Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 221, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1914 — The WORLD'S MOST TRAVELED MAN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The WORLD'S MOST TRAVELED MAN

BY KARL LEHMANN,

FIELD DECRETARYQF THE ‘

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fOUBTLESS no other man in the world h|p traveled so many miles and done so large a work for the world as Rev. Francis E. Clark, D. D., LL. D„ founder of the Christian Endeavor society and president of the World’s Christian Endeavor union. Doctor Clark was born at Aylmer, Que., Canada, September 12, 1851. Thirty-three years ago Dd'ctor Clark was pastor of the Williston Congregational church of Portland, Me. He was then a young man just fresh from college hnd» seminary. Williston church was a typical New England church, with all of the problems and difficulties that those churches bad to meet. In the winter of 1880-1881 a series of special evangelistic services in the church had led a great many <young people into church membership. This wise young pastor realized that if those young people were to be held for the church they must be trained for service, they must have something to do, and they must be shown how to do it. He called his young people together, and on February 2, 1881, the first Christian Endeavor society was formed, the- first Christian Endeavor pledge was signed, and the following Sunday the first Christian Endeavor prayer meeting was held. /From that small beginning in Portland the society has spread and grown, until today there are more than 80,000 Christian Endeavor societies in the* world, with more than 4,000,000 members. There are Christian Endeavor societies in every country of the world, and each week meetings are conducted in more than eighty different languages; the literature of the society has been printed in as-many tongues. Something like 1,500 dally, weekly and monthly' periodicals carry Christian Endeavor news; more than 200 periodicals are devoted entirely to the work of Christian Endeavor. There are more than 750 different kinds of books, leaflets, cards, etc., published for use in the work of the society and as aids to it. Millions of pages of special printed matter are issued every year. From almost the very beginning of the movement Christian Endeavor has been interdenominational in its scope and work. Though it began in a Congregational church, today there are 87 different denominations that take Christian Endeavor as their young people’s society. Throughout the world there are probably more Methodist Christian Endeavor societies than those of any other denomination, though in North America many of the Methodist churches have a purely denominational youhg people’s society. On this continent there are more societies in Presbyterian churches than in those of any other denomination; the Christian church has the eecond largest number of societies, the Congregational third, the Baptlpt fourth. In England, Burma and India the Baptists lead in Christian Endeavor, while in Australia, Spain, France and other countries the Methodists lead; in Norway, Denmark, Germany and Russia the Lutherans lead; in Italy the Waldenaians, etc. No agency has done more to bring the Christian people of all denominations closer together than has this great society. The present tendency I toward a unity of Christian people and ’ churches is due, ih a large part, to Christian Endeavor, with its more than 12,000 union meetings every <year, ranging from local and county Christian Endeavor union gatherings of one* hundred or less to the state, intiernational 'and world’s conventions, ' with thousands and tens of thousands of delegates present. Some of the cbunty conventions in this country are large;

Los Angeles county, Cal., seldom has fewer than 1,000 at its county convention; Middlesex county, Mass., had 2,406 at its convention this year. The twenty-seventh international and fifth world’s convention is to be, held in Chicago July 7-12, 1915. Because, this work is world-wide in its character the time came when it was necessary that some one man should give all of his time to the work, traveling fjom state to state, province to province and country to country. There were no funds available for this work from which to employ a worker; but twenty-nine years ago Francis E. Clark gave up the pastorate of the Phillips Congregational church, Boston, where he had gone from Portland, and through all these years he has given himself to this work,, without one penny of salary from the Christian Endeavor movement. Doctor Clark has earned his own living by the use of bis pen, the books he has written, and the special articles for magazines and newspapers. Not only has Doctor Clark earned his own salary thus, but he has paid practically all of his own salary, steamship and hotel bills, as he has traveled in foreign countries for Christian Endeavor. Doctor Clark has gone *flve times around the world, and many times to Europe and Great Britain. There is no country in which he has not traveled and spoken for Christian Endeavor. It is estimated that he has traveled at least 825,000 miles—32s,ooo miles of this by water, 435,000 miles by rail, and fully 25,000 by wagon, horseback, camel, in jinrikishas, in man-carried hammocks, etc. ,He has addressed at least 2,000,060 people; he has been in the midst of danger by land and by sea, in religious rlote, in earthquakes, tornadoes, cyclones, blizzards, shipwreck, train wreck and a score of similar catastrophes. Doctor Clark has been received by presidents of the United States, of Panama, Peru, Argentine. Brazil, the kings of Norway, Sweden, Greece, the mikado of Japan and scores of other celebrities. There ie no American citizen who has been more greatly honored, and there is no more modest citizen anywhere. Christian Endeavorers have decided that they wish to build a memorial for Doctor Clark in appreciation of the many years of service for the cause, and they don’t want to wait until he is dead to do it They want to bring roses to him while he is alive. The matter was fully considered, and it seemed to all that the wisest and most substantial thing to do was to erect a building which should be the international Christian Endeavor headquarters. The plan calls for a five-story building, two stories of which shall be used for the offices of the movement, and thus save the $5,000 a year that is now paid in rents for that purpose, anfl three stories of the building to be rented to provide an income for the extension of the movement in this and other lands. This, with the profits of the publishing department, which has paid all of the expenses of the work in North America for more than twenty-five years, will be sufficient to permanently finance the world-wide work of this movement. This headquarters building is to, cost, when complete, including lot and furnishings, $300,000. One-half of this amount has been raised, and it is the purpose of the society to raise the last $150,000 by November of this year. A continent-wide campaign is being organized, and will be waged this fall. Every former Endeavorer, as well as present member of the society, will be urged to have some part in this matter, which will mean so much to the world-wide work of this great society, and will be a fitting testimonial of their appreciation of the great work

of Dr. Francis E. Clark, the world’s most traveled man. Associated with Doctor Clark in the direction of the work of Christian Endeavor in North America is a very efficient group o's executive officers. The vice-president is Dr. Howard B. Grose, missionary editor of the Northern Baptist churches. Doctor Groso has been on the board of trustees of the United Society of Christian Endeavor for twenty-five years. He designed the emblem of the society, a Christian Endeavor monogram. The general secretary is Wiliam Shaw, LL. D., a Massachusetts Endeavorer, who has served as an officer of thg united society for more than twentyfive years. The treasurer, Hiram N. Lathrop, is a prominent Boston business man, who as an unpaid officer gives a vast amount of time to the work of Christian Endeavor. Amos R. Wells, Litt. D.; LL. ,D., came from Ohio; there is no more efficient, eloquent or prolific pen in the world than his. Doctor Wells is the editorial secretary of the movement. A. J. Shartle, the publication manager, was field secretary of the Pennsylvania Christian Endeavor union. Under his efficient management the publication department has done more for the cause than ever before; *he earns the money that supports Christian Endeavor on this continent. Rev. R. P. Anderson, superintendent of the Builders’ union, is a Scotchman, who organized the first Christian Endeavor societies in Denmark and Norway; he is also associate editor of the Christian Endeavor "World. Daniel A. Poling is the newest officer of the united society; he was field secretary of the Ohio Christian Endeavor union, and is now president’s associate and citizenship superintendent. He is leading the campaign for “a saloonlees nation by 1929." Karl Lejjmann, formerly field secretary of the Colorado and New Mexico Christian Endeavor unions, is the field secretary of the united society. The official organ of the society is the Christian Endeavor World, published at Boston. Dr. Francis E. Clark is the editor-in-chief. Amos R. Wells is managing .editor. Arthur W. Kelly and Rev. R. P. Anderson are the associate editors.