Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 July 1901 — URGES A CHURCH TRUST [ARTICLE]

URGES A CHURCH TRUST

President Clark Appeals to the Christian Endeavorers. NEED STRENUOUS RELIGION. the Days of th* Rampant Infidel and AtheUt Are Past —Election of Officers at the Endeavor Convention In Cincinnati. President Francis E. Clark at the opening of the Christian Endeavor convention in Cincinnati urged the formation of a church trust. He pointed out thd general trend of combination in business lines and declared the church tkiuld accomplish more good if more perfectly organized and denominationalism could be subordinated to more substantial unity. President Clark’s address pointed out in an attractive way the work to be done by the Christian Endeavorers. He said: “In the first place, the twentieth-cen-tury church needs to cultivate a strenuous, earnest type of religion. The batteries which the twentieth century ar4' already turning on the church of God are the marked batteries of indifference and worldliness —not persecution and open hostility and an army that can spike these guns of indifference is the most imperative need of the church today. God saw this need and called an army of young people into existence, 3,500,000 strong. Who can better overcome these peculiar. Insidious evils which threaten the church in this npw century than a great company of eager, earnest youth each one of whom has said: ‘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?’ The days of martyrdom in Christian communities are past. The days of undue asceticism and religious austerity have forever vanished, and with them have gone in many cases the strong, stern, stalwart characters that made the age of the puritan resplendent for heroism throughout the world. The days of the rampant infidel and atheist are also in the past, as I devoutly believe. No Robert Hume could today greatly influence the thought of the world. No Voltaire or Rousseau could number his followers by millions. Robert Ingersol today is little but a memory of eloquent bathos and pathos. But something more inscidious, more subtle, more harmful a thousand times than persecution or blatant infidelity is the foe of the church of the twentieth century. This infidelity is a skepticism of life rather than of'talk. It is the indifference that is born of luxury and fashion.” The report of Treasurer William Shaw was submitted, showing the total receipts for the year ended June 1 to be $11,020, expenses $10,864, leaving a balance on hand of $156. The following were elected as general trustees: Bishop B. W. Arnett, Wilberforce, O.; Rev. W. J. Darby, Evansville, Ind.; Bishop Samuel Fallows, Chicago; Rev.

Rufus M?. Miller, Reading, Pa.; Rev. W. H. McMillan, Allegheny, Pa.;' Rev., P. S. Henson, Chicago; Bishop A. Walters, Jersey City; Rev. J. H. Garrison, St. Louis; Prof. James L. Howe, Lexington, Va.; Rev. H. F. Shupe, Dayton, O.; Rev. J. M. Lowden, Providence; Rev. Canon J. B. Richardson, London, OnL; Rev. Cleland B. McAfee, Chicago, and S. B. Capen, Boston. Treasurer tendered his resignation as trusted and S. B. Capen of* Boston was selected to succeed him. Rev. Cleland B J McAfee was elected to succeed the lake Dr. Babcock. The following officers were then re-elected by the convention: President, Francis E. Clark, Boston; treasurer, William Shaw, Boston general secretary, John W. Baer, Boston; auditor, F. H. Kidder, Boston. A new position of field secretary was created and Rev. Clarence E. Eberman of Lancaster, Pa., was elected.