder days came together for prayer or for Christian work. The experience of my older readers is confirmed by the latest word of the psychologists, who have written many learned volumes to prove that at the period of adolescence and soon after the soul of the child is opened to the Infinite as at no other time. Then, they tell us, the soil of the soul is most prolific and fruit- ful. New thoughts, new emotions, new aspirations, spring up as if by magic. The good seed of the Word of God, and of personal ser- vice, too, for Christ's sake, has often been planted in all the ages past in the soil of youth by wise teachers and pas- Personai ^^^^ jj^^ jj^^j^ j^^ ^^-^.j^ ^1^^ ^^^ loaves and the two Service. fishes, the little Israelitish maiden in the court of Syria, are typical Junior Endeavorers. The boys have always been ready to distribute the loaves and fishes, and the girls have always been willing to tell the good news which they have learned, when wisely directed and encouraged by their elders. The Soil, the Seed and the Climate. i. 20 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. But, alas! the third element of religious growth among the young, the warm, genial, all-embracing atmosphere of good will and interest in their work, has not always been found in the Christian church. In fact, until within the last half-cen- tury little has been thought of them or their needs. The idea of conquest from without dominated the church, rather than the thought of growth from within. The minister and evan- gelist sought to turn the calloused feet of hardened sinners into the way of truth rather than the tender feet of the little child. The thought of the church as an army rather than a home, or as a hospital for the decrepit and the diseased rather than as a nursery, dominated the religious thought of the centuries; and it was not until Bushnell wrote his epoch-making book on Christian nurture that the modern religious world began to see that there must be training from within, as well as conquest from without, if the church was to hold her own, and win the world to her standards. One of the most interesting illustrations of the truth that, whereas the right soil and the right seed were often brought together, yet the genial climate was lacking is furnished by the stories of the old young people's societies which were formed in the earlier Puritan days of the New England com- monwealths. There were at one time a number of such socie- ties, which had many features in common with the Christian Endeavor movement, though nothing was known of them by the leaders of the modern movement for years after the Chris- tian Endeavor Society had grown strong. As gunpowder and the mariner's compass and the printing-press were invented in China centuries ago, and re- invented on an entirely independent basis when the Puritan modern European world had need of them, so the ^' principles of the modern Christian Endeavor So- ciety seem to have been antedated by the Puritans of the Mas- sachusetts Colony. No one less distinguished than Cotton The Soil, the Seed and the Climate. 21 Mather himself, apparently, formed the first of these societies. The seed was so good, and the soil so fertile, that a number of others sprung up in Massachusetts and the other New England colonies in the first half of the eighteenth century, more than a hundred and fifty years before the beginning of the modern Christian Endeavor movement. Here is a copy of three features of the agreement* made in June, 1741, by the young people of the North Parish of Bridgewater, now Brockton, Mass. We reproduce this agree- ment exactly as written out by these "yuthe who Thrue the grace of God have been awakened to be consarned about the things that belonge to our everlasting peace and that wolde re- member our Creator in the days of our yuthe." The spirit and purpose of these "yuthe" are evidently more to be commended than their orthography. "i it shall be our endeaveare to spend the tow ourse frome seven to nine of every lords day evening in prayer to gathare by turnse the one to begine and the outhear to con- clud the meting and betwene the tow prayers haveing a sar- mon repeated whereto the singing of a psalm shall be anexed and ef aftear the stated exersise of the eveneing are ovear if theare be any residue of time we will aske one a nothare ques- tions out of the catecism or some questions in divinyty or have such reliagus conversation as we shall best sarve for the edefi- cation of the sosiety." "2 that we will bare with one anothare infarmitys and not upbrad tharwith nor deulge any thing of what natur so- ever to that is done at our meetings to the pregedic of it." ** * *********** "3 one in tow monthes we will read over our articals at our metings and call over our lest that if any have been absent that may by one of the sosiety be asked the reson tharfore." That the movement indicated by this ill-spelled agreement * This document was discovered by Rev. Otis Cary, an honored missionary to Japan, when home on a furlough, and was sent to the writer. 22 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. among the youth of Bridgewater was somewhat widespread is indicated not only by the church records which we find in va- rious towns, but by some ancient books, notably a rare little leather-covered volume by Cotton Mather, the originator of these societies, published in 1724, and entitled 'Proposals for the Revival of Dying Religion by Weil-Ordered Societies for that Purpose." In this little volume, also, are contained the constitution and rules on which the other similar societies were evidently Cotton based, and these bear many curious resemblances to Mather's the modern Christian Endeavor Society. There Model. . . -' was to be a weekly meeting at which all the mem- bers evidently were expected to be present, and in these meet- ings "two hours were to be occupied with prayers and a ser- mon and the singing of a psalm annexed." Yet these differ- ences from a modern young people's meeting, which at first seem so radical, were only what might be expected in the more sedate and sermon-loving days of the Puritan commonwealth. This society was formed long before the organized missionary efforts of the American churches; but that the missionary spirit was not absent is proved by the fact that a collection was provided for, though only once in three months, "out of which the necessary charges of the society shall be defrayed, and the rest be employed upon such pious uses as may be agreed upon." But the most interesting resemblance between this old- fashioned society and those of modern times is the provision for keeping the membership an active one, and weeding out, from time to time, those who have lost their interest or are wilfully negligent of their duties. In the modern society the delinquent mxmber is quietly dropped after three consecutive and unexcused absences from the monthly roll-call meeting. In the ancient society we find this provision in the constitu- tion : "Let the List be once a quarter called over; and then. If The Soil, the Seed and the CHmate. 23 it be observed, that any of the Society have much absented themselves, Let there be some sent unto them, to inquire the Reason of their Absence; and if no Reason be given, but such as intimates an Apostacy from good Beginnings, Let them upon Obstinacy, after loveing and faithful Admonitions, be Obliterated." Evidently Cotton Mather meant that the names should be obliterated from the roll of the society, and not the persons themselves; a rule which if carried out in many a modern church and religious society would do much to prevent the accumulation of dead and unsightly limbs on the living tree. Yes, in those ancient days the seed was sound and the soil was fertile — there can be no doubt about it, for it was A substantially the same seed and the same soil that Atmos? have produced so abundant fruitage during the last phere. quarter of a century. But how different was the at- mosphere! As different as December from June. The church of that day abounded in strong, stalwart, militant souls; but the hard surroundings of those pioneer days, the rugged theology that had more often conceived of God as a King and a Judge than as a loving Father, and more especially the Pauline idea of conversion, which dominated the church almost to the exclusion of the Timothy type, all combined to produce an atmosphere in which these young people's societies could not long thrive. A few far-seeing souls, like Cotton Mather himself, and doubtless others of his type, recognized the vast importance of such a movement. They prayed, they preached, they organized, but the atmosphere of the times was too much for them. The symbol of the church in those days was the tithing- man's stick, with which to rap naughty boys over the head, rather than the shepherd's crook wherewith to guide them into the green pastures of loving service. After a time these socie- ties seem to have wholly disappeared. No trace of one of them 24 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. was to be found in any of the churches where they had been established, except in some musty records; and their exist- ence was wholly unknown, except possibly to a few antiqua- Keligious Societies. PROPOSALS For the REVIVAL of Dying Religion, BY WellOrdered Societies For That PURPOSE. With a brieFDiscouRSE, Offered unto a Keligious Society, on the Firft Day ot their Meeting. I Their V. II. Edify one another BOSTON: Printed by S. Kneeland» for John Phillips, and Sold at his Shop over againft the South-fide of the Town Houfe. 1724. UTLE-PAGE OF AN OLD BOOK BY COTTON MATHER. rians and historical scholars, for years after the Endeavor movement, which had unconsciously adopted some of Cotton Mather's principles and methods, had grown strong. The Soil, the Seed and the Climate. 25 But, as years went on, the atmosphere began to grow more spring-like, and the theology of the day became more genial. The appalling loss from the Sunday-school and in Christian families of young people who did not walk in their fathers' ways, and were lost to the church, forced itself upon the atten- tion of the Christian public. Young America began to assert itself more and more in various ways; and, though this asser- tion had many unpleasant and some deplorable features, it also had something to do with ushering in what has been called the Young People's Era. There were other contributing causes, too, which made possible in the fulness of time the new young people's move- ment. Almost exactly a hundred years before the formation of the first Christian Endeavor society, Robert Raikes in Glou- cester, in England, had formed the first modern Sunday-school, other a poor little afifair, to be sure, for ragged children, u2ng"''^ who must be tolled in by the ofTer of a hot potato. Causes. yet the pioneer of that magnificent movement which now numbers pupils by tens of millions, and its teachers by the hundred thousand. But it was the pioneer of more than the Sunday-school. That little ragged Sunday-school in a by- street of Gloucester was the forerunner of many other forms of Christian nurture and of interest in the religious life of youth, and did more than all other things to prepare the way for the time when the boys and girls, and their older brothers and sisters, should not only be taught, and entertained, and sur- feited with books and picture papers and summer picnics and Christmas trees, but should be given their share in the service and responsibility of the church of God. A generation before the date of the first Christian En- deavor society came the formation of the first Young Men's Christian Association, and this noble organization, spreading so rapidly throughout the world, and finding its most congenial home in America, did not a little to awaken the church to the 26 christian Endeavor in All Lands. needs and possibilities of the hour. If so much was to be done for the young men, why should not the young women share in the privileges and duties, and if an organization outside of the church, though related to it in most friendly and sympa- ,/ thetic bonds, should undertake this most-needed work for their' fellows who had no church affiliations, why should not the church itself do such a work for its own young people, thus drawing them to itself by the strongest of all bonds, that of active and loving service? Such ideas were the leaven in the meal, which silently were everywhere at work until the whole was leavened, or, to revert to the original figure, these influences modified and warmed the church atmosphere toward the youth until the good seed, once more planted in the good soil, could spring up and bear abundant fruitage everywhere. It is altogether probable, too, that many of the mistakes and failures made by pastors and churches in caring for the young people did their full share toward hastening the dawn- ing of the day of this modern young people's movement. The writer himself pleads guilty to his full share of these mistaker and failures, and on that account can speak of them with free- dom and without offence. Most of these mistakes lay along the line of doing too much for the young people Mistakes J r> r r and rather than allowing them to do what they could for themselves and others. Our Lord's command was practically inverted, and "Not to minister, but to be min- istered unto," the design of many, might have been the motto of many of these abortive attempts to interest and help the young. With the very best intentions, but often with very indifTer- ent results, everything possible was done to interest and attract the boys and girls. Reading-rooms were sometimes furnished, debating-societies started, musical clubs organized; teas and suppers and picnics were the order of the day in many The Soil, the Seed and the Climate. 27 churches. It became a standing and threadbare pleasantry that there were two seasons of the year when the Sunday-school would be sure to be full, just before Christmas, and again just before the midsummer picnic. From the very nature of the case the Sunday-school could not demand from its members much in the way of service. The scanty hour devoted to it must be filled with teaching. Many teachers congratulated WiLLisTON Church Parsonage, Portland, Me., Where the first Christian Endeavor society was formed. themselves if they could persuade any of their scholars even to glance at the lesson in advance. "How can we attract the young people? How can we win them to the church?" were the perennial subjects of ministers' meetings and conferences, but we seldom heard it asked: "How can we set them at work for the church? What can we give them to do for Christ?" The typical ministers' meeting which I attended Christian Endeavor in All Lands. many years ago, just before the formation of the first Christian Endeavor society, comes to my mind as I write. The subject was the one which was even then familiar and well worn, /What shall we do for the young people? How can we in any measure stop the dreadful leak between the Sunday-school and the church? How can we save the children of the church themselves, those who were in a sense born into her fellow- ship, and who she had a right to expect would grow up into her communion and service? In some form this old but imperious question was being discussed. Various remedies, and more or less successful ef- forts, were reported, when one young man, with the air of knowing it all, arose and said that he had solved the problem. He had won all the boys and girls to his side and to the side of the church. And how did he do it? Why, simply by the aid of ''the succulent oyster." He had brought the Service, . -^ ^ not boys together and given them an oyster supper, and 'then had invited the girls, and treated them in the same manner; and now they were all his friends and the friends of the church. To one other young minister in that assembly this solution of the most serious problem in the church life of the times was a woful disappointment, perhaps because he himself had made some poor and useless efforts of a similar kind. In any event, he went away disappointed and none the wiser; but his mind Was gradually working out the problem, and from the very failure of these poor makeshifts at Christian nurture he came to see that there must be something more earnest and strenuous, something that demanded service for the church, and not sim- ply a condescending willingness to be pleased and entertained by the church. In fact, he came to see that the order of our Lord's life-motto could not be reversed, but that those who should be won for the Christian life must minister, and not merely be ministered unto. The Soil, the Seed and the Climate. 29 But the entertainment idea had taken deep root every- where in the church a generation ago. On my first visit to Great Britain in the interests of the Christian Endeavor So- ciety one minister in an ecclesiastical assemblage objected to the Society because there was "too much prayer-meeting, and too little lawn-tennis." For his part, he said, he thought it quite as much the duty of his young people to play lawn-ten- nis as to go to the prayer-meeting, and he would as soon think of pledging them to one duty as the other. However, the failures of lawn-tennis, of pink teas, and Christmas trees, and summer picnics to strengthen the church and develop the religious life of the young people soon made themselves evident; and these many and varied failures were not the least important means of preparing the Christian world for an organization which should plant itself firmly and un- equivocally on the basis of service for others for Christ's sake. Thus was the atmosphere made ready for the upspringing of the good seed in the good soil. A new variety of fruit, however, must have some one starting-place, some garden in which it may first be developed X*'^ . and broup;ht to greater or less perfection ; then Experi= 00 r 1 mental sccds and shoots are easily multiplied until the of^*^ world is filled with them. Every country, and al- Endeavm- ^lost cvcry State in our own land, has now its exper- imental farm, where new seeds are tested and new varieties of fruits and flowers are given a chance to show whether they are worth the ground they occupy. Burbank, the plant-wiz- ard of California, is conducting these experiments on an enor- mous scale, and every now and then is surprising the world with some entirely wonderful production of plant life. But even Mr. Burbank has to acknowledge that many of his ex- periments are fruitless. Not one efifort in a hundred, perhaps not one in a thousand, brings forth a new and really valuable variety of fruit or flower. 30 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. In some such way, though often unconsciously, and of no set purpose, experiments are being carried on in the moral and religious world. Many of them are necessarily failures, so far as any large results follow; but they are all useful, at least in showing how not to do it; and from a thousand plants, perhaps, will spring one really desirable scion. WiLLisTON Chapel, Portland, ]\Ie., Where the first Christian Endeavor society met. Williston Church in Portland, Me., seems to have been chosen by Providence as the experimental farm for the devel- opment of a new variety of organization for young people. The pastor of the church was by no means an ecclesiastical Burbank; but he had the advantage of making various experi- ments which he found to be failures, and of being turned by The Soil, the Seed and the Climate. 31 these failures to the development of another and more fruitful form of organization. This church was well adapted to such experimental work. It was young, as well as its pastor. It was only eight years from its formation to the time when the first Endeavor society was started. It was buoyant, hopeful, and full of large expectations for the future. It had no an- cient traditions to hamper it. Its affairs need not forever be managed in the same way because they always had been thus managed. The first part of Peter's declaration concerning the use of unclean animals was never used as a text in that pul- pit, "Not so. Lord, for I never have." The people were quite willing that their young pastor, whose good intentions, at least, they believed in, should go ahead and do about as he pleased, so long as he did not preach heresy in the pulpit, or neglect the services of the sanctuary or his parish duties. ^P^g More than all, Williston Church was a most Composition favorable experimental ground for a new organiza- Wiiiiston tion for young people since its membership was very largely made up of young people. The only elderly man was the white-haired senior deacon, whose heart was as young as the youngest, and who, had he lived to watch the progress of the Endeavor movement, would have rejoiced in it as perhaps no one else. All the other members of the church, almost without exception, were on the sunny side of forty, if we may assume that the younger side is the sunnier, which, however, is an open question that need not be discussed here. There were not a few boys and girls from twelve years old and upwards ; for, though on one occasion a member of the church committee in examining candidates asked one of the trembling young disciples the old test question of sterner Puri- tan days, whether she would be willing to be damned for the glory of God, the question was not pressed, and children and young people who gave credible evidence of conversion and a purpose to lead a new life in and for Christ Jesus were always 32 christian Endeavor in All Lands. gladly and affectionately welcomed into the church-member- ship. Moreover, all the members of this church had recently come together. Its growth had been very rapid during the last three or four years, and there was a feeling of keen sym- pathy and joyous fellowship among its members such as is rarely exhibited even in the most prosperous of churches. One reason for this was that they had worked and sacrificed together. The church had been organized eight years before in a humble wooden mission chapel, where for some time a Sun- day-school had been carried on by the State Street Church, one of the weathiest and strongest in the city. Here had come together a few like-minded Christian workers, whose persist- ent desire was to carry the gospel into a neglected part of the city and care for the poorer people of the region, who could not or would not go to the more fashionable and wealthy churches. Their self-sacrificing labors were quickly and abundantly blessed, and new members were added to the church at every communion. Some wealthy and influential men came to the support of the new enterprise, and threw in their lot with the struggling church. A new and com- modious building was projected soon after the coming of their new pastor, a building which required all the resources of the struggling church, and called upon its members Local for no little self-denial. The prayer-meetings of phere^^ WilHston Church soon became famous throughout the city for their warmth and earnestness, and even on Sunday evenings the people decided that a prayer service, which often overflowed the vestry into the main body of the church, was more helpful and stimulating to their religious life than a more formal and elaborate service would be. Thus the local atmosphere was exactly favorable to the growth of the new seed which was soon to be planted. But one The Soil, the Seed and the Climate,, 33 other condition was lacking, and that was soon supplied; for an unusually gracious revival interest was aroused among the people in the winter of 1881 in connection with the Week of Prayer. In anticipation of this week the pastor had preached and prayed. Expectation of an unusual blessing was aroused. A special day of prayer by the whole church preceded it. Prayer-meetings were held in connection with the Sunday- school service after the first Sunday of January, 1881. The expected, and not the unexpected, occurred. That which had been longed for and prayed for came to pass. Revival inter- est was awakened, as had been the case during the four preced- ing years of this pastorate in connection with the Week of Prayer; but in 1881 the interest was more general and intense than before. Many young people were led to de- Revivai cidc to livc for Christ and to acknowledge Him by the^ociJty joining the church, and just at this juncture, when was not only the general atmosphere throughout the country was ready to welcome a new religious movement, but when the special and individual climate, if I may so speak, of that particular church was most congenial to the new and tender plant, the seed was dropped into the mel- low soil of youthful ardor and devotion, and the first society of Christian Endeavor sprang up, and the movement, of which the future chapters of this book will tell, had begun. The Society, let it ever be remembered, was born in a revival. CHAPTER II. THE GENESIS OF THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SOCIETY. THE BIRTH OF THE SOCIETY; ITS SUPREME PURPOSE; AND THE WAY IN WHICH THE CHARTER MEMBERS AC- CEPTED THEIR PASTOR'S SUGGESTIONS ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER. " The Society commends itself to me by proving itself at once spiritual and practical, strong and supple. I appreciate its unity and variety, and, finally, its high value as developing simultaneously a spirit of ecclesiastical loyalty and of Christian solidarity, the latter being symbolized by the common title w^hich unites all the societies under one wide banner, while it leaves to each of them perfect liberty." Rev. Theodore Monod, Paris. ROMANTIC interest always attaches to a birth, however humble and unimportant. The fluffy chicken peeping through the broken eggshell, and facing the sun for the first time with its un- accustomed eyes; the butterfly crawling out of the chrysalis before it has once dared to use its untried wings, are eagerly watched by every lover of life, because something new is stirring. Into a new body has come that wonderful, unexplainable principle called life. Even an incubator in a shop window will always attract more attention than a dis- play of the richest and costliest goods. The birth of a new organization which has a mission to perform in the world may occur in most humble and obscure circumstances. In fact, it usually does so occur, but it is nev- ertheless of interest even in its least important details. 34 Genesis of the Society. 35 The Story of a Birth. In describing the birth of the first society of Christian Endeavor I think I cannot do better than to quote the story as written out by me some years since,* when the circumstances were freshly and vividly in mind: — The second day of February, 1881, proved to be one of the bitterly cold days in the calendar of the year; and Maine knows something about cold weather, as my readers who have the good fortune to live in the Pine-Tree State can testify. Snow covered the ground and the house-tops, and glitter- ^,~^-,.^ ing icicles like stalactites of diamonds \ hung on the eaves. The crisp snow creaked under the runners of the flying sleighs, and the coasting and skating were excellent. But in spite of these outdoor attractions of a northern winter the young people accepted an invitation from their pastor and his wife to come to the parsonage. Various savory and spicy odors from the kitchen were wafted upwards to the pastor's study throughout the morning of that day, for the Mizpah Circle were coming to tea, and the pastor's wife desired to treat them with due hospitality. In the afternoon some forty girls and boys, with a few young ladies, gathered for the usual meeting of the Mizpah Circle, and after tea were joined by their older brothers and sisters. Conspicuous among the older ones were Mr. W. H. Pennell and his fine Sunday-school class of young men. After a little general conversation as to the importance of starting right, of working for the church, and of showing one's colors for Christ on all occasions, the pastor with a good deal of hesi- * In " World-Wide Endeavor." IMrs. Francis E. Clark. 36 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. tation produced a constitution whiose germs had lain in his mind for a long while, but which he had written out for the first time that day. He was afraid that its strenuous covenant would not com- mend it to the young people, that they would be afraid of its strictly religious character, that they would not find enough of the oyster-supper and "pink-tea" element in it to win their approval ; but ever since his weak faith and lack of knowledge of young hearts have been rebuked by their acceptance of this constitution and by the loyal adhesion to it of millions of like- minded youth. ^(^g It was proposed in this document, which the Object minister that morning brought down from his study, and the fe fa J ) Member= that the society should be called the "Williston ''*' Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor." Its object was declared to be "to promote an earnest Christian life among its members, to increase their mutual acquaintance, and to make them more useful in the service of God." It pro- vided also that there should be two classes of members, "ac- tive and associate," the active members being those who sin- cerely desired to accomplish the results above specified, and the associate members those who were not willing to consider themselves decided Christians, but who desired the privileges and companionships of the society. The leading committees were defined in the same way as they are now defined in the constitution of the Society, and it was soon provided that they should make a report to the soci- ety at the monthly business-meeting concerning the work of the past month. But, as in these days, so also in that early day, everything pivoted on the prayer-meeting. The most impor- tant clause of the constitution related to the prayer-meeting, which stated, ''It is expected that all the active members of this society will he present at every meeting unless detained by some absolute necessity, and that each one will take some Genesis of the Society. 37 part, however slight, in every meeting." This sentence was underscored; and, when the constitution was printed, it was put in italics, which symbolizes the way in which it has been CONSTITUTION. Fac-5iinile of Original Constitution. A ^ COPrRlGHT, 1895 The Genesis of Christian Endeavor. Facsimile of the First Page of the Original Constitution. engraved, underscored, and italicized on the heart of the Christian Endeavor movement from that day to this. Moreover, this article concerning the prayer-meeting went on to state that once each month an experience-meeting 38 christian Endeavor in All Lands. should be held, "at which meeting each member shall speak concerning his progress in the Christian life for the Piv^otai past month." "If any one chooses, he can express Meeting. J^-^ fge^jj^gg j^y ^n appropriate verse of Scripture." "It is expected, if any one is obliged to be absent from this experience-meeting, he will send his reason for absence by some one who attends." Moreover, at the close of the month- ly experience-meeting, the constitution specifies that "the roll shall be called, and the response of the active members who are present shall be considered a renewed expression of alle- giance to Christ. If any member is absent from the monthly experience-meeting and fails to send an excuse, the lookout committee is expected to take the name of such a one, and in a kindly and brotherly spirit ascertain the reason of the absence. If any member of this society is absent and unexcused from three consecutive experience-meetings, such a one ceases to be a member of the society, and his name shall be stricken from the list of members." v' It will be noticed, that, word for word, this original con- stitution has in all important particulars been followed by the vast majority of the almost numberless millions of copies of constitutions printed since, though there is no compulsion in this matter, and every society may frame its own constitution in general conformity to the Christian Endeavor idea. The object of the Society was defined in the same way then as now. The two classes of members were distinguished from each other by the same definition then as now. The committees, so far as they were outlined at all, were assigned the same duties in that original constitution as they now assume wherever they are found. The provision for the consecration-meeting was complete from the first, and the same words are used now as then, with the exception that it was in those days called an "experience- meeting," a name which was often applied to it for some years, Genesis of the Society. 39 but which was afterwards dropped for the broader and more significant term "consecration-meeting." This, then, was the document which the pastor on that cold February evening brought down-stairs to his young peo- ple. No wonder that he felt in some doubt as to whether they would accept its strong and iron-clad provisions. With a good deal of natural hesitation he presented it to them, and read the constitution through, page by page. How ^ deathly stillness fell upon the meeting. t*^^ .^ ^. Those strict provisions were evidently more than the Constitution . ^ -^ was young people had bargained for. They had not Received. , ^ j , , i i • i • • i • been accustomed to take their religious duties so seriously. Nothing of the sort had ever been heard of in that church, or, to their knowledge, in any church, before. To some of them it seemed that more was expected of them than of the deacons even, and other officers of the church; and they felt keenly their own inexperience and awkwardness in Chris- tian service. It was simply a company of average young people. Not many mighty, not many learned, were there; but this company was another of the weak things which God used to confound the mighty. These young men and women were as bashful, as timid and retiring, as any similar company probably. Among them was not a single unpleasantly precocious young Christian. There was no prig in all that room, imbued with the smug consciousness that he was "not as other men." They were active, energetic, fun-loving young people, just such as can be gathered in any church to-day. But they were Christian young people. Their hearts were touched by love for Him who gave Himself for them, and they sincerely desired to do His will. As I said, a considerable and painful silence fell upon the meeting when this constitution with its serious provisions was proposed. It seemed as if the society would die still-born. 40 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. and be simply a creature of the pastor's imagination. But God ordered it otherwise. In that company were two who were especially influential and helpful in launching the little craft. These were Mr. W. H. Pennell, before mentioned, 5- /^ //. J3 yd: j6. n- //OUa.^*^^^c^ First Twenty Names of the Original Members. and the pastor's wife. Seeing that the matter was likely to fall through, at least for that meeting, Mr. Pennell affixed his sig- nature to the constitution, and called upon his class of young Genesis of the Society. 41 men to do the same. Mrs. Clark quietly circulated among the girls of the Mizpah Circle, persuading them that it was not such a "dreadful" promise to make as they at first supposed, telling them that any earnest young person could live up to the provisions of this constitution, and promising herself to be an active member, though at first she shrunk from the pledge as much as any of them. One by one the young men and women affixed their names to the document, a few more minutes were spent in conversation, a closing prayer was offered and a hymn sung, and the young people went out into the frosty night to their homes, with many a merry "Good-night," "Good-night," to each other; and the first society of Christian Endeavor was formed. CHAPTER III. SOME FIRST THINGS. THE FIRST PRAYER-MEETING, THE FIRST LEADERS^ THE FIRST SOCIAL GATHERINGS, AND THE FIRST COM- MITTEES ARE THE SUBJECT OF THIS CHAPTER. " This admirable movement has alreadj^ survived the peril of being a ' novelty.' There is a cemetery for religious and benevolent enterprises just at that point where novelty dies out, and plenty of them have had Christian burial in that ' potter's field.' By God's good guidance and rich blessing the Christian Endeavorers have left that fatal spot far behind, and are marching on, two million strong. May the societies live on, to march into the millennial morning with colors flying and the dear name of the Crucified on every ensign." Rev. Theodore Cuyler, D.D., in l8p4. LTHOUGH the first society of Christian Endeav- or was born, it had not yet begun its work, nor had it proved its right to live. The easiest thing in the world to do is to start a new organization. It requires little genius or foresight, and no tact and patient persistence. But to keep an organization alive, to foster it so that it shall increase in strength and stature and in favor with God and man — that is difficult. Thousands of young people's organizations, in the church and out, have been born only to die an inglorious death, ''unwept, unhon- ored, and unsung." Such organizations had been started be- fore in Williston Church, and had come to their natural end in a longer or shorter space of time. These failures caused the new organization to be looked upon, even by its warmest friends and advocates, with something of doubt and fear, if not 42 Some First Things. 43 of distrust. Would it go the way of all the others? Would it flourish famously for a few weeks, and then "peter out," in ^ the expressive language of the boys of that period? E^^'dm nt ^^ ^"^ could answer these questions, or pretended to. The new society was an acknowledged experi- ment, but an experiment undertaken modestly, but with trust in God for results, and with "faith triumphant o'er our fears." The first prayer-meeting of the society was held a few days after the organization described in the last chapter, and on a Friday evening, the regular eve- ning for the young people's meeting in that church. The pastor, at least, went to that meeting with not a little anxiety. He had staked much in his own mind upon this new organization. It was, he almost felt, his last hope ; for he had tried other plans of interesting, enter- taining, and thus winning the young people, with very indifferent success. But this first prayer-meeting of the new society surpassed his fondest ex- pectations. It was a revelation, to him and to all who attended it, of what a ^- J- ^''" P^"^"- young people's meeting might be. Nothing like it before had ever been held in Williston Church, noted as that church was, in limited circles, at least, for its good prayer-meetings. A young man * was in the chair as leader of that first meet- ing, who was experienced and gifted in such service ; but he did not have to do it all, or exhort any one to "occupy the time," or overwork the hymn-book in efiforts to prevent the hour from dragging too wearily. For the first time in the history of that church, at least, all who attended the meeting felt some obliga- tion to sustain it. They were not eloquent or wise, these * Mr. Granville Staples, the first president of the society. 44 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. young people; but the meeting was theirs in a peculiar sense, and they were there not merely to listen and absorb, but to give out and to help. The result was that, instead of the three or four little ser- monettes and long prayers which had heretofore filled up the hour of the young people's meeting, forty young First people, more or less, with Scripture verses and sen- me^etfne. tences of prayer, and some of the more experienced with longer testimonies or exhortations, were heard in those precious and prophetic sixty minutes devoted to the first genuine Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting. The singing, too, took on new life and vigor; for it was their own singing; their own chosen hymns were suggested; in fact, in every sense it was their own meeting. It was evidently the little clause relating to the prayer-meeting which had wrought this marvellous change. This clause, which was afterwards expanded into the prayer-meeting pledge, read as follows : "It is expected that all the members of the society will be present at every meeting, unless detained by some absolute necessity, and that each one will take some part, however slight, in every meeting." But this meeting, though the first, was by no means the hist of t'^e series, nor was it the best, for each successive meet- ing seemed to grow in interest and power. Numbers in- creased rapidly. Young men and women who never thought of going to a prayer-meeting before were attracted to this one. When they came once, they came again, and often were soon enrolled as earnest Christians and active members of the society. The halting, stumbling, btSt genuinely sincere, utter- ances of these young disciples, the heartiness of their singing, the very Scripture verses which they made their own as they brought them to the meeting, gave new power and a perennial interest to a meeting which before had often been a dragging Some First Things. 45 discouragement to pastor and young people alike. No longer now did the pastor look forward with apprehension to the Friday evening meeting, but with eager anticipation as to a place where he should himself gain spiritual help and new courage for his work, and in which his part, if he chose, might be as slight as that of the youngest boy. In fact, though always present and always participating, he rarely led a meeting, preferring to sit with the young men as one of them, and giving the responsibility and educational advantage of leadership to those who needed it most, some- times the very youngest boys and girls in the society. Of course it will not be supposed that a high order of lit- Spread= crary merit was always attained in these meetings, eagle nor that the graces of fluent eloquence and oratory Oratory ... Discour= were often exhibited. In fact, eloquence and ora- ^^^ * tory were rather discouraged, and anything like bombastic spread-eagleism would have seemed too absurd to be indulged in such a time and place. There were, to be sure, a few among the older members who were educated, experienced, and gifted ; but it was under- stood by all that the young people's meeting was no place to display gifts or graces of speech, but simply for outspoken ac- knowledgment of the religious purpose, a place for the ex- pression, however poor and halting the words used, of the dominant purpose of life to serve Christ and to help others. This thought entirely revolutionized the prayer-meeting idea of that church so far as the young people were con- cerned. It was not a place primarily for instruction, for learned essays or homilies, or even for "edification" in the old- fashioned sense of that term. It w^as a place for arousing the dormant religious life, for training and practice in the expres- sion of that life, for the development of courage in acknowl- edging one's convictions, of sympathy for those who were struggling forward on the same up-hill road to the Celestial 46 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. City, and of encouragement to the weakest and humblest who, thus comparing notes, as it were, with others in the same stage of religious development, would gain a help that they could never get from the learned and the experienced. In my opinion the true prayer-meeting idea a quarter of a century ago was in danger of being lost, as indeed it is now in some individual churches. The idea of instruction was dom- inating it. It had become the unwritten law in many a church iSIF ITS PASTOR. ESTABLISH ED Of: i-^sr SOCIETY or christ 5 SPOT THE SOCIETY HAS SPH, iiNDERTHE PROViDENCr OFO "^TH IN EVERY LAND. C 't I R. EUROPE, AFRICA. ilETHANNFVERS/. \RY SECQND.lOOUiAv, iRISTIANENDEAVGR./ . JR. CH Rl STANDI: _ - , iHS»p»'W<»*?"iW«5" •T!?! iii)jii|ji)iii f i^iwy^wy^ww Memorial Tablet, Williston Church, Portland, Me. that only those who were gifted and well educated could '^take part to edification" in the prayer-meeting. This idea had already borne disastrous fruit in many a church which had practically given up the social midweek meeting free to all for participation, and had substituted the midweek lecture, practically another little sermon to burden the pastor, and often to prove of small benefit to the few who heard it. But the radical idea that there was a place for all in the young people's meeting, and a part that all could take, however timid, bashful, or ignorant, revolutionized and re- Some First Things. 47 vivified that dying young people's meeting in Williston Churchi, as it has done to many another wherever the Chris- tian Endeavor idea has extended. As has been said, not only were the youngest and most Youne inexperienced young people expected to take part Leaders in the meeting, but they were expected to lead it as Christian well; and this leadership of the weak proved by no means weak leadership, for with redoubled readi- ness and earnestness the others w^ould rally to the help of their inexperienced and sometimes sadly flustrated companions; and all would pronounce this meeting at the end the very best of all. , One of these early meetings I remember w^ith peculiar interest because of the entire inadequacy of the leadership from the oratorical point of view. It was the first attempt of this boy of thirteen or fourteen, who had but just begun the Christian life. The subject of the meeting was "Christian Heroism," or willingness to endure ridicule for Christ's sake. The boy leader gave out the hymn, and stumbled through the Scripture passage, evidently in great trepidation; but, when it came to giving his few words of explanation or exhortation, his ideas evidently forsook him. "If you are a Christian, — " he began, and could get no further. "If you are a Christian, — " he said once more, and there was another pause. "What you scared of, anyway?" was his only comment, and he sat down, doubtless inwardly covered with shame and confusion of face. But it proved to be a capital opening for the meeting. The young leader had shown his own determination and cour- age, and that was better than a well-ordered and eloquent dis- course on Christian heroism. The youngest and weakest felt that they could do as well as he; and so the meeting went on from start to finish with prayer and song and testimony and Scripture quotation, far more successfully, doubtless, than if 48 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. the pastor or one of the elders had sat in the chair, and direct- ed the thought of the young people. It must not be supposed that all the meetings were of exactly this type. There were skilled leaders for some of them; sometimes the opening thought was contained in a brief written essay; and the pastor and a few older Endeavorers were always present to give the meeting the right turn if inex- perience or timidity went hopelessly wrong. In fact, there was an infinite variety to these meetings, which was one of their perpetual charms. But there were other "first things" in this new society besides the first prayer-meeting. This society did not expend all its energies upon the weekly meetings any more than its thousands of successors. This was rather the power-house where were obtained the spiritual energy and fervor which turned all the wheels of the society. The first social gathering was quite as success- ful in its way as the first prayer-meeting. A social committee had been appointed at the very outset, and this committee felt it to be its bus- iness and privilege to make this first sociable as interesting and helpful to all as it could possibly be made. No wallflowers were allowed to adorn the sides of the room. No little groups and cliques were expected to spend the evening together to the neglect of their companions. It was a bright, breezy, entertaining gathering; and all went away feeling that a new social centre for the young people had been found, and that centre the church to which they belonged. Rev. C, A. Dickinson. D. D. ^ . , r ■, n , • , Los An<:-eies Cai Another of the nrst thmgs was the The First Sociables. Some First Things. 49 missionary committee with its activities. The Mizpah Circle, before alluded to, had trained the girls and the younger boys in missionary activities; and it was not hard for them to under- stand that to work for others was quite as essential a feature of the new young people's society as to pray among themselves. Pledge-cards for collecting missionary money were at once in- troduced, and the outlook of the society from the very first day embraced not only Portland and its charities, and the needs of America, but extended to India, China, Africa, and the islands of the sea; a prophecy, as it now seems, of the way in which this little society, looking out from Williston Church to the very ends of the earth, should soon go out into these distant countries to promote their evangelization and civili- zation. Other committees to turn the musical ability of the soci- First ^^^ ^^ good account, to beautify the pulpit with Coni= flowers, to visit the sick and poor, and to welcome mittees. ^ , , strangers, were soon formed as the necessary out- growth of the Christian Endeavor idea; and on that very first evening the lookout committee, which has proved so potent a factor in the life and growth of the whole move- ment, was inaugurated. Its name indicates its purpose. It was to look out over the whole field of the society, and far beyond its borders. It was to find new members, and bring them in and introduce them to the work and to the workers. It was to be a kind of outside conscience to the indifferent and careless, to remind them of their duties, and to win them back to their allegiance. In a sense, indeed, this was the great fly-wheel of the society, which was to keep all the other wheels running. Its duties and offices were perhaps quite as original as any other feature of the new organization, and it has proved an indispensable adiunct wherever the Christian idea has found its way. These first social gatherings, first missionary enterprises, 4 50 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. first meetings, first committees, were only the first in a long series of growingly successful efforts to help the young and train them for Christ in Williston Church. The secret, if not of perpetual motion, at least of perpetual rejuvenation and renewal of energy seemed to have been discovered. This new society did not wane and dwindle as others had done be- fore it. The love of the members did not wax cold; or, if some lost their first energy and impulse for service, others were added, and laggards were revived, so that the numbers and zeal of the society steadily held their own or advanced. The minister did not have to push, and prod, and exhort, and in the end carry the burden himself; but it was dis- tributed on so many younger shoulders that half of his own previous load was carried by them; and, with the young peo- ple to do the work and take the leadership in many ^^earing activities, he could nevertheless be the unseen BurdeiT*^* power behind them, keeping his hands on the reins to guide the little chariot where he deemed best, and always keeping in touch with his young people, as he had never been able to do before they were thus carefully organized for Christian service. In other words, an organization as nearly self-governing and self-propagating as any organization can be had come into existence in Williston Church, and the problem which had exercised the heart of this pastor and thousands of others had in a measure been solved. It is not out of place to add here, perhaps, that after a quarter of a century the original society is still as strong and vigorous as ever. The minister who formed the society remained with them for only about three years after its organization. Three others have suc- ceeded him, and to-day their honored pastor* declares that the society is still as his own right hand, that the young people are unswervingly loyal and true to their obligations. Genera- =^Rev. Smith Baker. D.D. Some First Things. 51 tion has succeeded generation, for the generations in a young people's society are necessarily short-lived; but the original spirit animates the Williston young people of to-day. They have recently raised among themselves a thousand dollars for their beautiful new parish house, and in all activities for their society, for their church, and the "regions beyond" they main- tain all the zeal and devotion of the original Endeavorers. CHAPTER IV. THE EXODUS OF THE SOCIETY. HEREIN IS FOUND THE STORY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND SOCIETY, AFTER EIGHT MONTHS OF TEST- ING OF THE FIRST IN THE WILLISTON CHURCH, AND THE EARLIER EVENTS WHICH HASTENED THE EXODUo INTO ALL THE WORLD. " The coming historian will characterize the nineteenth century as The Age of New Forces. He will make mention of steam and electricity, and of their wonderful application and adjustments in the industrial world. He will have some- thing to say about dynamite and of the part it played in en- forcing peace. But he will dwell with vastly greater emphasis on certain new forces and new adjustments of religious things, such as the Sunday-school, the missionary propaganda, the tem- perance reform, women's work, and the Endeavor movement. Nor is the last the least. It stands for the transfusion of youthful blood ; it means the mobilization of the Christian army; it marks an awakening as distinct as the Crusades and immensely more momentous." Rev. David J. Burrell, D.D., New York City. HE exodus of the Society of Christian Endeavor from its original home was unlike that of the Israelites in that it was no forced matter com- pelled by hard taskmasters who would hold it back from any Promised Land. There was always the utmost readiness on the part of that society to share with others the good things which God gave to it, but its plans and methods were never forced upon another church or upon the attention of the world. The Society went out because it could not stay at home. It illuminated othei 52 The Exodus of the Society. 53 churches than Williston and other towns than Portland for the same reason that a candle gives its light. It could not help it. And yet for eight months the Christian Endeavor idea in its modern form was confined to Williston Church. It needed such a period of probation and testing before its value was sufficiently assured to be recommended to others. But by that time it had not only "felt its feet," to use a nursery phrase appropriate to such an infant society, but was ready to walk and leap beyond the borders of its own church home. By that time nearly thirty weekly prayer-meetings had been held, and with very few exceptions they had all been marked by spiritual power, and had proved of real Tpl'^g and lasting benefit to all the members. By that Testin time, too, the monthly roll-call meeting, which at first was called an "experience-meeting," had proved its supreme value in once a month facing the young dis- ciples with the question of their progress or decline in the Christian life. The very calling of the names, as of those who had committed themselves to the service of the Master and to upholding the honor of His church, had a remarkable restraining and elevating influence, and it had come to be thought of, as it has since been frequently called, "the crown- ing meeting." The committees, too, several new ones having been added since that February night which has already been described, were working effectively and without friction; and their monthly written reports showed what they had at least endeavored to do in Christ's name and for His church. The experimental days were by no means over, but the new plans had been sufficiently tried to permit a modest recital of them in The Congregationalist newspaper, under the title, "How One Church Looks after its Young People." This article, which was merely a brief description of the methods and plans of the Society of Christian Endeavor, now so well 54 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. known, brought me an unexpected correspondence. I expect- ed to hear no more from this than from any other newspaper article; and, as every writer knows, that is usually very little. But this article seemed to be on a subject which was exercising the minds of many. A reprint of the article in The Sunday-School Times and other papers in England and America increased the Appearance Correspondence concerning this new organization, '". though it was some years before any fruit appeared in Great Britain. So many were the requests for information that it was soon found necessary to print with a gelatine pad some copies of the constitution which the Willis- ton Society had adopted, to send to inquiring friends. But even then it never occurred to any one, certainly not to the writer, that the subject would prove of general interest, or that it would ever be worth while to spend any money for printers' ink in making known the principles of the Society. Those early days of small expectations stand out in vivid con- trast to these days that mark the close of the first quarter-cen- tury of the movement. Now the constitution, which was then printed by the laborious and imperfect hectograph process, is multiplied by a million copies every year, and is calculated not in one lan- guage only, but in fifty. The principles which were then regarded as entirely experimental, adapted possibly to the church where they originated and to a few others of a similar character, are now confidently recommended not only to Amer- icans and to the churches of the Pilgrim order, but to liturgical and non-liturgical churches, to English and French, Spaniards and Scandinavians, to the Teutons and the Slavs alike, to the Orientals as well as Occidentals. And not without reason or in a spirit of boastfulness is the Society thus commended, but because during these twenty-five years it has proved its adaptability to all these races and its ability to do for young The Exodus of the Society. 55 people everywhere, if it is given a fair chance, what it had already done for the young people of Williston Church. The reason for this universal adaptability must lie not in any wisdom of methods, but in the principles that underlie these methods. It is inconceivable that any mere form or plan of church-work that was not based on fundamental and universal principles could have thus succeeded so quickly in finding its way into every land and language. CARD OP MEMBERSHIP. CU T ^ .(^ ^ ^ ^ f^ iX>( jpl^eo CDQj^git G^Qj ^^fiiTest^ssiiU nwS^ isir^f cr^ssr Q^FtuujQeuesirCBQLneBrtnt ^aientr Q/sirdQ QBiSjfgj Qen/iu) ai''&^eieii(^Oeuek erarj>u>, ereir ^aisrreo SHU) aiira(SfdQan(BdBQpair. ^(5 Qifliuir ^eaiuQiuins erdr ai^eawaisirQiuM' e^tTLo K^emaawujiTiLi iSee>pQaippei)u>, erek sit^^q^ld ^eigi—ai((hLDi'@LU ^dius- fiirSfSlU) uiii^QujDetjt}) eifTd^dQsir(Sd@<:peir. wrr/faii^B fifliSsr^£i>€aL.» ^^L-i—fiPfl^ eiinru>^Qr)de Oeieiri^jfiiTiiS(i^d(^u>QuirQgf!, s>.(Swir(a)ei jfuuLf. eijiTpQd(^ia aimesur/ieofi^ a^iiafifiirQ^d^^ O^ifisEuQuek. S^uiSuih — , -..- _ esnaOiui^^^. - TAMIL. The Cliristian Endeavor Covenant in Tamil. But here is the secret: The Society in every part, in pledge and prayer-meeting, in its committees and all its activ- ities, is based on these principles. The young Christian has implanted within him something of devotion to the highest ideals and a desire to attain them. The very words "conver- sion" and "Christian" are empty and meaningless Principles, unlcss this is true. This devotion must find expres- sion in word and deed. "No impression without expression," is the latest word of the psychologist. Reduced 56 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. to ordinary phrase, the young Christian to grow in grace must practise the Christian graces. He must give out as well as receive. He must exercise as well as eat. He must not be ashamed of his religion, or unwilling to sacrifice himself for his Master. The Christian Endeavor Society simply says: "I will show these young Christians how they may work and how they may speak for Him whom they have begun to serve. I will provide an easy and natural channel for the expression by word and deed of their religious life." Human nature is the same the world around, whatever be the color of the skin, the environment, or the heredity. To be a Christian means the same thing on the Congo that it means in Chicago; in Laos as in London the service of Christ i i 'm^ m ^ r <■ 4 '^' .y-v ^^ iiH V X ^ L 't ^ 6 /./ > X /^ f/S 'f ^ - ^^ ^ I- f isi: m .-^ ^ '^' ^ x^ -^ <■ M in ^ ^ ^ ^ ^- f mm J. - ^\-\ u^ ^ ^' ^ ^ m ^, - 4^ ^ t- •= ^ ^ y^\^ » ^ u m ^' ^ m -= / ^ '^ -^ m m jf m "$ "^ <• M ■= m ^ ^- * ? ^ ^ -l^ ^J ^ #i L -4^ qf qp ^ * M ^ fiH ? <• ia ^' li? ^ ^< "^ J. m m ^ i-^ mi^m 4 0 ^ ^/ i? ^ - - 51 # JAPANESE. The Christian Endeavor Covenant in Japanese. calls for the same qualities of sincerity and devotion; and so an organization which made this appeal to the young people finds itself as much at home on the banks of the Nile or the Yang-tse-kiang as it does on the shores of the Connecticut or the Thames. The Moses of the new movement, if we may so call him, The Exodus of the Societyo 57 who first led it out into a new field of activity, was Rev. Charles Perry Mills, of the North Church in Newburyport, Mass. Mr. Mills, who some years ago passed on to his abundant reward, was from the very beginning of his most useful career an enthusiastic advocate of the organization. After many years of labor among his own young people, recalling a full decade of happy service in his Christian Endeavor society, he characteristically wrote : — "In the first voyage which the young Christian Endeavor child undertook, it passed successfully from port to port, from Portland to Newburyport, where it was warmly adopted be- cause of its comely beauty and promising vigor. That Chris- tian Endeavor was of spiritual origin and destined to become a providential movement may be gathered from the similarity of the occasions that called into being the first and second soci- eties. The Newburyport pastor, the first winter of his pas- torate, 1 88 1, had the happiness to see a revival that resulted in the conversion of a goodly number of young people, a revival that was simultaneous with the one that occurred in the Port- land church, that produced similar results, and that led to the formation of the first society, and then, when the plan of the first was known, to the second. The spiritual chords were vibrating in unison, all unconsciously, between these two sea- port cities seventy miles apart on the Atlantic coast. . . . It was divinely given to Dr. Clark to originate the motion; the Newburyport pastor has always felt special gratitude that his life has been signalized by the opportunity given him to second the motion. If a motion is made and not seconded, that is one sign that it is without wisdom, or that the time is not ripe. But, when the motion is seconded, it is then open for discussion and adoption. The Williston plan was seconded because it was motion, an advance method over existing organ- izations for the training of the young." 58 christian Endeavor in All Lands. Mr. Mills's "second" of the Williston motion was quickly followed by others, and before the new year of 1882 dawned there were at least three or four other societies, one in a Chris- tian church in Rhode Island, another in the St. Lawrence/ Church of Portland, still another in Burlington, Vt. ; and then the list began to increase so rapidly that the exact order could no longer be kept recorded. Demands upon the parent society and its pastor for infor- mation concerning the work became more and more numer- ous. A private bureau of information was practically estab- lished, whose expense was largely divided between Mr. W. H. Pennell, the first signer of the constitution, and the pastor. The constitution was printed, and one or two leaflets were prepared to save busy men the labor of an overburdening cor- respondence. But even then there was no thought of any large or permanent movement as resulting from the Williston experiment. How could such development come from such a tiny mustard seed? How could the branches from so insig- nificant and inconspicuous a tree extend into all the world? The idea, if it had occurred to any one in those days, would have seemed quite absurd. There were hundreds of more in- fluential churches and wiser pastors throughout the country, who could with far more promise of success start such a move- ment. But again God chose the "foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and . . . the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, . . . that no flesh should glory in his presence." One event which hastened the exodus of the Christian Endeavor Society was doubtless a little convention or "confer- ence," as it was then modestly called, which was held in Wil- liston Church on the second of June, 1882. This conference was certainly "the day of small things" from the modern con- vention standpoint. But it is significant that before the first The Exodus of the Society. 59 society was eighteen months old it should call together its few friends and neighbors, saying, "Rejoice with me." This gath- ering was a forecast, small and insignificant as it was, of one of the great means which have been used of God in promot- ing the exodus of the Christian Endeavor idea. It is not too much to say that the Society has introduced a new era of con- ventions. It has popularized to an amazing extent the great religious convocation, and that little gathering in Williston Church on that early June day was the John the Baptist of the mighty gatherings, thirty, forty, and fifty thousand strong, that have assembled in Boston and New York and San Fran- cisco and London, and which, with magnificent numbers and enthusiasm, now assemble year by year in almost every Prot- estant country in the world. Six societies, with less than five hundred members, were represented at this first conference; but it was known that a few others existed. From Bath, thirty-five miles from Port- land, one society sent representatives, all the other delegates coming from the city of Portland, which by that time had four flourishing societies, the Williston being the largest and report- ing 168 members. It was thought remarkable, indeed, that any one should be enough interested in the society to journey the thirty miles or so necessary to bring the delegates from Bath to Portland, and their devotion was favorably com- mented on. But these few journeying delegates were typical of a great host which was soon to begin to make its annual pilgrimage to the Christian Endeavor convention. A few years later, at about the same time of year, nearly 25,000 young people were journeying, not thirty miles, within the boundaries of a single State, but most of them for three thousand miles across the continent, to attend a similar conven- tion in San Francisco. Delegates have been known to walk for seven days over the hot plains and hills of Mexico for two hundred miles or more, to reach their convention. Hundreds 6o Christian Endeavor in All Lands. crossed the ocean from America to England when the World's Convention was held in the world's commercial capital. And I have myself seen my Bengalese fellow Christian Endeavor- ers reach their convention village very early in the morning, after an all-night tramp to reach it, which they must repeat on the following night, after the convention was over, in order CARD OF MEMBERSHIP. •T* g° » ;iM. rfS» jSA>S^» "^ab . ed!6aSj£Jb4o '^;&rnax> "^ScSoS'&sSj^Stp «90S)S P&,. ■"^§oUte id? bei einer monatIid?cn Konfefrations=Der» fommlung burd?aus nid?t attroefenb fein fonncn, fo njill id?, roenn irgenb "moglid?, einen Sprud? l^eiliger Sd?rift einfenben, ber beim ilufruf meines 21amcns oerlefen roerbcn foil. SRome: _ _ GERMAN. Facsimile of a Christian Endeavor Pledge in German. ings distinct in their type and in their results from former young people's meetings. Objections would often be dispelled, too, if it were always borne in mind that the covenant is entirely a voluntary one, 244 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. assumed usually without any undue urging, after a full con- sideration of its weight and meaning. So far as its specific obligations relating to the society are concerned, which are the only ones ever objected to, they may be terminated at the will of the member. When other duties press upon him, when cares of family and church make it impossible for him longer to perform the duties of an active member, he can withdraw without incurring any reproach from his own conscience or from others, for the only lifelong part of the pledge is that involved in the very essence of the Christian life, to strive to do what Christ would like to have us do. The provision so plainly stated and twice repeated in the covenant is also sometimes forgotten. These promises are made with the proviso that we have no reasonable excuse for not performing them that we can give to the Master. This is just as important and forceful as any other clause in the pledge; and was meant to provide, and does provide, all neces- sary and reasonable relief from its requirements when in spe- cific instances they cannot be fulfilled. ''This leaves one's religious duties," it has been said, "where they ought to be left, a personal matter between one's self and one's Saviour." It brings everything to the touchstone of conscience; it leads the young Christian to ask, 'What would Jesus have me do?" It afifords a constant and much-needed stimulus for the con- science, and in it will be found no word or suggestion that is unreasonable or freakish. The covenant has thus been analyzed: ''First, I will read the Bible. ''Second, I will pray. "Third, I will support my own church. "Fourth, I will attend the weekly prayer-meeting of the society. ^^Fifth, I will take some part in it, aside from singing. The Christian Endeavor Covenant. 245 ^^Sixth, I will perform a special duty at the consecra- tion-meeting if obliged to be absent."* Each one of these promises has a reason and a special reason. No one of them is an unnecessary or an arbitrary vow. Each one has its purpose and important design, and, as ex- perience has proved, has been successful in accomplishing its design. This whole matter has been put in a forceful and pithy way as follows : ^^^ "Don't believe in daily prayer and Bible-reading? Analysis "Don't bclieve in taking part in prayer-meetings? Covenant "Don't believe in going to church? "Don't believe in supporting your own church? "Don't believe in doing Christ's will? "Don't believe in leading a Christian life? "Don't believe in trying to do all these things? "Don't believe in promising to try to do them? "Why, of course you do when it is put that way! This is all you promise in the pledge— just to try to do them; and the pledge expressly says that you are not to do them whenever you think Christ would excuse you from them. Certainly no less excuse should satisfy you, pledge or no pledge, "t It should also be remembered that no absolute uniformity of phraseology is demanded in the covenant. In fact, many forms of the pledge are now in use, though the spirit and pur- pose and the general idea in all are the same; in all is the covenant idea that the Master promises the strength and we promise the obedience. The Junior covenant, for instance, is shorter and more simple than the one generally used by the older society. There is no child who cannot intelligently and honestly promise to strive to do what Christ would have him do, to pray and read * " Training the Church of the Future." t Amos R. Wells, in " The Endeavorer's Daily Companion." 246 christian Endeavor in All Lands. the Bible, and to be present and take part in each meeting in the simplest possible way "when I can;" and this is all that is required. The sailors evidently cannot promise to sup- Different p^^j. ^i^g-j. Q^j^ church, for they have none to sup- 2!. ^}^^ port; but thev have a covenant which is just as Pledge. r 5 ^ j forceful and helpful to them in their Floating socie- ties as any that is taken by those who do business on the land instead of on the great deep. In some places in India are Christian Endeavor societies ARMENO-TURI^ISH, The Christian Endeavor Covenant in Armeno-Turkish. composed wholly of heathen children. They cannot honestly promise to pray to the God whom they have not yet learned to love, or to serve Him ; but they do promise to read the Bible and to learn about Christianity. Such are the flexibility and the complete adaptability to the most diverse circumstances of the Christian Endeavor movement and its covenant. The Christian Endeavor Covenanto 247 Some pastors do not find enough in the ordinary cove- nant, and they are entirely at liberty to put in whatever they choose. Some have availed themselves of this liberty, and have prefaced the pledge with something of a complete creed and confession of faith. "Surely, if there is any feature of the whole movement which has scriptural warrant, it is the pledge. The Bible is a book of covenants from beginning to end. The New Testa- ment is the 'New Covenant in His name,' and every specific promise in its essence and spirit in the Christian Endeavor covenant is commended by Christ Himself."* A most interesting study would be the story of Influence Covenants in all ages, and the tremendous influence o* they have had upon the history of the world. Covenants. _^ • i /• t ^;o i t t ^ Ihmk of the bolemn League and Covenant of the Scottish martyrs! There is no more holy spot than the flat tombstone in Greyfriars' churchyard, in Edinburgh, where with the blood drawn from their own veins they signed and sealed the covenant which ensured Scotland's liberties and made Scotland great. The covenant signed by the Pilgrims in the cabin of the Mayflower has had perhaps more to do with the prosperity and moral vigor of America than any other document, not except- ing even the Declaration of Independence, which is only an- other covenant, which the signers pledged their names, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to sustain. Every church and body of Christians that has made any deep impression upon the world has had its own covenant, though some have repudiated all creeds. Some standard of living which binds its members together, sets before them ideals, and gives a definite aim must exist in all organiza- tions. This is what the Christian Endeavor covenant pledge has done and is doing to-day in every part of the world. * " Training the Church of the Future." 248 christian Endeavor in All Lands. A witty writer has written at length of the pledge as a tonic,* in which on analysis he finds the following ingredients: "Chloride of gold, ' Trusting in the Lord Jesus Pledge as Christ for strength.' Iron, 'I promise Him that I a will strive to do whatever He would like to have ^°"'*^* me do.' Chloride of sodium (salt), 'As an active member I promise to be present at, and to take some part, aside from singing, in every Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting.' Quinine, 'Unless hindered by some reason which I can consci- entiously give to my Master.' Ammonia, 'If obliged to be ab- sent from the monthly consecration-meeting of the society, I will, if possible, send at least a verse of Scripture to be read in response to my name at the roll-call.' The balance of the tonic consisted of water, used to unite these various elements." fpol^haje V Spasitele sv6ho JeiiSe Krista, jakoSto svoji posilu slibuji Jeniu, ie se budb snaiiti abych dinil v5e, co se Jemu Hbf; ddle ie se .budu kaSdodennS tnodliti i Cfsti p(smo svat^ a pokud mi nio2no bude po cel^ svfij iivot po kfesfansku 2fti. Jakoito £inn^ ilen slibuji b^ti pHtomnu a uiastnu v ka2d£ 3chuzi nenaskytne-li se mi nSjaki pfek^ika, kterou bych se mohl svfidomitfi omluviti pfcd sv^m P4nem, JeifSem Kristem. Bude-li mi nemoino dostaviti se do posvScujkf m£s(£nf schOze, chci poslati oniluvu svojf nepHtomnosti dozorCfmu v^boru. Jmino: Ihu, .18 Adreta bomemian. The Christian Endeavor Covenant in Bohemian. Then the writer, after analyzing the tonic, goes on to tell how he entered into an agreement with his friend "Dr. Cure- all" to try the efifect of his tonic upon his patients; and he, the doctor, was simply to watch results, unless they were liable to prove fatal. These patients were all in the "church ward of the hospital." The first young lady suffered from Sunday headache; another, from palsy of the will, which prevented * " The Christian Endeavor Pledge as a Tonic," by C. F. Baker. The Christian Endeavor Covenant. 249 her from making up her mind to do difficult duties; a young man had a severe chill at times, which changed to a fever of religious excitement at others. Other cases of partial par- alysis of the tongue, hand, or foot, which prevented the pa- tients from doing the work of the Master or speaking in His behalf, were treated. Tendencies to fast living, flightiness of mind and purpose, delirious talk of philosophy and science by patients who understood nothing about either, were all treated by the same tonic, which according to the doctor and his fellow physician, Dr. Cureall, was effective in every case. The fame of the tonic spread, we are told, and orders came for it from all parts of the world. "In view of this fact I do not think I should be treating you right," says the author, "if I did not give you some of the testimonials regard- ing its efficacy, from those who have tried it. The first is from a missionary in Africa: 'Having taken this tonic faith- fully, I wish to testify to its efficacy in making me useful among the heathen on the upper Congo. I have not had a touch of fever since I came to this field, but am able to help in saving the souls of the natives by introducing the use of the tonic' The next from a pastor in Sydney, New South Wales: 'We have been using the tonic since it was first introduced here, and find it the best thing we have ever seen to keep up the strength, courage, and vim of our workers,' etc." Genuine quotations might be given by the thousand, and from many lands, to show what the covenant has actually ac- complished for those who have taken it and honestly tried to live up to it. It would require volumes far larger than this to give all these testimonies. Many have been printed else- where, and it is noticeable that they tell in almost every case of the practical help afforded by the pledge in sweetening and brightening the life and in making it more helpful to others. In this connection I can give but a few from many testi- 250 christian Endeavor in All Lands. monies that are before me. These come from young men and women in very different circumstances, and are Testhnony. fairly characteristic of all. "The covenant pledge has brought me from the place of simply a mem- ber of the church to the place of a working Christian, and taught me that there is something for me to do; besides get- ting I must give." "It has made me a more faithful and earnest Sunday- school teacher, more loyal to my Saviour and church and pastor, and more interested in all other Christians." "In striving to do whatever He would have me do my every-day life has been changed; it helps me to control my temper, to put away troubles, to overcome trials, temptations,, and the fear of ridicule, to put self in the background and bring before my companions the One whose love is boundless and free." "The pledge has helped me by lubricating the clasp of my purse." "The pledge is a beautiful bridge of duty over the chasm of indifiference." "It has helped me to be more conscientious in the dis- charge of all my duties, more honest and truthful in my 'reasons' for either doing or not doing those specified in the pledge. It has made me more prayerful, more earnest, more reverent, and has made me a daily searcher of the Scriptures; and because that 'whatever' means not to do, as well as to do, it has given me courage to say, "No," and stand by it where it cost something to do it. It has strengthened my faith, and increased my love for Christ and the souls He died to save. It has made me a better Christian, consequently a better daugh- ter, sister, friend, and neighbor. In short, it has put more of Christ into my life." The following forms of the covenant pledge are used, and many others embodying the same idea. It will be seen by The Christian Endeavor Covenant. 251 these forms that it is flexible enough to be adapted to differ- ent circumstances, but it is earnestly hoped that its provisions will not be weakened in any society that calls itself "Chris- tian Endeavor" so as to become meaningless, but that it will always stand in every society for whole-hearted consecration to Christ, regular participation in the meetings, and loyalty avMif FlKAMBANAN'NY KRISTIANA TaNORA AO AMBOHIPOTSY. FANEKENA. (1) Noho ny fahatokiako any Jesosy .Kraiety Mpamonjy ahy sy ny fitiavako Azy dia luanolo-tena ho mpanompony aho ka manaiky hanao izay tiany hataoko mandrakariva. (2) Manaiky haraaky ny Soratra Masina sy hiva^ yaka amin' Andrfamanitra-isan-andro aho, (3) Manaiky Jianao- izaiy aaoko atao aho hitaona ny sasany ho Kr^stiana, ary hitady izay asa ho any Jesosy K.rai3ty Tompoko tandrifin' ny ho any ny tenako. (4) Satria voaray ho isan' ity Fikambanana ity aho. dia manaiky ho tonga amy ny fotoain-pivava- bana isan-kerinandro ka hahavita izay tokony ho anjarako amin' izany, raha tsy misy sampona lehibe izay ataoko ho ampy hahafa-tsiny ahy aminy Jesosy Kraisty Tompoko. Ary raha misy mahasampona ahy, dia manaiky hampandre ny sekretary aho. Hoy 189 The Christian Endeavor Pledge in Malagasy. to the local church. More societies have failed because of a weakened pledge than for any other reason. The form used in most societies is as follows: ACTIVE member's PLEDGE. "Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, I promise Him that I will strive to do whatever He would like to have 2^2 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. me do; that I will make it the rule of my life to pray and to read the Bible every day, and to support my own church in every way, especially by attending all her regular Sunday and midweek services, unless prevented by some reason which I can conscientiously give to my Saviour; and that, just so far as I know how, throughout my whole life, I will endeavor to lead a Christian life. As an active member I promise to be true to all my duties, to be present at and to take some part, aside from singing, in every Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting, unless hindered by some reason which I can conscientiously give to my Lord and Master. If obliged to be absent from the monthly consecration-meeting of the society, I will, if possible, send at least a verse of Scripture to be read in response to my name at the roll-call." A simpler form used by many societies on the continent of Europe and in mission lands, and that answers all the re- quirements of many societies in all lands, is as follows: "Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, I promise Him that I will strive to do whatever He would like to have me do; that I will pray and read the Bible every day; and that, just so far as I know how, I will endeavor to lead a Christian life. I will be present at every meeting of the society, unless prevented by some reason which I can conscientiously give to my Saviour, and will take part in the meeting, either by prayer, testimony, or a Bible verse. As an active member of this soci- ety I promise to be faithful to my own church, and to do all I can to uphold its work and worship." The sailors' pledge is much like the above, except that a promise of purity and temperance is substituted for the last clause. The usual Junior pledge reads: "Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, I promise Him that I will strive to do whatever He would like to have me do ; that I will pray and read the Bible every day ; and that, just so far as I know how, I will try to lead a Christian life. The Christian Endeavor Covenant. 253 I will be present at every meeting of the society when I can, and will take some part in every meeting." In the pledge of the "preparatory" Junior members they simply promise to come to the meetings and to be quiet and reverent in them. The following is the covenant of the prison societies of Christian Endeavor: ''First. I will accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. ''Second. I will try to learn and do His will by forming the habit of praying and carefully reading my Bible daily, and by thinking, speaking, and acting as I believe He would in my place, "Third. I will obey the prison rules, will treat the offi- cers with respect, and, so far as possible, will conduct myself without ofifence toward my fellow prisoners. "Fourth. When able to do so, and not prevented by my duties to the prison, I will attend all the meetings of the League. "Fifth. I will wear the official button of the League, and will endeavor to make it both the means of helping others and an honor to the cause of my Master. "Sixth. On leaving the prison I will enter some honest employment and become an upright and helpful member of society." CHAPTER XIX. THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR FORUM. A CHAPTER DEVOTED TO THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR PRAYER-MEETING AS A NEW TYPE OF YOUNG PEOPLE'S MEETING, SHOWING HOW A CHANGE OF EMPHASIS HAS VASTLY INCREASED THE USEFULNESS OF THE OLD- FASHIONED YOUNG PEOPLE'S PRAYER-MEETING. " Properly conducted, the prayer-meeting generates the power, which, applied to the officers, committees, and members, produces through them the practical results desired. Do away with the prayer-meeting, and the Endeavor society might as well be done away with." Rev. Sherman H. Doyle, Philadelphia. HERE is one meeting that is essential to a Chris- tian Endeavor society, and that is the weekly prayer-meeting. Other meetings are important, but they are not absolutely essential. Literary meetings and musicales, and especially social gatherings, often have, and may well have, a large place in the society. But without them a society could live and do a very commendable work for the church and the community. It would not, however, long retain its religious character, and prove the spiritual power that it ought to be, if the prayer- meeting were omitted, or held but occasionally. What the forum was to the ancient Greeks, the weekly prayer-meeting is to the Endeavor society. It brings the peo- ple together in sympathy and hearty accord, it provides a democratic assemblage, it gives every one a chance to be 254 The Christian Endeavor Forum, 255 heard; it provides for the discussion of the most important topics; it stimulates the intellectual life. Here, perhaps, the comparison halts, for the Christian Endeavor meeting aims to do much more than this ; its design is especially to stimulate and strengthen the spiritual life, to discuss not affairs of state, but the afifairs of the Kingdom, and to furnish energy and inspiration for all the many varieties of work which the so- ciety may undertake. Some of the great conventions which have aroused the wide-spread interest of the secular as well as the religious world have been described; but, though they are the most spectacular and impressive gatherings to which the Vast Endeavor Society has given birth, they are not by oiTIhe*^"" ^^y iTieans the most important or significant. It is Weekly the little wccklv assemblage, multiplied sixty thou- Meeting. - , , sand times, m country and city, on prairie and mountain-side, in the church of the rich and the church of the poor, that makes these great conventions possible, and fur- nishes the power for all the machinery and exhibitions of strength and vitality which the Society affords. We sometimes see a mighty river sweeping to the sea, and in its onrushing power and resistless tide we forget the ten thousand little rills and tributaries which alone have made it possible. Sometimes they trickle down from the mountain- side, entirely unnoticed; sometimes the spring bubbles up from beneath the river's surface and gives no sign of its presence; but it is the rivulet and the spring that make the river. It is the ten thousand little Endeavor meetings, and the activities which they generate and stimulate, which make the Christian Endeavor movement. If there is one thing more than another that the Society may modestly claim to have accomplished, it is the regenera- tion of the young people's prayer-meeting. It is not too much to say that it has introduced a new prayer-meeting idea into 256 christian Endeavor in All Lands. the churches, and has substituted for the predominant idea of instruction the predominant thought of practice and service and inspiration. The writer may be permitted here, perhaps, to reprint some paragraphs * on this subject which he wrote several years ago, in which the essential point was that the young people's meeting is for service and inspiration. This thought has been strengthened in his mind during all the years since these words were written, and by many journeys in many lands, where under very diverse circumstances he has found the Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting idea to be essential to the prosperity of the movement. "In many thousands of churches, a quarter of a century ago, the prayer-meeting had degenerated into a lecture by the minister, supplemented, perhaps, by one or two long and able A Picture petitions by the brethren. The following picture of^Some ^^ ^1^^ prayer-meeting of old will be recognized by Fashioned nianv ' Prayer= ^ ' , . Meetings. "The notice was given from the pulpit, 'The prayer and conference meeting will be held at the usual hour.' When the 'usual hour' arrived, a sparse congregation of from six to twenty-six would spread themselves out over the vestry, occupying as much of the floor space as possible, that the pov- erty of attendance might not be too evident. The pastor would give out a long hymn; the organist would play the tune all through, chorus and all, upon an asthmatic organ; the scattered congregation would pipe through five or six verses of the hymn; then would come a long prayer from the pastor and an abbreviated sermon of from twenty to thirty minutes in length. The venerable deacon, (God bless him!) who for years had borne the burden and heat of the day, would ofTer a long, long prayer, not forgetting the Jews, even though he sometimes did forget the commonplace members of the Sun- * From " World-Wide Endeavor." The Christian Endeavor Forum. 257 day-school connected with his own church. Another long hymn and prayer, and the time to close would come, much to the relief of the majority of the audience. "Many of my readers will recognize this description as in no sense a caricature of the prayer-meeting a generation back. "The so-called youn^ people's prayer-meeting was scarcely more attractive. The attendance was still smaller, and, though the average age was somewhat younger than in the other prayer-meeting of the church, yet it required a great stretch of courtesy and an extensive winking at gray hairs and wrinkles to consider the majority of those present any longer young people, except by brevet. "The only warm spot in the room was often found in the air-tight stove. One of the more elderly young men usually occupied the chair. By no possibility was it a young woman, and there were many most painful pauses, which could be filled up only by a frequent resort to the overworked hymn- book. "I am far from saying that all young people's meetings or all church prayer-meetings are accurately described in the foregoing paragraphs, but without hesitation I can call many of my readers to witness that a great many meetings could thus be described without a particle of exaggeration. "Very evidently there was a fault somewhere, Was and this fault was a radical one, lying at the very Fault? basis of the prayer-meeting idea in many churches. "It was a service for instruction rather than in- spiration. It was the place where young people and others should study the map of the celestial city, and hear about the positions of the guide-posts which pointed to it, but a meet- ing where they were not expected to take many forward steps in the direction of that city. "Of course, if it were a meeting for instruction, it must 17 :58 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. naturally drift into the hands of those who were able to in- struct. The pastor, the aged deacon, venerable in years and ripe in experience; the college graduate, and the glib or gifted speaker found a place in the prayer-meeting for the exercise of their gifts; but there was no place in such a meeting for young Thomas and Henry and Marv and Susan. They were Getting Ready for a Convention in Portugal. not wise. They had little experience. If they spoke at all, it must be in a stumbling and hesitating way. Perhaps they would break down if they even attempted to repeat a verse of Scripture. What place, then, for their active participation would there be in such a meeting? "For generations the idea of edification was the fetich of the prayer-meeting. No one was expected to take part who could not 'speak to edification,' and the remnants of this idea, frayed and torn as they are, are still the bane of many a prayer- meeting in all parts of the world. The Christian Endeavor Forum. 259 "The Society of Christian Endeavor started with another conception of the prayer-meeting. It was not a place for in- struction from man so much as for instruction from God. It was not the place for the exposition of a body of divinity or for indoctrination in the fine points of theology. It was a place for practice rather than for preaching, for inspiration and fellowship rather than for instruction, a place for the participation of all the average two-talent people rather than of the exceptional ten-talent man and woman. Ins iration "The idea of instruction was not ignored, but the versus leaders of this new society contended that the Instruction. i i /■ • . prayer-meetmg was not the place for mstruction in the ordinary sense of the word, and that there is ample room for instruction in other services of the church. The Sunday-morning service is for instruction. The Sunday- evening service is for instruction. The Sunday-school is for instruction. The pastor's catechetical class is for instruction. The missionary concert is for instruction. The religious newspaper is for instruction. In fact, there are few depart- ments of church life which have not this for their central idea. But the Christian Endeavor Society has always believed that the prayer-meeting was for another order of service, and that this other service is quite as necessary to the development of spiritual activities as the service of instruction. "And so it happens that the whole idea of participation is changed. There is something for Thomas and Henry and Mary and Susan to do, as well as for their respective and respected fathers and grandfathers. There is an appropriate and modest part which the youngest believer in Christ can have in the weekly prayer-meeting as well as the pastor and the oldest saint. And, moreover, it is not only fitting for them to participate, but it is obligatory upon them to confess their Lord, if they would grow in His grace and knowledge." The most encouraging, and to many people the most sur- 26o christian Endeavor in All Lands. prising, elements in the new prayer-meeting have been its per- manence and its adaptability. Many were the predictions that it would soon lose its power, and fall flat and stale. Far from that, it has grown in importance, and has received the adherence of new multitudes every year. I am, of course, far from saying that every Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting is what it ought to be, that there are none that are dull and insipid and lacking in intellectual and spiritual vitality. Weak leadership, indifference, and coldness on the part of pastor and church, and frivolous worldliness on the part of the young people will make havoc of any prayer-meeting. But that in spite of these difficulties and prejudices this type of meeting has persisted, and grown in strength, and obtained more and more recognition, is proof of its worth. The fur- ther fact that it has been so easily adapted to all classes and conditions of men is another great argument in its favor. It is not an exotic in China any more than in America. It is adapted to seamen as well as to landsmen. It finds its place in the rudest little societies of converted Hottentots and among the blackfellows of Australia as well as in the cultured congregations of Germany and Great Britain. Religion Most cucou raging, too, is the light which these inherent ^^^^^ ^^^^ upou the Undying power of the religion Necessity, gf Christ and the inherent necessity implanted within the young soul to be religious and to acknowledge his religion before others. The spectacle of little Lord Randolph Churchill at Eton leading in prayer with his companions in their schoolboy prayer-meetings is only an illustration of the desire implanted in all children and youth to give some expression to their re- ligious life. This desire is often latent, and it is sometimes smothered, when it shows itself, by injudicious parents or re- ligious leaders; but it is there, and in kindlier soil and under genial skies the seed is sure to develop. That some seeds when \ The Christian Endeavor Forum. 261 scattered on the rock fail to germinate is no proof that there is not vitality in them. The fact that all other seeds of the same kind when planted rightly and nourished tenderly, do produce beautiful flowers and delicious fruit is a sign of the universal possibilities. The Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting is the nursery where such seeds may be planted and cared for. It has some times been objected to as a "hothouse," an objection which has little force, for little that is forced and precocious is ever ob- served in these meetings ; but, even if it were true, it might well be replied that a hothouse is far better than an ice-house for the growth of young plants, and that when well started in pe- culiarly favorable circumstances they may be transplanted with little fear of loss to the larger garden. It will be seen from what has already been said, as the author has tried to make plain more at length AChange -^^ another volume,* that the new idea which the Emphasis. Endeavor Society has introduced lies rather in a change of emphasis, which, however, makes all the difference in the world with the meeting. The moulding power of the meeting upon the life is due, not to the teaching which the young people received so much as to obedient con- formity to Christ's word in confessing His name before men, and thus obeying one of His supreme commands. It must not be thought, however, from what has been said that the Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting consists in the repetition of stale and trite remarks, or stereotyped words about believ- ing and trusting in Jesus, such as have sometimes brought the prayer-meeting of old into disrepute. Every Endeavor meet- ing has its topic, with many Scripture references and abun- dant helps. These topics furnish the greatest variety of theme, are selected by experts in the matter with much care, cover every variety of Christian experience, missions, good cit- * " The Christian Endeavor Manual." 262 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. izenship, temperance, and practical, every-day duties, and are as stimulating to the intellect as to the soul. Besides all this, in many societies (would that it were true in all!) the pastor is expected to take at least five minutes at the end of the meet- ing to "gather up its ends " and to enforce its most important truths. That these meetings are no jejune, parrot-like repetitions of outworn formulas, but furnish as good food for the mind as for the heart, is proved by the immense pains taken in these days to make the meeting increasingly useful to all. Hun- dreds of religious papers every week contain expositions of the Christian Endeavor topic; the best minds among ministers and laymen are called upon for contributions to the weekly theme. Ancient and modern literature is ransacked for illus- trations of the truth under consideration. Helpful volumes are published every year, both on the Junior and on the Young People's topics, while pamphlets and booklets for those who lead and for those who participate, and suggestions for varying and improving the meeting, are numberless. The lit- tle book entitled "Prayer-Meeting Methods," by Amos R. Wells, is perhaps the most comprehensive collection of prayer- meeting plans ever printed, and those who study it and use it in the right way have no excuse for a poor prayer-meeting. ^. ^ The consecration-meeting is another distinctive The Con= , . . ° secration= scrvicc of the Christian Endeavor Society, an idea ^^ '"^* which it introduced into the young people's meet- ings at the very beginning. It answers more purposes than one. It compels the young soul to look back upon the past, not with morbid introspection, — there is very little danger of that in these practical days, — but with thanksgiving or with confession according as he has improved or neglected his op- portunities, and fulfilled or forgotten his vows. But he inevitably looks forward, too, as well as back- ward; for it is the service of the new month, and the new The Christian Endeavor Forum. 263 old duties which are ever opening up before him, to which he would consecrate himself. If there are a backward and a forward look, there must certainly be an upward look; for it is a "covenant-meeting" as well as a consecration-meeting, a meeting for the renewal of the vows to God, a meeting for the reception of new strength from Him. In fact, in some ways the name "cov- enant-meeting" is better than the name "consecration-meet- ing," as "covenant" is better than "pledge." Again, the consecration-meeting serves as a reminder of the seriousness of the Christian profession. The very act of calling the roll of active members puts a new and solemn emphasis upon the fact sometimes forgotten in the rush and stress of busy life, that the Christian has been set apart for the service of God. This meeting, too, furnishes the best opportunity for keeping the society active and single-hearted in its religious purpose. Those who are wilfully indifferent to their duties are soon detected by the monthly roll-call, and can either be won back to duty and religious service, or, if it needs must be, after kindly care, can be dropped from the society's rolls, and thus no longer remain an incubus upon its life. The consecration-meeting sometimes loses its power be- cause of the monotony and uniformity of the way in which it is conducted. But this is entirely unnecessary, for there " many ways of carrying it on, which will preserve its f* ness and solemn power. Mr. Wells in his booklet* on . > consecration-meeting describes no less than seventeen different ways in which the consecration-meeting may be conducted and all its essential features preserved. Here are the glowing words of this author in regard to the reasons for the consecra- tion-meeting. They are worth the attention of all Endeavors. Why do we hold the consecration-meeting? * " The Crowning Meeting," by Amos R. W'ells. 264 Christian Endeavor in All Lands, "It is because we see that our initial consecration was only the beginning, to be unfolded through many hard but blessed years. We wish to testify our constant allegiance to it, — each one of us, — and hence the roll-call. We wish to tell each other how we have. been getting on in our lives of consecration, to ask advice, to give it and receive it; and so it is a testimony- meeting. Most of all, we wish to draw near to Him whose we are, into whom we are growing; and so it is a prayer-meet- ing, and, in the experience of many thousands, a pentecostal meeting. "Magnify this blessed gathering, young soldiers of the cross. Enshrine it in your heart's best affections. Be true to it as you would be true to a diamond-mine, for in it lie wealth for you and joys you cannot imagine." The scope of this volume does not allow the au- ^hat is thor to devote his pages to prayer-meeting methods Prayer= or plans. Thcsc wiU be found elsewhere in large ^^ *"^° abundance, but his design is to show what a good young people's prayer-meeting may be, how possible it is, and by the history of the past, and by showing God's evident bless- ing upon the new prayer-meeting idea, to stimulate all to a larger use of its essential features. This chapter may well be concluded with some forceful definitions* of a good meeting, for a meeting practically defined in actual experience in this way will be sure to be helpful and joyous, and stimulating to mind and heart. It will open the eyes to spiritual things; it will unloose the tongue to tell of it; it will show the reality of the unseen; it will emphasize practical and present duties; it will nerve the will; it will purify the life; it will develop Christ-like qualities in every one who attends. " WHAT IS A GOOD MEETING? "It is a meeting in which you have had a part. "It is a meeting in which Christ's presence has been felt. * " Tlie Endeavorer's Daily Companion," Wells. The Christian Endeavor Forum. 265 "It is a meeting for which the leader has made careful preparation. "It is a meeting that moves briskly yet thoughtfully. "It is a meeting with much prayer. "It is a meeting with much praise. "It is a meeting full of personal testimony. "It is a meeting that emphasizes a few easily remembered thoughts. "It is a meeting that gives you something to do during the following week. "It is a meeting that takes one out of himself. "It is a meeting that brings one nearer God." CHAPTER XX. THE SOCIETY'S PROGRAMME OF WORK. WHEREIN IT IS SHOWN THAT THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SOCIETY IS A " DO-EVERYTHING SOCIETY," AND THAT THROUGH ITS COMMITTEES EVERYTHING THAT THE CHURCH NEEDS IN THE WAY OF PRACTICAL SERVICE CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED. " Christian Endeavor was not intended to be an institution, but an inspiration. It has served an end when it has caused service to begin. It does not aim at triumph, but at training. It prefers service in the slums to a seat in the synagogue. The greatest word among its members to-day is ' service,' and this is well. The spirit of the pledge — 'to do what He would like to have me do ' — is active, as it should be. Unless there is action in Christian Endeavor there will be reaction. The co-operation of God is conditioned on the operation of men. The Spirit comes to those that go. The Master has help for him who stumbles in the path of duty, but none for him who does not start." Rev. John E. Pounds, D.D., Indianapolis. N one of Miss Frances E. Willard's brilliant ad- dresses at an International Christian Endeavor Convention she defended the "do-everything" policy of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which had been criticised by some, by declaring that the liquor curse affected every department of life, and so the antidote must reach every department of life. "In the white-ribbon army," she said, "we have seventy distinct lines of work, and one of our mottoes is the same that they had at the battle of the Boyne, 'Whenever you see a head, 266 Programme of Work. 267 hit it!' That means that we have adopted the 'do-every- thing' policy, since the curse is everywhere." Since the church of Christ touches every department of life, the Society of Christian Endeavor with even more force can claim to be a "do-everything" society, with this one limi- tation : it will do everything that it believes the Master and the church would have it do. Herein lie its flexibility and its strength. It adapts itself to all circumstances, because nothing that is of real worth in the uplift of humanity is for- eign to it. It is interested in missions abroad and missions at home. It has a stake in the temperance issue, and wants to see good men elected and good laws enacted. It believes in relieving the destitution of the slums, and in visit- The " Do= ing the widow and the fatherless in their affliction. Sodet*'^''"^ In looking through its far-sighted spectacles, however, it does not forget that many of its duties, and perhaps its chief duties, lie nearer home, though they may be but humble ones. It remembers that even the most sombre pulpit can be brightened by the freshness and beauty of God's own flowers. It remembers that the church services are improved by a harmonious volume of fresh young voices in song. It remembers that the pastor may have errands to do, and that the Endeavorers are the ones to do them. It re- members that its own meetings need constant care, fore- thought, and planning in order to make them of the utmost value to all. It does not forget that its young people have social instincts as well as devotional instincts, and that these, too, should be cultivated and directed aright. Above all, it remembers that the spiritual nature needs attention; that, though the flower will turn toward the sun when it gets a chance, it must be given the chance and not be grown in a cellar, and it will bloom the more beautifully if watered and trained and pruned by skilful and kindly hands. So has come about the growth of the committee system 268 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. in the Christian Endeavor Society. The necessity was there; ^j^^ the Society simply tried to meet it; and this it did Growth by establishing as an integral and essential part of of the -11 • ,- Committee its work the committecs, few or many, as any so- System. ^-^^y ^^^ ^^^^ them. The first society in its earliest days had but three com- mittees, the prayer-meeting committee, the social committee, and the lookout committee; and these all have persisted to the Sunshine Committee in Turtcey, Reading to a Blind Old Lady. present day, and are found, it is altogether probable, in ninety- nine out of every one hundred societies. Their duties, too, are defined in the same way as at the beginning; but it was soon found that these committees were not enough, because, in the first place, there were other duties to be performed, and because, in the second place, there were more young people to be employed than could find a place upon these three com- mittees. Missionary work was a feature of the first society from the beginning, and a missionary committee was naturally very soon added. The minister felt the necessity, too, of having some help from his young people in his pastoral duties, and a calling committee was next introduced, whose duty it should Programme of Work. 269 be to find out about young people who had lately come into the community, or who had no other church home, call on them in their homes or boarding-places, and try to induce them to come into the society, or at least into the congregation and Sunday-school. The decoration of the pulpit from Sunday to Sunday and of the church on festival occasions had been left to those who would do it, and often they were overburdened in other di- rections. What was more natural than that the young people should undertake this task? and so a flower committee was formed. The singing in the prayer-meetings of the church, as well as in the young people's meeting, could certainly be improved. Many of the young men and women had good voices, and they were sure to use them to better effect if massed together at the meetings. Besides, this duty gave them a real and im- portant service to perform for the church; hence the genesis of the music committee. The Sunday-school might easily be enlarged and some of the superintendent's duties might be lightened, and therefore the Sunday-school committee was formed. We need not go through the whole list, for the natural, almost inevitable nature of the whole committee system is hereby indicated. D . ^. Yet it is strange what an inveterate prejudice Prejudices =" r j against cxistcd agaiust such committees in the early days Committees. , , n i • on the part of some most excellent and emment men. Mr. Moody's alleged remark was often quoted, though I have often doubted whether he ever really made it, that "the best committee is a committee of three with two absent." If by this statement, whether made by Mr. Moody or by any- body else, was meant that there must be a sense of personal responsibility, or else the committee was of no use, we must all heartily agree with it. But the very object of the com- 270 Christian Endeavor in All Lands, mittee system is to increase the sense of responsibility, to make each member of the society feel that he has something impor- tant for which he is individually responsible. Everything in a well-regulated society tends to this result — the election ; the serious charge of the president or pastor to the committees to do their duty; the frequent meetings of the committees by themselves; the consultations of their different chairmen with the officers and pastors in the very important executive com- mittee; the monthly written reports, which should always be presented, and afterwards placed on file for future reference — all these plans, which are the commonplace features of the Christian Endeavor committee system, stimulate and augment this very sense of personal individual responsibility for the performance of particular tasks. It was for some reason felt by many in the early days that young people could not be expected to do such systematic and regular work, and that all their committees were merely so much red tape or foolish regalia that might be dismissed with a smile. This was illustrated in a visit the writer once made to Mr. Spurgeon's training-school in London. He had gone at the invitation of the great preacher, and at his request had told the students something of the work and methods of the Society of Christian Endeavor. After telling of its pur- pose and its principles, its prayer-meeting and its early con- ventions (for this was in the first decade of the movement), he began to enumerate the committees, ''lookout and prayer- meeting and social." A smile spread over the faces of the theologues as he mentioned them; and, when he added "mis- sionary and temperance and good literature," the smile be- came audible ; and, when he still went on boldly, and described "the calling committee, and the music committee, and the flower committee," the laugh could no longer be restrained, and broke out into a gufifaw. It seemed to be a highly amus- ing thing that young people should be expected to undertake Programme of Work. 271 these different forms of work, and that they could be thus or- ganized for effective service. But that this is no joke has been proved ten thousand times in the years that have succeeded. Literature Committees have been multiplied not for the for sake of multiplying them, but because they were Committees. j j /-m i • i i , , needed. Uld committees have been strengthened, and new ways innumerable for performing their duties have been devised. A great crop of literature has sprung up around the committee idea, each committee having its own leaflet or booklet, some of which have been translated into scores of languages, while all the conventions, great and small, committee conferences, schools of methods, and practical in- stitutes for making the committees more effective, are growing in importance and power. But in this history we must concern ourselves more with underlying ideas and their results than with the details of plans and methods, and the committee idea is, as the very word signifies, that something has been committed to the mem- bers to do. In that highly amusing and instructive story * in which Jonathan Hayseeds, C. E., figures so largely this idea is hap- pily brought out, and it dawned upon Jonathan, as it has upon many an Endeavorer in real life, that, when he was elected upon a committee, something was really committed to him, and something that he must use his utmost endeavors to do. This system of committees, too, helps to preserve the prop€r balance of prayer and work, inner devotion and out- ward service. The success and growth of the Society are ac- counted for largely by the balance it preserves, by its propor- tions and symmetry. "It is a prayer-meeting society, but not only a prayer-meeting society. It is a society for Christian service, but not only for Christian service. It unites prayer and work. It combines frequent confession of Christ with * " Endeavor Doin's Down to the Corners," by J. F. Cowan. 272 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. The Proper Balance constant service for Christ. By these two wings it has risen to constantly new heights of consecration and endeavor, and on these wings it has flown around the world. Clip either one of them, and the efficiency of the Society will be impaired; its ability to rise above the performance of humdrum duties will be destroyed, and its future be made very problematical. "On the other hand, a society that remembers its double purpose, that observes a just proportion between its prayer-meetings and its committee work will not fail to become a constantly increasing power for good. If any society is lagging or sagging, if its members seem to have lost their first love and their early efficiency, it is quite in order to ask whether one of the wings has not been clipped; whether it has not become a mere prayer-meet- ing on the one hand, or a mere list of lifeless committees, with- out the spirit which the prayer-meeting inspires, on the other." * Another very important result of the work of the commit- tees is that it provides a place for the obscure, the diffident, and the youngest of all Endeavorers. Every well-regulated society finds a place for every one of its members upon some one of the committees. There is no other way of developing the latent possibilities of the incon- spicuous. The younger and the more bashful in a large society will inevita- bly hide themselves behind the older and more experienced members. The very object of the whole organization is thus defeated unless some provision is made for securing a share of respon- sibility, for those who will not seek it for themselves. "To every man his work" is the motto of the Christian Endeavor committee, and there ought Rev. Enrique de Tienda, Late President of the United Society of Christian Endeavor in Spain. * Clark, " The Christian Endeavor Manual." Programme of Work. 273 to be ingenuity enough in every society to find some task suita- ble to the very youngest and least experienced. Much, of course, depends upon the chairmen of the different commit- tees, but with reasonable resourcefulness and devotion on their part and on the part of the society at large no one need be left out of this most blessed of all privileges, the privilege of individual service for Christ and the church. This is further accomplished in some churches, and very wisely, by bringing together the youngest members in some more general committee, and putting them under the care of one of the most experienced Endeavorers. Thus the boys on entering the society, e&pecially if they are quite young, or have just graduated from the Juniors, may be put upon the '4end-a-hand committee," and the girls in like manner upon the "whatsoever committee." As the names indicate, what- soever is needed, they are expected to do, and to lend a hand wherever it is wanted. Thus, in preparing the vestry for the social meeting, taking the chairs out of their stifif rows and putting them in social proximity, mending the hymn-books, sending out church papers and notices, doing any of the num- berless errands or little tasks that are always arising in church life, these youngest members can be utilized, given something that is really important to do, and, above all, trained to a sense of their individual responsibility, and fitted for larger duties that may devolve upon them. Enough has been said, perhaps, to show that Service^' the Committees of the Christian Endeavor society open it on every side to practical service. It stands foursquare toward all possible duties that can devolve upon the young Christian. Its doors open hospitably out as well as in, and it tells all its members to show their faith by their works. Not only does it give this general exhortation, which would often be utterly meaningless to the unresourceful young per- son, but it tells him just how and when and where to work. 18 274 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. It does not leave him to his own unguided impulses, which would probably lead him nowhere; but it shows him practical duties exactly suited to his capacities ; it makes the society in- finitely varied, and it prevents it from falling into ruts or from becoming stereotyped. A committee needed in one society is not needed by its next-door neighbor; a committee that has done a good work this year, perhaps, can be replaced by one that will do better work next year, and in the executive com- mittee provision is made for keeping all up to the highest point of efficiency, if only the plans and methods which have been proved and tried and published are used. In a word, the committees and all that they stand for constitute a practical programme of the Christian Endeavor movement. In an enthusiastic article summing up the results of the World's Convention in London in 1900, The Christian World, one of the most influential papers in Great Britain, thus speaks of this practical programme: "From the Continent and from Australia, from America's farthest West, from Africa and from India, the glad multi- tudes have come together to praise and to pray, to devise schemes for the world's betterment, to draw up the Christian programme for the twentieth century. It is a marvellous spectacle. Even the newspapers are captured, and confess that this is a big thing. Religion is booming in London to- day. . . . The Christian Endeavor movement is the em-| bodiment of the practical view of religion. It has all the courage of its youth. It has a social programme which is a menace to vice of every kind. It has a business and political programme which aims at clean-handedness, fair play, and pure ideals in both departments. It wants war against war, and brotherly love in all international dealings. It may not get all it wants all at once, but its enthusiasm is good to see and good to feel. One realizes that new blood is running in the old world's veins, and that its pulse beats healthily. The En- deavorer's dream of to-day will be the established fact of to- morrow, its castles in the air solidly planted in granite on the ground." CHAPTER XXL THE SOCIETY AND ITS RELATIONS. IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT THE SOCIETY IS A LOYAL MEMBER OF THE CHURCH FAMILY, FAITHFUL TO ITS OWN LOCAL CHURCH AND DENOMINATION AND ALWAYS ON AFFECTIONATE TERMS WITH ITS SISTER THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL AND ITS KINDRED IN THE CHURCH AND OUT. " Twice two in spiritual arithmetic are more than plus two. According to the promise, if one can chase a thousand, two can put not two thousand, but ten thousand to flight. Twice two are ten. The Sunday-school multiplied by Christian Endeavor is a great deal more than the Sunday-school plus Christian Endeavor. Added, they are four colors; multiplied, they are a cathedral window." Rev. F. N. Peloubet. I " The church is the tree, and the Christian Endeavor Society \ is only one of its branches. There are not two trees." Rev. Ernest Bourner Allen. HE relationships of the Christian Endeavor So- ciety have never been in doubt. It was not a foundling left upon a door-step, but was legiti- mately born into the church family, though, to be sure, in a somewhat obscure and inconspicu- ous church family, nor has it ever wavered in its allegiance to its mother, or failed in generous affection for its brothers and sisters. From the very beginning it has maintained that it was in the church and of the church and for the church. Its motto,* "For Christ and the Church," proposed at one of the * Rev. N. F. Nickerson of Erie, Mich., writes that this motto was quoted by the author at the first Saratoga convention (1886) as having been seen by him on a Christian Endeavor banner, and that he (Mr. N.) proposed its adoption. It 275 276 christian Endeavor in All Lands. very earliest conventions, has been the theme for innumerable addresses, the subject of many a poem, and the inspiring idea in thousands of conventions. The writer has seen it in scores of languages, on topic-cards and programmes, in letters of flowers and greenery on church walls, and often indelibly wrought into the beautiful stained-glass windows presented by the society to the church. When the church is considered as a family instead of simply as the mother of the family, the idea has been confused in many minds, and the word "relation" is not always properly applied. As the author has before written, " 'The relation of the Society to the church' has been discussed innumerable times, sometimes by hostile critics, sometimes by friendly ad- vocates of the Society; and it has been too often assumed, without argument and without justification, that it is some- thing apart from and one side of the church. It is a 'rela- tion, a poor relation, a young relation, a relation that needs to be rebuffed, or a relation that needs a little patronizing ap- proval. But until we find out what relation the child is to the family, until we can properly speak of the relation of the finger to the hand, we cannot with exactness talk about the relation of the Society to the church. "What, pray, is the church? Is it a certain is the number of the older members? Is it the congre- gation that gathers to hear the pastor's Sunday- morning sermon or to engage in the evening service? Is it the midweek prayer-meeting? "Yes, it is all these and more. The church is the local body of Christ's followers who worship Sunday morning and Sunday evening. The church is the people at prayer in the midweek service. The Sunday-school is the church giving was not formally adopted, but gradually became the accepted motto of the Society. At the top of the first convention programme of the New York State Union appeared the motto, " For Christ and the Church." Programme of Work. 277 and receiving instruction. The sewing-circle, if composed of godly women, is the church working for the poor. The mis- sionary society is the church praying for and giving for the advancement and extension of the kingdom of God. "The Christian Endeavor Society is the church training/ and being trained for practical service in the Kingdom.* The child in the family is the exact analogy of the young people's society in the church, and for the most part the Christian Endeavor Society has been a loving child and most affectionately treated. To be sure, it has sometimes shared the disadvantages and received the rebukes that most steady and conscientious children who always stay at home receive. There is a glamour about the prodigal and his return, which is more apt to invest him with the best robe and the ring than the steady elder brother; but that is no reason why the elder brother should be singled out for special reproaches. It has , sometimes been a little trying to Endeavorers to be scolded roundly for not attending the Sunday-evening service and the midweek prayer-meeting when other young people of the congregation and members of the church, who have practi- cally the same obligation, were allowed to go scott-free from all reproach, and when no word of exhortation was given to the older members and office-bearers of the church for the same dereliction. The reason is very plain ; the Endeavorers have set up for ' themselves a high and definite standard of loyalty; they have promised to attend the regular church services unless excused by conscience upon a direct appeal to their Master. They are judged by this standard as they ought to be, but, after all. Some Un= it is really no higher than that contained in the Ex^ecta^'^ Covenant of every church-member, though it is tions. more definite and specific. Sometimes the elders give altogether too little thought to the qualifying clause of * " World-Wide Endeavor." 278 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. the covenant pledge, which would otherwise be entirely un- reasonable, that these duties will be performed and these serv- ices attended unless the member is prevented by an excuse which he can give to the Master. Now and then, no doubt, this excuse is stretched to cover reasons which the conscience ought not to allow; but it is a vast advance step to make such matters a question of con- science at all, not to leave them to haphazard of weather and inclination, not to make duty the football of circumstances, but to feel, as every Christian Endeavorer must: *'The presump- tion is in favor of this duty, it shall be my habitual practice to perform it. I will not ask why I should do it, but rather why I should not do it." Many weak and frivolous excuses will fall before this test; only fhe better reasons are likely to stand it. But, even when tested by practical experience and sta- tistics, the showing is entirely favorable for the active mem- bers of the Endeavor Society throughout the world. On two separate occasions statistics have been gathered from far and near; ministers of all denominations, to the number of sev- eral thousand, have been asked in regard to the attendance of the active members upon the Sunday-evening and midweek services of the church. Their replies have been Tests.' tabulated, and have been found on each occasion to indicate that almost twice as many members of the Christian Endeavor society attended these services as of all the members of the church. Seventy-six per cent and fifty-seven per cent were the av- erage of these counts for the attendance of the Endeavorers re- spectively at the Sunday-evening and the midweek services of the church. Forty-six per cent and twenty-eight per cent were the averages for all the church-members, old and young, for these same services. If the question had been asked how large a percentage of the older members of the church aside Programme of Work. 279 from the Christian Endeavorers attend these services, the per- centage would have been reduced to a pitiably small one in many churches. It is necessary only to add that these figures have been obtained almost entirely from pastors and churches that were not known by the author, and that the averages were made up by compilers who had no thought of "making out a case," and who could not have done so from the data furnished if they had desired. More recently Professor Wells has received answers to a ! long series of questions from more than 1,800 pastors of every denomination, and the almost universal testimony of these pas- tors is that their Endeavorers are loyal to the backbone. If the local church is the mother of the Society, the de- nomination has sometimes proved to be the stepmother, and not always a very kindly one. The first serious objections to the Christian Endeavor movement came from denomina- tional headquarters, and the only determined effort to injure it or supplant it has come from the same sources. Denomina= ^^ , . , , , , . tionai It was thought m the early days that m some jec ions, ^^y interdenominational fellowship must weaken denominational loyalty, that the young Christians of many denominations could not learn to know and love one another better without learning at the same time to know and love their own denomination less. The publishing- house and the denominational paper sometimes figured largely in this opposition to the interdenominational movement, and at first every new publication of the United Society and every issue of The Golden Rule were looked upon with suspicion and distrust by some. But now, happily, this is very largely changed, except in one or two instances. The denominations at large, as well as the local churches, have come to perceive that the Christian Endeavor Society is a genuine and loyal helper of all their enterprises, as proud of the history of the past, as faithful to zSo Christian Endeavor in All Lands. the work of the present, as any purely denominational society can be. In fact, a number of sects that twenty years ago resolved to have a purely denominational society of their own have heartily and unreservedly come into the Christian Endeavor movement. The Advocates of Christian Fidelity in the Free Baptist churches, for instance, have almost all become Christ- ian Endeavor societies. Many of the smaller denominations have accepted bodily the interdenominational name for their young people, while a number of the larger ones, like the Presbyterians, Disciples of Christ, and Congregationalists, have practically never had any other organization. Still others have added the Christian Endeavor name to their de- nominational name, like the Keystone Leagues of Christian Endeavor of the United Evangelical churches, and the Ep- worth Leagues of Christian Endeavor of Canada. During the last few years the denominational Denomina= •^- * r ^t ^ i u ^- t i tionai recognition* of the movement has been particularly tSon^^"'^ gratifying. It is supposed by many people in the United States that the Christian Endeavor move- ment is represented but very little if at all in the Methodist Church, whereas, take it the world over, that is one of the lead- ing Christian Endeavor denominations. The Australasian Methodist Church, constituted by the happy union of the six different denominations that followed Wesley's teachings, at their last conference adopted Christian Endeavor as a neces- sary and useful part of their church machinery. It is ex- pected that a Christian Endeavor society will be formed in every Australian Methodist church, and the consecration- meeting is adopted as the class-meeting for the young people. * The (Dutch) Reformed Church of America was doubtless the first one to give official recognition to the Christian Endeavor Society. Many others have since followed this example, including the Disciples of Christ, Cumberland Presby- terians, Friends, Primitive Methodists, Methodist Protestant, African Methodist Episcopal, and Zion churches, and many others in Great Britain and Australia as well as America. The Society and its Relations. 281 The questions asked at the Quarterly Conferences and at the General Conference relate among other things to the estab- lishment and welfare of the Christian Endeavor Society, which is taken for granted as much as the Sunday-school. In the official resolutions at a late meeting of the Primi- tive Methodist Church of Great Britain we read that "the Conference learns with much satisfaction of the continued growth of Christian Endeavor. The Conference rejoices to learn that the increase has spread over the whole connection, and thus reveals that the work among the young people is in a healthy and progressive condition." In this denomination alone in Great Britain are more than three thousand societies and more than one hundred thousand members. The Methodist New Connection Conference has recently spoken in the same way, saying: "This Conference heartily recognizes the large benefit secured to our young people and the churches of the denomination through the Christian En- deavor movement, and, after more than ten years' connectional oversight and direction, affirms most cordially that in this spiritual agency there are untold opportunities of fellowship, church loyalty, and Christian activity. It moreover rejoices in the bond of sympathy in service which binds our young people to those of other churches, and views with deep pleas- ure the unity of this movement, not only in this country, but also on the continent of Europe, in our colonies, in the mission fields, and throughout the world." One of the most remarkable testimonies of this sort from a Methodist source was recently written by the secretary of the Methodist Church of Australia in New Zealand. "About fifteen years ago our work among the young peo- ple was in a very unsatisfactory condition. While we had our system of class-meetings, including young people's classes, these were very poorly availed of, and the question of how to nourish the young life of the church presented a very serious problem. 282 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Since the establishment of Christian Endeavor societies among us there has been little short of a revolution. Work among and by the young people is to-day one of the leading features of our church life. There was never such a large proportion of young people in our congregations and in our church-mem- bership as we have to-day. The church courts have recog- nized the value and importance of the Christian Endeavor so- The Methodist Episcopal Christian Endeavor Society of Barcelona, Spain. cieties by adopting a rule declaring that all active members who so desire shall be recognized as church-members, subjectj of course, to their observance of the usual conditions of church-membership." ^. P ^ The Endeavorers have responded most heartily deavorers' to the Confidence and affection thus expressed by Response. .1 • i • • 1 1 1 their denominational superiors, and as a natural re- sult the Methodist Church of Australia is a leading factor in The Society and its Relations. 283 this interdenominational movement, through it influencing all the other churches for good. In many denominations, like the Reformed, the Disciples of Christ, the Cumberland Presbyterians, and the Congrega- tionalists, the Endeavorers have built churches, in some cases a goodly number of them, and thus have strengthened the de- nominational forces. Among the Presbyterians eighty foreign missionaries have been supported wholly or in part in a single year by the Endeavorers of the denomination. The English Baptist Endeavorers have raised twenty-five thousand dollars for the steamer "Endeavor," which plies the Congo. The Primitive Methodist Endeavorers of Great Britain are building a missionary training-school in Western Africa. Thus we might go on through the list if it were necessary, to show how the Endeavor Society has responded to the in- creasing confidence of the denominational leaders. Oftentimes the society, especially in rural com- Sunday= munitics, has laid upon it the responsibility for the SerJice^ Sunday-evening service, a responsibility which helps it quite as much as it helps the service, which, indeed, has often been revivified in this way. In fact. Dr. Charles M. Sheldon, the noted author, who among his per- sonal friends is quite as much honored for his pastoral insight and his practical philanthropy as for his literary skill, advo- cates most strongly the making of the Sunday-evening service a distinctively Christian Endeavor service, with a brief ad- dress from the pastor at the end, after participation by all the members. Much time is often taken, too, for social inter- course and for evangelistic effort, and Dr. Sheldon declares this to be the most fruitful service of the week in building up the church, and recommends it heartily to his brother pastors. Often in the interregnum between pastors the Christian 284 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Endeavor society has stood in the breach, and has proved es- pecially useful in holding the church together and binding the young people to it more heartily. Hundreds of practical in- stances like the following have come to the knowledge of the writer during the last five and twenty years. ''Some years ago," writes a pastor in New York State, "I was invited to supply for a Sunday the pulpit of a church which was sufTering from 'internal dissensions.' I learned afterward that the Sunday previous to my visit a business- meeting had been called to consider the question of closing the church doors. "A determined band of young people said, 'These doors must not be closed.' The vote, when taken, resulted in a ma- jority of one for the open door. The Christian Endeavor so- ciety had funds in their treasury, and said, 'We will pay the expenses of a supply for the pulpit as long as our money lasts.' "I was asked to come the second Sunday, and another, and another, until seven weeks had passed. By that time the dis- turbing element had passed away; old feuds were forgotten in nev/ activities; and I was asked to accept the permanent pas- torate of the church by a unanimous vote. "The church to-day is in the care of another and a better pastor, has made many material improvements in its church property, and is a vigorous and telling power for good in the community. It is my opinion that the Christian Endeavor society saved it." The sisters of the society are the other organi- Sisters zations in the same church, and to all these the En- ^ ^^^ deavor society owes and, I believe, has given love and service. The older sisters, like the women's societies, the Dorcas societies, and the Maternal Association, have never been inclined to "boss" this younger sister, but have very often given and received genuine help. Indeed, the Mothers' Association is often a kind of foster-mother to the Junior Endeavor society, and sometimes even takes its name, and becomes a Mothers' Endeavor society, the Juniors giving The Society and its Relations. 285 the mothers an opportunity such as they have never had before to pray for and with the boys and girls, and to work among them. But especially for the Sunday-school sister has Christian Endeavor, as was natural, shown the most affection. The Sunday-school was nearer its own age, though, paradoxical as it may sound, born almost exactly a hundred years earlier; but its primary purpose was to instruct the boys and girls, as a primary purpose of the Endeavor society is to train them. Most cordial have always been the relations of these "twin sisters" in the church family. The vast majority of Endeavor- ers, ninety-five out of one hundred probably, are Sunday- school teachers or scholars. The interests of one organiza- tion are the interests of the other, and yet neither has tried to usurp the duties of the other. One puts emphasis upon in- struction, the other upon training; and, though these two fea- tures are joined closely together and sometimes dovetail into one another, the duties and limits of each are easily under- stood. In a hundred ways the Endeavor society can be helpful to the Sunday-school, and many of the societies have Sunday- school committees especially for the purpose of enlarging and improving the school and aiding the superintendent and teachers in any possible way, while the Sunday-school is, and naturally always will be, a great recruiting-ground of the so- The ci^ty. Prosperity It is a notable and easily authenticated fact that Sunday= the ycars of greatest activity of the Sunday-school School. movement have coincided with the later and most prosperous years of the Christian Endeavor Society. One seems to have stimulated the other. In America, at least, the Sunday-school conventions were never so large and influential as to-day, and in many lines the Sunday-school movement seems to have taken on new life and vigor. 286 Christian Endeavor in All Lands, If the Sunday-school is the sister of the young people's society, the Young Men's Christian Association is a brother of kindred purpose, though of different method; and between these two most friendly relations have always existed. In va- rious ways they have been able to help each other, and recep- tions given by the Association to the Endeavor society have often been returned when the society has opened its doors to the Association. In fact, in many cities the leaders in the one are also enthusiastic leaders in the other organiza- The • Y. M. c. A. tion. The highest officer in the American Associa- y"p*s^c e ^^^^^ recently said to the writer that what was true of the Sunday-school was also true of the Associa- tion; its most prosperous quarter-century has been the last; its best decade has been the last, and he added that, if anything was needed to prove the mutually helpful relations of one or- ganization to the other, that was sufficient. Most Association men desire that all local church so- cieties, especially those composed of both sexes, should become Christian Endeavor societies, while to the Association should be left the general field outside of local church affiliations, in other words, that the Association should stand in loco parentis to the unchurched young men, having for their leaders, of course, church-members, and always working in fullest sympa- thy and co-operation with the church. This is the field the Association already occupies in America and Great Britain, and it is hoped that this will soon be true on the continent of Europe. For strictly denominational societies Christian Endeavor- ers have only good will and fraternal feeling, while indulging in the earnest hope that one of these days they will all see their way, as most already have, to come into closer fellowship with the world's interdenominational young people's move- ment. The Christian Endeavor Society also has cousins and The Society and its Relations. 287 aunts and remote relations among the many organizations for women and men that are seeking to lift up humanity, relieve suffering, and bless the world. To these all the Endeavor so- cieties acknowledge their indebtedness, and rejoice in their re- lationship. To them all Christian Endeavor says, "God- speed," and, wherever their allies are fighting the one great battle, Endeavorers re-echo Miss Willard's eloquent words with which she closed an address at a Christian Endeavor con- vention : "General Phil Sheridan in the great crisis of one of his battles saw that the enemy wavered; he saw that his hour had come, and in his dashing fashion he cried out, 'Let everything go in — artillery, engineers, bands of music, cavalry, infantry, everybody.' Your Christian Endeavor sends out the same cry. I thank God that you send it. Flying cavalry of youth, go in; let the artillery of argument go in; let the women and children go in; and out from the climax of the battle, by Christ's dear grace, shall come a protected home and a re- deemed republic, which Christ shall rule in custom and law." CHAPTER XXII. BACK CURRENTS AND EDDIES. THE OBJECTORS AND OBJECTIONS TO THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SOCIETY ARE TREATED IN THIS CHAPTER, AND IT IS SHOWN THAT IT IS GOOD FOR A IVIOVEMENT TO BEAR THE YOKE OF CRITICISM IN ITS YOUTH. " Every new and successful organization must pass through three stages of development, the ' pooh-pooh stage,' when many people sneer at it, the ' bow-wow stage,' when many growl at it, and the ' hear, hear stage,' when most applaud it. Christian Endeavor has already passed through the first two of these stages, and in most lands has now reached the third." Rev. Joseph Broivn Aiorgan. 'VERY great river, especially if it flows with a ^J swift, impetuous current, has here and there a back-set or an eddy, where for a little space the current seems to be flowing in the opposite direc- tion. A stick of wood thrown into the stream above Niagara Falls, when it reaches the bottom, whirls around and around, as if uncertain which way to go, until, taken up by the resistless force of the current, it is at last borne on and down to the smoother reaches of the great river. So with the Christian Endeavor stream; it has had its back currents and its local eddies, which for a time have caused its friends to grieve and its few opponents to say, "I told you sol" It may have seemed from preceding chapters that there had never been a break in its prosperity, or an unkindly critic to disturb the serenity of its work. But in this history, since it aims to be a chronicle of the first twenty-five years of the 288 Back Currents and Eddies. 289 movement, and not a panegyric, it must be recorded that the Christian Endeavor river did not always flow through flower- decked meadows and under unclouded skies. The societies themselves, of course, were not always free from blame for their difficulties. They were largely made up of young people, and of imperfect young people, young people, to be sure, whose intentions were almost uniformly good, but whose judgment was not mature, and who needed kindly and patient oversight. In some societies was found the ^^g young man more rarely the young woman, af- Disease flictcd with the uncomfortable disease megalomania, Megaio= more popularly and vulgarly known as "the big mama. head." It was impossible to teach these youths anything from the experience of the past, as has been said. "They insisted sometimes upon forming their societies without a pledge, without a consecration-meeting, and without a look- out committee, and would blandly inform those who had long experience in the work that such rules and regulations, though they might be well enough for some, seemed to them childish, and 'could not be adopted by our young people.' " However, these diseases, natural to childhood, were com- paratively rare, and caused but very few deaths. The funda- mental ideas of the Society, especially the deeply imbedded principle of loyalty to the local church, and the rules provid- ing for the oversight and veto power of the church and pastor in all important matters, reduced to the minimum all these natural difficulties inherent in the young people's organiza- tion. They could not, however, forefend the attacks of the more or less well-informed critics, who felt it their duty to guard the Society against the curse pronounced upon those of whom all men speak well. Some of the leaders of the movement who are not famous for rhinoceros hides have winced cruelly under these attacks, which it often has not been possible to 19 290 christian Endeavor in All Lands. meet without seeming over-sensitive or unduly anxious to "steady the ark." Very early in the history of the Society the critics began to sharpen their knives, some of them thinking to make an easy end of "the young upstart," as he was once politely called. A year after the formation of the first society, under date of February 12, 1882, the writer finds in his diary the following record. "Meeting of the Cumberland Association House of ministers in Williston Church. I give some ac- Peas"' count of our young people's society. All approve of it except Mr. — . He does not believe in 'hot- house green peas,' and is very bitter toward the society." One of the most dignified and most forcibly put of these early criticisms, by an influential paper, is here quoted to show the best case that could be made out in those earliest days against the Society and its work. "Christian nurture is as old as the church. It has been a need; it is a need; and it will be a need. We want it; we must have it, we die daily without it, but how are we to get it? We are afraid of the society plan. That is the standing American way of doing things — to get up a society and have grand co-operative action ; but this is a case where one may be better than many and co-operation not so good as operation. Fill the country with societies, and nothing would be done until individuals began to do their individual duty. Why not begin in this way? A great society will not create opportuni- ties. Good sense, a pair of open eyes, and a faithful heart make the best society of Christian Endeavor in the world. Get your little world around you, and begin operations at once. Have your circle, your meetings, your little societies. "The society for carrying on so simple a duty is pretty sure to be all society, and very little Christian nurture. As far as association is needed, the church is all that is required. What is the church good for if not to guide and support Chris- tian nurture and to call out Christian endeavor? It fur- nishes every required opportunity, and the use of its agencies Back Currents and Eddies. 291 will not require a multiplication of agencies, nor an increase of machinery. "If organization is required, there is every chance in the world to organize through the church. . . . Young peo- ple should not be crowded too far, nor into a kind of mature work they are not fit to do; to exhort and preach when their minds are callow and their judgments unformed. . . . The sum of it is, we want the Christian nurture and the Chris- tian endeavor, but we want them writ small, and not in capi- tals. We do not object to societies, but we are afraid of the Society of Christian Endeavor." . It is needless to point out that the writer of this Unconscious article entirely overlooked the fact that the very ob- ject of the Society was to help individuals to do their duty, and to give individuals a definite duty to perform which they would never find for themselves. This history would never have been written, and the Society would never have found its way outside of its original church home, had not this been the design and practical outcome of the Christian Endeavor movement. An old unconscious fallacy also under- lies this whole article, the fallacy that the church is something less or other than the sum of its activities, and that something besides the church is calling out Christian Endeavor through the Christian Endeavor Society. The article quoted above of course would not be written to-day, and it is interesting to note that the journal publishing it is now, and has been for many years, one of the stanchest friends and advocates of the movement. Other editors and pastors, however, agreed with the writer quoted and tried in every way to "write small" the word "endeavor" and the so- ciety which bore its name. But it is again interesting to note that in the great majority of cases these pastors to-day take no such attitude, and many of them have since helped in a mul- titude of ways to advance the movement. Other critical articles of the early days need no comment, 292 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. and are quoted only as curiosities of literature. One writer is so incensed against the movement that he will not when he can help it even sully his paper with its name. "It is such an awkward, meaningless term," he says, "that henceforward it will be referred to as 'this society.' " Here are two choice specimens from different papers, one published in West Vir- ginia, and the other in Connecticut. A "Among the many heresies of modern things we " Modern have Selected the Young People's Society of Chris- ^^^^^' tian Endeavor, and will try to measure it by the Word of God. It is a society that boasts of its membership running up into hundreds of thousands. They claim that its growth has been 'phenomenal.' But I never heard of them trying to show that it is scriptural. " 'Numbers are no mark. That we shall right be found. Eight souls were saved in Noah's ark, While many millions drowned.' "If that society exists by the authority of Jesus Christ, cer- tainly some of their members would be able to show chapter and verse." Here is the contribution from Connecticut: — "You-Pretty-Sweet-Child-Elymas. What and who are you, anyway, if not an old bird in new feathers? You are a success spectacular! You are the tail that wags the dog! You capture and swallow at one gullup the whole city-full, pulpit and pew! You have come to stay! So comes leprosy when it finds its affinity!! You have found a fat carcass!! You are covered with the dust, rust, and moth of ages!! You are simply an old bird in new feathers!! You are a bowing wall, etc.! You are a favorite of the world!" Another writer in the early days inveighed bitterly against the author of this history because, as he says, "Dr. Clark has Back Currents and Eddies. 293 prepared a new Bible for Endeavorers." He says, "This Bible with notes by the man specimens of whose writings have been shown in these articles is now an estab- Curious lished fact. The writer has not seen this Bible; jec lon. pej-1-^aps it is just as well, or the editor might have to furnish space for another letter." The fact of the matter was, that The Golden Rule, of which the author was the editor, ofifered as a premium at one time the well-known "International Bible," a famous teach- ers' Bible with notes by eminent scholars. The editor had not written a line of these notes, and, much to his regret, could not lay the slightest claim to them. But this critic, "who prefers to remain unknown," and who had "not seen this Bible" of which he writes, allows no little matter of that sort to inter- fere with his sarcasm, but goes on to say, "Perhaps the International Bible, ivith notes by the editor of The Golden Rule, will explain to those who accept it as their standard that our Lord did not mean what He said when He gave this advice to His followers, 'But thou, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily, I say unto thee, they have their re- ward. But thou, when thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.' Or possibly it will be said by many followers of this new faith that^humility, and a hiding of self, was suited to the times before these, but that now each one should keep himself or herself prominently in view, lest any good deed or meritorious act go, by any chance, unnoticed." One of the commonest charges in the early Wolf in days was that this innocent child of the church was cloThing. ' none other than "a ravening wolf in sheep's cloth- ing," a subtle deceiver, working especially in the interests of the Cogregational denomination. Some natural glorification of Congregationalism at a distinctly Congrega- 294 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. tional rally, where members of no other denomination were present, was used as a basis of such vehement denunciation in some other denominational papers. This charge had its ludi- crous side to some of the Christian Endeavor leaders who were suffering just at that time from attacks of some Congregation- alists and the lofty indifference and total ignoring of others. In parts of the country, however, where the Society was found chiefly in Presbyterian churches, it was considered as one of the wiles of the devil to lead all young Methodists into the Presbyterian fold, while in another part of the world, where the Methodists predominated I have heard the society objected to as " altogether too Methodistic." Theological seminaries have frequently been among the last to recognize any good thing in the Society, or even to be aware of its existence. Some of them, apparently, to this day, have never heard of it. By some professors it has been soundly rated in their lectures or else damned with exceed- ingly faint praise. There are, however, not a few exceptions to this rule, in fact so many exceptions that perhaps they would form the rule rather than the exception. For among the earliest and most earnest friends of the movement have been such eminent the- ologians as President George B. Stewart of Auburn Seminary; President Beach of Bangor; President Barrows of Oberlin Seminary and Oberlin College; Professor, now President, King of the same institution; President Wood of Newton Seminary; President Charles Cuthbert Hall of Union Sem- inary, New York; and many others who might be mentioned. The late lamented President Harper, when a professor in the Yale Divinity School, was a trustee of the United Society, and frequently spoke at its conventions. At the invitation of President Stewart the author pre- pared a course of lectures on Christian Nurture, with special reference to the Christian Endeavor Society, which he deliv- Back Currents and Eddies. 295 ered first at Auburn, and afterwards at many other seminaries of different denominations,* and wishes to acknowledge the cordial way in which he was received by professors Denom= , , ,., inationai and Students alike. Opposi= Denominational opposition, as has before been said, was the most serious of all, because it was or- ganized opposition, and because the Society was often deliber- ately supplanted by others with almost exactly the same prin- ciples and methods, but with different names and without the fellowship. The reasons for this opposition are sufficiently obvious, and need not be dwelt upon. The hardest thing to bear, perhaps, in these criticisms was the total misunderstanding of underlying principles, or the entire ignorance of the history of the Society, which some- times led speakers on important occasions to travesty the truth about the Society. Thus at an important international meet- ing of Christians the speakers pleaded for "heroic service" and "practical methods," criticising the young people of the day for "lack of stamina" and zeal, and utterly ignoring the fact that the Society had for its purpose heroic service for the church and the practical philanthropies which the critics pleaded for. The very things that they asked to have done were being done in ten thousand churches, and they had never taken the pains to find out about it. One great purpose of the Society that they criticised for not enduring hardness was to teach its members to endure hardness as good soldiers. Other objections blew from exactly the opposite point of the compass. The Society was "too serious," "too strenuous," it "was not fitted for boys and girls," it did "not provide for their amusement," it made "too much of the prayer-meeting." Such writers quietly scofifed at the "Quiet Hour" and all such features. It was claimed that the "four M's," Moody, Mur- * Among them, Oberlin, Chicago, McCormick, Rochester, Union, Andover, Bangor, Newton, and Gettysburg Seminaries. 296 christian Endeavor in All Lands. ray, Meyer, and Morgan, were the patron saints of the So- ciety, and something "more practical and rational" was pleaded for. The writers evidently forgot that the most prac- tical men in the church of recent years were these same four M's, who by their books and their schools, their practical ser- vice for the Kingdom in the church and in politics, by their splendid organizing ability, as well as by their deep devotion, have probably done more than any other four men 'Four in the recent history of the church. If the society wanted any patron saints, it could not choose more wisely than to take the "four M's." But the objection implied in the criticism was altogether beside the mark, for it will be seen on other pages that tasks and duties level with the comprehension of the youngest child- ren in the society are provided, and their innocent amusement is not neglected nor their social natures stunted. The very things that it is criticised for not doing it is trying in twice ten thousand places patiently and persistently to accomplish. The very success of the Society has inspired some of its critics with their chief argument. The rapidity of its growth, the enormous size of its conventions, have come in for their share of animadversion. It has over and over again been plainly proved that the societies that sprung up so rapidly must die down as quickly, and the mushroom has been a favor- ite simile in the mouths of some. But there are other compar- isons which are more illuminating than that of the mushroom, A revolution in public sentiment seems to be born in a day; but it is really the result of many causes, and perhaps has come only after centuries of preparation. The French Revolution gathered force in a week, but silent preparation for it was made throughout the century. The Christian Endeavor movement seems to have been born in a day; it was really the result of a century of care and thought and prayer for the young. The Rhone starts from Geneva with tremendous Back Currents and Eddies. 297 force and volume, but it is because it has Lake Leman behind it. These criticisms and many others which might be men- tioned never really harmed the Christian Endeavor movement. A tree once fairly planted is rarely destroyed by adverse winds. It may be bent and twisted in its youth, but it grows sturdier and stronger because of these very winds that threaten its de- struction. It is good for a society to bear the yoke of criti- cism in its youth. Destructive criticism is soon forgotten, constructive criticism helps it to mend its ways, to strengthen its weak points, and to avoid dangerous pitfalls. The Society of Christian Endeavor will always welcome friendly and up- building criticism, and has reason, at the end of its twenty- fifth year, to be grateful even to its disguised friends, the un- friendly critics. "There is no storm hath power to blast The tree God plants: No thunderbolt, no beating rain. Nor lightning flash, nor hurricane — When they are spent, it doth remain; The tree God knows Through every tempest standeth fast. And from its first day to its last Still fairer grows." CHAPTEP. XXIII. TOUCHES OF COLOR. BADGES AND BANNERS, BRIGHTNESS AND BLOOM, AND THE JOYOUS SONG AND FELLOWSHIP OF THE SOCIETY ARE TREATED IN THIS CHAPTER. " Then, again, the Christian Endeavorers can contribute to the church a cheery optimism which is too often absent from the spirit and methods of Christians. Young people are glori- ously optimistic, and sometimes exhibit a ' cocksureness ' about men and things which is simply delightful. Let not the seniors be too anxious to suppress them. The ' big brotherliness ' of Eliab would have wiped out the zeal and enthusiasm of the smaller but more daring Junior, David." Rev. J. D. Lamont, Ireland. iN often-overlooked result of the Christian En- deavor movement is its introduction of the color, the sparkle and bloom, natural to youth into the religious life of the day. Protestantism is apt to be sombre, sometimes gloomy. The iconoclasts not only stripped the churches of the images and tore down the pictures, but they broke the stained-glass windows, and in their holy zeal against image- worship removed every scrap of color from many a church which for centuries after their image-breaking exploits re- mained colorless and gloomy. The Protestant puts on his best black clothes on Sunday, and unfortunately sometimes puts on a sombre face with his sombre clothes. A preacher's Sunday voice does not always have the same cheerful ring in it that is found in his Saturday voice or his Monday voice. There was evidently room in our modern religious life 298 Touches of Color. 299 Christian Endeavor Badges. Some Specimens from Many Parts of the World. 300 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. for more of brightness, vivacity, and color without in any way lowering the standards of reverence or godly fear. Much can be done to show that religion means good cheer for the liv- ing, as well as comfort for the dying; that it was meant to strew roses on the pathway of life, as well as to illuminate the dark valley. What is more natural, then, since this need exists in the re- ligious life of the day, than that the young people's society should seek to meet it; for youth is the age of vi- christian vacity and color? An outward and visible sign of Endeavor this brightening of the religious life is found in the Badge. ^, . • t^ i i , i • i • i Christian Endeavor badges, which in the very earliest days of the Society began to flutter from the breasts of the young Endeavorers. At first these were but bits of ribbon with "Christian Endeavor Convention," or some such simple legend, printed upon them. Then, as the Society grew, in order that one State delegation might be differentiated from another, and that it might be known at a glance whether the fellow Endeavorer whom we met on the street came from Texas or Quebec, from Oklahoma or Oregon, State and Pro- vincial devices began to appear. The California bear was pic- tured on the broad yellow and purple badge of the Sunshine State; Canada used the maple-leaf design; Maine's pine-tree decorated the badge of the Dirigo Endeavorers; New Hamp- shire Endeavorers dangled a little granite block from their badge ; the color of the Vermont badges showed that the young people came from the Green Mountain State. At one time the Florida badge was the Christian Endeavor monogram painted on a great silver tarpon scale, while the Connecticut En- deavorers did not resent the time-worn joke about their thrifty ancestors, but hung a wooden nutmeg from one end of their badge to show where they had left their homes. But the Christian Endeavor monogram badge had a more important mission than to lend a special color or the glitter of Touches of Color. 301 silver or gold to a convention. It has performed a wonder- fully useful mission in giving the members of the Society an opportunity to show their colors, metaphorically rather than literally. It has become a badge of Christian discipleship. The wearer has simply by wearing it shown to the One's world that he was not ashamed to be known as a Colors. ^, . ^. Christian. In numberless cases it has kept him out of unworthy places where he would not have his Christian Endeavor badge displayed. For this purpose it is well designed, being plain, simple, and open, and not so elaborate that it cannot be read at a glance. As has been often pointed out, the E is entirely enclosed by the C, showing that the "endeavor," whatever it may be, is within the "Christ." This simple monogram has perhaps been used more ex- tensively than any other of modern times. It is adopted by Endeavorers of every nation, whatever the language, for C. E. is the universal symbol of Christian Endeavor. Their own name goes with it, to be sure; but the original English mono- gram is found in China and in the languages of India, in Persia and the South Sea Islands, as well as in America and Europe. Badges by the million, programmes by the ten mil- lion, leaflets and pledges and papers and magazines literally by the billion, have reproduced this little monogram, and its signification is rarely mistaken. In most of the languages of Europe the initials of the Society are the same as in English, and pains have been taken in some cases to give the Society a name that would admit of the same monogram, as in Germany "Entschiedenes Chris- tenthum," in Spain, "Esfuerzo Cristiano," in Portuguese, "Esforgo Christao." In France it has been impossible as yet to find an appropriate name with the right initials, and "Ac- tivite Chretienne," with the initials C. A., is the accepted term, both in France and in French-speaking Switzerland, while 302 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Italy calls it "Attivita Cristiano." But C. E. is understood in France and Italy as well as C. A. Since this simple design has been so widely adopted, it is of interest to read the story of the designing of the original badge. To the Rev. H. B. Grose, from the beginning one of the trustees of the United Society of Christian Endeavor, must be given the credit of originating the Endeavor badge, and to Mr. F. H. C. Woolley, then a young draughtsman story of Medford, Mass., the credit of bringing it to its Original final perfection. This is Mr. Grose's story. He Design. ^^g ^^^^ pastor of a Baptist church in Pough- keepsie, N. Y. Several designs for a badge had been secured by the officers of the United Society, and by them were sent to the different trustees for inspection and suggestion before the final decision should be made at the next meeting of the board of trustees. "I was sitting in my study," writes Mr. Grose, "when the letter was brought in to me. The designs were elaborate and beautifully prepared, one of them a shield, I think. My first impression was that they were too elaborate, and must prove expensive as well. My idea was that the simpler the pin, the better; and the backgrounds of shields and crescents and dia- monds, and so on, had been used to such an extent by one secret order or another that the open monogram occurred to me as more uncommon and capable of the greatest simplicity, combined with effectiveness and clearness. On the impulse of the moment I began to put the letters together, to see whether they would join gracefully. I have numbered the attempts in the order of their making.* It will be noted that the first idea was the one finally returned to in the ninth outline, which, while very crude from the artistic point of view, still gives the form finally adopted. Satisfied that this was worthy of sug- gestion to the committee, I made a more careful sketch, and forwarded it, with the request that the artist, Mr. F. H. C. Woolley, who drew the other designs, be asked to prepare this * See illustration. Touches of Color. 303 in like finished fashion, for purposes of comparison. This was done before the board meeting, if I remember rightly. At any rate, at that meeting, November 8, 1887, the monogram pin was chosen with that unanimity which has been so marked and beautiful a feature of the trustee meetings, and within a short time the C. E. pin was advertised by the treasurer, and began to be seen in Endeavor circles. The design was patent- ed, so that any profits accruing from the sale of the badge should be used in the extension of the movement, and not go into the pockets of private individuals. Rough sketches from which was made the design of the badge. "How little any one dreamed in that day that it would within a few years be worn by tens and tens of thousands of loyal Endeavorers! Many emblems are more showy, more glittering, more ornamental, perhaps, but I see none that satis- fies me so well, or that awakens so many feelings of afifection, gratitude, consecration, and hope as the strong, simple, speak- ing monogram in which the ^E' that means 'Endeavor' is made sublimely significant by the encompassing 'C that marks it all as Christian. "These drawings were made on the sheet on which I was jotting down some points for an article at the moment the letter from Boston was brought in. I leave the points, too, because it seems an interesting coincidence that one of those points was 304 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. that 'duty of Christian citizenship' which President Clark sug- gested and emphasized so effectively at Montreal, July, 1893, and which now has come to assume so much practical impor- tance in the forvv^ard movement of the Christian young people of the nation." The distinctive badges for each of the irreat Special . , , °, a^ r Convention couvcntious make valuable souvenirs. Many 01 ^^^* them were designed by well-known artists, and were selected only after close competition. For the most part the British badges have surpassed the American in beauty and finish, though it would be very difficult to find, anything more beautiful and artistic than the Baltimore badge of 1905. In the American conventions, however, the badge has usually been given away to every delegate ; and, when these had to be provided by the ten thousand, it was evidently impossible to furnish an expensive one. The effect of the massing together of several hundred of these convention and State or national badges upon a black velvet background, artistically arranged, is beautiful and suggestive in the extreme, for each badge tells of devotion and Christian zeal and high purpose and youth- ful aspiration. A banner of badges seems to be a lovely prism that reflects the colors and the shades of a hundred Christian virtues and activities. Such a banner was made a number of years ago, and was presented each year for a number of years to the State that made the largest increase in societies. After a time it was sent across the seas to Great Britain in token of the rapid growth of Christian Endeavor there, and as a sign of Ameri- can fellowship and hearty good will from the million En- deavorers it represented. Of late years national banners have played a still more important part in the history of Christian Endeavor, for they have been sent back and forth across the seas to carry their message of peace and good will, and to tell also of growth in Touches of Color. 305 the movement whose emblems they bear and whose ties of Christian brotherhood they strengthen. When in 1902 the '^Increase Campaign," which Increase= -^ . r o i Campaign has been so remarkably fruitful, was proposed, it was resolved to present an Increase Campaign ban- ,ner to each State and Province in America that added ten per cent to the number of its societies. When a second ten per cent was gained, a star should be added to the banner; a third ten per cent would be recognized by two stars, just as a star The "Increase" Banner Given to Oregon by the Church of England Society in Foochow, China. is added to the national flag for every commonvvcalth which comes into the family of the United States. Ten stars would mean that the goal of this particular Increase Campaign had been reached and the number of the societies had been doubled. It was thought, also, that if these banners came from for- eign lands they would be more prized, and the sense of world- wide fellowship in Christian Endeavor would be increased. So the United Society made requests of the Endeavorers in Japan and China and India and Mexico and France and Bo- hemia and Germany, and beautiful symbolic banners were received from all these countries. A prize-banner contest 20 3o6 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. was introduced at a Japanese convention, and the best banners were sent to America. Many of these were of extreme beauty, oftentimes wrought by the skilful fingers of the Japanese maidens in the mission schools. They brought the very life and color and delicate sense of beauty from art-loving Japan to more prosaic America. They told of the castles and the mountains and the flowers and the storks of Japan; but each one of them, too, had its religious sentiment, and told of broth- erhood and loyalty to Christ. Some of the Chinese banners were particularly touching in their designs, for the border represented the fires of perse- cution through which the Chinese church had passed in the Boxer uprising; one side showed the design of a lotus flower blooming upon the surface of a pool, indicating that, as the lotus flower came up from the slime of the ditch and bloomed in glorious beauty and fragrance, so the Christian church of China, arising from the depths of its persecution, would bloom more gloriously than ever. On the other side within the C. E. monogram were wrought the names of the Chinese Christian Endeavor martyrs who died for their faith at the time of the siege of Peking, the names of the women martyrs within the letter "E" and of the men within the "C." Such a design, with various modifications, was a great favorite, and like banners were given to a number of States as a perpetual reminder that Christian Endeavor should be heroic as well as beautiful. Other countries have now taken up this American idea, and fellowship banners have been presented by the United Society to several countries that have entered successfully upon the Increase Campaign. Color The great conventions are naturally the place Qreat whcrc the "color scheme" of Christian Endeavor, Conventions, if we may so call it, finds its largest expression. When tens of thousands of young people come together with Touches of Color. 307 their gayety and good spirits, their badges and their banners, their cheerful songs and salutations and State rallying-cries, it can be imagined that there is nothing sombre or long-faced about the religion they exemplify. The cities themselves an- ticipate the coming, and put on their best attire, like a matron who adorns herself in her finest jewels and silks to welcome an honored guest. Here is a description of the appearance of a city on the eve of an international convention: "White and gold every- where; flags, festoons, streamers, and banners decorated in profusion public and private buildings, business blocks and residences. Storekeepers vied with each other in making dis- plays of their goods which should most beautifully combine the two colors. Florists filled their windows with white and yellow daisies, Japan lilies, and goldenrod. Jewellers de- voted their show windows to most ingenious arrangements of silver and gold. Dry-goods dealers displayed a wealth of white and yellow silk, ribbons, and fabrics of all kinds. Book- sellers gave a conspicuous place to their white and gold edi- tions. Prettiest of all, great numbers of young ladies adopted for their home and street costume white dresses with golden- hued belt and trimmings." * All this was because the Christian Endeavor colors of Cleveland, where the convention was held that year, were white and gold; and the citizens took this way of expressing their welcome to the great gathering. Boston has the reputation, largely undeserved, of being a cold, self-contained city. If it ever deserved the name, its coldness surely melted and the streets of the old Puritan city certainly became bright when the Endeavorers invaded them. A descriptionf of the city written at the time of the conven- tion of '95 is worth quoting while we are writing of the touch * Report of the Thirteenth Annual International Convention. t Report of the Fourteenth International Christian Endeavor Convention. 3o8 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. of color which Christian Endeavor has brought to the religi- ous life of the generation. "Boston frigidity! Forever henceforth let that Brightness p^rasc hide its head in shame! To say nothing of Boston. the crowded enthusiastic rallies that have preceded this convention, where audiences of seven and eight thousand went wild with Christian Endeavor zeal ; to say noth- ing of those bands of beautiful-faced maidens and energetic lads that were striking warm hands with each incoming dele- gate, holding aloft 'Welcome' placards, and beaming a wel- come most unmistakable in their happy faces; to say nothing of homes thrown wide open and churches with doors taken from their hinges; to say nothing of newspapers bubbling over with hundreds of columns of vivid narrative and bright pic- tures, and of the universal interest shown in shop and street; to say nothing of these and a thousand things more, there were the decorations. " 'When did Park Street Church ever do such a thing be- fore?' asked an astonished lady as she saw the dignified front of that grand old church festooned with the gayest of bunting in honor of Park Street's Illinois guests. Far out in Boston's galaxy of lovely suburbs the railway stations and the homes had blossomed out in white for purity and scarlet for love — pure love! As for the city streets, they were all in a flutter of bright color. "The great mercantile establishments vied with one another in ingenious arrangement and lavish use of the red and white. The wholesale dealers in cloth of the popular hues told pitiful stories of the immense quantities of bunting they might have sold if they had only made sufficient provision for Boston's frigidity! "The Convention banner proper appeared everywhere — tied to the trolley-arms of the electric cars, adorning the head- lights of locomotives, flying from windows innumerable. Red and white flowers in the Public Garden had grouped them- selves into the same pretty banner and into C. E, monograms as well, open Bibles, Christian Endeavor mottoes, badges, and the like. Never before have the charming PulDlic Gardens Touches of Color. 309 put on such festive attire, rustic archways adorning the en- trances and the bridges, and an admirable array of flowers and shrubs delighting the eyes of the ever-present throngs." ^ , But the touch of color is not confined to Ameri- Color in _ can Endeavorers and conventions by any means. The Rev. Herbert Halliwell, the secretary of the United Society of India, tells us about a visit he recently made to Madura. "From far and near," he says, "from the great city itself and the outlying villages, had marched in, to the number of one thousand, the Junior and Senior Endeavorers, with drums beating, banners flying, and Tamil lyrics vocifer- ously shouted. Little wonder the whole city was stirred, and crowds of Hindus stood around watching the animated scene." Rev. James Mursell, describing the latest convention in South Australia, says, "The state tea-tables were ablaze with bright ideas; the Juniors, in harmony with the exercise of their rally, 'Building the Christian Endeavor Ship,' decorated their tables with ships that sailed around a lighthouse, where a lamp revolved, shining upon the guests. The Broken Hill Union brought a huge lump of silver ore from their world- famous mines, and set it as a centrepiece, while model trains bore trucks of the same precious metal to and fro. Endeavor is the same beautiful and inspiring movement all over the world. It is itself the brightest of ideas. No wonder it inspires them." Mr. Eliezer dos Sanctos Saraiva, secretary of the Bra- zilian Union, says that the national Endeavor banner of Brazil is a yellow C. E. monogram on a green field. All local socie- ties adopt this banner, and "The Endeavorers go to their meetings," he says "in some places in canoes which float the green and yellow banner of the national union." Dr. Pelteje-iells how a -proce^si-on-of- Endeavorers at a Japanese convention marched two miles through the big, bus- tling city of Osaka, preaching Christianity all the way as they 3IO Christian Endeavor in All Lands. A Remarkable Banner from China. Touches of Color. 311 carried their flags and banners from the church by the river to the school by the castle where the Junior rally and the gen- eral social gathering were held. But there is vocal color as well to which Christian En- deavor has given expression. As the long line of electric cars, sometimes nearly a mile in length, has borne to their homes after the convention meetings the young people whose hearts have been warmed and whose intellects have been stim- ulated in the great gathering, the whole city has rung with their melody, and through the highways, and into the corri- dors of the hotels, and out into the suburbs even, has gone the joyous refrain, "There is sunshine in my soul," or some such convention favorite. It must not be supposed, however, that all the color and sunshine and gladness are reserved for the convention days alone, or for special anniversaries and great assemblages. The brightness of a happy religious life is often taken, as will be shown in other chapters, into hospitals and poorhouses, and to Old Ladies' Homes, and to sailors whose ships lie in the harbor, and to all sorts of places, and to all conditions of men, who are helped by the sight of a bright face, a bit of color, a fragrant flower, or a happy song. Thus is the color scheme of Christian Endeavor worked out, and religion is made to appear the bright and joyous thing it really is, to a multitude who never before appreciated "the beauty of holiness." CHAPTER XXIV. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR AS AN EDUCATOR. HEREIN ARE FOUND SOME HINTS OF THE INTELLECTUAL STIMULUS OF THE SOCIETY, PROVIDED BY THE PRAYER- MEETINGS, THE SOCIAL GATHERINGS, THE SUMMER SCHOOLS, CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS, AND WORKERS' INSTITUTES. " This great religious movement is characterized by a growth of Christian intelligence that augurs well for the future of the church. This wonderful stir among our Christian En- deavor millions means a great increase of the readers of good literature; it m.eans a growing appetite for knowledge that will swell the attendance at our colleges and universities; it means a familiarity with the Bible and books growing out of it such as was never known before." Rev. W . J. Darby, D.D., Evansville, Ind. iT has sometimes been thought by those who have not carefully followed the development of the Christian Endeavor movement that it neglected the intellectual development of its members. It has been supposed that in putting so much em- phasis upon heart and conduct the mind has not been suffi- ciently cultivated. The object of this chapter is to show from the history of what has actually been done that this is a mis- apprehension, and that the Endeavor movement has been use- ful in stimulating the mind, as well as in enlarging the heart and quickening the conscience. To be sure, the Society has been careful, and properly so, not to intrench upon the domain of other organizations in the church or outside of it. There has been no necessity for the formation of another Sunday-school movement, and 312 Christian Endeavor as an Educatoro 313 the Society has not attempted it. Plans for the study of the Bible almost innumerable exist; and, while many have been recommended to Endeavorers and adopted by them, the So- ciety has not thought it necessary to add other schemes of Bible-study to those that already exist. Care has been taken, too, to avoid what would have been the disastrous mistake of making the weekly young people's meeting a mere Bible-class or lecture-course. These are al- ready amply provided for. But the place now occupied by the young people's meeting, the hour of free expression, of heart-testimony, of fervent prayer, of happy song and spiritual inspiration, was not provided for in any systematic way before the Christian Endeavor Society came into existence. When we say, however, that study and instruction are not the chief purpose of the young people's meetings, it must not be implied that this contains no direct intellectual stimulus. This is very far from being true. When the heart is awak- ened, the mind is almost necessarily stimulated, and many a young person in the young people's meeting has learned for the first time that he had intellectual capacities which must be dedicated to the Master's service, that he had a career be- fore him and a special mission to fulfil. The provision of the Christian Endeavor meeting that each one shall "take some part, however slight," has been par- ticularly fruitful in uncovering neglected and unknown abili- ties. Many a young man who has not dreamed that he could speak a word helpful to others has learned to his surprise that his napkin contained an unsuspected talent. He has been dis- covered to himself and to the church by this simple provision of the prayer-meeting, and oftentimes not to his church only, but to the community, and perhaps to the whole denomina- tion. It is not exaggeration to say that during the last twenty- five years the writer has received hundreds of letters from ministers and prominent Christian workers, saying that they 314 christian Endeavor in All Lands. got their start along intellectual and religious lines in the Christian Endeavor meeting, and many have told start him they would never have been in the pulpit ?ntenectuai preaching the gospel, w^ere it not that they had Lines. promised as boys to do w^hat Christ would have them do, and to take some part, aside from singing, in each Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting. Says the Rev. Howard A. Bridgman: "Many an Endeavorer owes to the movement a large measure of intellectual culture, for nothing so develops the mental faculties as a genuine commitment to the Christian life. Boys and girls who might never have thought of a college edu- cation, or read books to any extent, or valued libraries, have, because of their enlistment under the banner of Endeavor, waked up to the richness and the meaning of human life. It was said of a certain woman after her death, 'She had no edu- cation but the love of God.' " * The development of the Christian Endeavorers along intellectual lines is further stimulated by much of the com- mittee service that is demanded of them. Each committee, when its work is properly done, requires careful planning, consultation, study, and some executive ability in carrying out its plans. All these efforts are distinct wit-sharpeners; they draw upon the intellectual resources which are increased by their use. The monthly written reports, and the annual surveys of the work, which are given in most societies, and should be expected in all, are distinctly intellectual acts, and stimulate the faculty of expression as really as a theme in school or an essay before a literary society. Allusion has already been made to the great number of Christian Endeavor periodicals, books, and pamphlets in many languages. All these naturally contribute something to the intellectual life of the Society. As I write these words, * The Congregationalist. christian Endeavor as an Educator. 315 3id Christian Endeavor in All Lands. a request comes from the editor of an important American magazine, who proposes to print an article on Christian En- deavor, and says, 'Tlease gather together all the written and unwritten- history of the Society, and send us these and the photographs at your earliest convenience." This is what the ^^ English would call "rather a large order," since the "Written printed history of the Society, if all the documents Unwritten werc available and were sent to this unsuspecting History." g^itor, would fill at least a hundred large trunks, while the written history that has not been printed, to say nothing of the unwritten history, which it would be somewhat difficult to send to him, would be even more voluminous. However, this editor's ignorance of the written and un- written history of the Society may easily be forgiven, since doubtless many other people think that it is all comprised in a few booklets or newspaper columns. Much of this literature is of a distinctively educational quality, dealing, to be sure, largely with practical church work, methods of benevolence, and ways of advancing the kingdom of Christ on earth. But why is not this of real edu- cational value, as well as the study of bugs or fossils or mi- crobes or animalculae? Why should there not be a science of practical morality and religion, as well as a science of rocks, and mathematical formulae? Christian Endeavor has some- times been called "the science of applied Christianity." It/ is a good name, and one to which the members of the Society are glad to feel that they have some title. A multitude of text-books for all kinds of practical re- ligious work is issued by the United Society in America and by the British and German national unions. These have been translated into scores of languages, while original books, still better suited to their needs, have been printed in China and Japan and other Oriental countries. Mr. Amos R. Wells has truly said: -- - Christian Endeavor as an Educator. 317 "One of the greatest things the United Society of Chris- tian Endeavor has done is to publish a complete set of printed helps for Christian Endeavor work. Never since time began has a religious movement created for itself a set of helps so complete and useful. You can buy from the United Society, at the cost of a few cents, guides for all kinds of Christian En- deavor work. If it is an important committee, like the JuHANNESLUND MISSIONARY INSTITUTE, STOCKHOLM, Where Christian Endeavor Found an Early Home in Sweden. prayer-meeting committee, you can get a book, costing thirty- five cents, containing the fullest collection of prayer-meeting plans ever made, and all of them proved by the experience of many societies. If it is a subordinate committee, like the flower commitee, you will find its work explained, with all needed suggestions for new and delightful outreaches, in a five-cent pamphlet. And so it is with every line of Christian Endeavor activity. With a fulness proportioned to the im- portance and complexity of the work the United Society have ready for your use a leaflet or a pamphlet or a book, and all at the lowest possible cost. 3i8 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. *'As to the quality of these books, I hesitate to speak, so many of them bear my own name on the cover! But I can modestly say of most of them that they are the very best in existence — because there is nothing else in existence of the kind! And of all of them I can say that they are far more the work of the Endeavorers everywhere than of myself, being crammed with the plans that their bright brains have devised and their faithful will executed in thousands of societies all over the land." * When we come to the practical methods and Pians"^*' plans devised by Christian Endeavorers, the writer is simply overwhelmed with the amount of material at his hand which tells how the young people have set their wits at work along every possible line of practical Christian- ity. Here is the "Unanimous Library" (to mention but one in this connection), a novel campaign for circulating mission- ary books, devised by Mr. W. L. Amerman, of New York. The plan is too long to be detailed in full; but it may be said in a word that it is a device for securing the reading of inter- esting missionary books by the young people. The campaign continued for just ten weeks in the case of one book called "One Hundred Girls of India;" and, when the returns were all in, it was found that 438 people in all had read the book, and that of these the enthusiastic Juniors had secured the largest number of readers. Such plans, more or less elaborate for all departments of work, have been printed in every issue of The Christian En- deavor World for nearly twenty years, and the editor always has scores of plans on hand for which he cannot find room. When these are all brought together, the bulk of them, and in many cases their excellence is simply surprising. The local-union meetings and other conventions have stimulated the wits of a multitude of young people, in pre- paring programmes, in devising something fresh and new, in * The Christian Endeavor World. Christian Endeavor as an Educator. 319 learning the art of putting things, for to suggest a good title for an address or conference. is one of the best tests of intel- lectual keenness. The Australian programmes have been models of typo- graphical beauty, with which has often been combined a liter- ary excellence which has made them souvenirs worthy of pres- ervation. ^,. , ,. The social gatherings have also often been in- Stimulating ^ ° Social tellectually stimulating. Two or three small vol- rings. ^j^gg Q^ plans for sociables have been published; and the ingenuity, wit, and literary skill displayed in many of them would scarcely be credited by those who know nothing of the subject. Authors in many languages, proverbs, quota- tions from every source, have been laid under contribution by these keen young minds in devising social gatherings which shall be helpful as well as interesting, and which provide the fellowship feature of Christian Endeavor. Missionary reading-circles have recently come greatly into vogue, and hundreds of societies have formed such cir- cles for the reading and study of the books prescribed by their denominational missionary authorities. Collections of missionary curios, too, often stimulate in- terest, and arouse intellectual curiosity. The Church of Eng- land Endeavourer tells of a little society in a country place whose members, numbering only twenty-five in all, set to work to gather missionary curios for an exhibition, and found to their surprise that after three months' work they had a collec- tion of three hundred pieces, representing India, China, Mad- agascar, and the South Seas. Nearly everything was found in the neighborhood. Members of the society, dressed in for- eign attire, described the articles as they were on exhibition during an afternoon, and in the evening a rousing missionary meeting was held and a substantial collection taken. Professor Wells has projected several courses of Bible- 320 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. reading in the columns of The Christian Endeavor World, one of which was followed by more than ten thousand people who recorded their names, while all have enlisted many readers. Reading-circles have very often been organized in Chris- tian Endeavor societies for the study of general literature, and an excellent reading-course has been suggested by The Chris- tian Endeavour Times of London and by the American papers as well. The good-literature committees of many societies have been active in circulating denominational and other re- ligious papers, and probably millions of copies of papers and magazines have been sent by different unions and societies to hospitals, soldiers' and sailors' homes, and other institutions in all parts of the world. A literature-table is a common sight in many churches. It oftentimes stands in the vestibule, and is made an exchange for the circulation of religious and other papers and magazines, the Christian Endeavorers taking charge of it, keeping it in order, and collecting and distrib- uting the reading-matter which is supplied. A more recent development of the intellectual Endeavor life of Christian Endeavor is seen in the many in- Schoois'* stitutes and summer schools and officers' schools, and committee conferences, which are now being held in many countries. The schools of methods are essen- tial parts of every large convention in these days. Half a score of them sometimes are being held at the same time. In these every phase of practical Christianity is discussed and taught. The committees, the social gatherings, the prayer- meeting, the missionary work of the church, temperance and good citizenship, all come under review, and plans are sug- gested and discussed for advancing every good cause. The first distinctive Christian Endeavor summer school was held in the birth-State of Christian Endeavor, as was alto- gether appropriate, and the Rev. C. D. Crane, the efficient Evangelistic Endeavor. 321 field secretary of the Maine Union, was the father of it. It was held in Yarmouth, Me., July 8-26, 1892. The scope and character of this school can best be understood by a description which appeared in The Christian Endeavor World at the time. "Every morning was divided into four periods. Two of these throughout were in charge of Miss Margaret Koch. '»^ *" rt' .*^A' MikK f SB^^ISag^'MB^aSll^^^BHIf^^Pj ' K^.l ■ '"''Hu ^^ I ^tM^M ^aiaMII'Ji^i'l ■ 1 ^5^^B jL Hi ^ • -;JB ^ • wHH 1^ ^m '^wS. ."* J S^ftJ ^ti IM S^HI^I % ^^^^^^^^^ ifici jL-m^ ^^V. p^^ ■ A^ ^Hr 4^' rf;^ J ,. n K ^^H5^H Christian Endeavor Summer School, Yarmouth, Me. National conventions have shown the Endeavorers what an inspiring speaker Miss Koch is, inspiring in her splendid phys- ical presence as well as in the vigorous thought to which she gives such graceful utterance. Her work was a daily drill in expression and in voice and physical culture, a genuine tonic for both mind and body. "There was also a daily hour of Bible-study conducted by Rev. Bowley Green, Dr. Smith Baker, and Rev. Howard Grose — masters, all of them, in the art of teaching. 31 322 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. "The fourth hour was given up to practical instruction in Christian Endeavor methods of work. Rev. H. W. Pope gave a course in personal work and soul-winning; Professor Parker treated Christian Endeavor music; Miss Ella Mac- Laurin spoke of mission studies, and Mr. Wells of Christi-an Endeavor committee work. "The afternoons were spent in various excursions through the charming neighborhood, in quiet reading and happy fun. "The evening sessions were popular in character, and were given up to lectures and addresses, several with the aid of the stereopticon. . . . The Endeavorers that attended were well fed. They carried away minds that were enriched in many ways, and the food they received they had time to digest. There is much in that." This first summer school was so successful in Maine that it was followed by others in the same State, and in 1905 one was held in the eastern and another in the western part of the State in order the better to accommodate the needs of the widely scattered Endeavorers in this commonwealth of mag- nificent distances. A Maine's example has been followed by other Home States, and the most notable example of the summer- ChHstian school idea will soon be introduced on the coast of Endeavor. Massachusetts, where some Christian Endeavor leaders, backed by ample capital, have secured a large tract of land on the shores of Cape Cod Bay. This has every pos- sible natural advantage, a long sea-front, the land rising in beautifully wooded terraces behind, while a fresh-water lake but a little distance off is also connected with the Christian Endeavor summer home. Here will be erected a pavilion and audience-room, and schools of methods will be estab- lished, as well as mission-study schools and literary classes, which will make the place an intellectual centre for a multi- tude of young people. That it is intended to be a recreational centre, too, is made evident by the fact that baseball diamonds christian Endeavor as an Educator. 323 and tennis-courts, bowling-alleys and basket-ball and golf links are all in the plan. Along other lines, too, the intellectual side of Christian Endeavor has been stimulated by the many "institutes" and "conferences" which have lately been inaugurated. One of the most notable of these, and the forerunner of many others, was held in Philadelphia in December, 1903. For three days the trustees of the United Society and many leading Endeavor- ers, largely officers of State and local unions, came together for a simple conference and exchange of views. Not a single long speech was permitted during the morning or the after- New Summer Home of Christian Endeavor at Sagamore Beach. noon sessions. A printed syllabus prepared in advance cov- ered every phase of Christian Endeavor work, and this was taken up, item by item, under the leadership of some expert worker, and freely, but very briefly, discussed by all on the floor. It was a most profitable and stimulating occasion, and one which has since been duplicated in many places. On a still larger scale it was repeated in New York in February, 1906. Institutes In 1905 New Jersey had the first School for Junior Junior Superintendents at Asbury Park, and the Schools. "Christian Endeavor Institute of the Northwest," held at Portland, Or., in connection with the Lewis and Clark 324 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Exposition, will long be remembered. Secretary Von Ogden Vogt attended this institute, and gave valuable help, much of interest being added by the very efficient leaders of Christian Endeavor in the great Northw^est. About the same time New York, under the leadership of the honored State secretary, Mr. John R. Clements, whose mind is most fertile in such plans, held the first school for district secretaries at Liberty. This was attended by many of the secretaries of the Empire State, and was most useful in equipping them for their important duties in their respec- tive counties. Another important institute was held in Maryland in the same year, while the ten "Patriot Day Rallies" held in Massa- chusetts on April 19, the anniversary of the battle of Lexing- ton and the Concord fight, it has been well said, "might be classed as civic educators." It is not necessary to dwell longer upon the methods and plans for stimulating the intellectual life of the young Chris- tians. They are constantly being multiplied, and will doubt- less increase as the years go by, for the Society realizes that it is the whole man, body and mind as well as soul, which should be trained for the Master's service. One practical method of stimulating the intellectual life which may be mentioned is the Christian Endeavor sympo- sium which often appears in The Christian Endeavor World. As an example of this, and also as showing the various angles from which the young people look at the Society and estimate its work, it is interesting to quote some definitions which were printed in a prize contest for the best aphoristic definition of Christian Endeavor in twenty-five words. Two hundred and fifty Endeavorers sharpened their wits upon this problem. Their exuberant fancy, as was said, "ranged over the whole gamut of simile, alliteration, and acrostic description." Here are a few of the 250 definitions, which are samples of many Evangelistic Endeavor. 325 others, and which were all worthy of prizes, though they could not all receive them. "Christian Endeavor is interdenominationalism verified, the baggage-car of Christian brotherhood, carrying packages differently labelled, but not thereby destroying the unity of the train." "Christian Endeavor is the workshop where Jesus, the carpenter's Son, sharpens the instruments which He uses in the daily construction of His churches." "Christian Endeavor is the mint where metals are coined and stamped with the King's own likeness." "Christian Endeavor is a schoolmaster aiming to bring his scholars to perfect manhood and womanhood in Christ Jesus." "Christian Endeavor reaches upward with faith, reaches forward with hope, and reaches outward with love." "Christian Endeavor is the X-ray that brings to light the hidden power of the young people in the church." "As the Sunday-school is the recruiting-station, so the Christian Endeavor society is the West Point of Christ's army." "Christian Endeavor is a Co-operative Exercise of Consecrated Enthusiasm for Creating Energy toward Christian Ends. "Christian Endeavor is like an endless chain, it binds the forces together, and makes them work in unison." 326 christian Endeavor in All Lands. "Christian Endeavor is the practical recognition of the young people's need of Christ and the church, and of the church's need of the young people." Christian Endeavor is the manual training-school of the church, training the lips to speak, the feet to walk, the hands to work, FOR CHRIST. "Christian Endeavor is the electric current from the bat- tery of heaven, uniting in Christian love and enthusiastic serv- ice the youth of all Christian denominations." "Christian Endeavor is the youth's shortest possible cut across the fields of experience to the kingdom of heaven." "Like Jacob's shining ladder. Uplifted strong and high, Where deeds and prayers, like angels, Pass 'twixt the earth and sky." "Christian Endeavor is a school Teaching us to trust and obey. To read and to pray. To serve Christ and the church in every way." "A correct epitome of Christian Endeavor is Constant Enthusiasm, Consecrated Energy, Consecrated Effort, For 'Christ and the church.' " "Christian Endeavor is a watch Whose mainspring is love. Whose movement is service. Whose hands point to heavenly joys on the dial of eternity." ■ CHAPTER XXV. EVANGELISTIC ENDEAVOR AT HOME AND ABROAD. WHEREIN IT IS SHOWN THAT THE SOCIETY HAS INTRO- DUCED SOME NEW FEATURES OF EVANGELISM, AND HAS DEVELOPED SOME EVANGELISTIC LEADERS AND EVANGELISTIC METHODS IN CONNECTION WITH ITS UNION MEETINGS AND GREAT CONVENTIONS. " A Christian Endeavor society born in a revival has ad- vantage every way over one organized under different spiritual conditions. It commands better material at the start and a more favorable opportunity for putting its principles into opera- tion. It thus represents not exceptional but normal conditions, and accordingly is able to demonstrate the utility, power, and practical efficiency of the organization." Rev. Dwizht M. Pratt, D.D., in " A Decade of Christian Endeavor." EVANGELISM is entirely normal to Christian En- |) deavor. It is its native air. Christian Endeavor jl was born in the atmosphere of a revival, and it has always flourished best in such an atmosphere. But evangelism is a very large word. It means many things, but always one thing. It means standing on the street-corner and saying to the passers-by, "Come to Jesus!" But it means more than that. It means going into the slums to seek and to save that which was lost, but it also means using every effort to bring to Christ the children of the high-born and the well-to-do. The quieter methods of the lookout committee and of the consecration-meeting are truly 2,^7 328 christian Endeavor in All Lands. evangelistic methods, for they are imbued with the evangelis- tic spirit. Though evangelism, like charity, may begin at home, it can not remain at home, for all missionary effort in the re- motest parts of the world is really but a feature of evangelism, and toward all these methods and forms of proclaiming the gospel, the good news, the Christian Endeavor movement could not but be hospitable; for "to do the work of an evan- gelist" in its broadest sense has been from the beginning its great purpose and mission. The Christian Endeavor covenant pledge has been used by many a minister and Christian worker as a distinct evangel- istic agency. More than one pastor whom it has been the writer's privilege to know, has constantly carried a supply of these pledges in his pocket; and, whenever he has found a young person inclined seriously to consider religious matters, "almost persuaded," but perhaps not quite ready to make the great decision, he has handed him one of these little cards wjth the pledge upon it, and has said: "Are you willing to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength, and are you willing to try to do what He would have you do? If so, just sign your name to this card, and put your purpose down in black and white." This has seemed so reasonable and possible that many a young person has then and there made the decision which has proved the turning-point in all his life, and the beginning of many years of Christian service. But the Society has made special efforts, and ^^^^ developed new features in evangelism, which Features ^ ^ . in which should not be overlooked. Christian En- Evangel= , t^ 1 • r 1 • • ism. deavor Day, the anniversary of the society, is specially an evangelistic day from two points of view. It is a day when in a great many churches decisions are called for in the Sunday-school and young people's meet- ing, and when the boys and girls who have previously been in- Evangelistic Endeavor. 329 structed and taught their duty are urged to declare themselves on the side of Christ. It is also a day when contributions are made in thousands of societies for the denominational mis- sionary boards, and thus, more indirectly, but none the less really, the work of evangelism is promoted by providing means for the proclamation of the gospel in far-distant lands. The use of Christian Endeavor Day as "Decision Day," especially for the boys and girls, is a somewhat recent sugges- First Mothers' Society of Christian Endeavor, Topeka, Kansas. tion of the United Society in America; but it has already been heartily adopted by many churches. The way in which one church* keeps Decision Day with system and vigor coupled with rare good sense and spiritual zeal is described by Dr. J. F. Cowan in The Christian Endeavor World. "At the morning service a sermon is preached appro- priate to the day and full of inspiration, by the pastor. At * The Congregational church of Melrose, Mass., the Rev. Thomas Sims, D.D., pastor. 330 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. 3.15 a union service of the Junior societies is held, with bright speakers. At 5 p. m. a special Christian Endeavor service is held in the auditorium. At 6.30 the Young People's meet- ing is held as usual. At both the latter services cards con- taining decision pledges (practically the first clause of the pledge) are distributed. As many as feel ready to do so are asked to sign the card and leave it in the pew. There have always been some decisions, and what would otherwise have been an unspeakably sad death was blessedly softened and sweetened by the fact that the little girl who passed away clasped in her hand the decision-card she had signed on En- deavor Day." The Sunday-evening after-meeting is another rare oppor- tunity for evangelistic service, into which many pastors wisely press their Endeavorers. Dr. Charles M. Sheldon, as has been before stated, advocates making this the great young people's evangelistic service of the week for the actual bringing of men to a decision for Christ, and in his own experience has proved the vast usefulness of such a plan. The First Baptist Church of Chicago has Evangelistic been another leader in this line of Christian En- deavor evangelistic effort. Under the lead of the pastor. Dr. Austin K. de Blois, and Mr. H. H. Van Meter, who is also the evangelistic superintendent of the Chicago Christian Endeavor Union, a Christian Endeavor evangelistic covenant has been drawn up, which many members have signed, promising prayerfully to co-operate with the pastor in evan- gelistic effort, to invite unconverted friends and acquaintances to the services and welcome them when they come, to attend the regular preaching-services and after-meetings unless ab- solutely prevented, to request at least one visitor to remain to each after-meeting, and to endeavor to lead at least one person each month to the Savior. Many of the members signed this covenant, with the result that the numbers at the Sabbath- evening services have been more than doubled and the after- Evangelistic Endeavor. 331 meetings greatly increased in attendance and interest, and many conversions have followed. Those that feel that they cannot take the whole of the covenant blot out the parts which they cannot conscientiously sign, and keep the rest. One young man, whose circum- stances prevented him from observing some parts of this pledge, kept it in spirit most effectively by having hotel-guest cards printed, inviting the guests of every large hotel in Chi- cago to attend the church services. Every Saturday night at midnight he fastens them to the complete church programme for the following Sabbath, and leaves them himself upon the hotel counters to invite the visitors to attend the services. This hotel visitation and invitation is undertaken by a great many unions, as well as individual societies; and church directories in hotel corridors and neatly printed invitations that hotel guests find in their boxes on Sunday morning are often the result of these evangelistic efforts. Many unions have deemed it one of their chief duties to promote the evangelistic spirit in other ways and actually to do large evangelistic service. The uniting of all the younger evangelical forces of the city in a Christian Endeavor union, or at least the uniting of a very large majority of them, makes this a peculiarly fitting and appropriate duty. Efforts '^ ''^ The Brooklyn Union, under the lead of its Unions president, Mr. W. R. Hassel, has been particularly active and successful in this work. Pastors of all denominations have co-operated, and great evangelistic meet- ings have resulted. Of late a special school for evangelistic instruction in the art of soul-winning has been conducted un- der an expert leader, from which in the future splendid re- sults will doubtless flow. The Chicago Endeavorers' evangelistic campaign has been most fruitful, and not without its humorous side, as re- lated by Mr. H. H. Van Meter, the superintendent. 332 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. "Frequently we received a 'bouquet', generally of stale vegetables, never flowers. It is our invariable rule never to take up a collection, but, then, we received many. Mostly mud and stones, but once upon a time a sharpshooter plugged a cornet with a potato. "The cornetist was a University of Chicago boy, who of course knows a good deal (as we all do). But nobody knows what would have become of his nose if he had not caught that potato in his cornet. "On that same occasion one of our sweetest girls got very indignant because of a lemonade shower-bath. A 'real nice young man' had volunteered to stand by her side, and he 'was singing beautifully.' But somebody above drenched them both with lemonade, spoiling his suit and her 'new shirt-waist.' "When we told her it would wash off, she refused to be comforted; but, when I said very emphatically, 'It is seldom we are treated to lemonade at an open-air meeting, and I'm glad we didn't get the pitcher,' she replied, 'O, so am I ; O my! Omy!'" Mr. Van Meter goes on to tell how opposition by the mob was followed by the opposition of the priests, and that by op- position from the police, who, in spite of the permit for such services, received from the proper authorities, did everything they could to annoy and break up the meetings. At one time the patrol-wagon was rung up, and the Endeavorers took a ride in it to the police-station, knowing that their case was per- fectly good, and that they would be immediately discharged. This discharge the chief of course at once granted upon seeing their permit. "Then," said Mr. Van Meter, "the "Hmnor." t)oys made the old Harrison Street police-station ring as never before." "The big horns and the trombones, the bass drum and the snare-drum, did their best. It was about the best surprise- party ever perpetrated upon the police. Everybody enjoyed it, even the prisoners, as well as the police ; then we 'moved on.' "When we reached the street, there stood the crowd, still Evang:elistic Endeavor. 333 334 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. waiting for 'more music' But the firemen next door insisted that they should have their share. They said they would fix the telephones so that the music would reach every engine- house in Chicago. "That invitation told; so the band formed a semicircle around the receiver. After playing a few gospel airs we sang At the Cross.' In conclusion we prayed for the police and the firemen, 'who face danger and death for us.' Every hat went off; every head was bowed; then we said good-by, and were gone. They called out, 'Come again,' and we answered that we would; and we will most surely." A protest to the chief of police made his subordinates fear to disturb the meetings any further, and the outside difficulties, at least, of the Chicago Endeavorers are now largely things of the past. An Intermediate Christian Endeavor evanee- An Evangelistic listic cruisc is another of the bright ideas for which Chicago Endeavorers are responsible. Starting from their home city in a gasoline launch copiously decorated with Christian Endeavor banners and mottoes, with a power- ful searchlight at the prow, they turned, unheralded, into the old Illinois and Michigan Canal, which is so seldom navigated now that the appearance of their boat with its flags and streamers, we are told, "astonished the natives." At every lock, while they were waiting for the water to rise, a little meeting would be held for the small company of loungers that gathered together. Jails and poorhouses were visited on the way; tracts were distributed and many personal invitations given. After two or three days of such pleasant journeying they reached their destination at Starved Rock, and pitched their tents, and enjoyed a few days of camping out. Then they returned homeward by another route, visiting other jails and poorhouses, holding open-air services in many towns, and bringing the gospel to the very homes and hearts of those who had not heard it for many years. While this was called an Evangelistic Endeavor. 335 "Intermediate Cruise," and while there were boys and girls in the party, there were also, of course, experienced men and women to guide them and lead in the evangelism. No one has done more to awaken the spirit of evangelism among Endeavorers than Mr. William Phillips Hall, the eminent business men's evangelist, who has often spoken at the conventions with great acceptance. The great conventions naturally furnish the largest op- Men's Meeting During Convention at Washington, D. C. portunity for evangelistic efifort, and this is thoroughly im- proved. Careful plans are always made to reach the largest number of people in all parts of the city where the convention is held. The scope of these evangelistic services may be gathered from the fact that in one convention they were held in fifty-five different places. The list includes three piano- factories, three wood-working establishments, an organ-fac- tory, a bookbindery, carriage-works, a bank-note company, a clothing-house, a rubber-store, a screw-factory, a coal-yard, a printing-house, three laundries, a dry-goods store, a market- 336 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. house, the Chamber of Commerce, the Homoeopathic Hospi- tal, the Lend-a-Hand Hospital, a liquor-saloon, a fire-engine station, the city jail, a man-of-war in the harbor, seven res- ,. ^. cue missions, fourteen open-air meetings, four Evangelistic ' _ ^ . Services wharves, and a service held at the request of a sick Great girl on the pavement before her window. Conventions. jvg-^ fewer than 1 20 evangelistic meetings, according to definite reports, were held by delegates in these different places. Twenty thousand persons were spoken to, and nearly six thousand delegates to the conven- tion assisted in the services, while several hundred persons expressed a desire to become Christians. At these conventions the most eminent evangelists in the world have frequently spoken. Men like Dwight L. Moody, the Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D. D., the Rev. John McNeill, Gipsy Smith, the Rev. George F. Pentecost, D. D., the Rev. William E. Biederwolf, Dr. W. H. Hallenbeck, and others of their character have often taken part. In connection with the conventions hotel evangelistic meetings have fre- quently been held. The writer especially remembers one held in the court of the great Palace Hotel of San Francisco. Many Endeavorers were stopping there, and after the even- ing service in the halls they gathered in the courtyard, all the other guests being attracted by the music of some of the best soloists. Then, one after another, some of the most eminent ministers of half a dozen different denominations told the simple story of their conversion, while fashionable guests, merchant princes, and eminent politicians, among them the Democratic candidate for the presidency in the campaign that was then on, looked from the balconies, or stood under the courtyard palms. Such meetings, so far as the writer has observed, have never been resented or objected to by hotel proprietors or guests, nor have they seemed intrusive. In fact, they are so Evangelistic Endeavor. 337 sane and natural, and the convention makes religion so ex- pected and matter-of-course a topic of conversation, that it would seem unnatural, were such meetings not held. One of the most remarkable evangelistic meetings ever held under Christian Endeavor auspices was the men's meet- ing in the Armory in Baltimore, where on an intensely hot ^Sunday afternoon five or six thousand men came together. Addresses of great power were made by Mr. Stelzle and Mr. Biederwolf ; and then, says the report, "came an intense appeal for men to show by A Scene rising that they would enter the Christian life and Baltimore. ^^^^ ^^^Y wanted the prayers of Christians. One man rose, another, several in different places. They remained standing but a few moments, but there was a steady succession until scores would be on their feet at once in all parts of the hall. Mr. F. H. Jacobs uttered in song a tender and appealing prayer. The evangelist, standing on a table to gain a more commanding position, put all his energy into a last appeal to do the right and manly thing, and then asked all who had risen to come forward and stand while prayer was offered for them. Hundreds of hands also went up from those that wished prayers to be offered for friends. Christian workers had been supplied with cards that were circulated for signature by those that had decided for Christ. Meantime, Mr. Biederwolf and others were passing around, grasping the hands of those that had taken the stand, between three and four hundred in all, many of whom were deeply moved and in tears. As the great crowd gradually passed out from this wonderfully blessed meeting, the choir softly sang, 'God be with you till we meet again.' " The missionary side of Christian Endeavor evangelism is too large a theme to enter upon in this chapter. In the sections of the book devoted to missionary lands this feature will be brought out. It is sufficient here to say that from the very beginning the Endeavor societies have made missionary 22 338 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. work and missionary giving one of the chief features of their organization. It has been found, so far as can be estimated, that about 250,000 Endeavorers every year join the evan- gelical churches of the world, the result, in part, at least, of personal Christian Endeavor evangelism. It is also found, even from the meagre statistics which can be obtained from the fraction of societies that report that these give away nearly one million dollars every year, about half of which goes for Raw Material for Christian Endeavor in Africa. the evangelization of the world through the denominational missionary organizations. Many a unique missionary effort has been undertaken by Christian Endeavorers, a sample of which is furnished by the Evangelistic Endeavor. 339 steamer Endeavour built by the Baptist Christian Endeavor- ^„ ers of England, at an expense of $25,000, for use by stTamer^^''' ^^^ mission on the Congo. It was built and dedi- for the cated at Oxford. It is a large stern-wheel steamer ''"^*'* built entirely of steel, with machinery of spe- cial design, and is furnished with cabins for the native crew MoNASTiR, Turkey, The Home of Four Christian Endeavor Societie:^ and native passengers, while the top cabins are for the officers and white passengers. The steamer's flag, the gift of the Oxford Endeavorers, is a pennant some seven feet long with "Endeavour" in large white letters on a ground of indigo blue. The boat was taken to pieces, and conveyed to Matadi, at the mouth of the Congo. Thence it was transported a thousand miles up the river by the railway to Stanley Pool. 340 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. There it was put together, and navigates a thousand miles of river from Stanley Pool to Stanley Falls. It is impossible in this chapter to give even the briefest survey of the evangelistic efforts of Endeavorers at home and abroad. The writer has chosen simply a few samples of such efforts from a multitude that might be recorded ; but enough has been written, perhaps, to show not only the spirit and pur- pose of the Society, but its possibilities in promoting the great object of the church — the bringing of the world to Christ. CHAPTER XXVI. THE SOCIETY AS A DEMOCRACY. DESCRIBING HOW THE DEMOCRATIC BUSINESS WAYS AND MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS OF THE SOCIETY ARE FOREVER OPPOSED TO THE SNOBBISHNESS OF WEALTH OR EDUCATION OR CASTE OF ANY KIND. " Christian Endeavor does not ask a man whether he lives in Africa, in India, China, or America. It does not ask him u'hether he be clothed with a black skin, a white, a tawny, or a red one. Christian Endeavor stands first, last, and always for the salvation of man." Rev. PFillis R. Hotchkiss, Africa. ;NE of the great providential purposes of the Christian Endeavor movement as shown by its history is to promote the spirit of democracy among its members. Far more important is this than it would seem at first blush. If there is anything grievous to Christ and foreign to the true idea of His church, it is the spirit of exclusive caste which sets one group of Christians off by themselves, while their poorer or more ignorant fellow Christians must take the lowest seats in the synagogue, or perhaps worship in some entirely separate sanctuary. This hateful spirit of caste is as old as St. James, who inveighed in righteous indignation against the special de- ference paid to the man with the gold ring and goodly ap- parel, and against those who say to the wearer of the gay clothing, "Sit thou here in a good place, and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool," 341 342 Christian Endeavor in All Landso Protestantism in some respects is peculiarly liable to this curse. In the Roman Catholic and Greek churches the rich and the poor meet together in one great sanctuary, the beggar kneels side by side with the millionaire, and rags jostle silks and laces in the same crowded aisle. In Mohammedan mosques and some heathen temples even the rich and the poor meet together, even if they do not realize that the "Lord is the maker of them all." But in Protestant lands there are often churches for the rich and churches for the poor; and, when the two classes are brought together in a common church-membership, the chapel on the dismal back street is sometimes thought good enough for the working classes. It cannot be that this is in accordance with the spirit of Christ, and any organization that directly or indirectly, unconsciously or of set purpose, does anything to bring the different members of Christ's family together on a footing of friendship and common interest is worthy of consideration. From the beginning the Christian Endeavor movement has found itself used of God, without any special purpose or design of its own, as a uniter, a link and bond of fellowship between people who might otherwise be estranged. In all this the hand of God is seen in a most EndeaATor signal way. Starting in one church, with one lit- ulTiter ^^^ company of young people. Christian Endeavor has united the hearts of millions of young people in tens of thousands of churches in a hundred denominations. Starting in an obscure corner of the nation, it has united in fellowship and sympathy young people in sixty nations and great colonies. But it has had a no less important, though a less con- spicuous, task to perform, in bringing together the young people of the different classes of society and of different social ranks. The Society as a Democracy, 343 Cl, fL, u c c m CL, 344 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Alas! it has not thoroughly accomplished this task. Much remains to be done, and always will remain while such distinctions exist in the Christian church ; but the trend and tendency of the Society is all in the direction of democracy and the heartiest good fellowship. An eminent worker* in the ranks of American Christian Endeavorers has made the important point that it is even more necessary to teach Christian people to work ivith one another than for one another. It is a comparatively easy thing to go "slumming," at least until the novelty wears ofif. There is a pleasing excitement about it, and a smug sense of satisfaction which envelops the "slummer" in an atmosphere of self-congratulation. But it is a far dififefent and a far more Christlike thing actually to work with those of a lower station in life; not making them feel that they are being pat- ronized or taught, or that an example is being set for their behavior, but that, as Christian brother with Christian brother, or as sister v/ith sister, work is being done together for the one Father in heaven, and under the eyes of the com- mon elder brother. It is just this kind of co-operation and common service that is promoted by every department of the Christian Endeavor Society. In the meetings all come together. The testimony and participation of one are required as much as those of another. The Scripture passage, or the prayer, or the testimony of the poorest and youngest is as acceptable as that of the richest and oldest. On the committees, too, since all in a well-regulated society must be placed on some committee, young people of different social grades and from homes of different degrees of culture must necessarily work together. Ability is very likely to come to the front, and ability often wears a threadbare coat, and has few early advantages. * Treasurer William Shaw. The Society as a Democracy. 345 The business of the society, too, is conducted Democratic , j i ■> Business in a democratic way, the members choosing their ^^^' own officers, making their own appropriations, and largely directing their own affairs, subject, of course, only to the veto power of church and pastor. Thus not only do they learn invaluable lessons of self-reliance in the conduct of af- fairs; but the spirit of democracy is inculcated, the spirit of the New England town-meeting, on which the liberties of America rest. The same spirit, it may be remarked, actuates a constitutional monarchy as well as a republic where the people manage their own local concerns. Many and beautiful are the illustrations of the way in which this spirit of Christlike democracy has been exhibited in the society. One of the wealthiest and most famous young women in America, it is said, is accustomed to attend the Christian Endeavor meetings in the little church near her country home, and take her simple part with the neighbors' boys and girls and the young men and women of the village, striving as simply and unostentatiously as any of them to do what Christ would have her do. In a New England town a young lady whose wealth is counted by millions is always found at the Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting. She is put upon the committees as regu- larly as any of the members. Her committee often meets in her elegant home; but she never attempts to dominate the others or to have her own way, but simply works with them as one of the obscurest members would do, and takes her share of the burdens and responsibilities as well as the honors of office. This, after all, is what counts in a free country. The factory hand, the shop-girl, the clerk, the farm-hand, do not care to be patronized. They would naturally and rightly resent it, but they do want companionship, sympathy, the help of a friendly heart, and to have the privilege of giving as well as receiving help. 346 Christian Endeavor in All Lands, There is also a snobbish aristocracy of education, which one often sees, which is just as ofifensive and more indefensible than the snobbishness of wealth, for the educated man ought to know better. How often we see the college man draw away Snobbish= from his less educated mates, and leave the work Edu^ca/ion °^ ^^^ church, in which he might be doubly effi- cient, altogether to those who have had no such advantages as he! Many pastors have complained bitterly of the influence of modern college life upon their young men and women, saying that they are of no further use in the church after they have once gone away to college. This is of course an exaggeration, for many are not thus afifected; but there is altogether too much truth in it, and the root of the evil is simply the loss of the Christlike spirit of democracy. The greater the opportunities and privileges, the greater the responsibilities for service. The man who hides away ten talents in a napkin will be condemned more severely than the one who hides but one. It must not be supposed, however, that men of real edu- cation have failed to work heartily and harmoniously with the young people of the Christian Endeavor societies. A multi- tude of leaders, both in local unions and in local societies all over America, are college-bred men and women who find inspiration in the simple testimonies of their younger broth- ers and sisters, in the songs and prayers of the weekly meet- ings, and find in the work of the committees a real help to their own spiritual life and a splendid opportunity for service. That the testimony and expressions of religious life given by these young Christians, though often crude, are uninterest- ing and unprofitable is denied by every one who enters into their life sympathetically. The writer has seen the most emi- nent doctors of divinity in the country, and the most distinguished pulpit orators, listen with tears of joy to the tes- The Society as a Democracy. 347 timonies of the young Christians in a convention consecration- meeting; and, as he has knelt at the- same seat with one of the most distinguished of our college presidents, he has felt the settee throb with the scarcely controlled emotion of his com- panion, who was following the prayers of some of his youngest and least educated fellow Endeavorers as they prayed for God's blessing and the outpouring of His Spirit. JBk. m. ■— ■ -^ *■ *"°# • i- V'-Sr-^i f ^ ■ ., ■ ,' -' : - • :■ • .. •♦'4i A j.>i -^ i.i'^f o t:^^' ' ^^y 1«; rvf f' v- ^^M.%,^* 4^ English, Irish, and Scotch Christian Endeavor Convention Picnic at Loch Fyne, Scotland. y The conventions, as is natural, have this to their credit, that they bring together the young people in the most friendly and familiar Christian intercourse. One can hardly take a week's journey with another on train or steamer without be- coming interested in him, and looking at matters somewhat from his point of view. One cannot sit side by side with his fellows In a great congregation, having his soul uplifted with the same emotions, his heart going out in the same prayers, and his voice joining in the same hymns of praise, without 348 christian Endeavor in All Lands. coming to feel a genuine sympathy and fellowship with him. In the British conventions the delegates are Democratic gf^^^^ houscd in improvised hostels, established in Hostels ^ ' at schoolrooms or vestries of churches, and these Convention, , __. are magnificent promoters of democracy. When twenty cots are set up side by side in one room; when at the common table in picnic style the delegates eat to- gether day after day; when they have their morning and evening devotions together, and come and go to the meet- ings side by side; the spirit of caste, if it existed before, is likely to get its death-blow. The excursions and picnics and swimming-matches and out-of-door games, which often form recreational features of the convention, bring together young people, not only from different sections and different denominations, but from all walks of life as well, thus unconsciously fulfilling one of the chief functions of Christian Endeavor. In the local society the social gathering is the Democratic ^ r uu* 1 j Social great enemy of snobbishness and conscious superi- Gatherings. Qj-^ty. The plans for Christian Endeavor sociables are almost innumerable, and three very considerable volumes of about 150 pages each have been published by the United Society in America, giving a great variety of social gather- ings, each one of which, if entered into heartily, would sound I the knell of stifif formality and exclusiveness. It is manifestly impossible in such a volume as this to tell in detail of these social gatherings, or to outline their bright plans; but as a mere example of what may be done it is worth while to record a very few samples of "socials" from among the thousand which have been successfully used in Christian Endeavor so- cieties, and which have helped to bring the young people nearer to each other. "A post-office social, in which each writes a serious or humorous letter to some other member of the society, signing his name. The Society as a Democracy. 349 "A botanical social, with contests in the identification of common plants, and with a microscope exhibition and talk. "A great phonograph social, with an explanation of the machine, and with illustrations from previously prepared rec- ords and from impromptus. "A hodge-podge social, in which each member is called upon by lot to lead in one game of his own choice. "A spelling-school, the words to be spelled backwards. "A puzzle evening, puzzles being placed on small tables and groups of the Endeavorers being sent from table to table at the tap of a bell. A Bit of the Last Welsh Christian Endeavor Convention. "A recent-events evening, with bright accounts of the leading features of recent history." One of the earliest charges against the Society was that it brought the sexes together too frequently in social life, and a standing joke which deserved long ago to be buried under the spreading chestnut-tree was that C. E. stood for "Courting Endeavor," not for Christian Endeavor. But, as many or- 350 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. ganizations have turned their reproaches and their gibes into badges of honor and distinction, so this free social Free ° ' Intercourse intercourse between the young men and women has the^ come to be one of the glories of the Christian Sexes. Endeavor movement. It has been seen to make for purity and modesty, as well as for unconstrained geni- ality, and has resulted in many happy companionships, and finally in many delightful homes, so that along all the differ- ent avenues of social life the Society has aimed to promote naturalness, sanity, freedom from oppressive conventionality, and the genuine Christlike spirit. This whole matter of social democracy among young Christians has been so well put by another* that I cannot do better than to end this chap- ter with his words. "What is it to be social? It is to appreciate the mean- ing of life. It is to realize that we are set here in this world, not for houses, lands, gold, silks, praise, authority, fame, but for character. It is to put first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. "Gold separates men. They sneak ofif, each to his own gulch, jealous lest some one else should pre-empt a valuable claim before he does. Ambition separates men. My brother and I cannot both hold the office at the same time, and there- fore— well, 'Heaven helps him that helps himself.' (Some think that is in the Bible.) Spite of trusts and combines, of clubs and cliques, the god of this world is a god of division, of isolation, and it is only as men get into their souls the love of God and the thought of His eternity and theirs that perma- nently and truly they draw nigh to one another. "The spirit of snobbishness will kill the socials of any society. Christ would not be admitted to-day into certain cir- cles of so-called Christians, if He came in the working clothes of a carpenter. Good socials must be democratic, and the washerwoman's daughter and ashman's son must be made to feel as much at home as the daughter of Senator Biggun or the * Amos R. Wells, in " Social to Save." The Society as a Democracy. 351 son of General Moneybags. Egotism, the feeling that you are better than other people, either on account of a better-filled purse, or because of a better-filled head, or because of some other gift of fortune or industry, will destroy any social. Put in place of this contemptible spirit the humble acknowledg- ment of sinfulness and unworthiness, and the glad perception that all for whom Christ died are brothers and sisters in Him, and you will have, you cannot help having, successful socials. I do not much care what games you play, or whether you play at all, what refreshments you serve, or whether you let the overburdened stomach alone and serve none at all, sociability does not consist in forms and trappings, but in the spirit. For- get yourselves, remember Christ, seek to win friends for Him, that is my recipe for a good social. Forget yourselves, re- member Christ, seek to win friends for Him." CHAPTER XXVII. THE NEW AND THE OLD IN CHRISTIAN EN- DEAVOR. HOW THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR MOVEMENT HAS PUT A NEW MEANING INTO SOME OLD WORDS AND A NEW EMPHASIS UPON OTHERS; AND HOW IT HAS EMBODIED THE IDEAS OF DEVOTION, PROPORTIONATE AND SYS- TEMATIC GIVING, AND CIVIC RIGHTEOUSNESS. " Christian Endeavor is planting a new phrase in the lan- guages of the world. At our second All-India Christian En- deavor Convention at Allahabad it was unanimously and enthusiastically adopted that 'Christian Endeavor' be accepted as the one name, untranslated, in every language and dialect in all India, Burma, and Ceylon. Thus the words that mean so much to us in our tongue at home are now in many tongues." Rev. G. L. Wharton, India. " It seems to me that in the very inception of this movement the thought that inspired it, the thought that gave it name, was happy and blest. I know of no two words in the English language that are more freighted with deep significance. I know of no title that you could have chosen that would be more heavily weighted with blessing and divine inspiration than these two words." Governor Roger Wolcott, of Massachusetts. HE new and the old in Christian Endeavor are in- extricably intertwined. In one sense it is all new, in another sense it contains nothing new. It has brought new names into the dictionary, but these names are often the signs of old ideas. On the other hand, it has taken words as old as the English language and put a new meaning into them, or at least a new 352 The New and the Old. 353 emphasis, and has given them such currency as they have never had before. One of these words is found in the very name of the So- ciety and its members, "Endeavor," "Endeavorer." The "Standard Dictionary," after describing the Society, defines "Endeavorer" as "one who endeavors, or strives to do some- thing; specifically, a member of the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor." This word, it is not too much to say, is used fifty times to-day where it was used once a quar- ter of a century ago. It is often capitalized to-day, whereas then it was written with a small initial; and this increased emphasis upon the word indicates the increased emphasis which the Society has put upon the thing for which the word stands. The writer has frequently been asked how the Society came to be called by this name, where the original sugges- tion came from; and he has to confess that he does not know. He has learned of late years that there was once a church in Brooklyn, started, if I mistake not, by the Rev. Edward Eg- gleston, called the "Church of Christian Endeavor." I have since learned, too, that there was a society among the deaf mutes of an institution in Lawrence thirty years ago, called "The Society of Christian Endeavor." It may have been that this name, either from the church or from the deaf-mute asylum, was seen by the author, and filtered into his mind without his knowing it; and, when the time came for naming the new society, some subconscious act may have recalled the name he had heard before. It would be interesting if it could be proved that a society in a deaf-mute asylum sug- gested the name to the movement whose members take audi- ble part in every meeting. hackneyed Howcvcr this may be, the name has doubtless had not a little to do with the success of the So- ciety. It was unhackneyed, and suggested fresh, vigorous, 23 354 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. strenuous life, the very life that is suited to young Chris- tians. It has been found a difficult name, to be sure, to translate into other tongues; but, though several unsuccess- ful attempts have often been made on the introduction of the Society into a foreign country to translate the name, the members have after a time settled down on a nomenclature satisfactory to all. The greatest difficulties of translation have naturally occurred in Oriental languages, especially the Chinese, where, as is often recalled, the original name of the society as given in the Fukien province, the first district in China to accept Christian Endeavor, was "The Drum-Around-and- Rouse-Up Society," by no means an inappropriate, though a cumbrous, name. In the Cantonese dialect it was called by the circumlocution, the ''Urge-on-in-the-Service-of-Salva- tion's-Lord Society." Since the English word "endeavor" comes from the two French words en devoir, it would seem to be easy to put it back again into French; but this has not proved to be the case, and the somewhat less meaningful phrase, "Society of Chris- tian Activity," has been adopted in French-speaking lands. There are other phrases and words which the Christian Endeavor societies have so thoroughly adopted as their own that they almost seem to have originated them. They have certainly originated the combinations in which they are used to-day. For instance, "lookout committee" finds a place in the "Standard Dictionary," and is defined as "a committee in the Society of Christian Endeavor, whose duties are to bring in new members, to introduce them to the work, etc." So with various other committees, "social committee," "prayer- meeting committee," "calling committee," "missionary com- mittee," "sunshine committee," these are all old words, but in their combination and accepted use to-day have been given an entirely new and a very definite meaning. The New and the Old. 355 The word "interdenominational" was heard but seldom, lnter= ^^ ever, a quarter of a century ago. We used the denom= words "denominational" and "undenominational" frequently enough ; but interdenominationalism had scarcely been born, and there was little need to name it. Now "interdenominational" is as common and well under- stood as "undenominational," and stands for as definite and important a feature of religious life. n The words "consecration" and "consecration-meeting," too, have had a volume of new meaning put into them by the Christian Endeavor movement. "Consecration" stands not for some mystical emotion, and not only for the renunciation of self and the making sacred of one's time and money and ability to God, though of course the word must always con-' tain this, but it stands also for the outspoken devotion of the young person to the Lord Jesus Christ at the monthly meet- ing; it stands for a renewal of the vows made by every En- deavorer when he joins the society, and a renewal of the ex- pression of his allegiance to his God. There are other phrases that have come in the wake of Christian Endeavor, which are no less telling and self-descrip- tive. What, for instance, could so well describe Christian Endeavor work among the sailors as "Floating societies"? What two words could tell more of a society among the sol- diers than "Barrack society"? This is an appropriate place, also, to speak of the sub- sidiary organizations which have clustered around the Chris- tian Endeavor movement. Some one has happily compared them to the beautiful chapels that surround a great cathedral. They add to its value, its utility, and its beauty iary without detracting from the main edifice. Some tions"'^^^ worshippers find help and comfort in one chapel, and some in another; and, while none are com- pelled to kneel in any one of them, they are often filled with 356 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. devotees, who are also the worshippers in the main cathedral itself. Oftentimes have I been through the great cathedrals of Europe, and have thought at first that they were quite empty and destitute of worshippers, but in some side aisle, or behind the altar, I have come across a company of devout Christians, who have found in the altar or the saint to whom the chapel was dedicated something that especially fitted their religious needs. That which we sturdy children of the Reformation may regard as born of superstitious ignorance finds a counter- part which no Protestant can object to, in the dififerent activi- ties which earnest Christians find for themselves, according to their age, their abilities and circumstances. Around the Christian Endeavor cathedral have grouped themselves the Quiet Hour chapel, the Tenth Legion chapel, the Macedonian Phalanx chapel, the Home Circle, and the Rural Christian Endeavor chapels. Though learned pro- fessors may ascribe these to "the oath craze," those who care- fully study the history of the Society, and practically enter into its life, find them as inevitable and necessary as the So- ciety itself. If they are not needed and do not fill a need of human nature, they will soon fall into disuse, and they will be used more or less according to their real value in meeting the needs of the times. Among these auxiliaries of the Christian En- The ^ Quiet deavor movement none have met a felt need of the time perhaps so much as "the Quiet Hour." Something like ten years ago it was forced upon the atten- tion of the writer, especially as he studied the great conven- tions, that there was an element lacking which might be supplied. The Christian Endeavorers were full of vivacity, activity, and genuine devotion. Their meetings did not lack enthusiasm, and their consecration-meetings were full of so- lemnity and genuine spiritual power; but it seemed to him that The New and the Old. 357 too little time was given to reflection, meditation, and com- munion with God. In order to support the vast amount of doings there must be more and more being behind it. Ac- tivities must spring from heart devotion, and, to cultivate this, time must be rigorously set apart. The larger the activ- ities, the greater the need for these periods of devotion. The Keswick movement and other such efiforts for the deepening of the spiritual life have conclusively shown how, when well guarded and not allowed to run into fanaticism, the most useful philanthropies and the largest activities flow from the deepest spiritual springs. So it was proposed that those who wished should band themselves together in a purely voluntary organization called "the Comrades of the Quiet Hour." The name was chosen rather than the similar name of "The Morning Watch" in order to give the utmost freedom as to the time which should be devoted to meditation and personal communion with God, though the morning hour was strongly recommended. Those who became "comrades" agreed to spend fif- teen minutes a day not merely in Bible-reading and pe- tition, but in genuine personal communion with the Un- seen. As soon as proposed, the idea attracted the attention of a great multitude of young people, and testimonies began to pour in from all directions, of the exceeding value of a "Quiet Hour" in personal experience. Lives were brightened. Christian hope revived, assurance of salvation made doubly sure, because the Comrades had learned the se- cret of personal communion by actually practising it. Quiet Hour literature began to abound; "Quiet Hours" led by some of the most eminent Christians* in the land began to be held in connection with the conventions both State and na- tional. Now more than 40,000 have been definitely enrolled * Dr. Floyd W. Tomkins, President H. C. King, the Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D.D., Mr. William R. Moody and many others. 358 christian Endeavor in All Lands. as "Comrades" in different lands, and probably many times that number have been affected and influenced by the thought, and have learned the secret of meditation, which is no longer "a lost art" among a multitude of Christian youth. Another instance in w^hich an old name has The r- I 1 • 1 • • r 1 • 1 Tenth been filled with a new meanmg is found in the egion. "Tenth Legion." The name of Caesar's picked troops, upon which he could always rely, was given origi- nally by the New York City Union to a tithe-givers' league, which was at first but local in its work and application. But what was good for New York was good for the rest of the Union; and the suggestion, originally made by Mr. W. L. Amerman in the year 1897, ^^^ adopted by the American United Society, which at once commenced to promote the "Tenth Legion" on a larger scale. Many thousands have en- rolled themselves under this banner, or, to refer to a former figure, have found help and comfort in this chapel of the Christian Endeavor cathedral, and multitudes of young peo- ple, when "the Tenth Legion" is now spoken of, think not of Caesar's blood-stained troops, but of Christ's army of young people who have resolved to devote one-tenth of their income, be it large or small, to the cause which fights against the hosts of sin throughout the world. "The Macedonian Phalanx" may seem to some a fanci- ful name, but it stands for an attempt to meet a real need in a natural way; and, when one thinks of it, no name could be more appropriate than the "Macedonian Phalanx," proposed first by Professor Amos R. Wells, to designate this Ma*cedo= effort of the Christian Endeavor Society to answer Phrianx. ^^^ ^^^ ^^y^ which is Still repeated after 1900 years, "Come over into Macedonia and help us!" It was felt, and most naturally, that many young people would be far more interested in giving their money for the support of a definite missionary, native preacher, teacher, Bible woman. The New and the Old. 359 or other Christian worker, or a student preparing for Chris- tian work, or for some definite and distinct part of mission work, as a hospital, free hospital bed, mission-boat-building, church-planting, Sunday-school, and the like, than to put their money into some great treasury that swallowed up hun- dreds of thousands of other dollars without telling them just what their money was used for. So any individual or society that gives at least twenty dollars a year for mission work, through its own denomination, and desires to have it devoted to some special purpose of this sort, can belong to the Mace- donian Phalanx. Many, to be sure, who really belong to "the Macedonian Phalanx" have not thought it necessary to enroll their names; but it has given a great stimulus to the idea of personal, defi- nite missionary work, — the idea of working twenty-four hours a day for the Master, twelve hours in one's own home land while about one's every-day occupations, and twelve hours through the substitute on the opposite side of the globe. This idea is adopted by many missionary societies in the so-called "Forward Movements" of the day, and has proved a great blessing, not only to the mission cause, but to the givers at home, in linking them definitely with the work and workers ^ who otherwise might seem so hazy and far away. Civic The "Civic Club" is an organization which will be described more at length in the chapter on Good Citizenship Endeavors, but is another of the adjuncts of the Society, which might well be made of larger use than it ever has been. The "Home Circle" is an effort proposed by the Presi- dent of the United Society at the convention in Nashville in the interests of home religion and family worship. As has been said, "There are tens of thousands of families now, where one or both of the heads of the household are or have been active 360 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. members of the Society. If Christian Endeavor means any- thing to them, it means that they will carry their religion into their new-made homes. It is as natural that Christian En- deavor should stand for Christian family life as for Christian citizenship or Christian missions. And so the members of the Home Circle say to each other and their Master, 'Trusting in the Lord Jesu? Christ for strength, we will endeavor to maintain family worship in our home, and will strive to make it, through kindness, courtesy, and mutual helpfulness, a household of God.' " An effort somewhat allied to this is one pro- Rural Family posed by Secretary Clements of the New York Union to bring the benefit of Christian Endeavor to isolated country homes, whose members on account of dis- tance from church, or because of the impassable roads of win- ter, could not get to the meetings. It is called "Rural Family Endeavor," and makes it possible for a single family to form a little Christian Endeavor society of its own, auxiliary to the larger society in the church which the members attend. It also makes it possible for groups of neighbors, living far from the church, to meet together in a simple Christian En- deavor service, and thus bring the means of grace to their very doors. This department of Christian Endeavor will doubtless meet the need of many scattered communities, and we already hear of eighteen rural family Endeavor societies started in the republic of Brazil. It must be remembered that the value of these co-operat- ing organizations is not to be measured, by any means, by the numbers enrolled in them, though in the case of many these are very large. But one of their chief values is that they give an opportunity of projecting an idea; they materialize and embody, so to speak, a thought that would otherwise be evan- escent. They give something to talk about, something tangi- ble to describe; they clothe in flesh and blood a spirit which The New and the Old. 361 needs a ^'local habitation and a name." They do far more good than statistics can tell, or than the members enrolled would signify, even though they are numbered by tens of thousands. CHAPTER XXVIII. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN THE AMERICAS. THE STORY OF THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SOCIETY FROM ALASKA IN THE NORTH TO TIERRA DEL FUEGO IN THE SOUTH, AND THE CAUSES AND ELEMENTS OF ITS GROWTH, ARE THE BURDEN OF THIS CHAPTER. " The work of the Christian Endeavor Society during the quarter of a century of its existence has been far-reaching in its effect for good. To make better citizens, to lift up the standard of American manhood and womanhood, is to do the greatest service to the country." President Theodore Roosevelt. " I extend the most cordial greetings to the members of the Young People's Societies of Christian Endeavor. They are engaged in a work of vast importance to the entire country ; a work which belongs to our civilization ; a work which makes for better people, better homes, and a better republic. They are a mighty force for good, and are worthy of the utmost encouragement and support. I wish them the largest success in their beneficent enterprise." Hon. Charles IV. Fairbanks, Vice-President of the United States. O condense the story of Christian Endeavor in the three Americas — North, South, and Central — into one brief chapter, is a difficult undertaking. Of course only the salient features of this history can here be presented, but other details will be found in other chapters of the story of the development of the movement. The beginnings of the Society in America need not be de- tailed here since it is the story, already rehearsed, of the 362 christian Endeavor in the Americas. 363 beginning of Christian Endeavor throughout the world. Some of the important conventions and leading events in the American history have also been previously described. Probably nothing has done more to spread the knowl- edge of the Society and its principles from Maine to Oregon and from Manitoba to Texas than the great conventions, which are inseparably connected with the history of this last twenty-five years. They have compelled attention. They have often silenced adverse arguments. They have heart- ened friends. They have aroused inquiry in the general pub- lic, which would otherwise have stood aloof, knowing little and caring less for the Society. "What is this new thing?" "What is Christian Endeavor? And what do the Endeavor- ers seek to accomplish?" If people have not said with some of old, "These who have turned the world upside down are come hither also," they have at least said, "These that have compelled the atten- tion of press and pulpit by their numbers and enthusiasm, who have been the subject of conversation in the restaurant and at the street corner, who have moved the city government and the State and national authorities to give them a wel- come, have come hither also; and what does it all mean?" The Endeavorers have been glad to answer: Conventions . . ° in "Christian Endeavor means that we stand for Christ and the church. It means that we desire to do whatever He would like to have us do. It means a virile, hopeful, heroic type of Christianity, and this is what has at- tracted the young people and their well-wishers from far and near. It means that the religion of Christ is not dead or dying. It means that the old gospel has within it vitality enough to take on new forms, when changed conditions make 'ancient good uncouth'." Two or three of these earlier meetings have already been described. The conventions in Saratoga in 1886 and 1887 364 christian Endeavor in All Lands. will always be remembered by those who attended them as meetings of rare spiritual power. The type was then so new that they made even a deeper impression upon those in attend- ance than much larger gatherings, even though just as spir- itual, would make to-day. There are of course certain advantages in meetings that number two thousand, which cannot be altogether shared by those that number from twenty to forty thousand. The per- sonal enjoyment where one can hear every word and catch every expression of the speaker's face is greater, perhaps, than in the vast building, where the speaker recedes into a dim and distant perspective. But the sense of the triumphant power of Christianity, of the mighty army of young Chris- tians, which is so gracious a feature of the modern convention, is wanting in the small gatherings; and in these days there are so many smaller meetings in connection with the great conventions that the peculiar value of the smaller gathering is not lost, while there is no other convocation held in the course of the year, besides the young people's conventions, that gives the triumphant sense of the mass and power of the hosts of God. "Saratoga, '87," was follov/ed by a series of conventions — Chicago, 1888, Philadelphia, 1889, St. Louis, 1890, and Minneapolis, 1891 — each one marking growth in numbers and in strength, and each one making a more decided impression than the last upon the country, and bringing greater and greater encouragement to those who were interested in the Christian Endeavor army. Cities began to vie with each other in their desire for the convention. The city governments and boards of trade, mayors and governors and leading merchants, would send strenuous appeals to each convention, asking that the next might be held within their borders. These appeals became decidedly embarrassing to the trustees of the United Society, christian Endeavor in the Americas. 365 who had to decide between the rival claims, and who could often feelingly repeat the words of the old lines, " How happy could I be with either, Were t'other dear charmer away!" The convention in New York in 1892 was not only a rec- ord-breaker in numbers, but it was the first to impress the country with the extent and rapid growth of Christian En- deavor. It has already been alluded to, and it is sufficient to say that the echoes awakened in Madison Square Garden in those hot July days have not yet died away. They were heard around the world, and in distant parts of China and India the writer has been asked for further particulars of the won- derful convention that so impressed all who read of it as well as those who attended it. The convention of 180-? was held in Montreal; 1893.'^^* and, though a riot was threatened by the hoodlums of the Catholic population, excited by their priests and some of their newspapers, because of an unguarded utter- ance by one of the convention speakers, comparing Catholi- cism to Hinduism, the meeting passed ofif triumphantly. The Catholic mayor, who suppressed the incipient riot by turning the hose upon the rowdies, received a great ovation from the Endeavorers, especially when he declared in his farewell speech that Montreal, too, like the Endeavorers, stood "for Christ and the church," and that "her steeples' were and always had been higher than her factory chimneys." The convention of 1894 ^^ Cleveland tested the pluck of the Endeavorers, for it was held at the very height of the greatest railroad strike that America has ever known. Roads were tied up in every direction, and it was uncertain whether any one who started would reach the convention. But tens of thousands did start, and the strikers themselves, recogniz- 366 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. ing the pacific and Christian purposes of the Endeavorers, let the convention trains go through without delay or molesta- tion. The martyr president, McKinley, then the governor of Ohio, was an interested attendant at this convention, and spoke ringing words for Christian citizenship. The great conven- tion in Boston in 1895 has already been described. The convention of 1896 was on a magnificent ^06^*"^***"' scale, and was held in the capital city of Washing- ton. Three great tents, each holding ten thousand people. Tent Endeavor, Tent Williston, and Tent Washing- ton, spread their great white wings over the "White Lot," the use of which the government gave the Endeavorers as a spe- cial favor. One of these tents blew down in a tremendous cy- clonic storm the night before the convention was to begin. But the meeting opened on time in spite of the rain, and by the vigorous enterprise of the Washington committee the wrecked tent was repaired, re-erected, and ready for occu- pation on the third day of the convention. This convention will long be remembered because of the wonderful praise service, held on the east front of the Capitol, conducted by Mr. Percy S. Foster, one of the most beloved and efficient of the leaders of Christian Endeavor song. A choir of five thousand was massed upon the great steps of the Capitol, and a throng estimated at all the way from fifty to a hundred thou- sand swelled the grand volume of the chorus. It is said that the magnificent anthem, "Holy, holy, holy. Lord God al- mighty," was heard more than a mile away, by people upon the streets and in their homes. In 1897 the Christian Endeavorers carried out Francisco, perhaps the greatest religious excursion ever known ^' in American history, for twenty-five thousand per- sons, it is said, crossed the mountains to California to attend the Seventeenth International Convention. The railroad au- thorities on the Pacific coast could not be convinced that any Christian Endeavor in the Americas. 367 such numbers would think of attending the convention. To the secretary of the United Society, Mr. John Willis Baer, who went out to California especially to prepare for the meet- ings, one of the vice-presidents of a transcontinental railway said, when told that ten thousand might cross the mountains: "Young man, cut those figures right in two. I know better than you do. A convention was never held that would bring five thousand people from the East." The "young man" subsided, but it was found that his figures were too small by more than one-half, and the result was that, having prepared for only five thousand, the railways were utterly unprepared to cope with five times that number. Some of the many ex- cursion trains were nine or ten days in crossing the continent. Mountains of baggage were piled up awaiting claimants, some of whom did not get their belongings until the conven- tion was well over. In spite of these difficulties, however, perhaps in part because of them, the convention was a magnificent success, and will long be remembered by the people on the coast. In 1898 the Endeavor hosts went to Nashville, and had the use of the fine buildings in which the exposition of South- ern industries had been held. The report of the conven- tion says: "Nashville has enjoyed the very best Christian Endeavor convention yet held in the world. In every par- ticular except numbers the convention surpassed its splendid predecessors. It was more practically helpful, more spiritu- ally uplifting; it was more magnificently patriotic, more strikingly brotherly, more thoughtful, more expressive, more cordial, and more lovable." It was made memorable by the fraternal union of the Blue and the Gray. In the presence of Gen. O. O. Howard of the Union army and Gen. Clement A. Evans, formerly of the Confederate army, and also of Gen. John T. Morgan, who commanded the Union forces in the battle of Nashville, this sentiment was incarnated. A piece 368 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. of the original "Old Glory," which had been owned by a Nashville Unionist, who kept it sewed up in his Blue coverlid during the war, and brought it out to and the wave over the capitol when the Union forces at entered it, had been given to the president of the Nashville. -.^ . , r^ . ttti i i 11 r United Society. When he introduced the former Confederate General Evans, he handed it to the general, who received it, with emotion, and said, "In all the charges I have made against this flag I have never seen it floating befor me on crested ridge or parapet with resentment toward it iv my heart." In 1899 ^ niost successful convention was held in Detroit. The two big tents were surrounded by many smaller ones, and the "White City" was the centre of attraction for tens of thou- sands for nearly a week. Three hundred thousand people, it is said, attended the one hundred and fifty different sessions; and the Quiet Hours, the Conferences for local-union offi- cers, the prison conference, and other smaller meetings, as well as the great tent gatherings, made this convention memorable. In 1900 the American Endeavorers united in the World's Convention in the city of London, as has already been de- scribed; but in 1901 the International Convention was again held on American soil, this time in the hospitable city of Cin- cinnati. The traditions of the past were fully maintained in this meeting, though the reputation of the city as somewhat torrid in the month of July — a reputation which it failed to bear out, certainly during this convention week, which was delightfully cool and comfortable — prevented as large an at- tendance as at some other meetings. In 1903 the Endeavorers journeyed half across 1903^^' t^^ continent to hold their convention in the beau- tiful city of Denver. This was the first of the bi- ennial conventions, which had been voted two years before, in order that in the intervening year more emphasis might christian Endeavor in the Americas. 369 be put upon the State and local conventions. The meeting- place was exactly a mile high, and the spiritual altitude well corresponded to the physical. The Rev. R. J. Campbell, the successor of Dr. Parker in the City Temple of London, at- tended this convention, and was a great attraction whenever he spoke in tent or church. The only untoward event was the col- lapse of the great tent in a hurricane on the last afternoon. Eight thousand persons were beneath its canvas roof at the Tent Endeavor, Denver Christian Endeavor Convention. time; but by the mercy of God, and because of the coolness and self-control of the great audience, no one was seriously hurt. In fact, scarcely a scratch was received by any one, but the imprisoned multitudes cut their way through the canvas, and five minutes afterward were standing upon the debris and piles of lumber near by, singing "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." 24 370 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. The last convention that comes within the survey of this history was held in the city of Baltimore in 1905, and it has gone down in the history of conventions as perhaps the most enthusiastic and in some respects the most remarkable of any that has ever been held. The building used, the great armory hall of the Fifth Regiment, was the largest ever used, and was seated for 16,500 people; while the Lyric Hall near by and many churches were also used. The most important ad- vance step taken was the proposition to mark the completion of the first quarter-century of the Christian Endeavor move- ment by the raising of a Memorial Fund for the erection of suitable Christian Endeavor headquarters, and for an endow- ment sufficient to put the world-wide extension work of En- deavor on a permanent basis. "The atmosphere may have been sticky and uncomfortable," says a reporter of this meet- ing; "but it was too heavily charged with cheer and joy, en- thusiasm and evangelism, for misanthropy. Numbers came, and numbers count, and never was there a more convincing proof of the inherent vitality and vigor of the Christian En- deavor movement than was given in Baltimore." While the great conventions make the deepest other impression upon the general public, they are not by in the any means the only factor, nor perhaps the largest Growth ^ . , 1 <- 1 /^i • • -r^ 1 of factor, m the growth of the Christian Endeavor Endeavor, movement. Many of these other influences are un- seen at first, but they are none the less potent. Some of these, like the rise and progress of "the Quiet Hour" and the "Tenth Legion," the development of the local union and the State union, have been described in other chapters. One of the most reassuring features of the movement is its ability to develop new forms, and to adopt new methods when they are needed. A striking illustration of this is found in the "Increase Campaign." It was in the year 1902 that the writer was attending the Ohio State convention in Zanes- christian Endeavor in the Americas. 371 ville. It was a good meeting, large, enthusiastic, full of vigor. But it seemed to him that more yet might be accom- plished, and that there was some danger that the Endeavorers of Ohio and in other commonwealths might settle down to the idea that they had won the victory, and that there was little more land to be possessed. So at one of the meetings he proposed an "Increase Campaign," and that during the next year the Ohio Endeavorers should strive to add ten per cent to the number of their societies. It seemed like a large ^ task, for there were already between three and four Increase thousand socicties in the Buckeye State, and it was ampaign. gyppQgg^j |-j^^j- nearly all the churches that desired Christian Endeavor societies already had them. But the leaders of the State union, especially the inde- fatigable field secretary. Rev. C. H. Hubbell, took up the idea with enthusiasm, went to work with a will, and before the twelve months were out had gained their ten per cent. Within two years more than seven hundred new societies had been formed in Ohio, and her officers intend to close the puarter-century year with a thousand new Endeavor societies to their credit. This idea was taken up with almost equal enthusiasm in other States. In some of them it was a much smaller task to gain their ten per cent, for they had comparatively few to base a percentage on. Thus Indian Territory and Oklahoma added 211 new societies, making a gain of sixty-four and a half per cent in two years. Indiana gained more than thirty per cent by adding t^'j'] societies. Louisiana added 42 socie- ties, nearly fifty per cent of all she had before. Assiniboia gained more than fifty per cent, while Hawaii surpassed all records by more than doubling her societies, which she did in two years by adding twenty-five to the numbers of January, 1903. The total gain in societies in the United States and Canada in the two years following the beginning of the In- 372 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. crease Campaign was 6,780, an average of more than twenty- three per cent. In 1905 the Increase Campaign idea was enlarged by making it a "Betterment" as well as an "Increase campaign," and by the proposition that it should extend over ten years, by which time it was hoped that all the States would double their numbers. Better meetings, larger missionary contribu- tions, and better citizenship efforts were all to be recognized at the Baltimore convention, and thousands of local societies and hundreds of local unions were recorded in Secretary Vogt's Recognition Leaflet, given out at Baltimore to recog- nize the reports received by him of specially fine work done by the societies during 1904 and 1905. It is a pamphlet of seventy large and closely printed pages, with double columns giving only a line to each society, but every line, by a system of numerals, signifying a lot of splendid work reported by that society. A later development of the Society in Amer- Field ica, but a very natural one, is the employment of field secretaries by the different States whose work has grown so large and important as to need some one to give his whole time and attention to it. This was started in Ohio in 1901, and has been followed by Maine and Cali- fornia, Oregon and Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Kentucky, and other States. These field secretaries have often been ministers of various denominations, though sometimes young laymen are chosen ; but in every instance they have not only rendered valuable service to the Endeavor move- ment, but in many ways have helped the churches in other lines, "doing the work of an evangelist" oftentimes, and strengthening in many ways the weak places in the walls of Zion. The developments in North America of the Christian Endeavor Society among others than those of the Caucasian christian Endeavor in the Americas. 373 race deserves more attention than can be given in this chap- ter. The colored societies are very numerous, and are con- stantly increasing. Two of the most eminent bishops of the colored churches have long been members of the board of trustees of the United Society, and another of the race repre- sents the colored Baptist churches. No color line is ever drawn in the national conventions, and such speakers as Bishop Arnett and Bishop Walters and Booker T. Washing- ton are among the most acceptable Christian Endeavor con- vention orators. The colored societies of the African Methodist Episcopal Church are called "Allen Societies" after one of their leaders, and the societies in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church belong to the so-called '^Varick Union." In Flori Ida alone there were at the last report 163 societies of the 'Allen League of Christian Endeavor," 143 of which had been formed in the previous year. j Christian ^^^ work of Christian Endeavor among the Endeavor North American Indians has always been most in- Among • A 1 • the terestmg. A home missionary tells of seeing a Indians. r t j* ^ ^' . ^ company of young Indians starting out one day on their bronchos for a new settlement some miles distant. When he asked them where they were going, they told hirn" that they were the committee of the Christian Endeavor so- ciety of that reservation, and that they were going to form another society in this new settlement of whites for which they were bound. Truly that is a reversal of former history, when the Indians carry the gospel to the whites. Among many tribes of Indians are whole-souled Endeav- orers; and, when the Rosebud Indian Reservation of South Dakota was opened up last year, Christian Endeavor entered as soon as the white settlers, and found itself no stranger in the happy hunting-grounds of the red men. There are but four societies in Alaska, but some most ad- 374 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. mirable and active Endeavorers are found among them. The Rev. Mr. Marsden, a full-blooded Alaskan, has long been active in the work, and has been an acceptable speaker at more than one convention. The Chinese Endeavorers in America are among the most generous and devoted of all. The society which has long held the record for the largest benevolence, barring only one in all the land, is a Chinese society in San Francisco, which for a number of years has averaged about $i,8oo a year for mission work. Canadian Endeavorers at Dr. Clark's Birthplace, Aylmer, Quebec. It is not necessary to mention the dififerent nationalities in America that are interested in the Endeavor movement, since, though they sometimes meet by themselves, they also form an integral part of the American hosts. It is necessary only to say that there are societies speaking German and Welsh, Bohemian, Polish, Hungarian, Swedish, and Nor- wegian. Almost all of these Endeavorers are bilingual, and Christian Endeavor in the Americas. 375 also join in the meetings and the work of their English- speaking comrades. A large conference of the German socie- ties of the Atlantic district was recently held in Brooklyn, a German Endeavor paper was proposed, and a general secre- tary was chosen, while the Welsh societies also have a yearly convention of their own, usually in one of the interior States. Canada and the United States for all Chris- Dominion tian Endeavor purposes may be considered as one cinada Country, for they belong to the same international union, and their interests are largely the same, though a Dominion Union has also been formed to give espe- The Cathedral in ]\Icxico City. cial attention to Canadian affairs. In two or three of the Provinces of Canada there was for several years an apparent decline in the Christian Endeavor movement, and an actual 376 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. loss in the numbers reported, the only country in the world, so far as I know, of which this could be said. This decline was most marked in the Maritime Provinces and in Ontario, but it is believed to be only temporary. Indeed, there are al- ready signs of quickening in these Provinces. The Quebec Union, splendidly manned, was never more active than now, and in Manitoba and the Northwest constant and rapid gain has been reported. Mexico has long had a vigorous and devoted Mexico's ^, . . T- 1 ^- ^ --ri • • Endeav= Christian Endeavor contingent. 1 he missionaries, *"'^'*^' especially of the Congregational and Presbyterian churches, have taken great interest in the Society from the start. Some of the noblest examples of heroism in Christian work, of determination in overcoming obstacles, of long and difficult journeys taken to attend the conventions, come from this great republic. Mexico's last records show 133 Christian Endeavor societies, a gain in membership, though not in socie- ties, of 25 per cent. Their last convention was reported to be the "best yet," and new plans were laid for the larger work of the future. The official organ of the society is El Esfor- zado Mexicano, and a good one it is. No one has done more for Christian Endeavor in Mexico than. Mrs. C. S. Williams, of the Presbyterian Board, who has long been the secretary of the Union. Rev. James D. Eaton, D. D., and Mrs. Eaton, among other missionaries, have also been especially helpful to the cause in its earlier days. As we go farther south, we find in Costa Rica ten socie- ties, in Guatemala three, while others are reported on the Mosquito Coast and in other parts of Central America. The islands on the American coast are treated in another chapter. , Coming to South America, we find that Bra- in _ , =• ' South zil is pre-eminently the Christian Endeavor coun- try of this part of America. Here are found 62 societies, 43 of them being in the enterprising province of christian Endeavor in the Americas. 377 Sao Paulo. Exceedingly interesting accounts come from Brazil of picturesque conventions and of faithful work done by the Endeavorers. The growth in this great country has been most remarkable of late years, considering the obsta- cles encountered and the great predominance of the Catholic Church. In 1900 there were only two societies in all Brazil; now the two have been multiplied by thirty-two. Most prac- tical and efficient work, too, is done by the Brazilian Endeav- ^^■m^^^KJi^HSS^^^BVaBB^BHIKSnH ■ ,.^;^: ' -i ■ - -i 1 Mi. 1 If » 1 f ■■K 1 t ' **' 1 1 1 -Ale.;-. « 1^ ^ ^* ^ u i.^ ^^ ^ .» ». a .«>^. ^=* ■ 1 ^. '^ II ^^^ ■■„„..( •»., ; » - a The Second National Christian Endeavor Convention in Brazil. orers. The Anglican society of Sao Paulo, for instance, con- ducts a seamen's reading-room, where sailors of all nation- alities may find a welcome and literature in their own lan- guage. The Union Presbyterian Endeavorers of the same city do much out-of-door missionary work, holding meetings in different parts of the city and in the suburbs. The native 378 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Brazilians are trying to interest the Germans, Italians, and other nationalities in Christian Endeavor with large hope of success, and the last national convention that w^as held was one of unequalled power. At this convention sixteen ministers, representing five denominations, took part, and greetings were received from many parts of the world. A chorus sang for the first time the new national Christian Endeavor hymn, written by Teixira da Silva, while the evangelistic spirit was Group of Endeavorers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. marked throughout the convention, and is characteristic of Brazilian Endeavor. Missionaries of various denominations have very effi- ciently helped the cause. To Mr. R. W. Fenn, of the Pres- byterian mission in Brazil, must be given especial credit for enthusiastic labors while he was in Brazil, and for raising money to help the Endeavorers there since he returned to 'America. Of all the Brazilians, none have done more for christian Endeavor in the Americas. 379 the cause than the general secretary of the Brazilian Union, Rev. Eliezer dos Sanctos Saraiva. But little as yet has come to the knowledge of the writer concerning other South American countries, though most of them have small Christian Endeavor contingents, and have doubtless made interesting history, were it only known. Co- lombia is credited with five societies, Chile with six, British Guiana, where the Society has been especially vigorous, has eleven, while other societies are known to exist in the Argen- tine Republic, in Uruguay and Venezuela. It is evidently the intention of the Endeavorers of this great section of Amer- ica, as it certainly is of the officers of the World's Union, that South America shall not be the "neglected continent" of Christian Endeavor. CHAPTER XXIX. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN EUROPE. TELLING THE PART OF GREAT BRITAIN, GERMANY, AND THE OTHER COUNTRIES OF CONTINENTAL EU- ROPE IN THE WORK OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR, ITS BEGINNINGS AND SUBSEQUENT GROWTH IN ALL THESE LANDS. " To our dear brothers in Christian Endeavor who here represent the great European nationalities — France and Spain, Germany and Sweden, Switzerland and Italy, and perchance others also, I would say: 'Surely your coming is the expression of a warm desire for a good understanding be- tween nation and nation. We reciprocate that sentiment. Your presence here is a prophecy of that perhaps distant but sure-coming day, when nation shall not vex nation, and when they shall learn war no more.' " Rev. J. B. Alorgan, at the London Convention. HE Story of the Christian Endeavor movement in every country in Europe is but a repetition of the ever-interesting story of providential openings, small beginnings, numerous ob- stacles, and finally substantial growth; at least this is the story of the Society where it has been in existence long enough to get beyond its initial stage, and really make a' home and a welcome for itself. The beginning of the Society in Great Britain and one of the great conventions there have already been described at some length, and the recent growth has been so many-sided and so general throughout all parts of the United Kingdom that only the briefest view can be given in this chapter. Other 380 Christian Endeavor in Europe. 381 Officers and Workers in Europe. Rev. Horace Button, Switzerland. Rev. Frederick Blecher, Germany. Rev. J. H. House, Salonica, Macedonia. Vicente Mateu, Treasurer of the Spanish C. E. Efr. Rang, Johanneslund, Stockholm. Rev. V. Van Der Beken, General Secretary, France. 382 christian Endeavor in All Lands. chapters will tell more of the works of mercy and various lines of church and philanthropic activity undertaken by the British Endeavorers. For the most part, Christian Endeavor in Great Britain has developed along the same lines that the Society has fol- lowed in America, and many of the plans used in America, like the "Quiet Hour," the "Tenth Legion," the "Increase Campaign," etc., have been found of equal value in Great Britain. It has also developed national characteristics of its own, as the Society is sure to do, owing to its flexibility and adaptability of method. The Sunday-School Union was the first sponsor for Christian Endeavor in Great Britain, and, when there were but a few societies in all the country besides the original British society in the High Street Church of Crewe, invited the writer to tell the British public something of the new organization. This was in 1888, and the invitation was re- peated in 1891, when the quartette of American ministers already named visited a score of different places in Great Britain, including such important centres as Bristol, Ports- mouth, Taunton, Boston, Colchester, Sunderland, besides holding a number of meetings in different parts of London. They undertook the journey at their own expense, except so far as travelling-expenses from place to place in England were concerned, and they were everywhere most kindly and hospitably received. Q^^^^ From this time the cause went rapidly for- Conventions ward. The conventions are upon the same gen- Great erous scale as in America, and Manchester and Bir- Bntain. rningham and Shefiield and Glasgow and Belfast and Newcastle and Bristol are all memorable in Christian Endeavor convention annals. The national convention of 1904, held in London, was particularly memorable because of the formation of the European Christian Endeavor Central christian Endeavor in Europe. 383 Bureau. Representatives from a dozen different countries in Europe met in a room of the Sunday-School Union on the Old Bailey, and formed the European Union, which is destined to do a great and most-needed work throughout all the Continent, bringing together the forces that speak so many different lan- guages, and yet are all united in the bonds of Christian En- deavor. Since the Society began to gather strength and head- way in Great Britain its affairs have been wisely managed by a National Council representing all denominations and all parts of the United Kingdom. This Council chooses the president of the Union, and also a chairman to preside over its own deliberations every year. Nor has the president been any mere figurehead, but has always done efficient service, travelling hither and yon, from Land's End to John O' Groat's, wherever he was called by the Endeavorers. Even so busy a man as the Rev. F. B. Meyer found time to accept the presidency of the British Union with all that it involved, for one year, and sacredly set apart one day out of every week from his multifarious duties to answer Christian Endeavor calls from far and near. Rev. John R. Fleming, during the year of his incumbency of the office, stimulated the literary as well as the spiritual side of Christian Endeavor, and still continues to guide the literary circles with courses of studies in general reading, in the Bible, and in church history. The eloquent voice of the Rev. Joseph Brown Morgan, one of the earlier presidents, was heard in every part of Great Britain pleading for the principles of Christian Endeavor. The Rev. W. Bainbridge was most active during the year of his presidency in presenting Christian Endeavor to the eye as well as the ear by means of beautifully illustrated lectures. The Rev. E. R. Barrett was untiring in his efforts, during his incumbency, while the present president, the Rev. Bishop E. R. Hasse, is no less zealous in his efforts for the advancement 384 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. of the cause. A different denomination each year is repre- sented in the presidential chair, and all these incumbents are busy men with large parishes of their own to look after. But, while presidents come and presidents go, the Rev. W. Knight Chaplin, the secretary of the Union, remains at his post, which he has occupied from the formation of the national union. With marvellous industry he not only attends to his secretarial duties, but edits The Christian Endeavour Times as well, preaches on Sunday to his own congregation, and goes here and there throughout Great Britain to scores of conventions at the call of the Endeavorers. Scotch, The different parts of the United Kingdom, Irish, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, have developed their and ' ' '^ Welsh own Christian Endeavor unions, and have their own annual conventions, meetings large in numbers and of wide influence. Somewhat like the State unions in Amer- ica, they manage their own affairs, but are in sympathetic relations with the national union. The Scotch, Irish, and Welsh contingents all have their characteristics, and all add their own individual harmonious note to the Christian En- deavor symphony. The Isle of Man, too, has its own vigor- ous "Manx Union," with an admirable monthly magazine of its own devoted to the interests of Christian Endeavor. Some of the local unions of Great Britain are of great strength and importance, the London Union, indeed, being the largest in the world, with more than seven hundred socie- ties, divided into nineteen divisions, each doing what it can for the spiritual uplift of the world's metropolis. The Yorkshire Union and the Lancashire and Cheshire Federation also number tens of thousands of Endeavorers, and, like many other vigorous local unions, have a distinct and most vigorous life of their own. A considerable number of societies are not as yet connected with the national union, so that the total number is larger than the reports indicate. christian Endeavor in Europe. 385 To attempt to characterize the work of these unions in detail would be a hopeless task. A volume should be given to each one, but the writer can say from personal visits to al- most every one of them that no more enthusiastic companies of Christian Endeavorers meet together in any part of the world than are found in these British unions. Indeed, he would give the palm to them for hearty and uplifting congregational singing, and for genuine enthusiasm which stirs a speaker's heart and brings out the best that is in him they divide the honors with their Australian brethren, if they do not excel all others. British and Australian audiences are far more demon- strative and inspiring to address than those in America or in most other parts of the world. The different divisions of the Methodist Church, with the exception of the Wesleyan, have fostered Christian En- deavor more heartily than the other denominations, and have reaped the advantage of such fostering care. Especially have the Primitive Methodists made great progress of late years in the number and vigor of their societies. The rise and prog- ress of the Church of England Christian Endeavor Union with its helpful meetings and its admirable magazine has been most gratifying. Next to Great Britain in the number and Vigorous , , . ,^, . . f-^ , . . Growth Strength of its Christian Endeavor societies comes Germany. Germany, where the work is practically only ten years old. A romance of religion is the story of Christian Endeavor in Germany. Had the writer been told ten years ago that by this time there would be three hundred societies in the Fatherland, nine well-equipped Christian En- deavor districts, holding their annual conventions, a general secretary, two field secretaries, a Christian Endeavor maga- zine, a Junior paper, and a large amount of Christian En- deavor literature, he would have said like the sceptic of old, "If the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing 25 386 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. be?" But it has all come to pass, and in a most natural and gradual way, so that the extent of the growth can hardly be realized. Not that the numbers are as yet very large; but when the obstacles overcome are considered, and the indiffer- ence with which the Society was received at first is remem- bered, the growth seems little less than marvellous. Under the blessing of God, to whom he first of all would ascribe these successes, the growth of Christian Endeavor in Scandinavian Delegates to Christian Endeavor Convention in Berlin. Germany is due to the Rev. Frederick Blecher, who from the beginning has been the hard-working, self-sacrificing, de- voted secretary, never discouraged, always cheerful and hope- ful of results. Willing to foster small beginnings and to take hold vigorously of discouraging "propositions," he has won for himself an enviable place among the leaders of Christian Endeavor. Many important and influential conventions have been christian Endeavor in Europe. 387 held in Germany during these ten years, but the crown of them all was the European convention in Berlin in 1905, where, as Mr. Blecher writes: ^'Christian Endeavor became for the first time widely known in the capital and to the higher Christian circles. The highest church officer of Berlin, General Superintendent D. D. Faber, welcomed the convention in Circus Schumann, and many denominations shook hands and worked together, in our Fatherland a rare thing indeed. "If before that convention we had much resistance, open or secret, we find now many open doors, and much more inter- est (though also critics) ; and the number of societies and mem- bers is constantly growing. "Our German United Society is divided into nine unions, which all have conventions once or twice a year, blessed con- ventions, where especially the Lord is deepening the work; for the dififerent parts of our country have all their individual needs, and there they can best become fulfilled. I think that is a great advantage of the state unions. "We are so glad that through the extended distribution of our literature our influence is extending in the most north- ern countries of Europe, in Austria, Poland, Sweden, the Baltic provinces, and others." Mr. Blecher sends many testimonies from German German pastors to the value of the Christian En- Endeavor deavor Society in their churches, which would Missionary. '-* * j ' _ make interesting reading, did space permit of their introduction. We can add here only that two field secretaries. Pastor Urbschat and Mr. H. Laus, assist Pastor Blecher in his work, and that the Rev. S. Hugenschmidt has just been sent as a missionary by the Christian Endeavor forces of Ger- many to the Caroline Islands to work under the auspices of the American Board, which has long been engaged in the evangelization of these islands. When these were taken over by Germany, the operations of the American missionaries were greatly disturbed; and now, to show the sympathy of 388 christian Endeavor in All Lands. German Christians, and especially of German Endeavorers, with this work, these young people, with the full approval of their pastors, support this missionary of the- American society, a truly remarkable instance of international and interdenomi- national brotherly love. The financial success of the German Union has long been a source of surprise, possibly of envy, to Endeavorers in other lands. That a company of young people so comparatively small, and few of them wealthy, can with ease support so ex- tensive a work in their own land, besides sending a missionary to the other side of the world, and then have something left over for the advancement of Christian Endeavor in neighbor- ing countries, is indeed surprising. But the explanation is not far to seek. To good financial management on the part of the leaders is added systematic generosity on the part of the mem- bers, each one of whom contributes half a mark a year (twelve and a half cents in American money, or an English sixpence) for the advance of Christian Endeavor. For a little time Germany received financial aid from the United Society in America, but very soon, in the true spirit of Christian independence, it began not only to care for its own, but to help the "regions beyond." In the Lutheran countries to the north of Germany Chris- tian Endeavor is also making vigorous headway, except in Denmark, where as yet it has scarcely begun its work, though one or two societies exist in the kingdom. Scandi= Sweden has long been the leader in Scandi- navia. . . . ,^, . . T^ 1 navian countries m Christian Endeavor matters. The writer on three occasions has received a very cordial welcome from the Christian people of Sweden, and both in the state church and in the free churches, especially those of the Baptist denomination, the cause is growing strong. The king of Sweden himself has expressed to me his interest in the cause, and his second son, the devoted Prince Oscar christian Endeavor in Europe. 389 Bernadotte, takes a deep interest in the societies, as he does in all Christian work for the young. Sweden now reports more than two hundred societies, and Professor Rang, of the Lu- theran Church, and Mr. August Palm, of the Baptist Church, deserve especial credit for being the pioneers of the Society in their respective denominations. In Norway Christian Endeavor is of much more recent growth than in Sweden. In fact, it hardly obtained a fair start until in 1905 the Rev. Horace Dutton, who has done so much for the cause throughout Europe, settled down for a serious A Christian Endeavor Convention in Sweden. campaign among the Norwegians, going from city to city and from pastor to pastor to explain the principles of the move- ment, to dispel prejudices, to remove misapprehensions, and to commend the Society to a most earnest company of Chris- tians, who have become thoroughly enthusiastic Christian En- deavorers. Though the societies are not many at this writ- ing, yet Norwegian Christian Endeavor will have a large and honorable place, I believe, in the history of the future. In Finland the Society has had a most auspici- Growth ous beginning. On visiting Helsingfors in 1902 I Finland. deemed it my duty to explain to the audience that gathered in the hall of the Young Men's Christian Association the principles of Christian Endeavor in the sim- 390 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. plest and most elemental way, supposing that few, if any, of my auditors had ever heard of the Society before. What was my surprise to be addressed after the meeting by a young Finn, who told me in very good English that he belonged to a Chris- tian Endeavor society in Helsingfors, and that there were a number of Endeavorers present! This was Professor Sax- back, who has since been the leader throughout the Grand Duchy. It seems that he had been in America, and, living in Milwaukee, had become a member of a society there. On his return to Finland he established the organization in his native city, and now we find that there are more than twenty societies in Finland that are doing an excellent work. Since Finland is a part of Russia we can easily pass on to other parts of this vast empire. In St. Petersburg we find at least one strong society in the Anglo-American Church, which Baron Nikolai, well known in court circles as well as among the Christian forces of St. Petersburg, speaks of as "a blessed haven of rest" for him. But the largest development of Christian Endeavor in Russia is found in the Baltic prov- inces, especially in the Lettish provinces.* There the So- ciety has found an enthusiastic friend in the Rev. Robert Bahtz, who has become the field secretary of the cause in this part of Russia. His enthusiasm breathes in every word of his letters. This short extract from one tells of the beginning of Christian Endeavor among the Lettish people: A^ong *T send you the good news that through the the grace of God the Young People's Society of Chris- ^^*'^' tian Endeavor has found a foothold in the Baltic provinces of Russia. For this the glory is God's alone. His name be praised in all lands and all languages! Through the * The latest reports at the close of 1905 record 36 societies with 579 members in the Russian-Baltic Christian Endeavor Union, of which 16 are in Livland, 7 in Kurland, and 13 among the Letts in other parts of Russia. Though the Society has not yet found its way into the Greek Church of Russia, there are some who predict that its largest field in the future, when thoroughly understood, will be in that church. christian Endeavor in Europe. 391 Lettish paper, The Evangelist, the cause of Christian En- deavor has become known among the Lettish people, and we hope that it will have a great future among them. There are already, four societies: one German in Dorpat, and in Riga, Rujen, and Tuckum each one Lettish society. Hallelujah! We have already a hundred members in Russia." In Austria and Bohemia the work has been promoted by the American missionaries * and Pastor Alois Adlof is the First Christian Endeavor Convention Held in Russia at Rujen, Livonia. efficient secretary of the work, which is yet in its infancy in those countries. In Hungary greater progress has been made, and sixteen societies are reported. The worthy leader of the work is Professor Szabo, of the University of Budapest, whose father- in-law, the Rev. Theodore Biberauer, first became interested in the movement in Hungary about ten years ago. Professor Szabo has published in Hungarian religious periodicals many articles about the Society, and to his enthusiastic leadership are largely due the substantial beginnings of the work in this * The Rev. A. W. Clark, D.D., and the Rev. J. S. Porter. 392 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. great progressive country. Pastor Julius Forgacs is the secre- tary of Christian Endeavor work in Hungary. There are some Junior societies as w^ell as societies for young people, and one of the latest efforts is a society for the university men of Budapest. In the Balkan States, too, Christian Endeavor is well represented. If the numbers are not large, the quality is of the very best. Both in Bulgaria and in Macedonia the work is started. In Phil- ippopolis, Samokov, Sofia, and Salonica are societies, and there are beginnings which promise larger things in the years In the Balkan States. Executive Committee of Hungarian Christian Endeavor Union. to come. Perhaps the most interesting centre of Christian Endeavor in the Balkan States is Monastir in Macedonia, where there are no less than four societies. In these four so- cieties are people of six nationalities, Bulgarians, Servians, Albanians, Wallachians, Greeks, and Americans. In Samo- kov, among the warm-hearted Bulgarian students the writer christian Endeavor in Europe. 393 witnessed a remarkable scene of the outpouring of the Spirit of God, and he will never forget the cordial welcome which he received in Monastir a few years ago. Though it is in the very heart of the most disturbed district in all Europe, though bandits from the mountains and Turkish soldiers quartered upon the people made life miserable for the inhabitants, though our meetings had to be held by daylight, and all had to be behind locked doors and gates before dark, yet here we found a company of Endeavorers that will do credit to any town of the size in England or America. Turk- ish rule forbade the girls' meeting us at the station; but, as we approached the school compound, we were welcomed by the cchoolgirls singing in good English, "God bless you, God bless you; God be with you in the coming days!" The missionaries of the European Turkey mission of the American Board have done much for the cause of Christian Endeavor.* In the Latin countries Christian Endeavor has !n Latin naturally had more obstacles to contend with, and a slower growth than in the Teutonic lands where Protestantism prevails. Nevertheless, on the whole it has given a very good account of itself. The hearty welcome ex- , tended to Christian Endeavor at the beginning by Mr. Greig of the McAU Mission has already been described. Dr. Mc- All himself was no less cordial and friendly, though, when the writer first went to France, this Scotch apostle to the Gauls was near the end of his life's work, and could do but little actively to show his interest. But the Society has always * Among them should be especially mentioned Dr. Bond and Miss Matthews and Miss Cole of Monastir, Dr. Marsh of Philippopolis, Miss Haskell of Samokov, Dr. House and Mr. Haskell and Mr. Holway of Salonica. Miss Ellen Stone, the well-known missionary who was captured by brigands, and her companion in captivity, Mrs. Tsilka, are also active Endeavorers. 394 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. flourished in the McAll Mission. It has also found its way into many of the Reformed Churches, and at the end of our first quarter-century France reports 120 societies. Some of the most interesting and useful societies in France have been in the foreign churches of Paris, the Ameri- can Church in the Rue de Berri, the Wesleyan Church in the Rue Roquepine, and the students' meeting in the Latin H^^^I^H^^^E^^^^^^IHr' ^ri # ^«-'V.A ^i)L-i^ ^H \ J 'I^^^.^LSHOk^^^. jT^Ik^'^^R ^^D ^^^^^ H^ I^b'^^So^^^^^ ^^^M^T ^^fcfca ' -^y ^ ^^^^m .^^^^^^^^1 ^9^K^^^^i!^& ^^^^^^^|p '^ " "^wW ^1 f^^PfcwiflB^^ B^i7 ^J f} iB^^^Dmi -."^^^R^§*wi Spanish Christian Endeavorers, Dressed in the Costumes of Different Provinces. Quarter. One of the best illustrations of what a young man away from home on a short visit to a foreign city can do is furnished by the story of Mr. W. H. Lewis, who accompanied the Bering Sea Arbitration Commission to Paris some twelve years ago as the secretary of one of the commissioners. An earnest Endeavorer in Washington, he was no less an earnest Endeavorer in Paris. He started the society in the American Church, which has had so long and honorable a career, and greatly encouraged societies in other parts of Paris, so that christian Endeavor in Europe. 395 before he left it was possible to hold a meeting of the Paris Union, where the hymns and prayers and psalms in two lan- guages were heard by the one Father in heaven. The French Christian Endeavor Union is of but recent formation, and Pastor Van der Beken, the secretary, has proved wise and efficient in his administration. To show that Christian Endeavor bears the same fruit in parts of the world where it is only just established as in the oldest Christian Endeavor centres, room must be made for the story of some little girls in Marseilles who belong to a Junior society, and who give up their afternoons to admirable sun- shine work. "Two or three of them go together," we are told, "with a violin, a little collection of good things which their mothers have helped them to get together — some potatoes, a box of matches, candles, some bread and meat and butter, and so on. They sing hymns to each old woman they call on, and one of them prays. If they are very young and timid, one of them repeats the Lord's Prayer." No wonder that the ac- count adds, "These little 'district visitors' are very popular in the neighborhood." Christian Endeavor in Italy has not as yet had Italy. ^ ^^^y vigorous growth, though there is much to encourage it even there. The beginning of the work here, as in Scandinavia, was due largely to the Rev. Horace Dutton, and now the union is fully equipped with the Rev. G. Cervi of the Wesleyan Methodist Church as secre- tary, the Rev. M. H. Shaw of the Baptist Church as president, and Dr. Gray, the veteran Presbyterian pastor of Rome, as treasurer. "We thank God," says Dr. Gray, "for the societies that exist. That which has given us especial cause for satis- faction is found in the fact that all who have made trial of Christian Endeavor have been satisfied with its results, and deplore only that they did not know of it sooner." In Rome, Florence, Naples, and Turin Endeavor socie- 396 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. ties are found, and a regular Christian Endeavor department is kept up in the weekly Gioventu. One would expect in advance that the sturdy little repub- lic of Switzerland would prove a fruitful field for Christian Endeavor, and such is the case, at least in the limited section of Switzerland where the Society has had a chance to prove its work. The movement is as yet largely confined to Geneva p.- - -- i ■ ^^K-' SHh ■NPHhj^PVBPv pt'ji^wMgjjg^^^.-^ ^^^sgjj^^w|Hw fHri^^^^H ^Hf ^ Mnm^"""" ^MT^ mK^ g,r^-> ^ muKt^ 'v' -' -.sIIk^.. MjBi; , Christian Endeavor Society of Geneva, Switzerland. ^ and the vicinity, but here is found a vigorous and aggressive local union, which has undertaken to entertain the World's Convention and the quarter-century convention in 1906. The history of this convention will come into the annals of the next quarter-century of Christian Endeavor, to be sure; but by way of anticipation I may be allowed to remark, perhaps, that from what I have seen of the Geneva committee and their christian Endeavor in Europe. 397 arrangements the convention promises to be one of the most memorable in all the annals of Christian Endeavor. Mr. Charles Briquet, a young merchant of Geneva, is the secretary of the union, and the leading spirit in the work, and he is ably supported by many other eminent pastors. There remains only the story of Christian En- inthe deavor in the Iberian Peninsula. In Spain the first Peninsula. SOciety was formed in the International Institute for Girls, then located in San Sebastian, a noble mission school, which has since been removed to Madrid. Through A Junior Christian Endeavor Society in Spain. the influence of Mr. and Mrs. Gulick and the other teachers all the girls who have gone out from this school for many years have gone out as earnest Christians and thor- oughly equipped Endeavorers. In their own home towns to 398 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. which they have gone and in the schools in which they have become teachers they have formed Endeavor societies, and it is largely due to their influence that many of the fifty-one societies in Spain have been established. Miss Catharine Barbour of this mission, who was greatly beloved in her life and lamented in her death, was especially active in introduc- ing the work. Other missions, however, have taken up the work, and the societies are now found in nearly every place where Prot- estant work is undertaken.* During the past year, too, the Society has spread from Spain to the Madeira Islands and the Balearic Islands. The Rev. William H. Gulick, the beloved father of the movement in Spain, writes, "It is the unanimous testimony of Christian observers that no systematized agency hitherto existing in our congregations has at all equalled the societies of Christian En- deavor for the discovering of talent and the developing of the same along practical lines of evangelistic work." Dr. Gu- lick's efforts are heartily seconded by some of the ablest native Spanish Protestants, and in addition to the admirable En- deavor monthly, Esfuerzo Cristiano, published in Madrid, the societies of Valencia issue a monthly bulletin called El Pequeno Esfuerzo. Of the half a hundred societies in Spain twenty are Junior societies and seven are Mothers' societies. In this respect the Spanish Endeavorers, in proportion to their numbers, lead the world. Their example, it is hoped, will ere long be followed by the mothers of many other lands. ' The story of Christian Endeavor in Portugal may well be a brief one, since there are as yet but two societies, one in Lisbon and one in an Episcopal church near Oporto. "We are thankful to our heavenly Father," says the Rev. Diogo Cassels, of Oporto, "for being able to say that we have a little * Don Vincente Mateu is the president, and Don Carlos Araujo, Jr., the sec- retary, of the Spanish Union. christian Endeavor in Europe. 399 company of fifty-five Christian Endeavorers, many of whom attend regularly our choir practices, and take a hearty part in the church services. Not a few help at our cottage services, teach in the Sunday-school, visit the sick, collect money or work for missions to the heathen." To Mr. J. Barreto must be given the credit of the introduction of Christian Endeavor into Portugal. Young, enthusiastic, attractive in person and Spanish Junior Christian Endeavor Society of Valencia. speech, he communicated his enthusiasm to other young peo- ple in Lisbon; and never has the writer seen a more joyous company of young Christians than he once met in that beau- tiful city. Soon afterwards Mr. Barreto went to Switzer- land to complete his studies. But Christian Endeavor has struck root in Portugal, and in the years to come, I believe, will bear abundant fruit. CHAPTER XXX. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN AFRICA. FROM CAIRO TO THE CAPE IN CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR, AS WELL AS THE WORK OF THE SOCIETY IN THE DARKEST CORNERS OF THE DARK CONTINENT. " What the great world of heathendom wants is not angels in heaven, but men and women with the spirit of heaven down here on earth. Christian Endeavor was born into the world to help bring this vast human need and the divine supply together. Some of the principles underlying this movement fit very closely into the problems that confront us in the Dark Continent. Yonder on the shores of the great Victoria Nyanza we are a little force of seven mis- sionary Endeavorers in a tribe numbering a million people. But what are we among so many? Seven against a million! Can we compass the need ? Nay ! But we can train a force of native workers, who in God's hand will do the work much more quickly and effectively than we could do it ourselves." Rev. Willis R. Hotchkiss, Africa. OME years ago a German missionary climbed the Cheops Pyramid, that giant structure that has been an indestructible monument through so many centuries of the past. And what did she find engraved upon a stone on the sum- mit? C. E., our well-known symbol of Christian Endeavor. It is true that old Egypt knew nothing of our movement; but young Egypt that is just beginning to rise out of the sloughs of superstition and ignorance of past centuries has taken up the subject, and had carved the symbol." So writes a German Christian Endeavorer. The author may be al- 400 christian Endeavor in Africa. 401 402 christian Endeavor in All Lands. lowed, perhaps, to supplement this introduction to Christian Endeavor in Africa with some observations of his own, writ- ten in Cairo in 1896, but two years after the first society was started there. "The oldest civilization in the world and the youngest Christian organization in the world have met together. Egypt and Christian Endeavor have kissed each other, to adopt the Oriental imagery of this country. "Here under the very eyes of the 'far-seeing Sphinx' I find a Christian Endeavor welcome and the Christian En- deavor spirit. At last 'forty centuries look down' on this child of less than sixteen winters. "The foster-parent of Christian Endeavor in Egypt, who has, so to speak, acclimatized the Society in the land of the Pharaohs, is the Egyptian mission of the United Presbyterian Church of America. Some two years ago, the first society was started, and now there are three or four societies, includ- ing at least one Junior society at Asyut, a long way up the Nile, where is one of the chief stations of the Board. But especially to Dr. White and Miss Thompson of the mission should the thanks of all Christian Endeavorers be given for introducing the Society and watching over its interests."* From that day to this in the land of the Pyramids Chris- tian Endeavor has made steady progress, and has developed some peculiarly interesting characteristics. For instance, there is a society in Alexandria especially for young men, which makes a specialty of trying to win in a social way Syrians and Copts, and even Mohamme- Work dans and Jews, inducing them to mingle with Prot- Egypt. estants and to study the Protestant religion. "Already," says Miss Grace Chalmers Brown, who writes most interestingly of Christian Endeavor in Egypt, "prejudices have been removed, and gradually the young men learn the sweet and simple truths of Protestantism. Al= * From " Fellow Travelers." Christian Endeavor in Africa. 403 404 Christian Endeavor in All Lands, ready this society has proved itself a bulwark to the church." "The Endeavor society in the Cairo boarding-school has been influential in deepening the spiritual life among the girls. The Egyptian girls have expressive and pathetic faces, and to see them stand, a whole assembly of them, in a Chris- tian Endeavor service, is one of the beautiful and interesting sights of historic Egypt. An English-speaking society in Cairo has long been in existence, and has been visited by scores of English and American Endeavorers. But the most strik- ing, and I might say marvellous, result of Christian En- deavor effort to be found in Egypt," says Miss Brown, "is in the Bulak quarter of Cairo. In this society were seven young girls, all most active workers in Christian Endeavor. They united in praying for special work among the Moham- medans, and the result of months of secret prayer was a great revival." The society has extended up the Nile as far as Asyut, and is thoroughly intrenched in the fruitful mission of the United Presbyterians. The first Christian Endeavor society in Welt West Africa was established in Lagos in 1897. It began with only five members, and now has about two hundred; and through its influence other societies have been formed in the regions round about. It has sometimes been objected to this mission that people in the home land (Ger- many) do not understand the character of the negroes, think- ing that they are only two-legged animals and cannot be ele- vated, and it is useless to send missionaries to them. But it is interesting to see how God has also used our black brothers for the work of His kingdom. Lagos is a city of ninety thousand inhabitants, with many modern conveniences, such as electric light, the telegraph and telephone, railroads, etc. At first the Christian En- deavor Society attracted but little attention, but now its influ- ence is very great. The pastor has found that the members Christian Endeavor in Africa, 405 of his society are a great help in all the work of the church. The young women of the society go out in little groups every day in the week to visit in as many of the huts as they can and speak with all the people; and not less than two hundred per- sons have in this way been led to Christ. They have also formed a mission circle to raise money for the work in the in- Christian Endeavor Society of Lagos, West Coast of Africa. terior of the country. In New Calabar and in South Nigeria they carry the gospel to the market-places, and speak of Jesus to the people gathered there. Some of those who formerly were cannibals have come to believe in Christ. One Chris- tian Endeavorer, who worked at first quite alone, has in this way brought almost a whole neighborhood to receive the gos- 4o6 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. pel. Two officials of the European government have also joined in the work and become active members, and serve the society in many ways. In Central Nigeria one of the chiefs has be- An ° Endeavor comc a member of a Christian Endeavor society, and enjoys wearing his badge. Through his influ- ence other chiefs have been brought to Christ, and have built for themselves and their people a chapel. In Ekiti a Chris- tian Endeavorer gathered together nearly three hundred of the natives, and taught them to read. The following extract from a letter written by the secre- tary of the Old Calabar society, a native of the Gold Coast, gives an interesting glimpse of the work of Christian En- deavor there : "After I had been engaged five years in the service of the government in south Nigeria I had a furlough of three months. I intended to spend half the time in Lagos and half in my home in Acera; but I changed my plans without myself knowing why, and remained the whole time in Lagos. One week after my arrival there I became acquainted with Dr. Mojola Agbebi, who invited me to his house. Through fre- quent visits there and in the Christian Endeavor society I came to realize my great sinfulness, and turned to the Lord whom I had forgotten for so many years. I became a member of the Christian Endeavor society and a fellow worker. This visit in Lagos was greatly blessed to me, and I returned to my work with renewed health and energy, feeling as happy as though some one had given me a very costly present. "Dr. Agbebi had given me a Christian Endeavor badge, and told me always to wear it, and to try to start a society in Old Calabar. I had followed the first part of his advice, for my badge always reminded me of the society which had led me to Christ." Another native government employee saw the badge, and proved to be an Endeavorer himself. The trio soon Christian Endeavor in Africa. 407 started a society, which speedily flourished, and thus the work started in south Nigeria. Many will be surprised to learn that the German Chris- tian Endeavor Union is in copartnership with a church in Kamerun. Naturally the Germans were much interested in the development of Christian Endeavor in their colonies, and last year they were rejoiced to hear that in one of the native churches in Kamerun Christian Endeavor had made a beginning. It is pleasant to learn that the Duala Endeavor- ers are pushing the work with great earnestness and enthu- siasm, and they themselves bear all the expense of the work, for these natives in Duala are self-supporting. Surely with such a beginning we shall expect to hear in the coming years of good work and great blessings from Christian Endeavor in Kamerun. j^ About fifteen years ago a missionary was trav- the elling with a Christian negro up the Congo, in Congo. , , . . • • 1 1 f order to plant a mission station in the heart of Africa. They settled in Luebo, but before the young mission- ary had learned the language God called him home. But other missionaries pressed forward to take his place, and to- day Luebo has a Christian community of more than a thou- sand, and Ibange, a few miles away, has as many more. Be- cause there were few missionaries they soon decided to train up helpers by means of Christian Endeavor, and a society was formed with about fifty members. All of these members can read and write (the language was first reduced to writing by the missionaries), and the Endeavor society in Ibange i<5 still larger. All of these young people are evangelists. They go out to the neighboring villages, and hold prayer-meetings and schools, visit the sick, and in many other ways sow the good seed. Some of them spend only part of the day in this way, and others go to distant villages, and are days and weeks and even months on the way. The young women under the 4o8 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. leadership of two colored Bible women work chiefly among the women and girls. And so it has come to pass that mission work in this region depends largely upon the Christian En- deavor societies. The committees of the society are exactly adapted to the needs. The meetings of the society are "held in the mission house, since kerosene is so expensive that they cannot light the church. They have their song-book in the Baluda language, and a short passage of Scripture and the topic itself must also be translated for them. At the close of How Some Christian Endeavorers Travel in South Africa. each meeting every member reports briefly on the work he has done. One of the large societies of the world is at Jakusu near the Stanley Falls. It began with six members, and now there are 170 active members. The meetings of the society are so popular that the bell which usually rings for other church services is never necessary to call the young people to the En- christian Endeavor in Africa. 409 deavor meeting. As the hour of the meeting approaches, peo- ple come streaming out in all directions from all over the town; and often there are between three and four hundred present. In one year the society contributed more than three hundred marks, most of which was given as a contribution to- wards a new mission ship on the Congo. "Gott tut grosse Dinge dort im dunkelsten Afrika," truly says the German writer who sends the report of this interesting work in the Congo. Those who are interested to know how our pledge looks in the primitive language of the Congo Free State will read below a few words of it: "Nandombe nzambi bukale Buandi. Ankalexe. Ndi ngambila nzambi ne. 'Ntu nasua kuenza MALU EBI BIMPE CENDELELE. Nantendelele nzambi ku dituku." It was in January, 1896, that different mission- Liberia ^^y workers from several evangelical denominations banded themselves together to promote the work of the Christian Endeavor Society in Liberia, and to unite the already existing societies into one union. The work pro- p:ressed well. But before long it was interrupted. One missionary was stricken w^ith fever. Death took away an- other, and the work was given up. But the Lutheran mission took up the movement; and it was soon progressing rapidly once more, and is now making good headway. Many of these Liberian Christian Endeavorers go two or three hours' jour- ney through the thick, dangerous African "bush" to attend the meetings each week. In the Mpongwe dialect the name is translated "Nkumba y'onanga wi Kriotyan," "the Society for Christian Earnest- ness" or "Christian Enthusiasm." The pledge there requires 4IO Christian Endeavor in All Lands. this addition, "I will read the Bible every day, or get some one to read it to me."* In Madeira, the "Island of Paradise," as it is sometimes called, the first society was started in 1904. It has several Portuguese members as well as English-speaking ones. ,j,^^ If Africa is the Dark Continent, it has a bright Bright End end, whcre the Boers and British alike, though di- of the . ' , , • . 1 • • , Dark vided on so many political questions, unite to spread Continent. ^^^ knowledge of Christ and His kingdom through- out all these vast domains. It is in this part of South Africa that Christian Endeavor has won its largest victories. The writer's first visit to South Africa, in 1897, was made under somewhat discouraging auspices. Sailing from India on a coolie ship, he landed in Durban after a long and lone- some voyage; for he was the only white passenger on the ship, and the voyage dragged through more than three weeks of time. Though he found some earnest friends of Christian En- deavor, both in Durban and in Johannesburg and Cape Town, yet on the whole there was little enthusiasm for the cause. It had started, especially in Durban, under somewhat unfavor- able circumstances; and in some cases societies had been formed that were Christian Endeavor in name only, with no pledge and with some of the important features eliminated. These naturally failed after a time, and made it all the more difficult for new headway to be gained. But the ardent Endeavorers of South Africa were not to be daunted, and the last ten years have shown marvellous progress. Very different was the state of things, in both Natal and Cape Colony, that the writer found on a second visit in 1904; and he will not soon forget a meeting that was * The facts about the Society in the Congo and Kamerun, Lagos, Nigeria, and Liberia are condensed from " Bilder aus dem Jugendbund in Aller Welt," the excellent German history of Christian Endeavor, by the Rev. F. Blecher. The work done by the Endeavorers of the Baptist mission in the Congo, and the story of the Endeavour, the steamer which plies the Congo, and was built by the Baptist Endeavorers of Great Britain, are mentioned in another chapter. Christian Endeavor in Africa. 411 then held in the public hall of one of the great Dutch churches in Cape Town ; for it was the most remarkable example of the power of Christ to weld together estranged hearts in Chris- tian love that he had ever seen. It was soon after the close of the South Afri- A Marvellous can war. Feelings on both sides had run high, in^* '"^ and there was naturally much political bitterness. Cape Town, g^^ ^^ ^.j^j^ meeting came Boers and Britons alike. The president of the Dutch union was the chairman of the Executive Committee of the South American Christian Endeavor Union. meeting, and presided most graciously. The president of the English-speaking union gave the address of welcome. Around the hall were the Christian Endeavor mottoes in both languages, English and Dutch. We repeated together the twenty-third Psalm, some in one language, and some in the other. In the same way we joined in the Lord's Prayer, and 412 christian Endeavor in All Lands. at the close all stood together and sung, some in Dutch and some in English, ''Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in Christian love ;" and with the benediction repeated in two languages the happy love-feast adjourned. Miss A. E. Bliss, of Wellington Seminary, a pioneer of Christian Endeavor in South Africa, who has done splendid service for the cause in South Africa, recently presented at a rally of the Western Province Union an interesting histor- ical sketch. In this she tells us that the first white society was started in the Huguenot Seminary in Wellington in 1887, ias one result of a visit to the United States by a teacher who became very much interested in Christian Endeavor work in her brother's church. But the growth was slow at first, and we read of but few societies before 1896, though one was formed in King William's Town in 1890, one in Graaf-Reinet in 1892, and one in Stellenbosch in 1894. That year it was found, at a Keswick convention held in Wellington, that seven societies were represented; and a union was formed, which grew to fifteen societies before the end of the year. The Rev. Dr. Andrew Murray was chosen president, and Miss L. Sprigg, the daughter of the eminent statesman. Sir Gordon Sprigg, who was^^then the premier of the Colony, was chosen secretary. These were indeed wise choices. Dr. Murray, known the world around as one of the saints of the earth, gained a standing and recognition for the Society which no one else could have gained for it. Ever since that day he has been the honored and beloved president of the South African Union. Miss Sprigg was energy itself, and gave to the cause several earnest years of service. Litera- ture was sent from America, and was widely distributed; and Miss Bliss, in speaking of the writer's first visit to South christian Endeavor in Africa. 413 Africa, which he feared was a failure, is good enough to say that it contributed much to the advancement of the cause. Mr. George Kilbon, the son of a missionary to the Zulus, was the first travelling secretary. When the war broke out, the work of the societies was necessarily greatly interrupted, and Mr. Kilbon returned to America, as there was but little that he could do then. Seventh National South African Christian Endeavor Convention at Durban, 1905. But God brought good out of seeming evil, and one jy^^ of the most interesting chapters of Christian En- Boer deavor history is the story of the Boer prison En- Prisoners and deavorers in St. Helena, Ceylon, Burmuda, and Their Work. Poj-^^g^i^ which wiU be found in another place. When these young men came back to South Africa, they entered with enthusiasm into Christian Endeavor work, re- viving societies that the war had broken up, and forming new ones, while some two hundred of them volunteered for mis- sionary work, and went to schools at Worcester and Welling- 414 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. ton to be trained for special service. As the result, in part, of the efforts of these former prisoners, the Dutch Union grew even faster than the old South African Union, which was de- pleted by the loss of many Dutch societies which joined the Dutch Union. However, the cause of Christian Endeavor has been advanced by this division, which at one time seemed disastrous to the South African Union, and in the fall of 1905 357 societies were reported, of which 249 were in the Dutch Union, and the numbers vv^ere constantly increasing. Toward the end of 1904 the Rev. Carl Stackman, an en- thusiastic Endeavorer of Connecticut, at the call of the South African Union went out to be their field secretary. He has worked with enthusiasm and zeal, and has endeared himself, not only to Christian Endeavorers, but to other Christian workers of South Africa. The Rev. Gerald Willoughby, of Johannesburg, formerly a pastor in Cape Town, was president of the union for two years, and did not a little by his vivacity and untiring zeal to promote the cause. Miss Sprigg has been succeeded by Miss Cleghorn of the Episcopal Church, who is no less efficient and untiring in her efforts for Chris- tian Endeavor. Indeed, the Society has been especially for- tunate in South Africa in enlisting noble men and women in its service. Many names shpuld be mentioned, but one must on no account be overlooked. Mr. Polhemus Lyon, an American merchant residing in Cape Town, has by his generosity and unfailing interest tided the union over more than one financial difficulty; and by his sterling Christian character and his wide reputation as a prominent merchant has contributed much to its advancement in all parts of South Africa. The Dutch Union, too, has enlisted the services of the most eminent pas- tors in South Africa, such men as the Rev. Mr. Marchand of Cape Town, the Rev. J. P. G. Meiring, of Johannesburg, and others. There are now unions in the Transvaal, the Orange christian Endeavor in Africa. 415 River Colony, Natal, and a Western Province Union, besides flourishing city unions in the large towns. The American missionaries in Natal co-operate with the English En- deavorers in the Natal Union, and are often heard at their meetings. Already there are the beginning of Christian Endeavor among the Zulu churches. Among the missionaries who have done most for the cause, among both the white people and the black, is the Rev. Charles N. Ransom, an Ameri- can Endeavor of great spiritual power, who has communicated his zeal to many others. This chapter cannot better be closed than by quoting the words of Dr. Andrew Murray at one of the earliest conventions, words which not only show his Christlike and consecrated spirit, but strike the key-note of Christian Endeavor for Africa and every other land. Rev. D. G. W. R. Marchand, President, Dutch Reformed Church C. E. Union. "We must remember that we are saved that God may work through us ; what we do depends on what we are. Keep right with God, and He will use you. God must have you every day and hour and moment to be able to make use of you. 'Moment by moment' in touch with God is indispen- sable." CHAPTER XXXI. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN ASIA. CHINA, JAPAN, AND INDIA HAVE CONTRIBUTED LARGE- LY TO THE STORY OF THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR MOVEMENT, AS RELATED IN THIS CHAPTER. " India's conversion will have been hastened by one gener- ation, at least, through the coming in of Christian En- deavor." Rev. Jacob Chamberlain, D.D., India. " With a century of the vigorous application of Christian Endeavor principles in China, idolatry will be vanquished, and temples will give place to churches." Rev. H. G. C. Hallock, China. HRISTIAN ENDEAVOR in Asia has greatly added to the breadth and, if we may say so, to the color of the movement. In this great continent is nearly half the land surface of the world, and more than half of the inhabitants. Here are Endeavorers of every shade, from the high-caste Brahman with regular Aryan features, to the blackest coolie of India. In these lands there is more of picturesqueness in the En- deavor conventions and meetings than in all the rest of the world put together. Flaming banners covered with curious, and to unaccustomed eyes cabalistic, characters; weird songs and chants ; committees unheard of in other parts of the world ; and a range of work undertaken which extends through all the Christian Endeavor gamut, from the lookout and prayer- meeting committees, to which we are all accustomed, to the "graveyard committees" of India, and the "Junior finger-nail committees" of Japan, are characteristic of Asia alone. 416 Christian Endeavor in Asia. 417 27 Workers of Various Nations. Rev. I. Inanuma, Rev. James H. Pettee, D.D., Japan. Okayama, Japan. Rev. George H. Hubbard, Foochow, China. The Late Rev. A. Miyake, Osaka, Rev. George W. Hinman, Japan. _ China. Rev. William I. Chamberlaii Vellore, India. Rev. Herbert Halliwell, Rev. Tasuke Harada, India. Tokyo, Japan. 4i8 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Moreover, it is interesting to remember that Christian Endeavor found one of its earliest homes in Asia. It flour- ished as if indigenous to the soil ; for, though transplanted from America, it is by no means a tender exotic in Asia. Whether the first society outside of North America was formed in China or Ceylon or Honolulu will perhaps never be known with accuracy; for in 1884, only three years after the beginning of the Society in America, when it was scarcely known even there outside of New England, little Christian Endeavor organizations were formed in all these lands. It is quite probable that the Junior society in Ceylon preceded the others by a few weeks or months. The beginning of the work in both China and India has been described in other chapters, and the continent is so vast that I can only sketch in outline the wonderful and unique developments in the great divisions of Asia. These divisions naturally fall under three heads: the Mongolians of China and Japan; the Hindus of India, with the allied races; and the people of the Mohammedan countries that lie nearer Europe. Perhaps in no country in the world has Chris- Christian ^j^n Endeavor been found to be better adapted to Endeavor . . . . in China. the people than in China. It fits their racial char- acteristics. The Chinese Christians seem to under- stand it intuitively. Their training in industrial and civic guilds has fitted them to grasp the idea of the society with a compact organization and a definite line of operations. For a long time the strength of the movement in China was largely confined to Foochow and vicinity, and even to-day it is stronger there than in any other province. The father of the society, the Rev. G. H. Hubbard, who, it will be remem- bered, as a young missionary from Connecticut started the first society in Foochow, is still actively connected with the work, having been president of the union. In this province most Christian Endeavor in Asia. 419 happily the Church Missionary Society co-operated with their American brethren in advancing the Christian Endeavor cause, and now in the missions of the two boards are nearly 150 societies of Christian Endeavor. But the Society has a way of spreading when it once gains a foothold. Like the religion of the Master whom it seeks to serve, it cannot long be confined to any one province or country, and very soon Endeavor societies began to be heard of in the Presbyterian mission of Canton,* in Shanghai, and later in North China. Here it was that Christian Endeavor received its first great baptism of blood in 1900. In the Boxer uprising scores of Endeavor martyrs, as brave as any who shed their blood in the first century or the fifteenth, died unflinchingly for their faith. But they did not die in vain, for the whole Endeavor movement has been quickened and made more heroic by the noble martyrs of China. It was the writer's great privilege to be in China just before the Boxer uprising. Only a few Endeavor ^^Y^ before the railway was torn up, he journeyed Martyrs from Peking to Pao-ting-fu, where one of the most Boxer awful massacrcs in all those dreadful months of carnage occurred. Here he saw the heroic Pitkin and the no less heroic ladies, Miss Morrill and Miss Gould, and the martyrs of the Presbyterian compound, and many of the Christian Endeavorers who in another month had given their lives for their faith. In Peking he saw all the missionaries and many of the native Christians who were shut up for so many months in that awful siege, and he will never cease to thank God for the lessons of unswerving Christian heroism which he there saw exemplified. *The Rev. A. A. Fulton, D. D., of this mission was particularly active in Christian Endeavor work in the early days, both in China and during his furlough in America, where he effectively urged the " two-cents-a-week " plan for missions. 420 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. In North China the Rev. William S. Ament, D. D., one of the heroes of the siege, has been perhaps more than any other one the leader of the Christian Endeavor forces, though missionaries of almost every board have co-operated heartily with him.* Indeed, this is true throughout China, A Zigzag Bridge in China, Built to Confuse the Evil Spirits. where all the missionary organizations are represented in the Christian Endeavor movement, except the Methodist Episco- palians of the United States, who have formed Epworth Leagues and changed the name of their former Endeavor societies. * Among the many who have been especially helpful to the Christian Endeavor cause in China should be mentioned Miss Emily Hartwell of Foochow, the Rev. Dr. Fitch and Miss Mary Posey of Shanghai, Prof. Martin of the Church Mission College of Foochow. Scores of other names are honorably recorded in the records of Chinese Christian Endeavor. christian Endeavor in Asia. 421 Though the China Christian Endeavor Union has ex- isted for some years, no general secretary to give his whole time to the work was appointed until 1902, when the Rev. George W. Hinman of Foochow was chosen by the Union to this position and his support was guaranteed by the United Society in America. For more than two years he labored untiringly and with great good judgment, as did his devoted wife, in extending the cause throughout the Celestial Em- pire. The account of his trip to central China among the missions of the China Inland Mission is unusually picturesque. "Especially in the rarely visited interior," he says, "the pre- sentation of the Christian Endeavor movement has awakened the interest of the missionaries and native Christians in a way that is indeed inspiring. Everywhere the name of Christian Endeavor has been a guaranty of welcome and a rallying-note for enthusiasm." Some extracts from the story of his visit on this journey to Chen-cheo are of interest, not only as it tells of Christian Endeavor activity, but as it describes some of the little-known customs of the interior. Secretary "A day's joumey from Cheo-kia-keo in the PktuSque springless two-wheeled native cart, through ripen- story of ing harvest-fields of wheat, small millet, buckwheat, Travel. castor-oil beans, sweet potatoes, peanuts, cotton, and sugar-cane, and we come in sight of the walls of Chen-cheo, famous as the city to which Confucius was once refused en- trance. For this reason the magnificent Confucian temple is located outside the city wall instead of, as usual, in the finest location inside. "We were treated much better than Confucius, for a little company of Endeavorers came out nearly two miles to meet us, and welcomed us enthusiastically with greetings of 'Peace' and the waving of willow branches. But their wel- come did not stop there, for in the absence of the lady mis- sionaries of this station the Endeavorers had prepared every- 422 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. thing for our entertainment in the mission house, and fur- nished all the supplies necessary, even to the coal for cooking our meals. They meant to indicate the heartiness of their wel- come, I imagine, by the thickness of the frosting they put on the cake prepared for us. It went ahead of anything I had seen before." "Among the exercises [at the public meeting] was one which might be called 'illustrated parables,' though many other incidents in Christ's life besides the parables were sug- The White Pagoda in Foochow. gested and explained. A little girl came in with a Chinese broom and paper lantern, and began anxiously searching for the lost coin, while an older member explained the meaning to the audience. Then followed a boy with five pieces of Chinese bread and two paper fishes; a little girl with two big cash to put in the treasury; a boy with a little lamb over his shoulder; a sower with a bag of wheat, which he sprinkled out over the audience; a little girl with a large glass 'pearl'; and a boy who held up a cotton serpent on a little cross. Each christian Endeavor in Asia. 423 of these was explained by a different one of the older mem- bers, and the whole arrangement and management of the pro- gramme reflected great credit on the young president of the Endeavor society." "Our food at this and many other places along the route was supplied from the menu of the inns, and generally con- sisted of strips of dough boiled in a sort of oily pork gravy, with scrambled eggs and unleavened steamed bread. Not bad at all when you could get persimmons to go with it, and Japanese Endeavorers at Osaka. tea which was not made of willow leaves. The cost of our entertainment you may judge from the following items: Sleeping accommodations for each person, three cents a night; eggs, cooked, three-sixteenths of a cent apiece; persimmons, one-sixteenth of a cent apiece." "The society at Shi-ki-tien is interesting on account of some novel committees. There are the 'pure-body commit- 424 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. tee,' in the place of the common temperance committee, which opposes all kinds of impurity; the 'heavenly-foot committee,' which advocates the unbound foot; and also the 'heavenly- union committee,' which in the Chinese way advises and helps to arrange marriages of the Christians with other Chris- tians rather than with heathen." At the end of our first quarter-century there are about four hundred societies in China, but the number is growing so rapidly that these and other statistics from missionary lands will be but "ancient history," and inaccurate ancient history at that, before this book is published. In Japan, as well as in China and India, Chris- Society tian Endeavor has enlisted in its active interest some '" of the most eminent of the missionaries and Tapa- Japan. -' ^ nese Christians alike. Dr. James H. Pettee, well known as a writer and poet, and with more than twenty-five years of missionary experience in Japan to his credit, has from the start been the leader among the missionary forces in Christian Endeavor, and is to-day the treasurer of the United Society in Japan, giving much time and thought and execu- tive ability to the promotion of the cause. The Rev. Tasuke Harada, one of the most eminent Japanese ministers, has been from the beginning the president of the union, and another Japanese minister is the travelling secretary, giving all his time to promoting the work. Though the Society has not seemed to meet the needs of the Japanese Christians so strikingly or universally as it meets the needs of the Chinese, yet the movement is on a most sub- stantial basis, and is growing stronger year by year. At this writing there are 140 societies, and the conventions are vigor- ous, enthusiastic, and uplifting gatherings. Even war with all its distractions did not interrupt the genuine progress of the movement, and the last of the thirteen annual conventions, but the first one to be held outside of Japan's four great cen- Christian Endeavor in Asia. 425 tral cities, Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo, was the best of the thirteen. It was held in Okayama, Dr. Pettee's home city, and was bright with banners and vibrant with spiritual energy. At this meeting it was decided to engage in special work in behalf of Christian soldiers and their families, and Interesting ^q Dush Sunday-school work more energetically, Features ... . In Japan. thus showing that Christian Endeavor in Japan does not live for itself alone, but for the spread of the kingdom of Christ through every agency. The " Banner Convention " of Christian Endeavor Held in Japan in 1903. During the war several "Warriors' Families' Endeavor Societies" were formed among the families of Japanese sail- ors. The Empress herself, we are told, became interested in the organization, and sent a generous contribution to its treas- ury. The Endeavorers of Japan, too, joined in the work of 426 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. the Young Men's Christian Association among the troops in Manchuria, and two of the three Japanese sent out to labor among the soldiers were Christian Endeavorers. How I wish I could introduce all my readers to a genu- ine Japanese shimbokukwai, which is usually held in connec- tion with a Japanese convention! This is a sociable of a dis- tinctive Japanese variety, which cannot be reproduced in any other land. The gay costumes of the Japanese maidens, their bright eyes, and shy, smiling faces, the picturesque and dainty lunches, reproducing oftentimes in various viands Fuji- yama, or some other noted spot in Japan, the quaint poems, half recited and half sung in old Japanese styles, with extrava- gant gestures and in falsetto tones, and, above all, the radiant good fellowship and wonderful courtesy which is such a characteristic of the country, all combine to make the "shim- bokukwai" the most memorable social feature of an Endeavor convention that I have ever attended. To show, however, that the Japanese conventions have their due proportion of the devotional as well as of the social element, let me take my readers to the top of a famous hill behind the city of Kobe, where in the spring of 1900 the national convention was held. Most of the meetings of the convention were held in the churches of Kobe, but an early morning prayer-meeting was scheduled for the top of this hill, to be held in the pavilion of an old Shinto shrine. Very early in the morning, almost before daylight, hun- dreds of Endeavorers might have been seen making their way up this hill, under scores and scores of beautiful "torii," which indicate the approach to an old heathen temple. By the side of the path were giant cryptomerias, their branches meeting overhead. At six o'clock all had assembled on the top of the hill, and the meeting began. Below lay the great city of Kobe, just awaking from its slumbers, beyond lay the rip- pling waves of the bay and of the open Pacific. At six christian Endeavor in Asia. 427 o'clock the meeting began. The leader opened briefly, and then gave the meeting into the charge of the assem- bled Endeavorers. Beginning at one end of the long line, which was facing the eastern sky, they began to ofifer sentences of prayer. One after an- other followed, until nearly a score had presented their earnest petitions. Just at this moment the first beams of the sun appeared over the eastern sea, and smote us full in the face, and at that instant, without premeditation, one of A Sunrise Consecra= tion Meeting in Japan. fe' f V^^ *S A Japanese Women's Christian Endcavur Sueiety. the Endeavorers began to sing in Japanese the old familiar tune: "The morning light is breaking; The darkness disappears; The sons of earth are waking To penitential tears." 428 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. No one could have been in that meeting without realiz- ing that in the Sunrise Empire, as well as in all the rest of the world, the Sun of Righteousness was rising, the morning light was breaking, and the darkness fleeing away. To tell the storv' of Christian Endeavor in The Great India worthily would require a volume rather than in a portion of a chapter, and yet the Society has only India. begun to do its work. All the missionaries believe that its greatest triumphs by far are in the future. In various parts of the Indian Empire, fostered by missionaries who had learned something of the Society^ in their home lands, socie- ties began to spring up soon after the little beginning in Cey- lon in 1884. But it was not until 1896, in connection with a visit of the writer to India, that the United Societ}^ for India, Burma, and Ceylon was organized, and systematic work for Christian Endeavor throughout India began. This was a somewhat portentous name for a new and struggling move- ment that had then comparatively few friends throughout the vast empire; but the faith of the missionaries and the native Christians who formed the union was by no means small, and they chose a name which showed the expansiveness of their hopes, and which has well been justified by the results, for Christian Endeavor is now found in almost ever\^ part of India, Burma, and Ceylon. It was not until nearly four years later that this Union saw its w^ay, with the financial help of the United Society of America, to employ a general secretary who should give all his time to the cause. The Rev. Franklin S. Hatch, who was then the beloved president of the Massachusetts Chris- tian Endeavor Union, was chosen for this work, and spent three fruitful years in India. He w^as especially successful in commending the cause to the missionaries at their summer assemblies and in their own fields, and travelled from one end of India to the other, visiting Burma and Ceylon, and Kash- christian Endeavor in Asia. 429 w < .s < -o H a; 33 H.S pq pq H 430 Christian Endeavor in All Lands, mir as well, in the interests of the cause. When asked what original ways of carrying on the meetings the Hindu En- deavorers have, he told about a boys' meeting he attended, where after a boy had spoken the leader would ask, "Boys, does he live the way he has been talking?" Generally the reply would be a "Yes" in chorus. Once, however, a boy called out, "No, he told a lie yesterday." At a large meeting of young women, when the hour was nearly up, and only about three-fourths of those present had taken part, the leader said, "All who have not yet taken part may rise." Twenty-five or thirty rose. "When you have taken part you may sit down," said the leader, who was an Indian girl. Every one took part in that meeting. Here is a strictly literal translation of the first part of the usual pledge, put back again into English from a Hindu translation. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR OF SOCIETY CONFESSION. "Lord Jesus Christ on power for trusting, I promising am that whatever He wishes that I do I its work of doing en- deavor will, that I daily Bible-reading and praying my life of rule fix will. And I my church of every way in helper re- main will, especially every Sunday and week of middle serv- ice in present being from, on this condition any such cause interference not be to whom that I heart of purity with my Saviour before ofifer not can, and that as far as I can I full age Christian life to live endeavor will." Mr. Hatch agrees with the other missionaries among who havc Written concerning the matter that the Ka^rens music of the Endcavorcrs in Burma is better than in any other part of the empire, at least according to Western standards of music. The Rev. H. I. Marshall, an American Baptist missionary to Burma, writes interest- ingly about a Christian Endeavor convention of the Thara- wadi Karens, and especially of their singing. christian Endeavor in Asia. 431 "The evening was given up to a concert. The Karens love their hymn-book next to their Bible. I am not quite sure but they are more attached to it than to the Bible. In the old days of the Burman rule they were forbidden to meet for worship. But under cover of the darkness they would gather in the thick jungle, and read the Bible and pray. If they sang then, they were sure to betray themselves. That was the greatest hardship they had to endure. Many a time did the muffled songs betray them to their persecutors. But nm--^^ Street Scene in Calcutta. this evening they have no such fear. They can swell the good old songs that we have all known as I never knew a congrega- tion at home to do." Mr. Hatch tells an amusing story of the struggles of the little boys of India to learn proper business methods of con- ducting their societies. "How shall we elect oflicers?" asked the Juniors of a large society in the famous Lone Star Mis- 432 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. sion of the Baptists. "Suppose you ask them to choose a nom- inating committee," Mr. Hatch replied, "for I like to see the boys and girls do their own organizing." They did so. "One boy made an enthusiastic speech. I could see it was enthusiastic, though I could not understand a word of it. He ended his brief plea by nominating himself/' In 1904 the Rev. Herbert Halliwell, a Baptist cIiHstlan pastor of England, succeeded Mr. Hatch in the Endeavor travelling secretaryship, as the commission of the Secretary. ° j r i first secretary was for only three years, and other duties had compelled Mr. Hatch to return to America. Al- ready Mr. Halliwell, as associate general secretary, has made a large place for himself in the hearts of India Endeavorers, and promises to have a long and most useful life in India. He had already had experience in Africa as a missionary, which will prove most valuable to him. The Christian En- deavor central office has been removed from Calcutta, where it was first established, to Allahabad. "My bungalow," he says, "faces the Jumna River; across the river can be seen a few scattered houses and a temple, whilst a few yards east of my gates stands another temple; and a couple of hundred yards north yet another heathen temple. If I take a walk of less than two miles along the river-bank, I come to the confluence of the Ganges and the Jumna, deemed to be one of the most sacred spots in all India, where many, many thou- sands of pilgrims assemble yearly to wash away their sins. Comrades, what do these facts mean to you and me? How do we contemplate intrenched, fortified, militant, defiant heathenism? Here is Satan's stronghold. Arc we prepared to do our share in overthrowing the kingdom of darkness under the guidance of King Immanuel?" Surely Christian Endeavor has come to India to answer this pregnant question. Mr. Halliwell records the names of three new committees of which he heard at a recent convention in the Punjab ; first, Christian Endeavor in Asia. 433 a "stirring-up committee" (a specialized form of lookout com- mittee) ; second, a ''graveyard committee," to look after Chris- tian cemeteries and provide Christian burial; and third, the "peace-making committee," whose name carries its own mean- ing. To mention the names of all the missionaries in India who have done especially helpful work for Christian En- deavor would be to record many of the most prominent of them all. The Arcot mission of the Reformed Church of Some Endeavor Leaders in India. America first of all gave its hearty adherence to the Christian Endeavor movement, and all its missionaries have been espe- cially active in promoting the cause. Dr. Jacob Chamber- lain, the veteran missionary and distinguished author, has often spoken for the Society both in America and in England. One of his sons, the Rev. William I. Chamberlain, has just been succeeded by Rev. William Carey as president of the 28 434 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. India Union; and another son, the Rev. L. B. Chamberlain, has been the honorary general secretary. Madura has lone been another centre of Chris- Madura tian Endeavor influence. Nowhere in the world Marathi are morc enthusiastic or picturesque conventions Missions. j^^j^ ^j^^j^ those in this city, where is found the largest heathen temple in all the world. Dr. J. P. Jones, the Rev. John Chandler, and others have long been prominent in this work. Of late years the Marathi mission of the Ameri- can Board has also been one of the chief centres of Christian Endeavor in India. In Ahmednagar is the second largest society in the world, with more than six hundred members, so large, indeed, that it has to meet in nine sections, and is sur- passed only by Dr. Russell H. Conwell's famous fourteen in 'the Baptist Temple. The eminent Dr. Robert A. Hume of this mission has been president of the union, while his brother, the Rev. E. S. Hume, and many other missionaries of this Board have been active in the work. The same can be said of the Lodiana mission of the American Presbyterians, which has given Mr. Bandy and Mr. McGaw, Dr. Ewing and other leaders, to the work. The Baptists, too, in the Bengal mis- sion, and in Burma, and in the Telugu mission have been pio- neers and leaders in their respective districts. No more effi- cient editor for a Christian Endeavor publication is found anywhere than the Rev. William Carey of Barisal, the editor of Indian Christian Endeavour and the newly elected presi- dent of the Union, while the Rev. Herbert Anderson, of Cal- cutta, another member of this mission, has recently closed a successful term of office as the beloved president of the India Union. The Disciples of Christ have been particularly active in the Central Provinces. In the United Society are now en- rolled, as we close our twenty-fifth year, 613 Endeavor socie- ties, while doubtless there are others not yet recorded; and the future is bright with promise. christian Endeavor in Asia. 435 In When we come to the Mohammedan countries, meda™' though there are far more discouragements and Countries, difficulties, yet we find an equally earnest and de- voted band of Christian Endeavorers. It is impossible to ob- tain exact statistics from Turkey, for in some sections of that country no societies are allowed by law. But they have plenty of Christian Endeavor, even if they have to spell it with a small e. In Harpoot and Mardin, in Marash and Ce- sarea, in Smyrna and Constantinople, in Erzerum and Van Girls' Christian Endeavor Society in Marsovan, Turkey. and other places, are earnest companies of Christian Endeavorers. They show their faith by their works, too, in Turkey as well as elsewhere; for we read of many such instances as this: "In Marash the members of the society in the First Church saved enough money among them- selves to send a blind member to Oorfa, to be taught there to read and other useful things, and then come back to teach other blind children, as up to the present nothing has been 436 christian Endeavor in All Lands. done for such unfortunates. They also intend to print some books in Turkish for the use of the blind." I have already spoken of the encouraging work in Persia, in one district of which alone (Urumia) are found more than fifty Christian Endeavor societies. In Syria are recorded seventeen Endeavor so- Syria cicties, some of the most active being found in con- ^"f .. nection with the Presbyterian mission at Beirut. In Palestine, distinctively, are two or three socie- ties. Miss M. Jennie Street in writing interestingly of them says: "Above all, they learn first to show piety at home. When one girl was ill of typhoid fever, she was wondrously patient and gentle; and always her Endeavor visitors were greeted with the eager request, 'Please read to me from the Bible.' Another of the Endeavorers who was called to the home on high, being dead, yet speaketh; and through her gentle influence her brother, who was formerly rough and reckless, has lately confessed himself on the Lord's side." Here is the way the familiar hymn of Miss Havergal's, "Take my life," etc.. looks in the Syriac when put into English letters. "Ihfath Hyatee leeyakoon, Takreesha ya Rabbu lak; Wahfath zamanee shakeeran Feehe dawaman amalak." As I close this chapter, which has already exceeded the intended limits, I remember that I have not spoken of the in- teresting beginnings of Christian Endeavor in the Nestorian Church of Persia, or of the work in Siam and the Laos coun- tries, of which I have had no recent record, though admirable work has been done, especially among the Laos people. In other parts of this vast continent, too, are the beginnings of Christian Endeavor, which the historian of the next quarter- christian Endeavor in Asia» 437 century will record, no doubt, with still more earnest thanks- giving and praise to Him who during the first twenty years of its existence in Asia has accomplished through Christian Endeavor so much more than its most ardent friends at the beginning could have dared to hope for or expect. CHAPTER XXXII. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN THE ISLAND WORLD. WHAT GOD HATH WROUGHT IN THE GREAT ISLAND CONTINENT OF AUSTRALIA, IN BEAUTIFUL NEW ZEA- LAND, AND IN THE ISLANDS OF THE ATLANTIC AS WELL AS OF THE PACIFIC, IS TOLD IN THE FOLLOW- ING PAGES. " Christian Endeavor of the best type means church prosperity." Rev. James Blaikie, Hobart, Tasmania. " The estabh'shment of societies of Christian Endeavor has proved to be of untold value to the church, and there are possibilities yet untried in the movement for the culture of the immature and undeveloped faith and character of the Christian in struggling and isolated communities." Rev. J. E. Neivell, Samoa. |N island, after all, is but an indefinite geograph- ical expression. The continents are big islands. Some of the islands are small continents. But for convenience in this history are grouped to- gether all lands that are not included in the mainland of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Australia, to be sure, is nearly as large as the continent of Europe, but for the purposes of this history it is placed in the "island world," and because of its size and importance and advance- ment in Christian Endeavor deserves the first place. The introduction of the Society into Australia, some of her great conventions, and her admirable publications have already been described. It remains to be told briefly how 438 christian Endeavor in the Islands. 439 into every one of the great states of the new commonwealth the Society has quietly and unostentatiously, but most suc- cessfully, made its way. The populous and wealthy states of New South Wales and Victoria, rivals in everything else, have also been generous rivals for the first place in Christian Endeavor, each one, however, rejoicing in the other's vic- tories and enlargements. Just now the centre of the official work of the Australasian Union is in Sydney, though Mel- bourne has much of the time been the residence of the presi- dent and the general secretary. Beautiful Adelaide, too, has long been a centre of Chris- tian Endeavor activity for South Australia, as has Brisbane for the great state of Queensland. For a long time Western Australia was the: In the Cinderella among the colonies. Even ten years ago but little more than nfty thousand white in- habitants occupied this vast territory^ clinging closely to the settlements along the coast. But gold, the great magnet of the nations, was discovered in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, four hundred miles from the seashore, and the magnet was strong enough to draw tens of thousands of people into the most inhospitable wilderness in the world. Here in the "Golden Mile" is found the richest piece of ground yet dis- covered in all the world. Happily others besides gold-seekers have sought these shores, and these wonderful new cities of "the Gold Fields," where less than fifteen years ago was a howling desert, have their Christian Endeavor societies and their Christian En- deavor unions. So have the beautiful capital city of Perth and the agricultural districts of the state as well. In Tasmania, perhaps. Christian Endeavor has flourished less than in the greater island; but here, too, it has a strong- hold in many of the churches, and the last Australasian con- vention, held in the finely situated city of Hobart, "the revival 440 Christian Endeavor in All Lands, convention," gave a new impetus to the cause throughout this smiling and fertile island. In New Zealand the cause was not so fortu- nate in its beginnings as in its greater brother Aus- tralia. Some societies were started upon a basis that did not warrant a long life or a very useful existence, be- cause the members were afraid of the covenant pledge and the stricter religious obligations of the Society. But these In New Zealand King William Street, Adelaide, Showing the City Hall on the Right, Where the Convention Met. faults have been largely remedied, and in Auckland and Wellington and Christchurch and Dunedin and in other cen- tres of New Zealand are also found vigorous centres of Chris- tian Endeavor activity. In some respects Australasian Endeavor stands pre-emi- nent. Nowhere in all the world are the conventions sustained christian Endeavor in the Islands, 441 year after year with greater enthusiasm and vigor. Their in- tellectual standards are high, and their spiritual standards still higher, while the eager responsiveness of the assembled thou- sands is characteristic of the dash and the vigor with which young Australians enter every phase of their life, whether in business, amusement, or religion. Among the most memorable months in his life the writer counts the four which, separated by an interval of twelve years, he spent in the Island Continent. On his first visit, even before the steamer dropped anchor in Sydney harbor, he saw a little steam-launch, coming out to meet her, flying a big Christian Endeavor pennant, which was given to him, and which he keeps among his treasured souvenirs ; and all the way along, as he traversed the great stretch of two thousand miles of coast from Sydney to Brisbane, and back again from Bris- bane to Adelaide, the enthusiastic Endeavorers welcomed him and his. On the second visit he found Christian Endeavor mar- vellously advanced in numbers, vigor, and efficiency. That the early societies had not in any measure lost their first love was shown at the conventions, which, though all of them were "extras," not occurring at the regular time for the an- nual gatherings, but called "Dr. Clark conventions," were even larger and more full of spiritual power and human in- terest than the first. Some memories stand out with especial vivid- The _ ness in my mind; the singing, for one thing, when Singing t i i i % i • • in i have heard ten thousand voices rmg out the iT"'' chorus, "!'. "Crown Him Lord of all;" Civic ... Welcome, the civic receptions, for another, when mayor and councilmen in all parts of Australasia have wel- comed us at stations or steamer, and afterwards in their coun- cil-chambers, showing, as I felt, far more than a personal in- 442 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. terest — a real regard for the progress and welfare of Chris- tian Endeavor. The unusual devotion of some eminent business men as well as pastors to the cause has also impressed me, and has often urged me on to new personal endeavors when I have seen such busy men as the Rev. F. E. Harry, the Rev. George T. Walton, Mr. John B. Spencer, Mr. J. Neale Breden, Mr. J. Neale Taylor, and others, of Sydney; Mr. W. G. Piper, of Some Leading Christian Endeavor Workers in Australia. Melbourne; Mr. H. E. Beany and the Rev. James Mur- sell, of Adelaide; Mr. Ferguson, of Brisbane; the Rev. Silas Mead, of Perth; Mr. T. Williams and Mr. J. B. Overell, of Hobart, and scores of others whom I might mention, and whose names it seems invidious not to record. I have seen Christian Endeavor enthusiasm and whole-hearted devotion in other lands, but never more wonderfully manifested than in Australasia. christian Endeavor in the Islands. 443 The Rev. Egerton R. Young, the eminent missionary to the North American Indians, and no less eminent as a lec- turer, writes: "I was greatly impressed with the splendid character of Christian Endeavor in Australia. The societies have settled down to solid, permanent work, and more than ever are attaining the great object which the founder had in view in its inception. The societies in the southern world are in a healthy state from a spiritual standpoint." Christian ^^^ Australian Endeavorers, too, have not for- Endeavor gotten their Lord's command to preach the gospel the to every creature, and they have begun near their origines. ^^^ Jerusalem, by carrying the good news to the aborigines at their very doors. Nothing has ever impressed me more with the inherent power of the religion of Christ to lift up the lowest and the most degraded than the society that I visited at La Perouse, near Sydney. This is composed wholly of "blackfellows," so called, the aborigines of Aus- tralia, who are said to be the lowest and most degraded peo- ple upon the face of the earth; so low, indeed, in their native wilds, that they often live in what resemble nests made from sticks and grass, rather than houses. Mothers sometimes eat their own children. Yet here in La Perouse is a genuine and vigorous Christian Endeavor society, officered by blackfel- lows, and conducted by them entirely, under the supervision of their beloved Christian Endeavor missionary. And when in the great convention at Sydney, at the consecration-meet- ing, I saw a little spot of black among the white faces in the gallery, and saw the La Perouse society arise and repeat their verse, and send down their word of welcome, "Mooyang Gnilling," I felt that there was no Macedonia in all the world which might not be reached and uplifted if only some one in Christ's name would go over and help. Another happy feature of the work in Australia is the remarkable unanimity of Christian people in promoting it. 444 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. It has been before related how the great united Methodist Church, the strongest in all Australia, has adopted Christian Endeavor as its own child, and has never tried to drive it out of the church family or supplant it with another. Chnstian j^ some sections, too, the Church of England takes '" , ,. more interest in the work than in almost any other Australia. -^ land, and I have heard a rector of this church de- clare In public that he liked the Society because it was not like a safety-match that you could light only upon its own box, and that the Christian Endeavor banner, with the sig- nificant initial letters upon it, stood on church occasions for Church of England, and on special Christian Endeavor occa- sions for Christian Endeavor, and answered equally well for both. Many of the islands of the southern seas, as well as the great Island Continent and its nearest neighbors, have proved a fruitful field for Christian Endeavor. The Sa- [," moan Christian Endeavor Union is an established Samoa. and forceful factor. Here is the title-page of the first Samoan Endeavor publication: O LE AU TAUMAFAI MO KERISO O sina upu e faamatalaina ai lona uiga ma le Feagaiga ua osia. "mo KERISO MA LANA EKALESIA." Na faatuina le sauniga o le Au Taumafai i Malua i le aso e lo o lulai, 1890. Na fai le filifiliga, o le a faatasi ai le Au Taumafai mo Samoa i se Faatasiga, Me 12, 1904. "Ina o mai ia, se'i faatasi atu i tatou ia leova i le feagaiga e faavavau, e le galo lava." (lere 1. 5) SAMOA: THE L. M. S. PRINTING & BOOKBINDING ESTABLISHMENT, MALUA. 1904. Christian Endeavor in the Islands. 445 The Rev. J. E. Newell, the president, founder, and chief promoter of the Samoan Union, says that the title given above means "The Endeavor Band for Christ;" underneath is the universal rallying-cry, "For Christ and the Church," while the title-page bears this historic note : "The institution of the Endeavor Band was inaugurated at Malua on the tenth of July, 1890. The Samoan Endeavor Union was constituted at a large representative gathering on May 12, 1904." The motto text is from Jer. 50:5. Then the manual goes on to tell of the rise of Christian Endeavor, and especially of the movement in the South Seas, Hawaii, the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, the Caroline Islands, Samoa, the Tokelau, Ellice, and Gilbert Islands. The story of the Society in these multitudinous islands of the southern seas is of peculiar interest, and often a note of heroism and devotion to the death is sounded. Some of the Endeavorers of the first society in the Samoan Islands went out, literally with their lives in their hands, to preach the gospel in the neighboring savage and cannibal islands, and never returned. Says the Rev. J. Hadfield of the work in the Loyalty Islands: "The Society develops reliance, forethought, judg- ment, and courage. It teaches how business and other meet- ings should be conducted in an orderly and profitable manner. It cultivates the faculty of effective public speaking, and opens up a long vista of new ideas in the direction of representative government. Certainly no outside force has come among us since the first introduction of Christianity sixty years ago that promises such rich and far-reaching results." On the Caroline and the Marshall Islands are thirty-four Christian Endeavor societies. In the latter a society is found in every church. Out of a total population of 6,092 in the Loyalty Islands, before the end of the first quarter-century of Christian En- 446 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. deavor there were found to be 1,988 Endeavorers, who had raised $8,000 for missions. It will be remembered that the German Endeavorers have just sent a missionary to the Caroline Islands to work under the auspices of the American Board. An in- teresting incident has just come from Dr. C. F. Rife, the superintendent of Christian Endeavor in these islands. In the Caroline Islands. Girls' School, Kohala, Hawaii. "I want to tell you about one of the members of the Chris- tian Endeavor society in Kusaiae. He is a deaf mute, the only one on the island, and was considered not very intelligent by the natives. I demonstrated that he could hear certain sounds, and that his intelligence was as much as one could Christian Endeavor in the Islands. 447 have who had such limited opportunities. About six or seven years ago I told him by signs that tobacco was injurious for him. He had been a smoker, and forthwith made a sign that he would throw away the pipe. He has abstained from its use to this day. Some time ago he joined the Christian Endeavor society. A few weeks ago I was at the village where he lives, the chief village on the island, and attended their meeting. It was really pathetic to see this young man stand, after a number had testified, and give his testimony. True, no one understood a 'word' of what he said; for the sounds might be called audible breathing, but it afifected me more than any other. I told the people that they were his Bible; for, although he cannot read a word, he watches them. He knows they have espoused the cause of right, and seeks their company." The cosmopolitan character of Christian Endeavor in Hawaii and one of the interesting meetings in Honolulu have already been described. The recent growth there is some- thing remarkable, and is due in part to the way in which the Christian Endeavor method adapts itself to the Hawaiian's idea of worship. "The older Hawaiians are too apt to mo- nopolize all the time of the meetings," we are told. Alas! this fault is not confined to Hawaii. To circumvent this ten- dency and also to give as many as possible a chance to take part in each meeting, the native societies are divided into classes. These classes each contain from two to ten or twelve members, who file out before the assembled society, and sing, read, or repeat something either separately or together. Then the meeting is thrown open for individual efifort. No won- der the writer adds, "One rarely attends a dull meeting in the native societies." In the The societies in the Philippine Islands are Tsiands'"^ naturally of especial interest to American Endeav- orers. The Rev. Dr. S. B. Rossiter speaks of the Society as of "almost universal extension." The Rev. Leon- 448 christian Endeavor in All Lands. ard P. Davidson of the Presbyterian mission was one of the pioneers of the work in these islands, and the first Christian Endeavor superintendent He was soon called, however, to his heavenly home, after but a few months of work. In Cebu he left a few Endeavorers, however. The number has grown to hundreds, we are told, not only in Luzon, but in the north- ern and southern Visayan Islands. "On the island of Cebu," says Mrs. Elizabeth W. Jan- sen," the Endeavorers are stoned while holding their open-air services and in their private devotions. Their assailants are incited by the priests and protected by the police. When threats failed to make them untrue, bribes are tried, some having refused as much as five hundred dollars to renounce their religion. The Endeavorers have been compelled in their poverty to buy land for a cemetery; burial having been refused their dead in a Roman Catholic cemetery." The self-sacrifice of these Cebu Endeavorers is evidently very great. Already they have built a church at Campestello, and some are holding meetings in the home of a former insurgent general, who is an active member. Their efiforts extend even to the bandits in the mountains, some of whom, there is good reason to believe, will soon renounce their freebooting ways and become earnest Endeavorers. In New Caledonia the French missions are established, but here, too, are Endeavor societies, and we learn from Ac- tivite Chretienne that the revival crusade has been under- taken by the Endeavorers' going from place to place to win back backsliders and to arouse Christians to win the uncon- verted to Christ. Nearly five hundred persons have been reached in this way in one campaign, and touching stories are told of the return to the faith and to Christian living of those who have been corrupted by the whites and their civiliza- tion (?), and of the conversion of those who had never before accepted Christ. christian Endeavor in the Islands. 449 ■In the great island of Formosa are some Christian En- Formosa deavor societies under the care of Japanese Chris- Mada2as= ti^^is ; and a Japanese army officer, who is also a car. captain in the Christian Endeavor army, has repre- sented Formosa at a Japanese national convention. In the still greater island of Madagascar before the French occupation were nearly a hundred Christian Endeavor societies. By the change of government and the general in- terruption of missionary work owing to the conquest of the island, some of these were broken up; but the work has re- covered to a degree, though recent statistics and reports are wanting. When we come to the islands of the Atlantic, we find a wide and fruitful field for Christian Endeavor. The roman- tic beginning in Jamaica has been followed by a steady and constant growth, until from the statistics latest at hand we find that there are 234 societies, of which 84 are Juniors, with more than one thousand members. Jamaica is the gem of the West Indies, and Jamaican Christian Endeavor is the Chris- tian Endeavor gem of the Atlantic, so ^what should be more appropriate than that the sprightly little monthly representa- tive newspaper of the societies should be called the Christian Endeavour Gem? A pioneer of Christian Endeavor in Jamaica Jamaica is the Rcv. Dr. Randall, who is also the pioneer of fsiands^ the Disciples of Christ in Jamaica; and his son, of the_ Mr. John E. Randall, the efficient and beloved sec- Atlantic. r 1 T • TT • retary of the Jamaican Union, has done more for the cause than any other one. Giving up a generous salary in the civil service of the island, he has taken the united pas- torate of two colored churches which are under the care of the Disciples of Christ of America; and this gives him even more time than before for his loved work in Christian En- deavor. 29 450 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Trinidad, Cuba, Bermuda, Barbados, Bahama, Porto Rico, Iceland. Though Jamaica is by far the best-cultivated field in the island world of the Atlantic, yet it is by no means the only island where Christian Endeavor is established. The island of Trinidad is an especially fruitful field for Christian Endeavor. In many places in Cuba, in Porto Rico, in the Bahamas and the Bermudas, and in the Windward and Leeward Islands, there are also societies. Haiti and Newfoundland each have at least two good societies to their credit. In Barbados is a good Endeavor union composed of flourishing societies. Even in Iceland the Society is not unknown. One of the most interesting and memorable meetings that the writer has ever attended was in Reik- iavik. It began late in the evening; but it was still light and no lamps were P. ^HHV needed, for one could see to read on J^^^' .^^. those July nights until midnight in Iceland's little capital. A large audi- ence came together, and the speaker had for his interpreter Miss Olafia Yohansdotter, a lady who had added to fine natural abilities the advantages of much travel in England, on the Conti- nent, and in America. She interpreted most fluently what I had to say into classical Icelandic, the language of the Sagas and the Eddas. The audience which crowded the hall was attentive and sym- pathetic, and at the close a member of the Icelandic parlia- ment, or Althing, a successor of the old legislators of Thing- valla, a thousand years ago, arose and expressed his interest and earnest hope that Christian Endeavor might yet accom- plish much for Iceland. Miss Olafia Yohansdotter,- Icelandic Interpreter. christian Endeavor in the Islands. 451 The scattered farms throughout the island, and the ab- sence of towns or even villages for the most part, make it im- possible for Christian Endeavor to do its work in the usual way throughout much of Iceland; but we already read of one society, and there seems to be an unlimited field for Rural Family Endeavor. Though Great Britain really belongs to the island world, her Endeavor societies have been treated in another chapter; and it is only necessary to add that in the Shetland and Orkney islands, in the Channel Islands, Guernsey and Jersey, in Minorca and Majorca, in the Madeira Islands and the Azores, the society has gained a foothold, and in some of them it is an important factor of the religious life. We are told in the Scriptures that the "isles shall wait for" Him. Surely it is God's good pleasure that Christian Endeavor in the islands of the sea shall prepare the way of the Lord in the isles of every sea, which so long have been wait- ing for Him. CHAPTER XXXIII. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR AMONG THE BOER PRISONERS. HOW GOD CAUSED THE WRATH OF MAN TO PRAISE HIM BY DEVELOPING A WONDERFUL MISSIONARY MOVEMENT AMONG THE BOER PRISONERS WHO WERE DEPORTED TO ST. HELENA, CEYLON, THE BER- MUDAS, AND PORTUGAL IS TOLD IN THIS CHAPTER. " The Christian Endeavor Society has been, and is, a great developer of stalwart Christians, pillars of the church, consecrated young people who can be depended on for the furtherance of any and all of the varied activities of Chris- tian service." Hon. John H. Mickey, Governor of Nebraska. ;NE of the most romantic and interesting chapters in the annals of the first twenty-five years of the Christian Endeavor Society is the story of the development of the societies in the Boer prison camps in St. Helena, Ceylon, Bermuda, and Portugal. So thoroughly did the Society seem to meet the religious needs of these expatriated warriors, so complete and thorough was their organization in spite of the difficulties they had to overcome, and so large results in the way of mis- sionary activities and the evangelization of Africa have flowed from their devoted Christian lives in the prison camps, that the story will always be an incentive to heroism and re- ligious zeal. I am indebted for these facts largely to the Rev. Charles F. Mijnhardt, who was the president of the Christian Endeavor union among the prisoners on the island of St. Helena, and who obtained from his own observation 452 Among the Boer Prisoners. 453 there, and from accounts obtained from returned Boers in ttie other camps, the details which are here given. The societies were started even before the prisoners reached St. Helena, for while they were encamped in Simons Town near Cape Town, a society of ninety-one members had been organized. But the removal of the prisoners to the vari- ous islands compelled a reorganization when they reached their destination. They met with many difficulties, since many of the Boers had known nothing of the Society before they reached the prison camp. Some thought the pledge was too strict; others objected to the singing of hymns which were not based on David's Psalms, or prescribed by the synod of Dordrecht. So keen was the party feeling, indeed, that some went so far as to aver that the society, although having an outward semblance of religion, really had in view a political object, inasmuch as it was suspected to be the intention of the Endeavorers on their return to South Africa to choose from their number the president of the Transvaal and the mem- bers of the Volksraad. But these strange misapprehensions were soon removed, and "they began to learn," says Mr. Mijnhardt, "that the Christian Endeavor Society was the one form of Christian service subject to the church, that was needed in South Africa and in the prison camps as well. We Endeavorers thank God for our banishment, because it has brought us to know the value of consecrated Christian service." The Societies For eight months the St. Helena society had St. Helena. ^^ ^^^^ ^^^ meetings in the open air, often with the rain beating in the faces of the worshippers and the wind making it almost impossible to hear the speakers. Afterwards they managed to rig up a "tin shanty" composed of biscuit-tins and aloe poles. Those who know the aloe will not recommend it for strength or durability. It is really a soft pulpy mass, surrounded by a thin covering of wood; but 454 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. it was the only material available, and many a time this little shanty rang with the praise of God. As more prisoners came, more societies were needed to give a chance for the expression of the Christian life in word and deed. They had pledge cards printed at St. Helena, but never seemed to have enough, the members came so fast. The first societies were at the Deadwood camp, and were made up of men from the Transvaal. But after a time an- other large camp, formed mostly of Free Staters, was estab- lished at Broad Bottom. Then they formed two local unions, one in each of these two great camps, which were about seven miles apart, while a district Christian Endeavor union united the two; and the members visited each other alternately, once in two or three months, to discuss the general business of the union. A convention was once held midway between the two camps, though it was very difficult to get permission for the large number who wished to attend. But, in all, 386 Endeav- orers from both camps attended this convention, and discussed very much the same topics as Endeavorers in England or America — missions and the Quiet Hour, and the relation of Endeavor to the church, and what more they could do for their unconverted companions, and other similar topics. In April, 1900, the first contingent was taken to St. Helena, and two years later it was found that there were eleven societies in the Deadwood camp and eight in Broad Bottom, nineteen in all, with a total membership of nearly a thousand. By this time they had managed to procure an un- used cooking-shed, which, having been properly patched up and also enlarged, would hold about two hundred. This they called "Excelsior Hall." Many a glorious meeting they had in it. The different societies all met there on different evenings of the week, and from Monday night to Saturday night the hall was never Among the Boer Prisoners. 455 empty between six P. M. and nine P. M., for one meeting was scarcely over before another lot would good-naturedly squeeze in, receiving a warm hand-shake of welcome at the door. Let me here quote a few of Mr. Mijnhardt's ardent words. The ^ "O, how we learned to know and love one an- Sorrow'^^' o^hcr during those years of captivity! Once — it at was midnight of the old year — we Endeavorers Separation, gathered in our hall for a bit of prayer and praise. We shed tears, many of us, but not at the thought of our loved ones' being so far away from us. No, we thought: 'Alas, these glorious meetings wil) one day have to come to an end ; we shall have to separate^ and go out into the cold world to fight alone. Here we have so much sweet fellowship, such concord, such unity.' "Just think of it; amidst all the hardships attendant on the life of a prisoner of war, amidst all that one naturally misses and even finds necessary, we are yet saddened at the thought of having eventually to part from one another. Such is the love of Christ shed abroad in the hearts of His children! ''Apart from our weekly meeting, we had a short prayer- meeting of half an hour every morning at 6 and sometimes, according to changes in camp regulations, at 6.30. "I am sure that that early prayer-meeting helped most of all to make our society a blessing. Those who attended could always be reckoned on, and were always the most faithful members. We had a different subject to pray for every day of the week, for example, Sunday, the church; Monday, the spiritual life; Wednesday, missions; Thursday, Christian Endeavor societies, etc. We appointed a leader for each day, and many a young convert there learned to pray and speak in public for the first time. O, the solemnity of that quiet half-hour, as we sang upon our knees, " 'I believe God answers prayer; I am sure God answers prayer; I have proved God answers prayer, Glory to His name!' 456 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. "We would come forth strengthened and refreshed. In those meetings we often spoke of the importance of the 'Quiet Hour,' and many a one would go back to his hut or tent to spend another hour with God and his Bible before commenc- ing the duties of the day." We are also told that a "Lending-Hand Workers' Ge- nootschap" was formed, meaning a society where different kinds of articles were made by the Endeavorers, such as pen- holders, bone brooches, boxes, etc. These were sent to the colony and sold for fifty-eight pounds. "If, therefore, a young man got up in the meeting and waxed eloquent on missions," we are told, "wishing he could fly that he might be there at once, we merely asked him to come and prove his sin- cerity by lending a hand at the turning-lathe or by polishing a piece of wood." The Endeavorers also erected a cafe, whose How sign-board bore this legend in Dutch: They 'CAFE, RESTAURANT, AND STORE Raised ' ^^^^^•^'-^ ni\i, Money. Jn aid of the suffering women and children In South Africa." Here they sold tea, coffee, and cake at a penny, such articles, also, as cofifee, sugar, and milk, and cleared thirty-five pounds. Through the sale of envelopes and stamps thirty-seven pounds more were raised for the widows' and orphans' fund. They also conceived the idea of erecting an orphanage on their return to South Africa, to be called the "Christian En- deavor Orphanage of Transvaal and Orangia." The spirit of this plan has been largely carried out in the support of an existing orphanage near Johannesburg. In the prison camps of Ceylon the same zeal and enthu- siasm were manifested as in St. Helena. Here ten societies were formed with a membership of eight hundred. Once in three months they were allowed to have a united meeting, when all the societies met to discuss the subject for that week. Among the Boer Prisonerse 457 "What a wonderful sight it was," writes one of the number, "to see so large a number of zealous Endeavorers and to hear eight hundred voices roaring out a hymn like so many can- non! No wonder that one felt like another man after such a meeting. Often I would hear some one say: 'How the time simply flew!' 'For my part he could have continued as long again, and talked another hour.' 'How beautifully Prfsoners we worked together!' " jp I Many of the prisoners in Ceylon had had but few educational advantages, and great pains were taken to supply such deficiencies. Here, as on St. Helena, bearded men thought it no shame to attend school, learning their texts as any boy would. The literature committee of the union distributed books, and saw to it that they were read; and most of the Endeavorers were eager to attend the day- school and the Sunday-school. In one of the classes the ques- tion was asked, "Who discovered America?" The reply came promptly, "Saul, sir." "Let this not be taken as a stand- ard of our intelligence, however," writes one of the prisoners, "since many English soldiers, believed, as one of them said to us, 'We thought yous fellows was all black.' " A boys' home was established by the Endeavorers, where orphans and neglected ones were taken in and cared for. In the same hut the "Albion printing-press" afterwards turned out a little weekly paper called De Strever (The Endeav- orer) and for nine months it appeared regularly. The sub- scription-price was ten cents a month, and the editor was soon able to send the profits to the women and children in the con- centration camps. Six of the 365 islands of Bermuda were occu- Bermuda pi^^l by the Bocr prisoners of war, and each island !L"^, , had its Endeavor society, with about five hundred Portugal. -^ ' . members in all, not counting the children, of whom more than two hundred were organized into a Junior class. 4^8 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Every evening family prayers were held by the Endeavorers, and every morning there was an early prayer-meeting. A little Christian Endeavor paper was also published, but the societies were so scattered on different islands that they had no opportunity for a convention, which proved so help- ful in other camps. To Portugal a thousand men were taken from Delagoa Bay, all of whom when they started, save about thirty-five, were sick. Some died on the way to Portugal, and there were comparatively few earnest Christians among those that reached the prison camp. These commenced a prayer-meeting, which was held twice a week. Very soon, we are told, "God's Sprit began to convict of sin; many turned from their evil ways; and the first night as many as seventy gave themselves to God." In the early morning one could hear the men earnestly pray- ing among the rocks. An Endeavor society was formed, and eighty joined at once. The society worked under great diffi- culties, for the members had no convenient place in which to gather; so they resorted to the rocks. But this gave them a fine opportunity for personal work, and it was quite usual to see the members of the various societies conversing with the unconverted in quiet nooks. The social committee did good and effective work in wel- coming new arrivals or visitors from one of the other camps. Little more than a month had passed when the 80 had become 183. This was in the camp at Peniche. Another one was at Caldas da Rainha. Here there were 70 young men who might be reached, and the society began with a member- ship of 25, but the Endeavorers did not rest until they had captured 64 out of the 70. Some of the members who had mastered the Portuguese language preached Christ among the inhabitants. After a little more than a year the Boers, men, women, and children, bade farewell to the shores of Portugal. Many of the Portuguese had become sincerely at- Among the Boer Prisoners. 459 tached to them, and bitter tears were shed. One man brought a Portuguese lady with him, had the bans published in one of the Dutch churches of Johannesburg on reaching home, and now is happily married. Some women were transported to this camp, together with their fathers and brothers; and more than one little romance which happily ended can be traced back to the prison camps of Portugal and the Bahamas. But the sequel to this story of Christian En- Wonderfui dcavor in the Boer camp is the most remarkable of eque . ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ their captivity to arouse a won- derful missionary spirit among them such as had never been known in South Africa before. Missionary subjects were favorites in the Christian Endeavor meetings in prison. Though they had exceedingly little money, a tithe, often a fifth, of what they earned by whittling out bone Christian En- deavor badges and other trinkets was set apart for mission- ary use. In the societies in Portugal a missionary meeting was held once a month, and twelve declared themselves ready to become missionaries on their return. In St. Helena 60 vol- unteered for missfonary service while in camp, and alto- gether 175 young men dedicated themselves to the service of God as missionaries wherever He should send them. The whole attitude of many toward the natives was changed during their imprisonment. One bright young fel- low said during a meeting, "I used to try to ride over the little Kaffir boys on our farm with my horse, and once I actually did override one; but, if ever I should meet that little boy again, I shall take him with me on the horse, and tell him how Jesus loves him." "I unhesitatingly assert," writes Mr. Mijnhardt, "that the Christian Endeavor movement among our prisoners contributed largely towards making these men realize their responsibility towards the heathen. Missions had with us a most prominent place in the society. Our sub- 460 christian Endeavor in All Lands, jects were often missionary subjects; but, more than that, we began to do something for missions." Sixteen young Kaffir boys who had been captured with the Boers were transported to St. Helena. They were taught to read, and soon they began to pray in their own language in the meetings. We can well imagine that "it had a tremendous meaning for the young Endeavorer who had not much en- thusiasm for missions to go to those Kaffirs, and read and pray with them." The mission-study classes, a missionary man- Their ual-labor society, which sold its products for eighty Return. pounds, the missionary books that were read, and the missionary collection-box which was often passed, all had a great influence in stimulating the missionary zeal. On their return to South Africa these 175 young men began to fit them- selves by hard study for missionary work. The missionary institute for their training was established at Worcester, Cape Colony; and the Drostdy, which used to be the residence of the local magistrate, or Landdrost, during the time of the Dutch possession of the colony, was purchased for ten thousand pounds by the representatives of the Dutch churches. The missionary spirit had come to pervade all the Dutch churches, as well as the prison camps, and they gave most generously for this new institution. Moreover, more than two hundred promises were received within a few months to pay for the cost of the board, lodging, and schooling for one missionary candidate at twenty-four pounds a year, so that all the 175 Christian Endeavor volunteers among the prisoners were more than provided for. The young men in the institute, however, do not rely upon the gifts of the churches altogether, but spend as many hours in manual labor each day to support themselves as they spend in study. A number of these will not be able to do much in the way of mental development, we are told, being Among the Boer Prisoners. 461 already too old, and not having had educational advantages when young. But all can do something for the natives of Africa, and some of those who could not go as educated mis- sionaries have gone to the far interior as missionary farmers." The report of the proceedings of the opening of this mission school ends with these glowing words of good cheer: "So the proceedings of the never-to-be-forgotten days came to an end, days which are the beginning of what we believe to be a new epoch in the mission history of our be- loved Dutch Reformed Church. That a light may have been lit at Worcester that will penetrate into the dark heart of Dark Africa ever remains our earnest prayer. To the Lord be thanks, to Him the honor, from Him the expectation." CHAPTER XXXIV. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR AFLOAT. THE FASCINATING STORY OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR UPON THE SEA AND ITS REFLEX INFLUENCE UPON THE ENDEAVORERS ASHORE. " Floating Christian Endeavor has demonstrated its possi- bilities. For a period equal to four enlistments of three years each it has won its trophies for Christ afloat. Hun- dreds of sailors have through it been pointed to the ' Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.' Its gradu- ates are to-day preaching and living the gospel in all parts of the world. " Missions to the sailors have been tried for many years with meagre results. Now let us build up and strengthen this mission of the sailors to their comrades. And soon the time will come that wherever flies our flag afloat, the grander banner of the cross will also soon spread its snow-white folds." Chaplain Robert E. Steele, U. S. Navy. NE of the most interesting developments of Chris- tian Endeavor, and one of the most surprising, is its work upon the sea. No one would have been bold enough to predict twenty-five years ago, or even in more recent years, that the Society had a mission, and a large one, to sailors. That a society which seems so peculiarly wedded to a local church, with its pledge of constancy and its forms of service, many of which, from their very nature, can be per- formed only upon dry land, should find its place on ships of war and merchant vessels, and thus go into every harbor of the 462 Chrstian Endeavor Afloat. • 463 world is indeed surprising. It is only another illustration of God's guiding hand, and of the flexibility of the Society and its adaptability to all classes and conditions of men. The pledge stands for a general principle. It means loyalty to Christ and His service, wherever and however that service can be performed, and the specific promise of devotion to the local church and the work and meetings of the society means only that that is the way in which most young people can best do what "He would like to have them do." The sailor boys have evidently found an especial pleas- ure in the link which the Society affords between them and their Christian companions on shore. Through it they have received letters of cheer and comfort from many an Endeav- orer, and more material, but no more real, tokens of good will in the shape of comfort bags, calendars, and the good things of Christmas and Thanksgiving, and have often been enter- tained most generously by the Endeavorers on shore. The first Floating Endeavor society was organized on the United States revenue marine steamer Dexter in 1890, and since then more than two hundred such societies have been started. Some of them necessarily have but a short life, for the sailors are changed from ship to ship; their terms expire, or for other unavoidable reasons the societies are often broken Floating ^P ^^^ must be frequently reorganized. Societies However, on many famous ships Floating En- Famous deavor societies have been organized. Among the ^^^' victims blown up in Havana harbor on the Maine were members of a Floating Endeavor society. There was an active Floating society on Admiral Dewey's flagship Olympia when she entered Manila Bay on that memorable first of May, 1898, and many Endeavorers were found in Sampson's fleet at the battle of Santiago. There was an En- deavor society on the famous Oregon in her historic journey around Cape Horn to take part in the battle for Cuba's free- 464 christian Endeavor in All Lands. dom. On H. M.S. Powerful was another society of marines, whose members were drafted into the South African war, and who fought in the siege of Ladysmith. In the late war between Russia and Japan in the Japa- nese navy were Christian Endeavorers, and multitudes of other brave Jack tars on less conspicuous ships plying in peace- ful waters in the commerce of the nations have belonged to floating Endeavor societies. On the United States revenue steamer Gallatin, which was wrecked on the New Hampshire coast a number of years ago, was a Floating society. Many poor fellows went to the bottom. One of the rescued sailors said afterwards that he lost every prized possession that he had, except his Chris- tian Endeavor badge, and that was pinned to his shirt. An- other mourned that he had lost his pledge card; but, said he, "I have not lost my pledge, for that is engraved upon my heart." One of the most interesting developments of Floating Christian Endeavor, paradoxical as it may sound, is found upon the shore, in the great Japanese port of Nagasaki. Here some ten years ago the United States warship Endeavor Charleston was lying at anchor. On board was a Nagasaki vcry active Christian Endeavor society, whose leader was one Carlton H. Jencks, one of the most remarkable and gifted young men who ever went to sea. The boys of the society soon found, when on shore leave, that there was no place in all the great city of Nagasaki where a decent sailor could get a meal or a night's lodging. There were re- spectable first-class hotels, but these were beyond their means. All the other places were low dives and dram-shops, and one street where these were especially numerous in Nagasaki is known to this day as "Bloody Street." The Christian Endeavorers said, "These things ought not so to be, and we are the boys to make them better." So they christian Endeavor Afloat. 465 466 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. "passed the hat" first among themselves, and by mortgaging their wages in the future raised in cash and subscriptions, it is said, six hundred silver dollars. Then they could go to others with a good conscience, and ask for more; and their comrades and officers and friends on the shore contributed enough monev so that they were able to purchase a commo- John Makins, Manager of the Christian Endeavor Seaman's Home, Nagasaki, Japan. dious building, which they christened the ''Christian En- deavor Seaman's Home" and pu,t it under the control of a board of Nagasaki missionaries. Now this plant is worth ten thousand dollars in gold. christian Endeavor Afloat. 467 John Makins's Work. In one year this home furnished more than ten thousand meals to sailors and nearly three thousand lodgings. Fifty- six meetings were held with a large aggregate attendance. The home has a good reading-room, a dining-room, a soda- water fountain, which is largely patronized in that steamy climate, baths of all kinds, and bedrooms; and the writer can testify, from a personal visit, of its cleanliness, comfort, and excellent management. In one of the dormitories is a large picture of Carlton Jericks, the moving spirit in the founding of the home, who met an untimely death with hundreds of others on the ill-fated Maine, when it went to the bottom in Havana harbor. Mr. John Makins has been the most efficient manager of the home during most of its exist- ence, and when, after a residence in America, he returned re- cently to his loved work, he was received with great enthu- siasm. Miss Antoinette P. Jones has been assiduous from the beginning in pro- moting the interests of Floating Chris- tian Endeavor, of which department of the work she is the superintendent. She is unwearied in her efforts, and is a most voluminous correspondent, writing to sailors in all parts of the world, encouraging them in all their endeavors, and keeping them in touch with their friends on shore. Mr. J. M. Wood, of the Brooklyn Navy Yard; Chaplain Steele, formerly of Hampton Roads, and later of Bos- ton ; and many others, have done yeo- men's service. Chaplain Steele is es- pecially interested in the Society because, as he says, "it Antoinette P. Jones, Falmouth, Mass. 468 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. is the only distinctly religious effort for the sailors of the navy." The Young Men's Christian Associations are doing most admirable service, but on the sea are largely social in their functions. Christian Endeavor in the navy insists upon outspoken religion, and the badge which sailors are proud to wear, though they are often ridiculed by their companions for wearing it, stands for "Christ Exalted" there as every- where else. On the new Maine, which has taken the place of the wrecked ship of the same name, is also a flourishing society. One of the boys at a recent meeting has told how their ship- mates sometimes scoff at them when they see the badge of Floating Christian Endeavor, calling out, "Floaters, float- ers!" The Endeavorers take the chaff good-na- Floaters ^ and turedly, and respond, "Well, it s better to be a floater than a sinker, anyway." Miss Jones has written many interesting accounts of the Floating societies and their work. In the marine corps espec- ially the society seems to flourish. She tells how the sailors have helped the missionary work in distant Guam, going to the meetings of the society on shore, as well as maintaining their work on shipboard. A Floating Endeavorer on the U. S. S. Newark declares that he has found out only since going into the navy that "it is not enough to be just 'not a bad fel- low,' but that God wants us to be all in all for Him," while another sailor writes: "A friend started me travelling on the right road. He would take me in one of the small boats of the ship, get his Bible, and read and talk with me; and in that way I was converted." Often this personal directness of Andrew and Peter is repeated in the experience of our sailor boys. A simple little story that illustrates the trials as well as the opportunities of Floating Endeavor comes from Liver- pool, where there is a flourishing branch of the Floating So- christian Endeavor Afloat. 469 ciety, and it relates to a vessel in the Mediterranean fleet of the Royal Navy. One of the sailors writes : "In our line of life we are liable to be called on at any hour of the day or night to do work which is not always of a very pleasant nature. One night one of our people, a Christian, had a job to do on a boiler, which was lighted up. Everything did not go on very well, and burnt fingers were the order of the day (or night). Instead of using bad lan- Floating Christian Endeavorers, U. S. Cruiser Chicago. guage, he sang a hymn and smiled. The job was finished and forgotten ; but some time afterwards a stoker who was on watch at that time came out on the Lord's side. Afterwards he told us that he first began to think seriously on that night when our brother kept his temper. It was something new to him, and he wondered how it was; and now he is one of our 470 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. brightest believers. So much for what may sometimes ap- pear trifles to us. There are no trifles with God." The reflex influence of Floating Endeavor, like that of missionary Endeavor, is good for young people on shore, where their activities have been engaged and their sympathies aroused for their brethren on the sea. In many ports meet- ings have been held for the sailors, ships visited regularly whenever in port, reading-rooms provided, and all sorts of kindly things done for those who go down into the sea in ships. San Francisco, San Diego, New York and Brooklyn, Boston and Liverpool, Chicago and Bufifalo, and ports on the Great Lakes have shared in these generous ac- Shore ,• •-•^o. Work tivitieg. I****.! Mr. Giles Kellogg,, an earnest laborer among the sailors on the Pacific coast, has written most interestingly concerning the work as he has seen it. He tells of one sailor on the British ship Senegal who was brought in chains into a California port in mutiny. After reaching shore he went to the Christian Endeavor meeting in San Diego, and there expressed deep repentance for the past, and yearning for pardon. Soon he entered upon a course of training as an evangelist, and went to work among the men of the fishing- port of Milford Haven in England. Pulling about among the vessels in the harbor and visiting them in turn, he has been the means of leading many to accept the Saviour whom he found. Christian song has been greatly blessed to the sailors, who love to hear the sweet voices of fair Endeavorers, from whose society they are so completely shut out for the most of their lives. Among those who have given themselves to this work is a niece of the Hon. John D. Long, the late secretary of the navy. "When the sympathetic contralto notes of Miss Long's voice," we are told, "sang the simple and heart-touching Chrstian Endeavor Afloat. 471 gospel appeals, many were noticeably affected. As the singing went on, and a verse of 'Are you coming home to- night?' was given, a card was passed along from the midst of the seamen, on which was written the name with words say- ing that a mother's prayers were answered, and that her boy was coming home to God that night." Miss Long was not spared for many years to continue to sing the gospel, but after the event just described her life and means, we are told, were given to public evangelistic singing for Christ, not only on the Pacific coast, but on the Atlantic coast as well. The Endeavor launches at San Diego, at Vineyard _, . ,. Haven, where Captain Edwards has been such a Christian ' ^ Endeavor powcr for good among the sailors, and at many Launches. 11111 r Other places have been real steam messengers of the gospel, which they have carried to a multiude of hardy men who sail the seas. Often the sailors return the compliment by visiting the Endeavorers at home in their meetings or social gatherings, where they do quite as much good as they receive. I have never seen the attendants at a staid New England prayer- meeting so moved and intensely interested as by a visit of twenty Floating Endeavorers from the new Maine, which was then in the Charlestown Navy Yard. As one after another the sailors rose and told of their meetings, of their joys and their trials, the ridicule they endured and the peace they found in the service of Christ, there was such a touch of reality and sincerity in all that they said that Christianity seemed a new thing, and a very genuine thing to all who heard them. As never before, these Christian people and thousands of others who have come in touch with Floating Endeavor have learned to sing with feeling that noble hymn, "For those in peril on the sea": 472 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. ''Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidst the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep ; O, hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea. "O Trinity of love and power. Our brethren save in danger's hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them wheresoe'er they go; Thus evermore shall rise to Thee Glad hymns of praise from land and sea." CHAPTER XXXV. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN SURPRISING PLACES. A SCORE OF STATE PENITENTIARIES, DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUMS, AND SCHOOLS FOR THE BLIND, LIFE-SAVING STATIONS, AND BUSINESS HOUSES WOULD SEEM TO BE STRANGE PLACES FOR CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SO- CIETIES. HOW THE SOCIETY FLOURISHES IN THESE PLACES IS HERE TOLD. " Christian Endeavor is not only reaching out, but is reaching in. It has penetrated the darkness of prison cells and sounded the glad signal-note of pardon, and sin-bound men can be heard crying out in the midnight of despair, as did the Philippian jailer, 'What must I do to be saved?' Many prisoners have been made free indeed through the glorious gospel of the Son of God." Mr. Frederick A. WalUs, New York. " Christian Endeavor is working a wonderful reformation in the Eddyville Prison. Many men whose lives were blackened by sin and crime are now serving God zealously on Christian Endeavor committees to bring their fellow-prisoners into this sweet and blessed pardon. Remarkable as it may seem, not a single released prisoner who was active in the prison Endeavor has been brought back for the second term. Only eternity can reveal the wonderful workings of Christian Endeavor here. God help you to plant a Christian Endeavor society in every prison in the land." " Your Christian Endeavor Comrades of the Eddyville Prison." Convention Message from a Prison Society. 473 474 CKristian Endeavor in Surprising Places. ROM the beginning Christian Endeavor has been a surprise; a surprise in its ready acceptance by the Christian public, in its rapid growth, in its great ^ conventions, in its adaptability to all foreign cli- mates and conditions of life, in its development of new features just when they were most needed, in the persistence of original principles, which are found as ef- fective to-day as when they were first promulgated, in the staying power which usually makes the oldest societies, ex- cept when occasionally frozen out by pastoral indifference or ecclesiastical hostility, even more effective than when first organized. Other chapters have told of surprising places in almost every continent, where Christian Endeavor has found a home. This chapter adds to the list some striking illustra- tions, which might be almost indefinitely multiplied. Christian Who would have thought, for instance, at the Endeavor beginning that there was any place for a Christian in . . 1 • <• o State Endeavor society among the convicts of our State prisons? Yet some of the largest and most devoted societies in the world are found in the penitentiaries. The first one was begun in the Wisconsin State Prison at Waupun on February 2, 1890, just nine years to a day after the first society in a church was formed. The Rev. Victor Kutchin, the chaplain of the prison, was the organizer; and the charter members consisted of 58 prisoners, of whom 35 were active members. The highest membership at any one period was 204, and after less than five years 724 men had been con- nected with this society. The following testimony came from this chaplain of the first society after watching its results for five years: "By the working principles of the Christian Endeavor, in connection with the usual methods employed by clergy- men having a prison congregation^ we can easily arrive at In Surprising Places. 475 476 christian Endeavor in All Lands, the degree of spirituality wherein to grade the men who through this means have become our special and more inti- mate charges. It is also a very convenient mirror in which the applicant for admission to the fold of the Good Shepherd reveals his earnestness or lack of it, and that before he is scarcely aware of our fully comprehending him. Where the conversion is actual, the changed demeanor from that com- mon sadness or recklessness so prevalent in penal institutions to one of quiet and abiding trust peculiar to the genuine con- vert is an indication which almost invariably indicates the new disciple of the Master." Prison societies began to multiply soon after the first one was formed, and are now found in more than a score of the largest penitentiaries in the country, and from almost every prison come, from those best fitted to judge, reports that the work done is not only most benign in its immediate efifects, but permanently useful. The usual sneer against all such efforts — and a very shal- low and silly sneer it is — would make it appear that the pris- oners profess conversion only to curry favor, or enter into the work to pass away the time which hangs heavily upon their hands. This is directly contradicted by the facts, which can Y^^^ be learned from any one who is conversant with Converted the livcs of the prisoners after their discharge. Prisoners t-» • o • c • " Hold The Utah State Prison Society, for instance, was organized in 1899, and Mr. Robert J. Jessup, one of the organizers, after six years of watchful interest says he cannot recall more than two members who after their dis- charge from confinement deliberately walked back into the ways of sin, and both of these men were "dope fiends," whose will-power had been destroyed by the drug. In 1903 two of these Utah prison Endeavorers, one the corresponding secretary, and the other the vice-president, of the society prevented several murderers from escaping from the prison, at the risk of their own lives. In Surnrising: Places. 477 The New Mexico Prison Society recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. Messages were received from former members. One is superintendent of a gospel mission at Co- hoes, N. Y. ; another has served as superintendent of a Sun- day-school and president of a Christian Endeavor society in Kansas; another is a coal-miner in New York; another is in business in Texas; one is doing good carpenter work in Santa Fe; and still another assists in the county jail work in The White Christian Endeavor Society in Frankfort State Prison, Kentucky. Las Vegas, and recently read a paper before the Santa Fe Baptist Association. The three Endeavor societies in the Kentucky Peniten- tiary at Frankfort recently conducted a successful Bible con- test in which 26 men took part, and each was given a handsome Bible. In all 11,155 verses were memorized, and this was 478 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. only one of several like contests held in that prison. The writer well remembers a visit to this prison, and his introduc- tion to the three societies through the kindness of the warden and the chaplain. In the prison for white men were a large number of Endeavorers, who presented him with In the a curious canc made of rings of horn skilfully glued Kentucky together. In the prison for black men was another Prisons. ° ^ society almost as large, whose president was the poet of the prison, and who greeted their visitor with a poetic effusion full of undeserved compliments, and then presented him with a block of hard coal, but a little blacker than the face of the poet, carved into the shape of a closed Bible. In the woman's prison he was greeted by another com- pany of Endeavorers, who gave him a beautiful bunch of carnations, another Christian Endeavor surprise, and showing the same sympathy, generosity, and kindness of heart that Endeavorers outside of prison walls often manifest. Among the souvenirs which I prize most highly are three gavels made in different prisons, and beautifully made, too, by Endeavorers who worked after hours to make them for use in calling together the great conventions. Two of these, adorned with silver bands, and finely inlaid, were given at the convention in Nashville, and the Rev. S. N. Vail, representing the Kentucky Endeavorers, happily said in pre- senting one of them to the presiding officer: "I deem it a great honor and privilege to present to this convention a gavel fashioned and made by a convict, serv- ing in the stripes and chains of Eddyville prison. He made this gavel with a penknife and a little file, in his cell, after his day's work, and in the light of a candle or lamp furnished by friends outside of the prison walls. "This brother was led to his Saviour by the Endeavor So- ciety; and the polish and taste he has given to the otherwise rough material in this gavel are emblematic of the change In Surprising Places, 479 effected by the gospel in that prison. Instead of cruelty, it has brought into those wards sweet sympathy, converted the bare ground of the prison yard into a greensward studded with beautiful flowers, whose daily mission (in the light of an open Bible) is to teach those unhappy inmates the great lesson of trust in God. It has filled the cells and workshops of that institution with the benevolent atmosphere of the Sun of Righteousness, while a number of its convicts are rejoicing in the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ." While I am engaged in writing this history, A Letter a personal letter has come from an inmate of the Anamosa. lowa State Penitentiary at Anamosa, which in its substance is like scores of others that have come to the writer. For eight years this society has been in existence. "We are permitted," says my correspondent, "to meet for twenty-five minutes every Sunday afternoon. One of the prisoners takes charge of the meeting, and we are at liberty to speak on the topic, bear testimony, lead in prayer, or sing, with as much freedom as if we were outside prison walls. Four times a year, on holidays, we hold a special meeting which is of unusual interest, many more men taking part, with more freedom than at the regular Sunday afternoon meeting. One friend of mine was converted here as the result of the society. He went out to lead an honorable Christian life, engaged in Christian work, and died this summer faith- ful to the last." In all, many tens of thousands of convicts have been con- nected with these prison societies, and several hundreds of " Comrades ^^ese have become "Comrades of the Quiet Hour," of the showing that the deepest spiritual things appeal Hour" to these men who have worn prison stripes. In- in Prison. ^^^^ ^j^^ ^^^^^ cvangclist, Mr. Dwight L. Moody, once said to me that he had found some of the best men he knew among the Endeavorers in the prison society in New 480 Christian Endeavor in All Landso Mexico, and they were murderers, too, who in a moment of passion, when crazed by drink, perhaps, had taken the life of a fellow man, but who, when given time to think and re- pent behind prison bars, had been thoroughly converted. Here is a verse of a beautiful poem written by a prisoner in the Massachusetts State Prison, and published in The Mentor, the prison paper: "Only a convict! On Calvary A leader once of a desperate band Now calls in his dying agony To his fellow sufiferer near at hand, 'Lord, when Thou reignest, remember me!' And hears, to his wondering, glad surprise, 'Thou shalt be with me in Paradise.' " Who will say after these examples of what Christ can do within prison walls that such conversions are always "made to order"? The Endeavorers outside of prison walls have shared in the benefits of this work for the prisoners, which they have usually been instrumental in starting. Their sympathies have been awakened and their vision of the possibilities of the power of Christ have been widened as they strive to obey His command, and have heard His gentle voice in ap- proval say, "I was in prison, and ye visited me." Another surprising place for a .society of tha^ Christian Endeavor to appear is in a deaf and dumb Societies. asylum. One surely would not expect an organ- ization whose active members are pledged to take "some part aside from singing in every meeting" to be found in an insti- tution where no one could utter a single word. Yet there are several such societies, and I have never been more touched than when in conventions on both sides of the water I have seen a little company of bright, eager-faced Endeavorers, In Surprising Places. 481 Christian Endeavor in India. A Christian Endeavor Society in the School for the Blind at Bombay. 31 ^ 482 christian Endeavor in All Lands. whose other senses seemed to be more alert because of their loss of hearing, watch the rapidly moving fingers of the interpret- er, who with lightning-like signs interpreted what I had to say. However fast I spoke, he was sure to keep up with me. It was always a marvel to me how he could talk so rapidly with his ten fingers, and how his audience could hear so ac- curately with their eyes, and catch every distinct shade of meaning; for this was evident from the lights and shadows that passed over their faces as they saw the humor or the pathos of a little story, or grew serious with some appeal to their noblest natures. One such society in Edinburgh is called the ^'Ephphatha Society," in memory of our Lord's word when He looked up to heaven, and said unto the deaf and dumb man, "Ephpha- tha, that is, Be opened; and straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain." How marvellously among these deaf-mute Christians has Christ's miracle been repeated! Through the hands of their friends they have learned to hear. Through their own hands they have learned to speak. They can testify to the love of Christ as well as any one. They can offer prayers that their companions can understand. They can enjoy a union meet- ing as much as those who have five senses all in perfect condi- tion. No wonder that they take the name "Ephphatha," "Be opened," for the Master has not only opened their ears through their eyes, but has opened their hearts to receive His word and do His will. Amon Another unlooked-for place in which to find the Christian Endeavor work is among the life-savers, the brave and resolute men who patrol our stormy coast. In several of these stations Christian Endeavor so- cieties have been formed, and to others Endeavorers have gone with much profit to themselves as well as to the life-savers. The Rev. C. D. Crane, the efficient secretary of the Maine In Surprising Places, 483 Union, has done not a little for these lonely heroes, and has sometimes held a meeting out-of-doors in order that the "look- out," who was not allowed to come inside during his hours of watch, might be present. All the life-saving stations on the coast of Maine have thus been visited by Endeavorers. Christian Endeavor was started for the young people, and always has been and always will be a young people's On the Valdez Glacier in Alaska. society; but that is by no means the same as saying that there can never be an old people's society, or a middle-aged peo- ple's society. In fact, there have been many such. Indeed, I have seen a picture of a Grandmothers' society in Japan, where every wrinkled face and bent form told of many years of service for others. 4^4 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Mothers' societies are comparatively common, though not nearly as numerous as they should be. The first one was started in the first Presbyterian Church of Topeka, Kan., in April, 1893, by Mrs. Barton, whose son, Fred C. Barton, was superintendent of the Juniors at that time. It was started to help the Juniors, and this must always be one of the great objects of the Mothers' society. That first Mothers' society is still flourishing, and the members often meet at the homes of one another, and spend a social day, sewing for some one who for any reason has an extra amount of work on hand, while regular meetings are also held in the homes of the s^ciet^es different members. Many a work of love is quietly accomplished by these ladies, such as visiting the sick, calling upon the strangers, sending flowers and other tokens of kindly remembrance. Why would not this be a good kind of woman's club to establish in every church, whose members might not become so familiar, perhaps, with the ethics of John Stuart Mill or the pessimism of Schopenhauer, but whose practical ethics might be improved by prayer and practice of good works for others? In proportion to the whole number of Endeavorers, Spain has more Mothers' Endeavor societies than any other coun- try, nearly a seventh being of this character, but there is a great and unoccupied field for this kind of Endeavor all over the world. Another society of older people has been formed in Sol- diers' Homes, and this, too, is a surprising development; but the writer has seen a long row of veterans of the Civil War, some scores of them, following the convention addresses and joining in the convention songs with all the ardor and en- thusiasm of the youngest Endeavorer. God bless these veter- ans, who have enlisted in the army of Christ, as well as re- sponded to their country's call for service. Other societies have been formed among policemen, In Surprising Places. 48s among street-car employees, among travelling men, in schools for the blind, among the employees of hospitals for the in- sane and other hospitals, and in several large manufacturing establishments. The transient nature of the constituency of these societies sometimes makes it difficult to continue them long; but, while they have existed, they have done much good. The Travellers' societies have been largely merged into the 4 W*^ ^ f f I . i ^ Some C. E. Veterans in the National Military Home, Leavenworth, Kansas. "Gideon Bands" for commercial travellers; but the initial impetus for this work, for which we all crave the largest suc- cess, came from Christian Endeavor circles. A most interesting society has been organized among the officers and clerks, compositors and other employees of the United Society of Christian Endeavor and The Christian En- deavor World at their office in Boston, called the "Home 486 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Office Society." Delightful little prayer-meetings are held every week. Charming sociables bring the work- iSome ers together occasionally for a "good time," and an Office example is thus set which may well be followed Society. , r T- J u u • by other Endeavorers, whose busmess society may be as helpful to the spiritual and social life as their church society. CHAPTER XXXVI. FOUR CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR JOURNEYS AROUND THE WORLD. IT HAS BEEN THE PRIVILEGE OF THE WRITER TO TAKE THESE JOURNEYS AND MANY OTHERS IN THE INTERESTS OF THE CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR MOVE- MENT. SOME OF HIS IMPRESSIONS ARE HERE BRIEFLY GIVEN. " To me one of the supreme values of the Christian En- deavor Society is its international character. The lines go out to every part of Great Britain, to the capitals of con- tinental Europe, to the wide-reaching realms where Chris- tendom comes into contact with Islam and the more ancient religions of Asia ; to brethren in Australia and New Zealand, in southern Africa and in the isles of Japan. A composite photograph of the national representatives of Christian En- deavor would show us the races of mankind and womankind the world over." Rev. John Henry Barrows, D.D., late President of Oberlin College. iT is not inappropriate at this point, perhaps, to de- vote a brief chapter to some of the journeys taken by the writer in connection with the introduction of Christian Endeavor into foreign lands, especi- ally as it gives him an opportunity to illustrate some of the vital principles of Christian Endeavor which come more forcibly to a traveller's attention on such journeys than at any other time. As was natural, the first journeys in the interest of Chris- tian Endeavor were made to Great Britain, the mother coun- 487 488 christian Endeavor in All Lands. try, which so soon largely adopted the daughter's method of organization for the young. The first of these was made in 1888, and the second in 1891. But the first journey around the world was not undertaken until the fall of 1892, when, almost immediately after the great convention in New York, the writer with his wife and eldest son started to circumnavi- gate the globe in the interests of Christian Endeavor. This journey took them to the Hawaiian Islands, to all the colonies A Beauty Spot in New Zealand. of Australia with the exception of Western Australia, next to China and Japan, back along the Chinese coast to Singa- pore, Ceylon, Madura, Calcutta, and Bombay, through the ^^^ Red Sea and the Suez Canal to Egypt and the Holy First Land. Then to Beirut and Syria, across Turkev, Journey. . ,, , ,«.,,. ^ through the very heart of Asia Mmor to Constanti- nople, by way of Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain to a Four Journeys Around the World. 489 national convention in Great Britain, and thence to their own home. This journey occupied nearly a year, and was full of delightful experiences, some of which have been detailed in another volume,* and resulted in the establishment of the Society in some countries, and it is hoped in its strengthening in other lands. T^^g In 1896, at the call of Endeavorers in India Second and South Africa, the president of the United So- ciety undertook another journey, this time going alone, visiting Egypt again, and going more thoroughly over portions of India. At this time the United Society for India, Burma, and Ceylon was formed. Immediately afterward, the writer sailed from Madras to Durban in a coolie ship, a long and lonesome voyage of twenty-three days, when he was the only white passenger. But the friends he made and the meet- ing he was able to attend in Natal, the Transvaal Republic, and the Orange Free State (before these two were annexed by Great Britain), as well as in Cape Colony, well repaid him for the discomforts of the voyage, and he was glad to be able to do a little something to arouse a larger Endeavor spirit in Africa, where the work is now flourishing so vigorously. While in South Africa, he met President Kruger of the Transvaal and President Steyn of the Orange Free State, both of whom were interested in his mission. Sailing from Cape Town up the coast of Africa, he joined his family in Southampton after a six months' absence, and was enabled to spend some time with them among the Endeavorers of Great Britain and the Continent before re- turning home. In the year 1900 an urgent call came from the Endeavor- ers of China that he should attend their Fifth Annual Con- vention, and so with Mrs. Clark and another son this journey was undertaken, and a delightful convention was enjoyed in * " Our Journey Around the World." 490 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. The Third Journey, and Home by way of Siberia. Foochow, as well as many other meetings in Shanghai, Ningpo, Peking, Tung-cho, and Pao-ting-fu in China, as well as in most of the large centres in Japan. In Japan, also, they were permitted to attend a most delightful national convention in Kobe, and to renew the friendship formed with the devoted missionaries on a pre- vious journey. The travellers left China just before the Boxer uprising, though no one at the time knew of the dread- ful massacres that would break out in another fortnight; and in order to get to London in season for the World's Convention of 1900 they decided to travel across Siberia by the newly opened Trans-Siberian route. This was then entirely unknown, as steam commu- nication had been opened for only a few days when they started, and they were the first travellers of any nation to go around the world by this route. There were many unexpected delays and much discom- fort, and the journey oc- cupied forty-two days instead of the twenty-five it was expected to take, twenty of them being oc- cupied with the journey up the Amur River, which just then was at its shallowest. But the journey was safely ac- complished at last, and London was reached the very day before the convention be- gan, instead of with a margin of two weeks as was expected. In 1903 the repeated and urgent calls of the Endeavorers in New Zealand and Australia were responded to, and on the last day of the year, together with his daughter as travel- by Wheelbarrow to a Christian En- deavor Service in China. • Four Journeys Around the World. 491 ling companion and secretary, the writer started on a fourth journey around the globe. In some respects this was one of the most interesting of all, as he was permitted to see some of the natural wonders of New Zealand and Australia, as well as to note the remarkable progress which had been made in Christian Endeavor circles since his previous visit twelve years before. The Gold Fields as well as the great cities of Australia were visited, and, sail- ing from Albany, on King George's Sound, the travellers The Fourth Journey Mayoral Reception to Dr. Clark at Wellington, New Zealand, January 30, 1904. made their way in a stanch Scotch ship across the "roaring forties" to Durban, thence around the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Town, and back to England by the usual route. Owing to the delay of the steamer in crossing the great ocean between Australia and Africa, the plans for this visit to South Africa were seriously interfered with, and the week which it was originally hoped could be spent in this continent was reduced to three or four days, But time enough was given to see many hearty and earnest friends of the cause in Durban and Cape Town, and to be cheered by the splendid results of the earnest Endeavor- 492 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. ers of South Africa. Before reaching home on this journey, too, a visit was made to France, where the French national union was formed, to Switzerland, and to Germany. Many other journeys across the Atlantic have taken the writer on different occasions to Great Britain and Germany and Spain and Portugal and Scandinavia and Russia and Bulgaria and Bohemia and Macedonia; to Italy, France, and Switzerland; to Belgium, Holland, and Iceland. He would be a dull scholar indeed who could go to this travel school for so long without learning something of God's ways with man, and the divine favor to the cause which it was especially the traveller's business to promote. These journeys. Ta$m tint a. Ft;b>.23. Route of Dr. Clark's Fourth Journey Around the World, January to July, 1904. too, might well induce humility of spirit, as they have re- vealed how in every land it was "not by might, nor by power," not by human wisdom or skill of organization, but through the divine good pleasure and kindly care, that the Society has flourished and grown strong. One chief impression which has been made upon the writer's mind in these many journeyings is that of the blessed reality of Christian fellowship the world around. It can hardly be realized by my younger readers how comparatively Four Journeys Around the World. 493 new is the development of this idea in its world-wide aspect. Christian ^°^ ^^^ Christian traveller cannot go to any con- Feiiowship siderable section of this world except Tibet with- Evcrvwhcrc 'out finding that Christian brethren have been there before him, and without receiving the right hand of Chris- tian fellowship. Fifty years ago this could not possibly have been said. Twenty-five years ago it was less true than now. Even thirteen years since, when the first journey outlined in this chapter was taken, it could not be said with the emphasis with which it can now be asserted. Christian Endeavorers may well be thankful that their organization has had some- thing to do with the extension and promotion and permanent establishment of this world-wide fellowship. There are two songs which Christian travellers hear now more commonly than any other two all around the world, and they both show the yearnings of the heart for this kinship in Christ, which is growing more wide and strong with every passing year. These two songs are "Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in Christian love," and "God be with you till we meet again." These two songs have been translated into every tongue, and are sung in every clime. The Christian Endeavor So- ciety has had much to do with popularizing them, especially the latter, which, it is said, was first sung in public at a gather- ing of any considerable size in a Christian Endeavor union meeting more than twenty years ago. Another impression has been that of the immense value of missionary work and the genuine heroism and devotion of missionary workers. The heroes of the modern HeroismT^ world are found very largely on the mission fields. For the Christian martyrs of to-day we must look to China and to Turkey; and it is the deliberate opinion of 494 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. the author, after seeing missionaries of all denominational boards in all parts of the world that there is no class of men in any calling who, on the average, are so well educated, so tactful and efficient in their work, so devoted and consecrated, and on the whole so successful, as the missionaries of the cross. It can safely be asserted that none others are doing so much to change the face of the earth for good, physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually, as the missionaries who have gone A Scene in Scandinavia. out from Christian lands to the "regions that sit in darkness and the shadow of death." One more impression that relates particularly to the So- ciety of Christian Endeavor and its work is that of the adapt- ability of its methods to all climes and conditions. It has proved to be so entirely flexible that it can be used by the raw Four Journeys Around the World. 495 heathen who twelve months ago never heard the gospel preached, as well as by the most cultured young people in any city in Great Britain or America. The Hindu boys and girls who come from heathen homes, and do not profess to be Christians, are formed into societies whose only pledge is that they will read the Bible and study about Christianity, and this is for them genuine Christian Endeavor. Flexible Christian Endeavor. How We Traveled in the "Boxer" Country. After all, human nature is very much the same all over the world. The tint of the skin, the language or the accent, the training and traditions of early life, these are all acci- dents and of but little moment, compared with the underlying need of every soul for communing with God, for fellowship with Christ and His people, for aspiration and endeavor to do service for one's fellow men for Christ's sake. These longings and fundamental aspirations are found in every 496 christian Endeavor in All Lands. heart, and these are met by the simple methods and the sane and sensible programme and principles of Christian En- deavor. CHAPTER XXXVII. CITIZENSHIP ENDEAVORS. THE PART THE SOCIETY HAS TAKEN IN AROUSING THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM, STANDING FOR CIVIC RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND OPPOSING UNJUST WARS IS HEREIN DESCRIBED. " As a training for citir:enship, for usefulness in the churches and in the communities, its systematic, uniform, and united activities, stimulated and sustained by the obligation of a cov- enant with God and men as binding and exalting as the ' Solemn League and Covenartt ' of Scotland's noblest days, are of the first order of practical importance." Hon. Henry B. Macfarland, President of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia. " The Society has proved a most potent and effective influ- ence in the elevation of the race and the advancement of our Christian civilization." Hon. Charles E. Littlefield, Member of Congress from Maine. ]T was at an international convention in Montreal in 1893 that, so far as is known, the proposition was first made that Endeavorers should take up good citizenship as one of the regular features of their work. In the address of the president of the United Society for that year this idea was dwelt upon at length, and with these words this part of the address closed: "This convention can pass no votes or resolutions that are binding upon individuals or societies, — nor can any State or local union,— but it can and should lead us in this and every 32 497 498 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. such matter more fully to recognize our individual responsi- bility as citizens as well as Christian men and women. Some phase of this very important subject of good citizenship, viewed from the Christian standpoint, may well occupy our attention at more than one of our Society prayer-meetings and at more than one local-union gathering of the year to come. How may we become better citizens? How may we be truer patriots? Let us give to these a worthy answer." In an entirely unexpected way has this suggestion been carried out, and not only in occasional local-union gatherings and society prayer-meetings, but in almost every American and British convention of any considerable size from that day to this has good citizenship been a prominent feature of discussion and a frequent obJQCt of fervent prayer. In all parts of the world, too, has the idea been taken up; and China and India, as well as English-speaking lands, have their good-citizenship rallies. Is it too much to believe that the marvellous JM^ civic awakening of the past two years, the like of Awakening which has never been known in America, when in America. i i • , , , , , corruption and bossism have been downed, and righteousness exalted as never before in the history of the nation, is due, in some measure at least, to the civic awakening in the hearts of many young Christians? Since the convention of 1893 tens of thousands of prayer- meetings have been held with Christian citizenship for their topic. Thousands of addresses have been made at local unions, district meetings, State conventions, and national as- semblies, some of them by the ablest orators in the country, on this burning theme. The evils of the day have been vig- orously attacked, corruption in high places has been unspar- ingly denounced, and the loftiest patriotism has been held up as the ideal before every young American. These meet- ings could not have been without a vast influence; and, Citizenship Endeavors. 499 though many other causes have contributed to the splendid moral upheaval of 1905, the Christian Endeavor Society may modestly claim to have done its share. It can easily be conceived that the great danger of bring- ing the flaming torch of patriotism to the inflammable spirits of youth would be that good citizenship might sometimes be spelled "partisanship," and the distinction between our party and our country's good might be obscured. Especially when some great moral issue was before us and advocated more vigorously by one party than another, it has seemed difficult for some to distinguish between the two. Some politicians have taken advantage of this to try to capture the whole En- deavor movement and carry it ofif into the hands of their party. One of the most unpleasant and bitter controversies, bit- ter on one side at least, was aroused by the refusal of the Society to become annexed to a particular political party; and some good and able men felt that Endeavorers were not living up to their profession unless all who could vote voted in one way. But the Society weathered this storm, and it has been an accepted principle that it cannot be made the tail of any political kite. But Endeavorers have not been content with simply list- ening to eloquent addresses, or passing empty resolutions. In hundreds of cases they have exerted a potent influence on the right side in municipal, State, and sometimes national politics. As is natural, since intemperance is the most The Society flagrant and outstanding sin of the generation, tem- Temperahce P^rance matters have received especial attention. Oftentimes the Endeavorers have lined up under different political banners for "no license" when local-option laws gave them a chance to vote. In Boston their earnest efforts recently induced one of the largest department stores, 500 christian Endeavor in All Lands. which had opened a liquor department, to close it out and advertise widely that no drop of liquor should ever be sold on their premises. In Newcastle-on-Tyne in England a simi- lar liquor nuisance has just been abated in the same way. Many other like instances might be narrated. But the Dnnking-Fountain Erected by Christian Endeavorers. good-citizenship committees have not by any means, confined their efforts to opposition of this sort, but have been positive and constructive forces for good, in establishing drinking- fountains, ice-water tanks in public places, cofifee-rooms and Citizenship Endeavors. 501 temperance cafes, reading-rooms and amusement-rooms for children and young people, who might otherwise be on the street, and in a multitude of efforts of this sort, the mere catalogue of which is too long to record. The Cleveland y Union has been particularly active in the establishment of drinking-fountains, while recently, we are told, at the inter- section of three busy streets in Philadelphia, the Delaware branch of the Philadelphia Union has erected a beautiful fountain of Barre granite, where even dogs as well as horses may get a cooling drink, while a supply of ice-water is kept constantly in the pipes to refresh the thirsty pedestrian, driver, and street-car man. The Ohio Endeavorers were wide awake in the last elec- tion* in opposing the corrupt politics which had become in- trenched in that State. No president was ever more popu- lar than the present occupantt of the White House, who with the desire of reform has cleaned out so many dark and dirty political corners. The re- form governor of Missouri, Governor Folk, was himself an Endeavorer in his earlier days, and most valiantly has been carrying out the principles of ' the Society in city and State. The Hon. Samuel B. Capen, who is not ashamed to wear the Christian En- deavor badge, and who was the chair- man of the comm_ittee that prepared for the greatest Christian Endeavor Hon. S. b. Capen, ll. d. Boston, Mass. convention ever held, has been a prom- inent reformer in Boston and Massachusetts State politics, * 1905. t President Roosevelt. 502 christian Endeavor in All Lands. and has frequently spoken wise and eloquent words about Christian citizenship at our conventions, local and national. Unjust war has been peculiarly abhorrent to Efforts , , . ^ . ^^, . . -P^ , for the latest generation or active Christian bndeavor- Peace. ^^^ With joy they have hailed every effort in the interests of peace and arbitration; and, when the historic commission met at The Hague, the American representatives, we are told, were heartened and encouraged in their efforts by hundreds of congratulatory telegrams and letters from Christian Endeavor societies and conventions all over the United States. The International Congress advocated by Mr. Raymond L. Bridgman, and favored unanimously by both houses of the Massachusetts legislature and in other States as well, has es- pecially enlisted the sympathy of Christian Endeavorers, and many thousands of petitions like the following have been sent to the Senate of the United States: To the Senate of the United States of America'. — The undersigned, representing the Christian En- deavor Society {town) {State), earnestly desiring the abolition of war and the federation of the nations, respectfully petition your honorable body, as has already been done unanimously by the legislature of Massachusetts, to au- thorize the President of the United States to invite the govern- ments of the world to join in establishing, in whatever way they may judge expedient, an International Congress, to meet at stated periods to deliberate upon questions of common interest to the nations, and to make recommendations thereon to the governments. President. Secretary. Mr. Amos R. Wells through The Christian Endeavor World has been particularly active in arousing interest in this forward step in the interests of universal peace. Citizenship Endeavors. 503 Nearly akin to this effort is the "International Brother- hood," which was launched by the Lincolnshire and Cheshire Federation of Christian Endeavor unions of Great Britain, and first came before the public in a large way at the London convention in 1904. national Mr. W. H. McKcllen, the secretary of the 'Federation, has been the chief worker for the In- ternational Brotherhood, has enlisted many Endeavorers in many lands, and has secured the active interest of such ardent lovers of peace as Mr. W. T. Stead and others of like char- acter. Here are the principles to which the members of the International Brotherhood subscribe: "While we distinctively recognize the fact that En- deavorers belong to all political parties, and adhere to our principle that the Society should never be used for partisan political purposes, and while we fully acknowledge the right of our fellow Endeavorers who honestly differ from us to their own views, we, the undersigned, agree to form ourselves into an International Brotherhood, to stand for peace and good will among all the nations of the world. "We believe that war, except for the defence of liberty or the relief of the oppressed, is wrong, unchristian, and bar- baric. "We believe in the settlement of international disputes by arbitration rather than by the sword. "We believe in exhausting every honorable means to pre- vent war between nation and nation, and to secure the bless- ings of peace. "To prevent the infamy of unjust war, and to extend the principles of International Brotherhood, we will do what in us lies. "We will pray for our brotherhood in every land, and that the reign of the Prince of peace may speedily prevail throughout the world." To show that the spirit of Christian citizenship is not confined to the Endeavorers of America we need only recall 504 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. how the Brazilian Endeavorers recently at their convention gathered around the great monument that tells of their na- tional independence, and sang their national anthem; how the Chinese Endeavorers listened with rapt attention to a speech on patriotism at their last national convention by Dr. Arthur H. Smith, an address which captivated the visiting mandarins as well as the Endeavorers ; and how at a recent South African convention the "native question," the burning good-citizen- ship topic of the present time, was discussed by the president of one of the unions, the Rev. J. G. Aldridge, who pertinently said: Christian "It is a matter of congratulation that the Chris- Citizenship ^-j^j^ Eudcavor movement is essentially a movement South for the promotion of good citizenship. ... In Africa. Christian duty we are bound to regard the native as an object of peculiar care. Do not be misled by those who contend you will solve the problem by the sjambok and by making him a beast. O, no; there must be the most careful, far-sighted, and Christian legislation. And here, in this con- nection, I would impress upon you as Endeavorers to study well the problem and the men who seek your suffrages. I in- sist upon this, because to my mind there is just as much re- ligion in the way in which you cast a vote at an election as there is in singing a hymn upon the Sabbath." Every country has its peculiar problems and its easily besetting sins. In Australia it is gambling, and the Austra- lian Endeavorers have naturally taken up arms against this awful evil. A recent number of the Australian Christian En- deavor Golden Link contains a scathing article on the national sin, with a special denunciation of the city government of Hobart, Tasmania, which has legalized and protected gam- bling or the gamblers, who received many a hard blow when the Endeavorers met in that fair city. To return to America, an interesting development of the good-citizenship spirit is shown in Massachusetts, where Citizenship Endeavors. 505 Patriots' Day, April 19, the anniversary of the first battle of the Revolutionary War, is observed by the great district unions of the State with a Patriots' Day rally. Formerly Fast Day was observed in Massachusetts at about this time of year; but ^ . , , the good old Puritan custom fell into disuse, and Patriots' 111 Day horse-races and the opening of the baseball sea- ^' son made of the fast a farce. In some measure, however, Christian Endeavor has redeemed the day, and brought it back to its original intention. For these Patriots' Day rallies are held in every part of the State, and often at- tract audiences of thousands to the Endeavor meetings, from which the good-citizenship idea is never absent. But intelligent good citizenship needs wisdom as well as fervor, sober instruction as well as eloquent orators; and so the Christian Endeavor Civic Club has been inaugurated. Dr. S. B. Capen, before alluded to, has been ac- tive in the advocacy of this feature of Christian Endeavor, and Professor Wells and the president of the United Society have prepared a constitution and an outline of the work for all who desire them. The Civic Club contemplates a campaign of information, instructing the members in regard to the way they are governed, their city charter, their school system, their poor-laws, their municipal platform and political machinery. They promote the lyceum idea, which has fallen into abeyance of late years. They pro- pose "village-improvement" as well, the beautifying of parks, the improvement of roads, the care of public and private premises; all these and numerous other enterprises of the Hon. H. B. F. Macfarland. The Christian Endeavor Civic Club. 5o6 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. same kind come within the purview of the Civic Club, whose motto is Virgil's words, "The Noblest Motive Is the Public Good." The standing committees proposed are the programme committee, the publicity committee, and the village-improve- ment committee, whose duties can be guessed from their names. Though the Civic Club has not been adopted very largely in its entirety, some features it proposes have been entered upon with vigor by many Christian Endeavor socie- ties and unions; and, when the awards were made at the last American convention, many societies received honorable men- tion for good-citizenship work of various kinds. Hundreds of specific instances might be related of suc- cessful good-citizenship effort; and many an Endeavorer, though he has not given his life for the cause, deserves to rank with Robert Ross, of Troy, N. Y., who, while doing his duty at the polls, as a Christian Endeavorer should, was murdered in cold blood by Bat Shea, a ward heeler of the lowest type. But, after all, it is the spirit which has been infused into the movement which counts, rather than these isolated cases of reform, of heroism, or even of martyrdom, however many might be marshalled. Within the twenty-five years' span of the Christian En- deavor movement probably some millions of young men have become voters, who have been influenced more or less power- fully by the good-citizenship ideals of the Society. They have learned and acted upon the truth which Dr. Burrell of New York thus eloquently voiced at a great national conven- tion: "The word 'Endeavor' is a gloriously significant one. It comes from two French words which mean 'on guard' or 'on Citizenship Endeavors. 507 duty'. It recalls the worn legend of the Roman knight at Pompeii, who stood in his place without flinching while the multitudes were flying from the molten stream of death which the great mountain belched forth, faithful among the fearful, on duty to the last. That is what it means to be a true En- deavorer. First of all, it devolves upon us to guard the rights of citizenship and the purity of the franchise; that is, to be on guard at the polls. " 'There is a weapon better yet, And stronger than the bayonet, A weapon that comes down as still As snowflakes fall upon the sod; But executes a freeman's will As lightning does the will of God.' " CHAPTER XXXVIII. KINDLING MISSIONARY FIRES. THESE FIRES HAVE BEEN KINDLED AT HOME BY MISSION- ARY MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS, AND BY PROMOT- ING SYSTEMATIC GIVING, WHILE ABROAD THE SOCIETY HAS DONE ITS WORK BY TRAINING THE CONVERTS IN MISSION FIELDS FOR CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH. " Endeavor is a good thing. Christian Endeavor is a better thing; Young People's Christian Endeavor is best of all. " What should be the greatest object of Christian En- deavor? Surely the evangelization of the world." Eugene Stock, Editorial Secretary of the Church Missionary Society of Eng- land. " This Christian Endeavor army is the grandest the v^^orld has ever seen. It speaks of the greatest movement of this generation, and is rounding out magnificently this great mis- sionary century. With its more than two millions of members it is belting the world with its light and with the enthusiasm of its service for Christ. And yet we are only two years in our teens, and we have only just begun to live and to grow. We have no less a purpose than to conquer this whole world I for God and truth." Hon. S. B. Capen, LL.D., ' at the Boston Convention, 1895. HE missionary spirit has never been foreign to the Christian Endeavor spirit. How could it be? In one respect the two mean the same thing. They are but different ways of fulfilling our Lord's last commands. But more than this, the first society of Christian En- deavor was born in a missionary as well as a revival atmos- 508 Kindling Missionary Fires. 509 510 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. phere. The backbone of the first society, so to speak, was the Mizpah Mission Circle, which was merged into it, and which continued in its larger field and scope to do no less, but even more, for distinctly missionary causes, as was naturally to be expected; for instead of forty boys and girls working for mis- sions there were soon a hundred boys and girls and young men working for missions. Almost from the beginning missionary themes were dis- cussed in the conventions, and a missionary committee was one of the first to be established in most societies, after the look- out, the prayer-meeting, and the social committees. Moreover, as has already been seen, the Society very early began to find its way into missionary lands. Before England heard of it, or Australia, and long before the Chris- tian countries of continental Europe ever thought of having an Endeavor society, one began to flourish in China, and an- other in India, and another in Hawaii. The knowledge of these brothers and sisters in distant lands kindled the imagina- tions of Endeavorers at home, and kindled many missionary fires as well. In one of the earliest of the large conventions, "Phila- delphia, '89," the missionary idea received a remarkable stim- ulus. This convention numbered only some eight thousand in attendance, and was small as compared with more recent gath- erings, but The Congregationalist declared that it was "the largest delegate religious assembly that Christendom has yet witnessed, and as such is a noteworthy event." A still more noteworthy feature of the convention was the impetus given to it by the missionary spirit. Dr. Arthur T. Pierson, Dr. O. P. Giflord, Mr. Robert P. Worfd Wilder, of India, and others aroused much enthu- Christ." ^^^^"^ ^^ ^^^y talked of the world for Christ, and Christ for the world. "Some one has said," said Mr. Wilder, "that the majority of us are not anti-missionary Citizenship Endeavors. Sii but o-mfssionary. I hope there is no one before me who be- longs to the o-missionary class. My prayer is the prayer of the stroke of the Cambridge University boat. He prayed that there might be such an outlet of men and money from his country that it would lead to an inlet of blessing from heaven. The outlet is coming." Mr. Wilder's prediction was in a large measure fulfilled. German Christian Endeavor Officers. Secretary Blecher is sitting at the left of the table, and Missionary Hugenschmidt, of the Caroline Islands, is standing behind him. Student volunteers began to multiply still more rapidly in all parts of the country, and money began to flow from the pockets of young people as never before. Mr. Stephen L. Mershon at this convention proposed a missionary problem, which has practically been worked out since in a multitude of young people's societies. 512 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. ^'Information + consecration — selfishness X by activity and -f- by every individual Christian Endeavor = successful missionary effort." It was at the convention in Montreal, after the return of the president of the United Society from his first journey around the world, that he proposed a special effort for pro- portionate and systematic giving to missions, which was after- wards more fully organized and carried out in the Tenth Legion and the Macedonian Phalanx. Here is a paragraph from that address, which seems to have borne some fruit: "May it not be the glad mission of the Christian Endeavor Society to introduce a new era of benevolence, not to perpetu- ate the grudging dole that has been wrung from tight fists in Proprotion= ^^^ P^^^' ^ meagre offering that will never evan- ate and gelize the world, but to bring in an era of propor- Sivhi'"^*'^ tionate and systematic giving as God hath pros- pered us? "Who will join me this year in a pledge of proportionate giving of at least one-tenth of what God may give us? Do you want a larger mission, Christian Endeavorers? Do you want a new crusade? Here it is. Could anything be larger? It reaches to the ends of the earth. It embraces every nation and people and kindred and tribe. It means salvation, yours as well as theirs. It means the filling of our missionary treas- uries ; for we will always give, as we have done, through our own wisely directed denominational channels. It means that no worthy cause at home or abroad will suffer. In time, as we grow richer and more numerous, it will mean thousands where now there are hundreds, and millions where now are given thousands. It means obedience to our Lord's last com- mand. It means that the twentieth century will usher in the glad era of an evangelized world which has heard in its remot- est corners the gospel message." In 1893-94 it was found that the societies gave in benevo- lence $250,000, much of it going to the cause of missions at home and abroad. I do not mean to imply that this was the Kindling Missionary Fires. 513 33 514 christian Endeavor in All Lands. result of the suggestion above made, for the cause of mission- ary enthusiasm had been steadily rising, and doubtless such results would have come in any event; but from this time sys- tematic giving was taken up as a regular and important fea- ture of Christian Endeavor work. Records of half a million of dollars each year given by the Endeavorers are now re- ceived, though reports in regard to this matter are obtained from less than a quarter of the societies in the world, and it is altogether probable that at .least a million dollars each year are contributed by the Endeavor societies for various good causes, and "a million dollars for missions" was proposed as the goal at the last convention at Baltimore. To be sure, this sum does not all find its way to the mis- sion field, either at home or abroad; for what shall be done with the gifts of Endeavorers largely depends upon the pastor and the church with which the society is connected. the^"^^ I^ their missionary zeal is large, the money is sent Money away from home. If their own needs, either reallv Goes. -^ _ ' -^ or in imagination, exceed the needs of the mission field, the money is used for new hymn-books or pew-cushions or a church spire, or for painting the walls of the meeting- house; and oftkn the burden of raising money to pay the last bills for some home expenditure is put upon the young people's society, as sometimes it may well be, and is gladly assumed by them. However, though much of the money they raise, in accordance with the wishes of pastor and church, may be used at home, the benevolences of young people for distinctively missionary work have been very largely increased. Special pains were taken not long since, by examining the records ot money received in the past in many denominations as com- pared with the money received from young people's sources to-day; and it was found that there had been a very large in- crease, and that the money given by young people was almost entirely an "extra asset" to the boards. Kindling Missionary Fires. 515 Of late years these boards have wisely assigned to their Christian Endeavorers definite fields or missionaries, or have given them churches to build on the frontier of our own coun- try, or missionary boats to build, which shall ply on distant foreign rivers, as has been recorded in other chapters of this history. Dr. A. A. Fulton, of the Presbyterian mission of Canton, did much good on two different furloughs in America, in showing the Christian Endeavorers that, however Two= small their means, they could do something, and af" ^" that there were few who could not give the value Week Qf ^^ ordinary postage-stamp each week for the spread of the gospel. The "two-cents-a-week plan" was adopted by many Endeavor societies; and, though it was sneered at by some who ought to have encouraged it, as an unworthy limit to gifts for the salvation of the world, yet, until all Christians, old and young, rich and poor, come up to at least half this limit in the course of the year, in the writer's opinion it is' a plan worthy to be urged upon young people. So far I have spoken of the missionary spirit as aroused among the Endeavorers at home, and of the reflex influence upon their own lives; but what about Christian Endeavor in missionary lands themselves? The chapters of this history that relate to Asia and Africa and some of the islands of the sea largely tell this story. The Society has gone wherever the missionaries have gone, and it has proved their loyal, hum- ble handmaid. A volume of testimonies, sufficient to fill every page of this history, has been received from missionary work- ers in all lands. I can give but a few specimens from their glowing words. They represent the South Sea Islands, China, India, and papal Europe. The Rev. J. E. Newell, for more than a quarter of a cen- tury a leading missionary in the South Seas, after fifteen years of experience of the Society in Samoa, says: 5i6 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. ''Christian Endeavor in Samoa and its related islands stands for a requickening of faith in the living Christ, and a fresh realization of the strenuousness of the Christian life. The first and immediate outcome of the self-consecration which the pledge demanded, and of which it was the just and adequate occasion, was the joyous and hearty acceptance of the authority of Christ to claim His people for any and every serv- ice His work required in the hard places of the great mission field. In Samoa, at the Malua Institution, the Christian En- Christian Endeavor Society, Girls' Orphanage, Marsovan, Turkey in Asia. deavor pledge was God's instrument for the effectual accom- plishment of this great and gracious work." No missionary of modern times has been more honored and beloved than the late gifted Mrs. Alice Gordon Gulick, of Spain, who introduced the Society into the Institute Inter- nacional of Madrid, and, through the girls there educated, into the whole kingdom. Kindling Missionary Fires. 517 "The influence of the principles of the Society Testimony has been great upon those who have hitherto had of Mis= little or no opportunity for the manifestation of re- sionanes. , . . f ^ . ^ , ligious impulses m active work. "These girls go to their homes ready to share in the church-work, and spend their vacations in repeating what they have learned for the benefit of crowds attracted by the nov- elty of meetings conducted by young women." Says the Rev. H. G. C. Hallock, a well-known Presby- terian missionary of China: "As to the Chinese country society, the belief has been strengthened that it is just the thing for little, struggling com- munities where they cannot have a pastor, but where they have to carry on the work by themselves. At its organization I could see that the idea and aim of the Society put new energy and ambition into their faces. The Chinese Christians, as do we, like to be of use. They rejoice to feel that the work and meetings are their own, and so go to work with new zeal." The following is the testimony of the Rev. William Carey, of Bengal, to whose work and noble ancestry we have already alluded: "I have no hesitation in saying that Christian Endeavor is the brightest and best thing God has sent us for the young life of the Indian church. Given the wise and sympathetic guid- ance of the missionary, and it speedily becomes, in any district, a most effective lever for good. " 'It has stimulated the spiritual life of all our members.' 'It contributes more than anything else to the growth of Chris- tians in knowledge and love and consecration to Christ's serv- ice.' Tt is the centre of the spiritual activities of the college.' 'It has done many good works among the churches.' "These are some of the testimonies of my brethren in In- dia, recently received, and covering vernacular work in very differing conditions. From personal knowledge I am able to indorse them all." 5i8 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. One of the great missions of Christian Endeavor on the foreign field is found in its work, as Mr. Hallock intimates, in scattered and isolated communities of Christians, where there are too few for a resident missionary, for a church, or even for a native evangelist, but where the Christians can be joined together by the sim- ple consecration and obliga- tions of the Endeavor Society, and can thus keep alive the sparks of divine life in their own hearts. Such a work has been successfully tried in many mission fields in China and India and in the island world. In the Ningpo Presbyterian mission, for instance, for some years such little groups of En- deavorers have come together annually for their convention, coming down the river on their house-boats, some- times a journey of a week or more (especially in getting back up the stream) ; they have lived on their house-boats, paid their own expenses like all self-respecting Christian Endeavorers, blown into a blaze the spark of religious enthusiasm in their hearts, and gone back to their isolated villages, where perhaps only two or three Christians live, to stand firm in the swelling tide of heathen corruption, and to light the dark region with their little torches. Mrs. Clark, in one of her convention addresses, has thus described what she saw of the use of Christian Endeavor gifts in mission lands: Beioke and After. Before. Christian Endeavor in Isolated Conimun= ities of Christians Kindling Missionary Fires. 519 "One of the pleasures of travelling in mission lands has been the joy of seeing the many ways -in which Christian En- deavor is helping missionary work. I have travelled many miles up one of China's great rivers in a Christian Endeavor boat, given for a missionary's service by Endeavorers in the home land; I have had my picture taken by Endeavor cameras more times than I like to think of; I have seen Endeavor ban- dages applied to suffering heathen and Christians in mission- ary hospitals; I have listened to music from Christian En- deavor organs, and have travelled in Christian Endeavor vehi- cles of different kinds, and have heard missionary addresses in crowded market-places of heathen cities, illustrated by pic- tures from Christian Endeavor magic lanterns ; and all of these things, and many others that might be spoken of, are hearten- ing reminders to the missionaries whom they serve and of the interest and enthusiasm of the Endeavorers in the home lands who gave them." How blessed are the in- fluences that travel back and forth across every sea, between the home Endeavorers and those in mission lands! They are like the warp and woof made by the fast-flying shut- tles in some delicate and beau- tiful fabric. Whether the En- deavorers at home receive more blessings than their brothers and sisters abroad, or the Endeavorers in foreign lands receive more in gifts and sympathy from their comrades in the so-called "home churches," it is difl!icult to de- Before and After. termine ; but we can at least all sing with a new and larger meaning every year, 520 Christian Endeavor in All Lands, "We work together, if far apart; Loyal and strong is each loving heart; One is our Master, Christ, the Lord, And we catch the sound of His guiding word Let us follow on where He leads the way Till we stand together in perfect day." CHAPTER XXXIX. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR AND THE DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE. THE FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE OF THE SOCIETY FROM THE BEGINNING, MORE FULLY DEVELOPED BY THE CONVENTION CONSECRATION-MEETINGS, THE "QUIET HOUR," AND THE "PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD " BY MANY ENDEAVORERS, IS HEREIN SET FORTH. " No movement, however big, no Christian, however gifted, can maintain spiritual hfe and spiritual strength apart from prayer and pondering the Word of God." Rev. James Mursell, Adelaide, South Australia. " We are placed here to do something for our God. Like Christ, or rather with Christ, we are to redeem the world. We live to bring salvation. It may be a cup of cold water to a thirsty one; it may be a word of kindness; it may be a leading, a pointing to God of some doubting one. It may be some great work of public reformation. May God give us grace to know Him better, to give ourselves more absolutely to Him, to serve Him better than we ever have before." Rev. Floyd W. Tomkins, L. T. D., at the Nashville Convention. 'ERE and there throughout this history, in many of its chapters, are found allusions more or less ex- tended to the deeper things of Christian En- deavor. The consecration-meeting, the early morning prayer-meeting, the "Quiet Hour," which has enrolled tens of thousands, all speak of this charac- teristic without which the Society could not exist, without which its history would not be worth recording. A popular author has said that "in the most eminent 521 522 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Christian there is always a touch of mysticism." This is also true of any organization that has in it vitality and spiritual vigor. Because of this element, and this alone, some books have persisted throughout all the centuries, and have come down to us as fresh and unhackneyed as ever, such as Thomas a Kempis, Jeremy Taylor's "Holy Living" and "Holy Dy- ing," the thoughts of the great mystic and reformer, John Tauler, of Strasburg; and the little volume concerning Brother Lawrence, the French friar, who practised the presence of God, and whose fragmentary letters and conversations have been printed and reprinted over and over again in many lan- guages, and in almost as many editions as the number of years that have elapsed since his death. The works of Andrew Murray and of F. B. Meyer, prac- tical men as they are, promoting every good enterprise that makes for the advancement of the Kingdom, are instinct with this quality, and will give them readers for centuries after they have joined the majority. Let us thank God devoutly that this element has been provided for in the plans and activities of Christian En- deavor. Almost of necessity it would seem that this element inhered in an organization that made so much of the prayer- meeting, that insisted on private prayer and Bible-reading, and that every month enjoyed a consecration-meeting. Very early indeed in the history of the Society First was the importance of a life that was hid with Endeavor Christ in God made evident. One of the earliest Prayer= conventions was held at Saratoga Springs, N. Y. Meeting. o ^ & ' It was not great in numbers, but it was great iji spiritual power. The leaders of the Society ventured to ap- point an early morning prayer-meeting at six o'clock on the second day of the convention. Many laughed at the idea. They said you could not get young people to attend such a meeting. They loved their beds too well. They would be The Deeper Christian Life. 523 Prominent Christian Endeavor Evangelists. Rev Andrew Murray, Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D. D., LL. D. South Africa. „ New York The Late Rev. Clarence E. Eberman. Rev. F. B Meyer, London. 524 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. up late the night before, and could not reasonably be expected to attend a sunrise prayer-meeting. The sexton of the church where the meeting was to be held shared these views. The night before the meeting, when asked to have the chapel ready, he handed the writer the keys, saying: "You can open the door yourself, but there won't be anybody there. You may depend on that." The writer was inclined to think that perhaps the sexton might be right, and the next morning he was two or three minutes late in reaching the church. What was his surprise to find the sidewalk in front of the church filled with a com- pany of eager Endeavorers, who that morning had not given "sleep to their eyes or slumber to their eyelids," but had left their beds for the sake of attending the first Christian En- deavor sunrise prayer-meeting. This was one of the best ever held, and, so full of spiritual power was it, and so crowded was the large vestry, that the next morning the meeting was held in the main auditorium of the church, which seated some fifteen hundred people. Since then the early meeting has been a feature of thou- sands of Christian Endeavor rallies and conventions, though sometimes it is merged with the Quiet Hour service which is held just after the breakfast-hour, and before the regular ses- sions of the convention begin. In some unions these early meetings have become regular features for Easter morning or Christmas or Thanksgiving Day, and in winter they become pre-sunrise meetings. One great feature of the Society in the devel- Dfceper opmcnt of the deeper Christian life has doubtless JnThe ^^^n the consecration-meeting. Its methods are de- consecration scribed in another chapter, and it need only be said here that its deepest purpose is, as its name indicates, to lead the young soul to surrender itself wholly to God, which is the very essence of consecration. To be sure, the The Deeper Christian Life. 525 meeting may sometimes become formal and perfunctory, but there is no need of such a result. It may always be kept, as it is in the great majority of societies, a vital and living thing that leads the young Christian to look back upon the past month and to devote the new month more unreservedly to the Master's service. Testimony to the value of this meeting has been given by a multitude of Endeavorers and their pastors and leaders in many lands. Undoubtedly the effort that has done most to impress the deepest things of the Spirit of God upon the Christian En- deavor movement is the so-called "Quiet Hour." It has been taken up with enthusiasm by hundreds of most earnest En- ^. deavorers. A convention is scarcely complete with- " Quiet out its "Quiet Hours," and many local unions of in- dividual societies have "Quiet-Hour committees" to interest those who have known or thought little about this subject in the things which "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man." Because there may be some who read these pages who may not understand the inner meaning of the Quiet Hour, or what the old writers understand by "practising the presence of God," the writer may be pardoned for quoting some para- graphs from a little volume * that he once wrote upon this subject, which has had a considerable circulation. In these paragraphs he tries to tell his young friends just how the Quiet Hour may be spent. "Our Bible is open, perhaps to the familiar passage which reveals the wondrous truth that man dwells in God, and God in man, as John records it. "Seek to realize this stupendous fact, for all Scripture is a lie if this is not a fact. "Say to yourself over and over again: 'GOD IS HERE. God is here. God is within me. I am His child. God IS MY Father.' * " The Great Secret." 526 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. "One of these thoughts is soul-food enough for one day. Live on it throughout that day, whenever in the midst of daily duties an unoccupied moment enables you to resort to it. "The next morning, for a half-hour's meditation, take another of these biblical truths. It may aid the sluggish spirit at first to write out these short but wondrous sentences in large capitals: "'GOD IS HERE.' "T AM GOD'S CHILD.' " T AM IN MY FATHER'S PRESENCE.' Practising "But We shall not always need the written or Presence printed Sentence, for it will soon be engraved on our of souls and become part of our lives. ^^^' "Little by little we shall go on to appreciate by such communion and meditation the deep truths of God's incarnation in Jesus Christ, of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, enlightening, witnessing, comforting power. But it will all be God, God within and God without, God here, God every- where, God in His word, in His world, in history, in us. We have come to realize, to practise (there is no other word so good) the presence of God. We look forward to the hour of this practice with supreme delight. It is refreshment, food, drink, clothing, health to our soul. "Gradually the influence of the hour goes with us through the day, every sorrow is sweetened, every joy doubled, every care is lightened, by His presence. Service becomes sweet, difficult tasks easy. Every hour has its song. Life becomes worth living." 1 It must not be thought that the insistence on the?e deeper , things of the Christian life has weakened the interest of En- deavorers in practical activities. This whole volume is a refutation of such a statement. The chapters on "Practical Endeavors" and "Heroic Endeavor," on methods and ways and means, on philanthropies and benevolences, on fresh-air outings and social gatherings; the story of Christian Endeavor on the seas and in the prisons, in missionary lands and in a The Deeper Christian Life. 527 score of unexpected places, all show that the idea of consecra- influence ^^°" ^^^ ^^ whole-hearted surrender and of deep on religious purpose only give vitality to all these en- Endeav= deavors. This is the power-house where is gen- **^*' erated the energy that drives all the wheels. Here is the fountainhead of the many streams that make glad the city of our God. To be "saintly toward the heavens" is not to be "sickly toward the earth," as all the twenty-five years of Christian Endeavor have proved. There are few shallower sneerers than those who deride the emphasis put on the prayer- meeting and the consecration-service and the Quiet Hour, and who are forever asking the young people to do rather than to be. The most eminent Christians have never yet realized the power which may be theirs when they are filled with the Spirit. To dwell upon these vast possibilities, to open up the unseen world to the young Christians, to show them what a man may become when God strengthens him and inspires him, this is one of the great duties of any worthy young people's society. Speaking of these highest attainments which are open even to the average young Christian, the Rev. James Mursell, formerly of Edinburgh, but now of Adelaide, who has often spoken most helpfully on this subject, says in a convention address: "These things are possible for you and me to-night. Now. Will you claim this gift? Will you dare to believe that, though you hear no rushing mighty wind, and see no tongues of fire, God has bestowed it, and on you? " 'Lord, we ask it, hardly knowing What this wondrous gift may be,' but sure of this, that for all those to whom that holy presence comes will shine the vision of the Christ whom dying Stephen saw at God's right hand, and in them will be wrought the readiness to go wherever He appoints ; that dares to die, if 528 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. dying we may die to Him, and help His purpose on ; and in all, and through all, and above all, the assurance which no delay can darken, and no apparent failure can dismay, that our poor lives and our broken service have been caught up into the uses of that Holy Spirit whose mighty power shall draw all men to Christ." CHAPTER XL. PRACTICAL ENDEAVORS. THAT THE SPIRITUAL PURPOSE OF THE SOCIETY IS WHOLLY CONSISTENT WITH THE MOST PRACTICAL AND EVERY-DAY KIND OF SERVICE FOR THE MASTER IS MADE PLAIN BY THE MULTIFARIOUS KINDS OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR WORK DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER. " The Society should direct its new members into larger usefulness. The individual is too often lost sight of in the generalization. He must be reached or lost to the cause. He has a place to fill, however humble it may be. If not filled by him, the cause suffers irreparable loss. " ' I cannot paint, nor write nor sing; And yet there seems for me some quiet niche to fill Somewhere in God's great world, I stand and wait Where He may find me ready for His will.' " Rev. Charles M. Oliphant, at the Detroit Convention. iT is sometimes asked, and occasionally with a cir- cumflex sneer: "What, after all, is the Society doing? What actual results that can be formu- lated and tabulated can you record? It is all very well to talk of prayer-meetings and pledges and consecration-meetings, where the young people can come together to say their little verses, and spiritually pat one another on the shoulder, but what is the good of it all? What does it result in, in actual cold, hard facts? The Society is entirely willing to accept this challenge. It is perfectly willing to attempt to show its faith by its works. It acknowledges that the fruit test is the only test 34 529 530 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. of a movement, as of an apple-tree. The only difficulty in a history like this is in giving a sample of fruit from the thou- sand different branches which have been grafted into the Christian Endeavor tree. It is said that Mr. Burbank of California has an apple- tree growing, on which are hundreds of different varieties of apples and other kinds of fruit. It would be difficult for any horticulturist to sample them all in a reasonable space of time. He would have to live upon the Burbank farm, and, as the seasons came and went, he might hope, after a time, to become familiar with the products of this wonderful tree. In sampling Christian Endeavor fruit it is still more diffi- cult, since the tree spreads over so wide an area. Some of its branches overhang Asia, and some Africa. The different denominational branches in America bear fruits of different flavors, though perhaps all are equally valuable. In the country the flavor is not quite the same as in the city, but it is just as good an endeavor. There is absolutely no limit to what a Christian Endeavor society may do, except the limit imposed by its own church and pastor. Sometimes Christian Endeavor has been Variety thought to be too introspcctive and subjective, — Fruit ^^ ^^^^ chiefly with the salvation of the individual soul, not at all a bad thing for it to emphasize in the estimation of the writer, however some modern philan- thropists may disagree with him. But all the records show, from the beginning of the Christian era to the present time, that those who are most anxious to save others and help others are those who have themselves first been saved and helped by the grace of Christ. To prove the variety of the fruit borne by the Christian Endeavor tree it may be necessary only to quote a few para- graphs from the last report of General Secretary Vogt, of the United Society of America: Practical Endeavors. 531 "To express in deeds the truth taught from the pulpit, Sunday-school, home, or public school — this is our place in the economy of the church's organization. And what a noble expression it has been this year! More than two thousand cheering services of song reported in hospitals, missions, pris- ons, etc.! Barrels of clothing and useful articles reported from every quarter! More than a half-million gifts of flow- ers! Special clubs, conducted for interesting and benefiting younger young people, numbering three hundred. "We shall especially recognize 1,305 separate societies for worthy effort under this head. A few words only from their reports must suffice to indicate these loving ministries : 'Start- ed jail work.' 'Secured prisoners employment after their dis- charge.' 'Hospital work: 3,050 bouquets of flow- ers.' 'Gospel sung to 3,000 persons.' 'Maga- zines to over 2,500 peo- ple.' 'Two hundred vis- itations to workhouse, in- firmary, and Old Ladies' Home.' 'Keep an in- valid's chair to loan.' 'Established an employ- ment agency for strangers.' 'Opened a church reading-room for young men.' 'Organized industrial school for children.' 'Sent 84 Bibles to prisoners.' 'Hotel committee sends weekly sealed invitations for church services and church calendars to every hotel guest.' 'New hitching-posts about the church and lights within.' 'Edit, publish, and distribute church paper.' 'Cared for large poor family all winter.' 'Chorus choir for Sunday evening service.' Christian Endeavor Flower Committee in India Starting for the Hospital. 532 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. 'Invitations for church services distributed in boarding- houses.' 'Organized and support a coffee-club.' 'Literature- rack at depot kept full.' 'Regular Quiet Hour service before morning worship in the church.' 'Intermediates and Juniors are especially faithful workers.' 'Organized, drilled military company in the society.' 'Made fifty scrap-books for hospital children.' 'Furnished boys' reading-room.' 'Twelve bou- quets to the sick every Sunday, ii8 glasses of jelly to Old Ladies' Home, and 20 comfort bags to sailors.' 'Organized a boys' choir.' 'Christmas greetings to every prisoner in city jail.' 'Made quilts for Orphans' Home.' 'Ajax Club for the boys.' 'Gathered and pressed wild flowers for Syrian day- school.' Surely He who came to minister will bless the work of these loving hands." It must be remembered that these are but samples of prac- tical endeavors chosen from thousands that might have been mentioned. P . As is natural, since the Endeavor Society is Air composed so largely of young people, their sym- ^"^^^' pathies go out to other young people and children, and "Fresh-Air camps" have been a specialty of the Society for many years. One was organized by the Endeavorers of Staten Island as long ago as 1894, and last year no less than seven parties of Italians, Germans, and Chinese, numbering between thirty and forty each, were taken to "Camp Christian Endeavor," and enjoyed a most delightful outing. The Staten Island Endeavorers have been re-enforced by the Brooklyn Endeavorers, and now almost three hundred children, of many nationalities, every year, enjoy the smell of the sea and the breath of the flowers and trees. It has also been occasionally thought that Christian En- deavor, being so much engrossed in spiritual matters, paid little attention to bodily exercise, which, though not "profit- able unto all things," certainly has its place in the life of every well-regulated young person. But Christian Endeavor out- Practical Endeavors. 53: ings, tennis clubs, and baseball clubs are by no means uncom- mon, and may be engaged in by all who will. A Christian Endeavor Tennis Club belongs to the Ver- mont Avenue Christian Church of Washington. "First and foremost," says Mr. James M. Pickens, "this club is strictly a Christian Endeavor afifair; a tennis tail, though it is a lively appendage, is not permitted to wag the Endeavor dog. Mem- Christian Endeavor Rest for Ranchmen at Pierre, S. Dak. bers are restricted to the members of the society, though friends are often invited to play as guests, and the club really has no separate existence, but is managed by a Door tennis committee of the society. As a rule, the Sports. members who take the most interest in tennis are the most active in the serious work of the society. Their court is a fine one, and there is hardly a pleasant morning or 534 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. evening when a jolly party of players and spectators may not be found on it." This is by no means an isolated case. Here are some out-of-door endeavors which have actually been tried by many societies with good results: Some societies have organized Endeavor cycle clubs, that travel off (on week-days) on their wheels, and hold evangelis- tic services in neglected places. Christian Endeavor flower gardens have been made in many places to furnish all the flowers needed for the church. An Endeavor field-day is held once a year, with a series of athletic contests carefully planned and carried out with spirit, often on some patriotic holiday. Christian Endeavor walking clubs that strengthen the body, develop delightful companionships, and bring the society into all the most beautiful and interesting spots of the community. Some bird-student takes the society on a bird-walk, or some geologist or botanist leads a scientific excursion, or some astronomer takes the society out under the stars to learn the constellations. The Lancashire and Cheshire Federation of Home^"!' Christian Endeavor Unions has been especially active in establishing "Christian Endeavor holiday homes." They have one in Kent's Bank in the Furness dis- trict, and another at Rostrevor in Ireland. Mrs. Jennie Wareing, of Rochdale, and many other prominent Endeavor- ers in these two great counties have been especially active in promoting this work. Here are some breezy paragraphs, which tell the spirit and purpose of this most helpful endeavor: " 'Comradeship' will be the motto-word of these homes. No 'side,' no 'airs,' no 'superiority' allowed. All will pay the Practical Endeavors. 535 same and be treated alike. Everybody will minister to every- body's enjoyment. A 'jolly time' is what we want to arrange for, and Endeavorers should be able to make it clear that this can be had quite consistently with our 'striving to do whatever He would like to have us do.' "The terms are exceptionally moderate. We have tried to get the very best at a cost which will meet the pockets of all. We rely upon Endeavorers in our federation area taking up this new venture with heartiness. Well-known Endeavorers will be with each party. Daily excursions will be arranged, which will combine pleasure and profit." In a single number of the English Christian Numerous ^. ° Practical Endeavour Times we read of an "old folks' tea" provided by the Endeavorers of St. Albans, who raised the necessary amount of money, seventy-five dollars, chiefly by carol-singing; and of a "treat for cripples" given by the Willesden Green Baptist Society, where forty-five crip- ples enjoyed a delightful supper which was followed by a lantern lecture; while the Endeavorers of Lower Wincobank gave the old folks of the village an annual treat, and the sun- shine committee of the Silvertown Baptist Society provided a "tea" for eighty of the poorest children. Two other socie- ties, recorded in this one issue of this one paper, gave a feast to old people, and three other "sunshine committees" provided good things and special treats for poor children. The Endeavorers of southern California raised a car of oranges to be sold, and the proceeds were used for the relief of the Armenians at the time of their great persecution, and more than $1,200 was realized. While I am writing this chapter, a letter has been forwarded to me telling of help received by workmen in the canal zone of Panama from the magazines and good reading sent by the Congregational Endeavorers of Woodhaven, N. Y. So widespread are their ministrations. This whole matter has never been better summarized than 53^ Christian Endeavor in All Lands. by Mr. William Shaw, the treasurer of the United Society, in his address at the last American convention. I quote his short address entire, for it gives the practical results of things actu- ally done in the first twenty-five years of Christian Endeavor as succinctly as they can be put. ''A missionary, returning to this country after an absence of many years was asked what feature of church life impressed him most. He replied instantly, 'The wonderful activity of Lumbermen's Reading-Room Furnished by Glengarry Co. Endeavorers. young people in church-work.' The changed conditions in our church life have come about so gradually that many people have failed to note them. We judge by comparisons. "Twenty-five years ago the ruling idea in the church was that children should be seen and not heard. The result was that few were seen, and none were heard. Mr. William Shaw's Summary Practical Endeavors. 537 "Twenty-five years of Christian Endeavor have impressed this fact upon the church that it is out of the young people that the kingdom of heaven is to be made. "This week 66,000 Christian Endeavor prayer-meetings will be held, and tens of thousands more by societies that be- long to, and ought to be in, our fellowship. These prayer- meetings are the classrooms of the church's spiritual training- school. Here the educational principle, *No impression with- out expression,' is being worked out. "In perfectly natural ways young people are given an op- portunity to give expression to their aspirations and ideals, and to cultivate their talents as witnesses for Christ. The possibili- ties of these services along evangelistic lines cannot be overes- timated. Here under the most helpful conditions young.peo- ple are faced with the question of decision for Christ, and here, surrounded by their companions and friends, they re- ceive the training necessary for growth in character and serv- ice. "In our plan of Junior, Intermediate, and Young Peo- ple's societies, with the Mothers' or Parents' society added, we have a system that is scientifically correct and practically workable. Its degree of efficiency depends upon the leader- ship and material furnished by the local church. "Twenty-five years ago the church that had a well-organ- ized young people's society was the exception. To-day the church that does not have such a society is a curiosity. "Christian Endeavor made the prayer-meeting the heart of the movement, and has laid great emphasis on testimony and prayer, as it ought, for without prayer and testimony the church would die. The martyrs and confessors rank together. In the history of great deeds the 'voice crying in the wilder- ness' has always preceded the deed. "But Christian Endeavor has not only a heart and voice, but hands and feet as well. Through its system of committee work it offers opportunities for training in service for every member. This training is as broad and comprehensive as the mission of the church, and covers every department of life and activity. "It recognizes the religious, social, and intellectual needs 538 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. of the young people and the claims of philanthropy and re- form. The system is so flexible that it can be adapted to the needs of the smallest, or the requirements of the largest, church. It unifies the activities of the young people, so that,^ while each department is in charge of specialists, all are united in the common work. Recognition Certificate. "Through the executive committee it gives to the pastor a cabinet by which he can touch and direct every line of work in which the young people are engaged. "Twenty-five years ago some of the churches had mission Practical Endeavors. 539 circles composed entirely of girls or young ladies. Now we have thousands of our brightest and best young men vying with the young ladies in their interest and enthusiasm for mis- sions. Tens of thousands of missionary committees are at work, and thousands of mission-study classes are conducted. "Less than ten thousand societies reporting to the United Society the actual amounts contributed for beneficence for a period of five years gave a total of $2,187,000. Not a penny of this was given to the United Society or used in Christian Endeavor work, but eve-ry dollar was a contribution to the missionary and philanthropic work of the church. I venture the assertion that there is no organization in the church that has given so much, or that has enlisted so many unpaid workers in the service of the church, as the Society of Chris- tian Endeavor. "Twenty-five years ago the young people's religious pa- per was often a goody-goody child's story-paper, and the young people's department in the church papers consisted of a weak storyette. To-day our young people's papers are the peers of any publications, strong, aggressive, virile, practical, spiritual, and successful. "Twenty-five years ago a young people's religious con- vention was unknown; now they rank as the largest religious gatherings of our time, and exercise a commanding influence in the public life of our day. They challenge the attention of believer and unbeliever alike, and are striking manifestations 'of the vitality of the young people's faith. "Twenty-five jclts ago the young people of the nations and denominations were isolated and unknown to each other. Now, with no loss of loyalty or fidelity to their own nations and denominations, they are united in a world-wide brother- hood, exalting Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords." CHAPTER XLI. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN EVERY-DAY LIFE. THAT THE CORPORATE ACTIVITIES OF THE SOCIETY, ITS GREAT CONVENTIONS, AND ITS UNITED FELLOWSHIP ARE NOT THE ONLY RESULT OF THE MOVEMENT IS SHOWN BY THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOCIETY ON INDI- VIDUAL LIVES, AS HEREIN SET FORTH. " Above us loom forever The mighty mountains of Endeavor, And whoso on their summit stands Looks on sun-kissed table-lands. We grasp our mountain-staff to climb Their sky-enshrouded peaks sublime, Up where the crystal torrent pours, And then — we stop and do the chores." HE severest test of a movement is not found by any means in its public meetings or its great conventions. The numbers, the enthusiasm, the uplift of the singing, may produce strenu- ous resolves and holy emotions; but the real question is, "How is the life affected?" Can the obscure and lonely soul find help and encouragement? Can the little society struggling along amid worldliness and indifference in- spire its members to "love mercy, do justly, and walk humbly" before their God? Do the prayer-meeting and the work accomplished lead to a closer personal walk with God, and to more lovely home life? Do they make better sons and daughters and brothers and sisters? Has the Society been a blessing to the quiet activities of the church, as well as to the lives of individual members? 540 In Every Day Life. 541 The testimony that has come on this subject has been overwhelming, and more gratifying, perhaps, than any other feature of the movement. In order that I might obtain at first hand from Endeavorers who have actually lived the inci- dents which they record, or knew of them directly, I have asked for some testimonies from the every-day experiences of pastors and others. Multitudes of others of like nature have been put in print, and space allows only a selection from those that have come to me personally within a few days from many parts of the world. The stimulating effect of the Society upon the intellectual as well as the spiritual nature is shown by two incidents sent by one of the leading Endeavorers of London, the gifted Miss Ella M. Weatherley, who was at one time president of the London Union, the greatest Christian Endeavor union in the world. "A boy of twelve years in our Junior society was very much troubled because, living in an entirely godless house, he could not even keep a Bible, since it was at once taken away from him. He was very anxious as to how he could fulfil his pledge, and at length solved the difficulty by going to school ten minutes before the other boys and securing the opportunity of reading from the school Bible. He is now secretary of the Junior society, and always has a word to say on the topic." int iiect- "Among the nucleus first forming our Chris- uai tian Endeavor society* was a girl of eighteen, a factory girl who had not had the advantage of much education; but her heart was given to God and His service. She began to take an interest in the Christian Endeavor Sun- day-school, and obtained by this such insight into the lives of the children, learning at the same time methods of organiza- tion, that last year she was unanimously elected superintend- ent, and is most efficiently carrying on the work." * Christ Church Society, London, the Rev. F. B. Meyer, pastor. 542 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. In a Home Mission Church. Miss Weatherley has also told of a postman, who after becoming a member of the society, and because of his desire to take part intelligently and helpfully in the meetings, paid three pounds out of his meagre wages for grammar lessons, that he thus might honor God the better. One great mission of the Christian Endeavor movement has been to help the weak and struggling churches in home- missionary fields or on our own frontier. The Rev. Samuel B. Chase, of Lewiston, Ida., writes about the formation of a society of great promises in that new field. He also organized the first society in North Dakota, and one of the earliest in Michigan, beginning in each case with a very few young people. "I can truthfully say," he writes, ''that the success of our work has been largely due to the organized efforts of our young people, who are always loyal and true. One of the most flourishing chur- ches in Michigan started with a little handful of young people organized into a Christian Endeavor society." Very numerous are the testimonies of those who have come into the min- istry through the Christian Endeavor door. One of these, the Rev. R. B. Fisher, pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, Macomb, 111., writes, '*It has helped me to 'grow, glow, go, for Christ,' even into the ministry. You intend writing the his- tory of the first twenty-five years of Christian Endeavor! Why, it is im- possible. Neither you nor any one else could write it and do full justice in telling of what it has opened up only for me, a lone, solitary Christian Endeavorer." The testimony of pastors and other Christian workers A Native Alaskan Christian Endeavorer. In Every Day Life. 54 o also as to the later lives of their active Endeavorers is most encouraging. Rev. J. B. Donaldson of Davenport, lo., who organized in Hastings, Minn., the first Presbyterian society, writes: "I well recall the young people who came and asked for the use of my study, and how glad I was to do for them what I would otherwise have felt required some Defi'nite"^ Self-denial. One of these young ladies. Miss Re- Work^"^ becca Brown, went as a missionary to Syria, labor- ing there for many years, until ill health brought her home. Another member of that pioneer society, a school- teacher, scarcely suffered a single communion to pass without bringing some of her young friends to confess Christ. From this society others were organized in different States, and it gave the first president to the Minnesota State union." In the Grace Baptist Temple in Philadelphia, as has been recorded in another chapter, are fourteen societies. One of these. Section H, its corresponding secretary writes, has developed five leaders in an all-round Christian Endeavor work; one young man has gone into the ministry from this section, four have had special training as Christian teachers; one young man, though far from rich, has given very largely to the support of a missionary abroad; many have been brought to Christ and into the society through this section, and it did its share in the late reform movement in Philadelphia to regenerate the city. The Rev. N. L. Packard of Lincoln, Neb., sends most cheering notes of several Christian Endeavor societies and their members. One little society of six active members, which he organized at Nashua, lo., was composed of new con- verts between fifteen and eighteen years of age. With them were joined seven associate members, who in less than six months had been converted and joined the active membership. Within two years this society had grown to fifty. One of the original six deserves special notice. "She took her stand for 544 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Christ at the age of thirteen, the only Christian in the home. Her mother said to the pastor six months later, 'Nellie is different from what she was.' Her light was shining in the home, and soon her mother came into the church. Later her three brothers one by one came into the Christian Endeavor and church fellowship, and her father was brought into sym- pathy." After receiving training in the Moody Bible Insti- tute, this young lady went as teacher to the freedmen, and, has now fulfilled a long-cherished wish by sailing for Africa as a missionary to the heathen. A correspondent in Ontario tells a story of his experience in the Transvaal, where, at Wakkerstroom, he formed a society with an active membership of three. They had as many com- mittees as members : one of the three was placed on the look- out committee, one on the prayer-meeting, and one Experience ^^ ^^^ good-litcraturc, Committee. They worked in the against great odds on account of the war, which Transvaal. ^ , , . . . . ' . . prevented their gettmg any supplies of Christian Endeavor literature. For months these three, this young banker, one boy, and one girl, struggled along, each one tak- ing the meeting in turn ; but now the society numbers forty members and the pastor says that these Endeavorers are his "right hand." "In our Sunday-school class," writes Mrs. Lucy Clark Shedd, of Boston, "the teacher said recently that she had met a young woman of means and leisure, who said she did not feel that she had any special talent, or that she was of much use in the world, and asked the members of the class to tell what they would have said to her under the circumstances. One young woman said with great sincerity in her tone and manner, 'I would invite her to become a member of the Christian Endeavor society, for since I united with it I am a different girl!' After the class another member said, 'I used to be very diffident, and had no self-possession in public, but, In Every Day Life. 545 when I went into the Christian Endeavor society, I just had to help, and it has been the making of me.' " Some of the most striking testimonies relate to the influ- ence of the "Quiet Hour." Personally I have known young ladies, whose lives had been entirely worldly and frivolous, to be entirely transformed in all their aspirations and manner of the " Quiet Hour " Does. Prominent Endeavor Leaders of India. living by the promise to spend fifteen minutes in communion What with God and His word every day. The president of the New York City Union, Mr. Lyman S. Stone, writes: "The results of the Quiet-Hour observance are often almost instantaneous in a society where a good proportion of its members take it up. I know two societies located on opposite sides of the same street, whose leaders had become so estranged that they would not speak to each other, and whose members were fast imbibing the same spirit. One of these societies was led to adopt the 'Quiet Hour,' and some ninety-five per cent of its members 35 546 christian Endeavor in All Lands. became Comrades. This practice of communion with God so mellowed their hearts toward their neighboring fellow En- deavorers that they extended an olive-branch of peace and fellowship by inviting them to a joint prayer-meeting. The invitation was accepted; then the pastor was invited also; and he, feeling that he could not well refuse to go where his Endeavorers led the way, accepted. A love-feast was the result; both societies took up the precious 'Quiet-Hour' ob- servance, and there has ever since been the utmost cordiality and fellowship between the pastors and members." Many of my correspondents tell how they started with very small numbers; but, if the few were but faithful, it seems to have made but little difference whether the start was with three or with thirty. The Rev. N. F. Nickerson, of Erie, Mich., one of the Christian Endeavor pioneers, began with only seven, himself, two of his own children, the two children of an elder, and two others; but that small beginning soon grew to a society of seventy members ; a revival soon fol- lowed, and the church was very greatly blessed. Many of my correspondents, indeed, dwell upon the way in which God used unpromising efforts, as they seemed to them, to accomplish large results. The Rev. Horace Dut- ton, the superintendent of the work in Europe, tells about a painful experience he once had in Berlin. Seeming A large audicucc had assembled, and for interpreter 'y^a"''^ he had one of the most prominent Christians in b^^Q d Germany. But, owing to great fatigue and weari- ness, his thoughts failed him at the critical moment. He broke down utterly, he says, and was obliged to confess his inability to go on, though he had full notes of a carefully prepared address in hand. Was there ever appar- ently a greater failure? "This was all I knew at the time, but last summer, at the Berlin convention, I met Rev. Robert Bahtz of Riga, and then learned for the first time that it was In Every Day Life. 547 from my remarks at this very meeting in Berlin that he had received his first impulse to go forth into the Lettish provinces of Russia, and commence among his own people the life- work of a Christian Endeavor secretary. Do you wonder that this fact was a great encouragement to me? It teaches me that not what we attempt for God, but what God does and is ever waiting to do through us, makes our work successful." Several instances of heroism by Christian Endeavorers have been sent me, where they have risked their lives for oth- ers; but I prefer in my limited space to record the story of a worker in one of the largest Tyneside potteries of England, where the great majority of the employees are of the thought- less, thriftless, and godless class. Miss W., an active En- deavorer, has shown such a beautiful Christlike character and example to these rough men and women that her influence is now permeating their hardened hearts. In all times of trouble and difficulty they come to her, and the work hands now call her the "saint among the sinners." A striking incident is sent by the Rev. William T. Pat- chell, of San Jose, Cal. A great State convention was being held at Santa Barbara, and an evening open-air Wouid=Be meeting was held at the plaza. After the meeting Suicide's ^ young: man was found in the shadow of the trees Conversion. -^ =• near by, who declared that he had been utterly dis- couraged, and was on his way to the pier to throw himself into the sea, and thus end his life. But on his way he saw the crowd on the plaza, and stopped to listen for a moment. He heard a girl, an Endeavorer, repeating a verse; it was only this: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He could not see the speaker clearly, but stopped as suddenly as if a hand had been put on his shoulder. "I could not go on," he says; "I heard nothing else, only that. I stood still, and it kept repeating itself over and over in my mind, and afterwards." This splendid fellow, 548 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. with his intelligent face shining with a new light, stood up before the thousands, and gave his testimony, "Jesus Christ has saved me from my sins, and He has made me a new man." "We never knew what voice it was that gave the message, only some timid girl; but God used her; and the man born into the Kingdom returned to Los Angeles to a wife and two little children, prepared to love and serve his Saviour." The influence of some "shut-in" Endeavorers has been most remarkable. None more so than that of Miss Grace Pratt, of Conneaut, O., an invalid of many years, who for the last dozen or fifteen years has not been able to lift her- self from her bed of pain, but is raised by straps and pulleys whenever her position is changed. A telephone Q'*^'^* , ,11 1 • 1-11 Pratt's over her bed keeps her m touch with her society, to which she sends a message at every meeting, and whose songs she enjoys with the others. Her pastor has told me that in all the city there is no other so influential Christian as Miss Pratt. The young people bring to her bedside their joys and their sorrows. Her life of patience and good cheer in the midst of suffering is a constant inspiration to all, and few ever join the church that do not trace their conversion directly back to Grace Pratt's bedside. This chapter should not end without a brief reference to the unselfish generosity of a multitude of unnamed En- deavorers, who give their time and strength and influence and money to the cause of Christ and the church, without thought of reward or even of "honorable mention" in such a record as this or any other of like nature. They are numbered not by the scores or the thousands, but by the hundreds of thousands; they are found in almost every community, and the amount of their voluntary unrewarded work is literally beyond compute. One correspondent mentions, as an illustration of this, the work of some excursion managers to the International Con- ventions, and of one in particular, Mr. E. S. Ransom, of Chi- In Every Day Life. 549 cago, who, he assures me, has personally incurred large expenses in "making good" where delegates failed to pay after being assigned to their places. But this is only one example. Space forbids their mul- tiplication ; but the names of these workers, though recorded in no earthly history, are enrolled in the heavenly records. We are told that there is a "Lamb's book of life." In this they must be found. I said that their labors were unre- warded; but this is true from only one standpoint, and that the lowest. For a good conscience, a sense of duty done, conscious growth in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, and the sense of their Lord's approval, "Ye have done it unto me," is their exceeding great reward. CHAPTER XLII. HEROIC CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR. THAT THE EVERY-DAY, PRACTICAL SIDE OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SOMETIMES DEVELOPS HEROES, AND OFTEN DEVELOPS HEROIC QUALITIES, IS HEREIN MADE PLAIN. " Be you, too, heroic, then, O Christian Endeavorers, in the best things your Christ and His church would have you be. Make what men call smallest greatest by the motive, ' for His sake.' Do not daintily pick and choose. Do not say, ' Some- body else can do the inconspicuous and distasteful service.' Seize you it, rather, for Jesus' sake, and by the great motive with which you work turn drudgery to delight, and show how high and noble it is, and possible to be heroic, even though your hands are set at what men call common things." Rev. Wayland Hoyt, D.D. fOK the most part the lives of Christian Endeavorers seem to themselves, at least, plain and unheroic. W^ho knows how they may seem to the angels, who so often must reverse our human estimates? Christian Endeavorers are, of course, like the rest of humanity in the common walks of life. They are schoolboys and schoolgirls, clerks and shop-assistants, farmers and stenographers, teachers and preachers; some are rich, but more are poor; some move in high social circles, but more know little of the technical meaning of the word "society"; and doubtless to the great majority life seems, when they stop to think of it, a rather humdrum affair, made up of prosaic routine duties. But just here comes in the opportunity of Christian En- deavor, to redeem from commonplaceness the ordinary Heroic Christian Endeavor. 551 Two Heroes of China. These men made the perilous journey from Peking to Tientsin to help reheve the garrison at the time of the siege. 552 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. concerns of life, and to gild with the halo of Christlike devo- tion every plain and unpretentious duty. I imagine that there has been far more heroism than the world is apt to think, hidden away in the obscure corners of a Christian Endeavor prayer-meeting or committee-room. It is no exaggeration to say that millions within the twenty-five years past, urged by their love for Christ, and stimulated by their covenant pledge, have with trembling voices and shaking knees confessed before men Him whom their soul loved. Though none suspected that they were heroes, their names were recorded in heaven among God's valiant men and women. The chief beauty of it all is that they themselves never suspected their own heroism. They did not pose as valiant knights of the cross, or in Addisonian phrase ask the world to behold "how a Christian can die" or live. No, the great majority of these Endeavor heroes have been simple, ordinary, every-day young men and women ; but they were faithful to duty at the expense of their own convenience, time, and pleasure; and that is the essence of heroism. I shall never forget one of these unconscious heroines whom, many years ago, I heard in an Endeavor prayer-meet- ing. She had a serious impediment in her speech, which prevented her from repeating even the simplest verse of Scrip- ture in the prayer-meeting without painful stam- Unconscious mcriug. If any one would seem to have an excuse which could be conscientiously given to the Master for not taking audible part in the prayer-meeting, she seemed to have; but she would not accept it. She had signed the covenant pledge, and she would keep it. And so at every meeting she would rise, and, standing alone, would sing — for stammerers can often sing beautifully — one verse of some familiar hymn, such as "Jesus, Lover of my soul," or "Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee." Heroic Christian Endeavor. 553 Another of these unconscious heroines was an "Arizona exile," of whom the Rev. Ernest Bourner Allen tells. She went to Arizona weak and worn in quest of health and strength. Far from friends and remote from churches, she lived in a tent. But the very first Sunday she arranged for a little Sunday-school meeting. Three were present, a boy of fourteen, a Catholic girl of sixteen, and herself. After two or three weeks the audience was greatly increased by the presence of a consumptive Kentuckian, and they were able to sing some of the old hymns. They talked about the love of Christ for the world, and asked what more they could do about it. The leader even proposed an offering for missions, truly a heroic proposition under the circumstances. The girl gave a nickel; so did the consumptive mountaineer. The boy had not even a penny, but he suddenly ran away to the farmhouse, and brought back two little neckties worn by himself, and eagerly asked whether they would help anywhere. And what is the result of all this? The sixteen-year-old girl became a Christian, and joined a Protestant church; the Kentuckian united with the church when he returned to his home; the fourteen-year-old boy resolved to go to Portland, Or., to sell papers in order to increase his gifts for missions. "I expect to earn as much as ten dollars," he said to the sick Endeavorer, who had inspired all this devotion. "Do you suppose if I were to send you a check for five dollars that would be about right?" Such devotion and such generosity need no comment. The example of the Maine Christian Endeavor parson* also borders close on heroism, who, when the hard winter left many poor people with insufficient fuel, inserted a paragraph in the local paper, in which he said that, if some owner of woodland would agree to sell standing wood very cheap to * The Rev. J. L. Quimby. The story is related by the Rev. C. D. Crane in Tl:e Christian Endeavor World. 554 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. supply the need of the suffering poor, he would volunteer to head a crew of men and go into the woods and help A Manly ^q chop it. "There was a prompt response," we and Muscular are told, "to the appeal of the manly and muscular parson, who had no difficulty in securing an efficient crew of wood-choppers. Nearly every man on the business street of Gardner was ready either to go into the woods him- self or hire a substitute, so that the problem of fuel-supply for the needy was met in an original and altogether Christian way." One of the most difficult things for young Christians to do is often to acknowledge their allegiance to their Master when in unusual places. It is comparatively easy at home in their own church, but when abroad among strangers, who may be unsympathetic, it is a different matter, and it requires no little Christian stamina and courage. Thirty-three young ladies recently found themselves at the Appledore House, in the Isles of Shoals, engaged as waitresses in a big hotel. Some „ . of them were college girls earning: their next year's Heroines b to t, j in a tuition. Many of them were Christians, and they did not furl their colors. They formed themselves into a Christian Endeavor society, and held their meetings sometimes upon the rocks, and sometimes in one of the public rooms set apart for the employees. Who will say that they were not heroines in every-day life? But sometimes we read stories of Endeavorers who out of the ordinary course perform deeds which even the unsym- pathetic world would call heroic, deeds which would entitle them to a Carnegie medal, were such a decoration ever award- ed to simple Christian heroism. For instance, in Tarsus, the "no mean city" of which the apostle was so proud as his birth- place, is a St. Paul's Institute for Armenian boys, under American patronage. The writer was at this Institute just before the awful Armenian massacres of 1893-94. Among Heroic Christian Endeavor. 555 the Endeavorers in the school were several who gave their lives for their faith. One lad of sixteen or seventeen, the president of the younger society, whose bright face and ear- nest words I remember distinctly, was arrested by the Turks, and was about to be killed. He was told that if he Armenians, objured his faith his life would be saved, but he res- olutely refused. "You need not curse your old religion; but just hold up two fingers to show that you have turned to Islamism, and we will spare you," they said, but the brave Endeavorer refused, and had soon joined the ranks of the martyrs. Many such heroic deeds are to-day enacted in Turkey, even though life is not forfeited for the faith. In some parts of Turkey the very name of Christian Endeavor cannot be used. There can be no constitution signed, and the society must be called merely a prayer-meeting. Under no circum- stances can they sing "Hold the Fort," or "Onward, Christian Soldiers," and yet Christian Endeavor work is done in almost every mission station, and in many respects the Armenian En- deavorers set an example to the rest of us. They have also some novel committees, which we might well copy, like the "Bible-reading committee," whose duty it is to read the Bible to those who are not able to read it for themselves, and the "text-teaching committee," which per- forms a somewhat similar duty. Out of their great poverty these Endeavorers, too, con- tribute liberally to missions, and are supporting Bible schools and Bible women in India and China, as well as in their own land. The story of Christian Endeavor among the lepers is one of splendid heroism. There are several such societies, and more than one Endeavorer has gone from a happy home life to what every one but a devoted Christian would consider a loathsome task, where every day their lives are exposed to 556 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. the danger of the most dreadful contagion. The Leper Christian Home in Surinam has been helped especially by Endeavor the Endcavorcrs of Buffalo, N. Y., and those who among . . r • i r i t- j t-i I the are carrymg it on are faithful bndeavorers. Ihe ^P^*"*' wounds of the lepers are dressed at least twice a day, and since they have not sufficient bandages the Christian Endeavor nurses must wash them out every day, a dreadful task, which might cause contagion at any time. But it is ""^"^j^HRGBIQ^ '^^^^^^^Bo^^Sa^- ''KAi p.. q L. "ijB^slBBiBP^"™^- ''*' {- W^ ...' -f"^' "- rWl^ffjl ^^flP^^^ -"^^^^^^^ Christian Endeavorci ^ Aniuiig the Lepers. done cheerfully and gladly, out of love for the lepers and Christ, who died for them. The heroism of St. Francis has been exalted throughout all the ages since his day because he overcame his natural repugnance to leprosy, and cared for the loathsome sufferers; but many a Christian Endeavorer has been no less brave, and has been inspired by the very same motive that influenced the saint of Assisi. Heroic Christian Endeavor. 557 The Rev. Herbert Halliwell tells us that he reached Nellore in India during a terrible epidemic of cholera, when people, mostly non-Christians, were dying on every hand. "I stayed long enough," he says, "to witness two beautiful sights. One was the going out two by two of the Christian Endeavor members (young women of the high school) to nurse Hindu and Mohammedan cholera patients, and the other the bap- tism at one time of a Brahman widow and a Malo woman, representatives of the highest and one of the lowest castes. Both these incidents were sights worth travelling across a continent to witness. Remember, you who read this, that the Indian dreads nothing so much as cholera, and no wonder; and yet these Christian Endeavor comrades, for no Heroes. Other reason than love to their Saviour and pity for their poor sisters, went down into the very heart of the cholera region, and nursed Mohammedan women, nursed them in many cases back to life, and spoke to them when they were well enough to hear of the great Healer of the soul. For myself, I have no hesitation in ranking these Indian sisters amongst the heroines of our time. "The other scene is a strangely stirring one, too, — the Brahman and the Malo going down into the waters of bap- tism together, caste, whether high or low, forever left behind, 'a new creation,' children of God by faith in the world's Re- deemer." Of late years the world has looked to China largely for its examples of Christian heroism, and it has not looked in vain. Other chapters have told of the Endeavor martyrs of Peking and Pao-ting-fu, who counted not their lives dear unto them. It is said that, when one of the societies in Peking came together after the siege, it was found that more than half had given their lives for their faith. I remember well this society in the month of May, 1900. Then there were forty- five members. I can see them now, as they sat in their little 5s8 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. chapel, some old men and women, others young men and women, some but little more than children. When the roll was called, the following September, at the first meeting after the siege, but twenty-two could respond to their names. The majority had joined "the noble army of martyrs." Many individual instances of heroism are recorded among the Endeavorers of China. I have space for but one Mr. Tung and His Family. of these stories. Miss Nellie N. Russell, a most devoted and „ successful missionary of the American Board, tells Heroes ■^ ' of us of Mr. Tung, who was a very wealthy man, and related to the first families of Cho-chou. But he had lived a fast life, and, through his intemperance, had be- come insane. Two soldiers had been appointed to stay with him day and night to keep him from injuring himself and others. He was a terror to his wife and children and to all his neighbors. Through the efforts of the missionary, how- Heroic Christian Endeavor. 559 ever, and the native Christians he was brought to Christ. He went to Peking for the express purpose of being with Dr. Ament and learning from him more about the way of salva- tion. At the end of a month he went home, and instituted morn- ing prayers with his family, servants and workmen. All looked on him with suspicion and amusement, and, as the days came and went, with amazement. But it was no transient thing. He was no longer the maniac crazed by drink, but Christ's humble servant. During the siege of Peking he worked hard to protect the legation from fire, though he was a very large man and unused to work. But he was ever ready to wait on any one, going to the well for water, taking care of the sleeping-room of the foreign gentlemen, though he had been all his life used to being waited on by his own servants. After the siege was raised he acted for two months as a gate- keeper of the mission premises, running on all kinds of errands, and ever a true gentleman. In prayer-meetings he was first on his feet, and he never missed an opportunity to wit- ness for Christ and to tell from what a bondage he has escaped. Who will say that Mr. Tung is not a Christian En- deavor hero? CHAPTER XLIII. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN SONG. DISTINGUISHED AUTHORS, AS WELL AS THOSE LESS KNOWN, HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE HYMNOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR, AND TO MANY POPULAR AND BEAUTIFUL SONGS THE SOCIETY HAS GIVEN WINGS WITH WHICH TO FLY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, AS THESE SONGS HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED INTO MANY TONGUES. " Around the world the chorus rings. And hands are joined with hands, A Brotherhood of Service sings In all the happy lands; And blithe they sound the watchword still That ever has sufficed : ' The will ! The will ! the blessed will ! The will of Jesus Christ! Professor Atnos R. Wells. iT would be surprising indeed if the Christian ^ Endeavor movement had not added something of value to the w^orld's hymnology. It has not concerned itself greatly with classical music, but it has voiced the outpouring of the religious heart in song in a remarkable way. Its great conventions have given it an opportunity to do this such as no other or- ganization has enjoyed, and its international and interdenomi- national character has given it the widest possible range of selection of hymns and tunes from every land and every denomination of Christians. Some poets of no mean ability have contributed to the Christian Endeavor hymnology. Among the first who were enlisted in its behalf was President J. E. Rankin, the author 560 christian Endeavor in Song. 561 Percy S. Foster, Washington, D. C. Leaders in Song. F. H. Jacobs, New York. H. C. Lincoln, Philadelphia. 562 Cliristian Endeavor in All Lands. of the most famous hymn of modern times, "God be with you till we meet again," which was soon adopted everywhere as the Christian Endeavorer's parting hymn. One that he wrote especially for the first Saratoga convention is a stirring one, with the chorus, 'Keep your colors flying; Stand for God and truth; Keep your colors flying, All ye Christian youth." ^r^,.^^, a^^^^ji. ^^--^^i'<^ Thc Rcv. Samuel F. Smith, ^.^■.^^-^ p J) the beloved author of ^z^, '^ <0r^ ^cc ^C-i^i^. ' "America," wrote at least two .X*/-^^ o^^.^^ ^./*,^*/y<^ Christian Endeavor hymns in //..^^^.^«^^/r-'^^''A- given in facsimile, showing the ^..^i^ /.j,^^'^.^''^^ "' ^'^'^'^■^ beautiful chirography of Am- .<^:i/..^lw//^^/.^^^i- erica's national poet when he ,i^„^^^^y.^^,2^''^- was well past his eightieth year. .//i^^^^ZSz^y^ Another poet of national Si^, >^'i»^'^^'(-f'^^'^y^ reputation, who has written a '^-'13^^'^'Ttr^^ Christian Endeavor hymn, is /^^a^u^y^^'-^^^'-y^ the late Hon. John Hay, the cO./-^^^-'^'-^-^-'^ celebrated diplomatist and .j^Z/A^^j^rr',^,. statesman. 1 his hymn was *^ '^^'i ^^^'^f^- written originally for the Fif- ^,^/r»(^/<«./V'^A-^'"^'!^*''^'<- teenth International Conven- ^^j^a.^ur:7^c.,.^^^.'^^^^,^p^-<^ tion at Washington, where it /Zj^yj.^^^/^/^-.^^y'^/'^^'''^^- was sung with great effect. .^^^^c.y^.4v^r^'^ ^-^"^"i^ Afterwards, when in 1897 the e^^^^^^^^^jX"^^/ B^itigh convention was held in ^^H'^^^f^'"^^ ^yf^ Liverpool, and Mr. Hay was the ^^^'^ _ • American minister to the Court of St. James, I obtained from "^u.C-^.^'Y^d him especial permission to have this hymn sung at the christian Endeavor in Song. 563 Liverpool convention as his contribution to the opening ses- sion. At that time he assured me that it was the only hymn he ever wrote, though it has since been learned that two other poems of his have found their way into some of our johii church hymn-books. But, unless there was a slip in Hay^s jyij. Hay's memory, they were written not as hymns, but as religious poems, without any thought of their being set to music. In 1905, when the American convention met in Baltimore, this hymn, which had been set to new music by Mr. Percy S. Foster, the beloved precentor of Chris- tian Endeavor conventions, was sung at the opening session, and, as it proved, upon the very day when Mr. Hay, amid the tears of the nation, was laid in his last resting-place at Cleve- land: Here is the hymn: "Lord, from far-severed climes we come To meet at last in Thee, our home. Thou who hast been our guide and guard Be still our hope, our rich reward. ^'Defend us. Lord, from every ill; Strengthen our hearts to do Thy will; In all we plan and all we do Still keep us to Thy service true. "O let us hear the inspiring word Which they of old at Horeb heard. Breathe to our hearts the high command: 'Go onward and possess the land.' "Thou who art light, shine on each soul; Thou who art truth, each mind control ; Open our eyes, and make us see The path which leads to heaven and Thee." The Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, D.D., Marianne Farning- ham, Amos R. Wells, and the Rev. Theodor Monod are other well-known authors who have contributed distinctively Christian Endeavor hymns. 564 christian Endeavor in All Lands. The first attempt to provide a distinctively Christian En- deavor hymn-book was made by the Rev. S. W. Adriance by the publication of a small volume entitled "Hymns of Christian Endeavor." This book contained original hymns and tunes by Dr. Rankin, the Rev. R. DeWitt Mallary, the Rev. Dwight M. Pratt, D.D., the Rev. J. O. Barrows, the Rev. Joel S. Ives, the Rev. T. S. Perry, the Rev. C. H. Oli- phant, the Rev. Henry N. Kinney, Mr. Adriance himself, and others, stanch friends of Christian Endeavor, who combined the poetic gift with their love for the Society. After this first book had run its course several Christian Endeavor editions of "Gospel Hymns" were prepared by Mr, Ira D. Sankey, which contained some of his own choicest hymns and tunes, as well as those of other gospel singers like Mr. Stebbins, Mr. Excell, and others. Some of Fanny Crosby's best hymns were written for the Society and pub- lished in these books. In 1901 the United Society in America felt that the time had come for it to publish another hymn-book distinctively its own; and the matter was put into the hands of The ' , ^ Endeavor a Special Committee, consisting of the Rev. Charles ymna. ^ Dickiuson, D.D., the Rev. Howard B. Grose, and the Rev. James L. Hill, D.D. The committee was sub- sequently enlarged by the addition of the Rev. Maltbie D. Babcock, D.D., the Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D.D., and Mr. F. H. Jacobs. They were assisted with suggestions and lists of hymns from many eminent ministers of all denominations, and the Rev. R. DeWitt Mallary and Mrs. James L. Hill placed their collections of hymns freely at the disposal of the committee. The result of this effort has been a hymn- book which has met with very wide approval and a large sale. Its tendency has been very decidedly to raise the standard of the singing in the young people's societies. Many of the best old pieces, set to the highest class of music which is at the same Christian Endeavor in Song. 565 time singable and popular, have been included in this book, while many new favorites have been added. It has been the aim of the compilers to avoid jingles and "ragtime," while at the same time having many tunes of sim- ple harmony that those who are least cultivated musically can appreciate. As I write a new and improved edition of this book is in press, and a new Junior hymn-book, "Junior Carols," following the same lines and compiled by Mr. Charles S. Brown and Mr. George B. Grafif, has just been published. In Great Britain Christian Endeavor hymnology has advanced even more rapidly than in America, for as a rule congregational singing is much better in the mother country, where the churches have not been so much afflicted with oper- atic choirs, and where people are far less closely tied to their notes than in America. The English "Christian Endeavour Hymnal," edited by the Rev. Joseph Brown Morgan and the Rev. Carey Bonner, is a large and admirable selection of the best hymns ancient and modern for young people's us*e. It is difficult to pick out especial favorites, since tastes dififer so widely, but a few hymns have found large acceptance on both sides of the sea. One of these is by the Rev. Charles A. Dickinson, D.D., a trustee of the United Society, and the story connected with it is worth repeating. In 1891 the writer, accompanied by his dear friend Dr. Dickin- sto% son, went to Europe in the interests of the Chris- 2I ^ tian Endeavor movement, as has been before men- nymn. ' tioned. After several weeks in Great Britain, and a little more time spent in travel on the Continent, they returned to Boston in the same steamer. On the way a terrible storm overtook the steamer, which for three days labored heavily in the waves, and made but little progress. On the fourth day the storm subsided; the sun broke forth from the clouds; and Dr. Dickinson, in whom the poetic instinct was 566 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. always strong (and who had been the poet of his class at Harvard), sat down on deck and wrote the hymn which is given herewith. It was afterwards set to music arranged from a German choral, and is now sung by Endeavorers the world around. It is given below. i/if\ll,/i4^JiipU4^iii-ll^ 1. O gold-en day, so long de- sired,Bom of a darksome night, The wait- ing earth at 2. The noi - ses of the night shall cease,The storms no longer roar; The fac-tious foes of 3. Sing on, ye cho-rus of the morn.Your grand en-deavor strain, Till Christian hearts es 4. O gold-en day, the a ges'crown, A - light with heavenly love, Rare day in proph-e mif9-rhf=f=-^m^ & itr ^^^^^^^^^^^ last is fired By Thy re-splen - dent light. And hark Hike Memnon'smom-ing chord God's own peace Shall vex His church no more. A thousand thou-sand voi - ces sing tranged and torn Blend in the glad re- frain; And all the church,with all itspow'rs, cy re -nown. On to thy"ie nith move. When all theworld,withone accord. b#^-H=tf-MN^fe^ ^ ^^^^^^p^^^ Is heard from sea to sea This song : One Master.Christ the Lord ; And brethren all are wo. The surging harmo- ny ; One Master.Christ ; one Saviour-King ;And brethren all are we. In lov-ing loy-al - ty Shallsing:OneMaster,Christ,i3 0urs; And brethren all are wa In f uU- voiced u-ni - ty Shall sing: One Master.Christ our Lord; And brethren all are wo. I The Rev. John Pollock, a Scotchman, who is pastor of St. Enoch's Presbyterian Church of Belfast, is another popular Christian Endeavor poet, who writes both the words and the music to which they are sung. His "Scotland for Christ " and his "Ireland for Christ" have remarkable power, and are characteristic of the music of the two countries. His "For Christian Endeavor in Song. 567 568 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Christ and the Church" has also a glorious "swing" to it, and when sung, as it often is, at the great conventions, ?®u* both in Great Britain and in America, it has set John ... Pollock's niany hearts beating fast, and inspired many young souls to new endeavor and new love for the church. I quote a verse from it: "Our lives to Christ we dedicate. Who reigns our glorious King; May He receive and consecrate The tribute that we bring! And to His church we gladly give Our service and our all, For in her voice we still rejoice To hear His royal call. Chorus: "For Christ, for Christ, and the church of Christ! Be this our fond endeavor! For Christ, for Christ, and the church of Christ! These twain no power can sever; One on earth and one in heaven, Forever and forever." It is interesting in this connection to quote a few lines from a free German translation of Mr. Pollock's hymn: "Das Leben weihen wir dem Herrn, der unser Konig ist. Wie nahen wir, sein Leib, so gern dem Haupte Jesus Christ Ihm und der Kirche allezeit lasst Dienst bereit uns stehen Und lasst des Hauptes Heiligkeit in seinen Gliedern sehen." It will perhaps interest my readers to see a familiar friend in a new dress, and so I reproduce on the opposite page the French translation of " Blest be the tie," made by the gifted wife of the secreta-ry of Christian Endeavor for Switzerland. The Rev. Joseph Brown Morgan, of Bradford, England, has contributed some admirable pieces to the British Endeavor hymnal, as well as much careful editing. christian Endeavor in Song. 569 It is impossible even to mention all who have contributed most helpfully to Christian Endeavor song, but the Rev. How^ard B. Grose, editorial secretary of the Baptist Home Missionary Society, should be credited with some excellent hymns and tunes, and Mr. Charles S. Brown as well, who has for many years been a faithful and efficient worker upon The Christian Endeavor World, being at the head of one of its business departments. The great conventions have naturally given the widest scope for the expression of the musical talents of Christian L-&i'}^ P' I I LU^i-i- ^ ^ ;^^5 \ Endeavorers. I have already alluded to the great praise service held on the east front of the Capitol at the time of the Washington convention, under the lead of Mr. Percy S. Foster. But there have been other praise services scarcely less memorable, and other leaders who are also greatly beloved. Among these are Mr. F. H. Jacobs, who is in large demand throughout the country; Richard A. Harris, of Baltimore; Mr. Lincoln, of Philadelphia; and Mr. Washburn, of Boston; and Mr. Marcusson, of Chicago, In fact, almost every 570 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. Christian Endeavor centre has its favorite musical leader, who for no profit or glory, and with no hymn-books or music to sell, gives his time and abilities freely to the convention. Well-known gospel singers, too, like E. O. Excell, Mr. Peter Bilhorn, Mr. George C. Stebbins, Mr. Estey, Mr. Alexander, and others are heard at the Christian Endeavor conventions. Perhaps the leader who has made the deepest impression upon the Christian Endeavor public in two hemispheres by his unique "Festivals of Praise" is the Rev. Carey Wonderful Bonner of London. These great praise services Festival have long been known and appreciated in Great Britain, and an important convention is hardly com- plete without them. But in 1905 for the first time Mr. Bon- ner was induced to come to America to conduct such a service at Baltimore. This will never be forgotten by those who heard it. It was called "An International Festival of Praise," and it well deserved its name. It opened with the "Sanctus," "Holy, Holy, Holy." "The Aaronic Blessing" was sung in unison by many voices, and repeated by the full choir, to one of the oldest of the Hebrew melodies. China's praises were sung to a typical native Chinese air, composed entirely on the five-tone or pentatonic scale. The words were written and the music harmonized by Mr. Bonner, and the melody was pecul- iarly effective. India's praise was represented by two Ben- gali songs, translated by the Rev. William Carey. One of them, called "The Endeavor Band," was very remarkable in both melody and rhythm, utterly unlike any sacred music heard in Europe or America. The Bengali hymn "O, my soul, do not forget Him," was written by Krishna Pal, the first convert baptized at Serampore. The praises of Africa were illustrated by two well- known American negro songs, entitled "Turn Back Pharaoh's army," and "We shall walk through the valley." The praises of Great Britain were given in the words of the old hymn writ- christian Endeavor in Song. 571 ten by Edward Perronet, the helper of John Wesley, "Crown Him Lord of all." The praises of America were expressed by the words of Dr. Ray Palmer's hymn, "My faith looks up to Thee," set to Dr. Lowell Mason's tune "Olivet." Jemima Luke's beautiful hymn, "I think when I read that sweet story of old," was sung by the children's choir. The venerable authoress, living then in retirement in the Isle of Wight, sent with her portrait a message of greeting to the children of America. The spell of such a service it is impossible to describe in cold print. It seemed far more than a service of song, it was a service of communion with God, of fellowship with all His people; a solemn, heart-searching, tear-compelling service, which those who have once heard it can never forget. Among Christian Endeavor poets many writers should be recorded, but I must at least mention the Rev. Ernest W. Shurtlefif, now engaged in work for students in Paris, who has written two admirable convention poems, and the Rev. J. N. Davidson, of Wisconsin, some of whose short hymns and poems are excellent. To turn from the more serious convention songs to those which tell of patriotism and State pride and love is not a sharp transition, for even in the loudest State choruses there is much of religious fervor and gospel zeal. Every State now, with possibly one or two exceptions, has its authorized State Christian Endeavor song. Some of them, it must be con- fessed, are not of the highest poetical character. The char- acteristics of the State are sometimes brought in to the detri- ment of the rhythm; but each one answers its purpose, some of them remarkably well. Wherever there is a distinctively popular State song, as in Maryland and Kentucky, the tune is put under bonds by the Endeavorers, and is wedded to their own words. Thus the beautiful tune of "Maryland, my Maryland," often makes the welkin ring as the Maryland 572 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. delegation in the great conventions, joined perhaps by ten thousand others, sing: "File into rank for Christ to-day, O Maryland, dear Maryland; Free to the breeze His banners play, Maryland, dear Maryland. Your noblest work for Him be done, From early dawn to setting sun, Nor cease, till latest victory's won, Maryland, my Maryland. CHORUS. "Shout, shout for joy the glad refrain, Maryland, my Maryland. Our King shall claim His own again, Maryland, my Maryland." A Christian Endeavor Orphan Asylum Band in Japan. Kentucky, too, has a peculiarly beautiful and plaintive air, which is all its own, " My Old Kentucky Home ;" and to Christian Endeavor in Song. 573 this tune have been set some appropriate words, which, as they have been sung at consecration meetings in the conventions great and small, when the Kentucky delegation has been called upon, has brought tears to many eyes; but they are tears of joy at the thought of the devoted "Endeavor bands" who sing them. Here is one verse of this song with its chorus : "The valiant hosts of our great Endeavor band, With banners triumphant unfurled. Are gath'ring now at our mighty King's command. To bear His standard round the world, With faith in God as our ever-shining shield. With firmness, with patience and love, We'll stand for Christ till the world to Him shall yield. And the flag of union floats above. "Shout aloud, 'Hosanna'; O, praise our God to-day, 'For Christ and the Church,' and our blest Endeavor bands in the old Kentucky home far away." The Massachusetts State song is sung to the tune of "Fair Harvard." It was written by Dr. Dickinson, and is one of the best of all. The last verse is as follows: "From the Bay to the Berkshires the sun ever shines On the flag that shall never be furled; Thy hillsides and valleys all shelter the shrines Of the faith that shall conquer the world. Mother State of the Union, thy heart, ever young, For the Union shall beat ever sure. Commonwealth of the noble, thy praise shall be sung While the noble and free shall endure." Another writer who has contributed not a little to the worthy hymnology of Christian Endeavor is Mr. John R. Clements, who has written two or three of the State songs, as well as some popular gospel hymns. Here is a verse of his New York State song: 574 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. "Sing our New York marching-song, And sing it loud and free; Let the music float along From Erie to the sea: Every heart may catch the strain, And peal it forth with glee, For we are soldiers of Jesus." A stanza of Canada's stirring Endeavor hymn sung to the tune of "The Maple Leaf" is as follows: "From broad Pacific's golden strand To old Atlantic's waves we claim Our beautiful Canadian land In Christ our Leader's name; And filled with Pentecostal might We forward march forever, Sin's forces in God's strength to fight With sanctified endeavor." A number of the States have adopted as their own some favorite gospel hymn, and many of them have set their own words to a favorite evan- gelistic tune. Thus California, the "Sunshine State," has taken for her own "There is sunshine in my soul ;" Maine's tune is "Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching;" Ne- vada's State song is "Will there be any stars in my crown?" while Ohio sings her hymn to the tune of "Throw out the life-line," and Pennsylvania has set her hymn to "Trust and obey." But space does not permit me fur- ther to characterize this delightful convention feature. Some of the State A Burmese Choir-Leader. Christian Endeavor in Song. 575 "cries" are scarcely as dignified as the hymns alluded to, but they all have their part in promoting the gaycty of ^tatp „ the convention, and none of them really detract Cries. ' -^ from the seriousness; for there are occasions on the train and in the hotels, at the social gatherings and at the State rallies, when it is just as appropriate to hear the Bay State Endeavorers cry out in chorus, "Rubadub, dub, rubadub, dub. We're from the Hub, we're from the Hub! Lexington and Bunker Hill, Tea in the harbor steeping still ; Rubadub, dub, we're from the Hub." as to hear them sing the most solemn choral. In China, Japan, and other lands, too. Christian En- deavor songs enliven the conventions, and stir the hearts of a great multitude of young people, and lead them there, as in America, not only to sing, but to "go" and "say" and "do" as they have promised in their song, "I will go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over mountain or plain or sea; I will say what you want me to say, dear Lord; I will be what you want me to be." CHAPTER XLIV. BRIGHT PLANS TRIED AND PROVED. THE SOCIETY HAS NEVER DESPISED METHOD AND THE MOST CAREFUL ORGANIZATION. SOME OF ITS MANY PLANS FOR THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS ARE HERE- IN DESCRIBED. " The pathway of Christian Endeavor is enclosed on either side by the fence of righteousness. Within this enclosure, be- tween where we are now and heaven, is the sphere of our meth- ods. Whatever method you may adopt, don't get into a rut; and, if you do get into one, don't stick; for the man who sticks in a rut is a continual jolt-maker." Rev. William N. Yates. O many are the plans for brightening and improv- ing Christian Endeavor meetings, committees, and service of all kinds that only sug- gestive samples can be given here. Every issue of The Christian Endeavor World and other leading Endeavor papers, a score of little booklets appropriate to each committee and to each department of Christian work, the invaluable yearly issue of "The Endeavor- er's Daily Cofnpanion," and other publications contain these plans, which come from all parts of the world, and are first tried and proved by the most devoted young people in the ranks of Christian Endeavor. There is no excuse for any one who can read his own mother tongue, for falling into ruts and remaining in them. Any worker who confesses, "I cannot make my Christian Endeavor society succeed," is simply con- fessing, if what he says is true, that the young people who compose it have less brains than their comrades, or possibly S76 Bright Plans Tried and Proved. 577 are more worldly than the average young Christian, and are not willing to give prayer and thought to their religious life. But we are persuaded better things of the vast majority of Christian Endeavorers, and this persuasion is justified by the facts which come from every section of the world where the societies are found. Indeed, the plans given in the brief com-' pass of the next few pages are enough to brighten every society, give variety to its work, and make it a constant help and joy to its church. Some societies complain that their meetings are dull and ^^g monotonous. For the sake of improving the Impromptu Speaking-ability of the members Mr. J. P. Suter, of Cleveland, tells of an "impromptu club." "Our method of procedure is to pass two blank slips of paper to each member of the club. Upon each slip the mem- ber writes some common, interesting topic. The slips are col- lected and placed face downward upon a table. Then the important moment has arrived. The first member chosen to speak — it matters not how he is chosen — advances to the table, and selects at random one of the topics. If he feels that he cannot speak upon it, he is permitted to take another; but be- yond that there is no further choice. Upon this subject he must deliver a brief impromptu speech, after which he names his successor, and the process is repeated until all have spoken. "Then the critic, who in our club is elected for three months, discusses in detail the various speeches, and points out whatever defects or excellences he may have noticed, whether, in thought or grammar, choice of words or delivery. That, as I have said, is the germ idea; but it is varied in many ways. For instance, the speaker may, before he begins to discuss his own subject, allow his successor to choose a topic. This will give the latter a short time in which to collect his thoughts, al- though the speech will still be impromptu. "Another innovation, which was tried recently, and which proved very interesting, was to provide a number of short poems for the members of the club to read impromptu after 37 578 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. the regular speeches. It is surprising how difficult it is, upon a first reading, to do justice to a good poem." The prayer-meetings, being so important a feature of the Christian Endeavor work, naturally come in for much Rules attention. The Christian Endeavor World re- Prayer= ccntly offered three prizes of five, three, and two 'Meeting doUars for the best rules for prayer-meeting parti- Participa= . ^ . -^ ° ^ tion. cipants. Here is the contribution of one Christian Endeavorer, which did not receive the prize of the judges who made the award, but seems to be fully worthy of one, and well worth quoting in this chapter: "Be among the first to speak. Delay only adds to the nervous shrinking felt by many timid souls. ''Be willing even to blunder rather than make no attempt to speak for the Master. "An ounce of your own experience is worth a ton of trite quotations. "Read helps at home, but not in the meeting. "Relate some story or incident that you have read, or illus- trate some phase of the topic. "A thought warm with life never fails to hit the mark. Avoid set phrases, speak naturally. "Long-windedness, now pray take heed, The finest discourse smothers : So, when you pray or talk or read. Remember there are others. ■ "Do not try to do the easiest things, but do the hard thing. "Don't be a weak-kneed participant; stand boldly upon your feet." Endeavorers are always desirous of new ways of helping their own church, since, indeed, this is the great object of their organization; but they are often young and not very resource- Bright Plans Tried and Proved. 579 ful ; and so these suggestions of work which has actually been Helping Undertaken by many a society are here given: "Our Own ^^ "Divide the society into fourths, each fourth to Church." ^^j^g some part in one of the church prayer-meetings of the month. "Form a Christian Endeavor choir, if the pastor is will- ing, to act as a nucleus for the singing of the church prayer- meeting and the Sunday-evening service. "Establish in your society a pastor's aid committee, to do whatever the pastor wishes done in connection with the church-work. "Perhaps you can start and carry on a church paper. Perhaps you can beautify with flowers the church grounds. Perhaps the church needs new cushions, or new lamps, or new paint, or new hymn-books. "Find some definite work to do for the church. Do it, and then find something else to do for it." An American Baptist pastor, who has been preaching in a number of English churches, tells of the beautiful custom which many English Endeavorers constantly keep up, as the writer can testify, of presenting to the preacher as he enters the pulpit a letter of welcome to the church, expressing their prayerful hope that God will bless him in the delivery of His word, while at the end of the service they present him with a bouquet, or at least a boutonniere. Here are other things which a versatile flower committee can do : "Send flowers to the new members, not only of your own society, but of the Juniors. "Send flowers to the new members received into the church. "Use flowers as recognitions of good work in for the the society — some successful social, for which you Flower wish to honor the social committee, for instance. "Send flowers to the sick of the church and community, and especially to the old folks on their birthdays. 580 Christian Endeavor in All Lands. "Send flowers to the pastor's study. Put them in the prayer-meeting room of the church. Of course you will not forget the pulpit. "Make floral mottoes appropriate to the sermons." The music committee of the Lake Park Church, Minne- apolis, thus sent out invitations to a sociable in the musical notation seen below: The Music Committee of Lake Park Church A collection will be taKen. Here are some further hints for the music committee: A Christian Endeavor choir should be organized. Some- times let it sit in front, and sometimes let its members re- enforce the singing by sitting in all parts of the Suggestions ^„^™ for the room. Music Appoint some evening: to sins: from all parts Committee, ^^ o a f of your hymn-book, taking up only the unfamiliar hymns. Most hymn-books are only half used. Introduce other instruments than the organ, if the En- deavorers are skilled in the use of them. Plan some special musical feature for each evening. The society might as well assist in a body the musical services of the midweek prayer-meeting of the church, and the Sunday-evening service. Bright Plans Tried and Proved. 581 Many societies do much good by conducting song services in hospitals and similar places. How to raise money for missions is often a serious ques- tion. Here is a plan adopted by a society in St. Croix Falls, Wis. They pledged fifty dollars for missions at the beginning of the year, making it necessary to raise on the average $4.17 each month. So this chart was prepared with the norm a black line indicating the $4.17 to be given. As the society gave more or less than the amount each month, the tell-tale indicator on this card showed by its zigzag lines whether they were above or below their pledge. At the end of the year JunV PeOY MaiCM Apriu Mnv 55 -p ooLuecT. flu«<;sr 5cPT oris Ocr Dec. 5 '7 4 17 '6 ■^ 6 9> ?j ?." A •-i^ 41 '" *'; 6-3 £f 4^' 4 5! 4" 4 / \ a 4 ,T* 4 / »5 /' % « - \ y / \ v \ y \ / * 3 t' ■^? «•' r7Z- Watkinson, Rev. W. L., 199. Watson, Rev. William, 146. Weatherley, Miss Ella M., 541. Wells, Prof. A. R., 117, 118, 122, 145, 183, 204, 241, 262, 263, 279, 317, 319, 322, 358, 502, 505, 560, 563, 596. Wliale, Rev. Mr., 80. Wharton, Rev. G. L., 352. White, Dr., 402. Wilder, Robert T., 5x0. Willard, Frances E., 206, 2ir, 266, 287. Williams, Mrs. C. S., 376. Williams, Mr. T., 442. Williston Church, 30. Willoughby, Rev. Gerald, 414. Wolcott, Governor Roger, 352. Wood, Mrs. Ella M., 120. Wood, J. M'., 467. Wood, President Nathan E., 294. Woolley, F. H. C, 302. Work, Dr., ig6. World's Union, 103, 107, 108, 142, 146. 182. Yates, Rev. Wm. N., 576. Yohansdotter, Miss Olafia, 450. Yonan, Kasha Isaan, 171. Young People's Era, 25. Young, Rev. Egerton R., 443. Y. M. C. A., 25, 286. DATE DUE %j^BJ^"i^f ^m^m^ jMfJ^!lttM L^ 1 00^ ,/' J t'la^ ^^i^- GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A.