CHRISTIAN CONVENTION. 



CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR. 135 



brought before the convention in the presenta- 

 tion of the Congregationalist proposition, and 

 also in the report of the Convention's Standing 

 Committee on Christian Union. After discus- 

 sion and the consideration of amendments to 

 the report of the committee a paper was unani- 

 mously adopted, of which the following are the 

 most important points : 



Our action should not limit itself to the members 

 of any one body. Any Christian or body of Chris- 

 tians who will meet us, as we would meet them, to 

 devise measures for interdenominational and inter- 

 Christian fraternization and co-operation for Gospel 

 work shall have a sincere welcome. We hold and 

 avow ourselves ready to work together with any body 

 on conditions simply Christian for simply Christian 

 ends. Your committee would therefore recommend 

 that this convention express itself in the adoption ot 

 the following resolutions : 



Whereas, It is a fundamental principle with our 

 Christian body that the followers of Christ should 

 not be divided, but united in a combined work for 

 the upbuilding of the kingdom of righteousness ; and 

 Whereas, Generally among Christians and bodies 

 of Christians in recent times there is a strong tenden- 

 cy in this direction so much so that recently direct 

 overtures have come to us from the Congregational- 

 ists for closer fraternal relations and co-operative 

 action ; and 



Whereas, We are in favor of any practical meas- 

 ures which promise greater good for Christ through 

 wider co-operation among his disciples : therefore, 



Resolved, That the American Christian Convention 

 approve the formation of a co-operative union be- 

 tween the Christians and the Congregationalists, or 

 any other denomination seeking such union, or be- 

 tween the Christians and any one of the others ; it 

 being understood that the co-operating bodies are in 

 parity of Christian standing, and that" the co-opera- 

 tive union is not based upon doctrinal tests. 



Resolved, That the Christian bodies entering such 

 co-operative union are to have common interest in 

 spreading the Gospel, and are to labor for the promo- 

 tion of the common welfare, but that its work is to be 

 conducted without detriment to any institutions as at 

 present constituted, such as churches, conferences, 

 conventions, associations, publishing houses, mission 

 boards, colleges, and theological seminaries, and with- 

 out impairing the vigorous prosecution of existing 

 enterprises. 



Resolved, That members of churches within such 

 co-operative union, on change of residence to a com- 

 munity unprovided with a church of their own peo- 

 ple, be encouraged to join some church within the 

 co-operating bodies in preference to any other. 



Resolved, That should any ministers who are mem- 

 bers of any of the co-operating bodies accept calls 

 from any churches of any of the other bodies, their 

 names may be held on the lists of members of their 

 own bodies while in good standing and remaining 

 within the union, provided that their names should 

 not stand on corresponding lists of two bodies. 



.Resolved, That we advise the appointment by this 

 convention of a commission of 12 members to act in 

 concert with similar commissions of other bodies on 

 all matters pertaining to the interests involved. 



Resolved, That in any action of the commissions 

 the vote of one third of the members present repre- 

 senting any one body shall negative the action pro- 

 posed so far as our body is concerned. 

 _ Resolved, That this body approves the taking of 

 similar action by State associations or conferences or 

 other subordinate bodies, but that all action may be 

 subject to revision by the national bodies represented 

 in any co-operative union. 



Resolved, That it is the opinion and sentiment ot 

 this convention that the ultimate ideal of Christian 

 union is the union of all the followers of Christ in 

 one body, in an organic union, inspired with the 



spirit of the Master, existing and acting with single 

 reference to carrying on his work, building up his 

 kingdom, and bringing the world to Christ ; and we 

 would encourage and co-operate with any and all 

 measures looking to this end. 



CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR, UNITED SO- 

 CIETY OF. The thirteenth International Con- 

 vention of the United Society of Christian En- 

 deavor was held at Cleveland, Ohio, in July. 

 The secretary's report showed that the whole 

 number of societies, now given as 33,679, had in- 

 creased by 7,305 during the year, the largest ab- 

 solute gain having been made in England. Of 

 these societies. 28,696 were in the United States, 

 2,243 in Canada, and 2,740 in foreign lands. The 

 foreign societies include 1,357 in England, 58 in 

 Scotland, 38 in Ireland, 834 in Australia, 72 in 

 India. 59 in Japan, 44 in the West Indies, 38 in 

 Turkey, 23 in China, 25 in Africa, 30 in Mada- 

 gascar, besides societies in other heathen coun- 

 tries and islands where Protestant missions have 

 been established, and in France, Spain, Mexico, 

 Brazil, and Chili, the whole number represent- 

 ing an aggregate of more than two million mem- 

 bers. In addition to these societies, 6,809 junior 

 organizations were returned, of which 247 were 

 in Canada and 91 in foreign lands, and which 

 numbered in all 365,000 members. Thirty-two 

 " evangelical " denominations were represented 

 in the societies, of which the Presbyterians had 

 the largest number, and were followed in the 

 United States, in order, by the Congregational- 

 ists, Baptists, Disciples of Christ and Christians, 

 Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Protes- 

 tants, Lutherans, Cumberland Presbyterians, and 

 other denominations; in Canada the Presbyte- 

 rians were followed by the Methodists, Baptists, 

 and Congregationalists. In England, the Bap- 

 tists were in the lead, and after them were the 

 Congregationalists, the various Methodist bodies, 

 and the Presbyterians. Local unions of socie- 

 ties had been formed in many cities, of which 

 those in St. Louis, Boston, Brooklyn, Baltimore, 

 Cleveland, London (England), New York, Chi- 

 cago, and Philadelphia included from more than 

 one hundred to more than four hundred indi- 

 vidual societies each. Fifty-five hundred and 

 fifty-two societies had contributed more than ten 

 dollars each to the home or foreign missionary 

 boards of the denominations to which they were 

 severally attached, the whole amount of contribu- 

 tions of this kind being $138,206 ; and besides 

 this, $185,512 had been given by them in other 

 ways to religious purposes. One hundred and 

 thirty-eight thousand six hundred and thirty 

 members of the societies had joined the church 

 during the past twelve months. 



CITIES, AMERICAN, RECENT GROWTH 

 OF. This subject has been treated in every vol- 

 ume of the "Annual Cyclopaedia" since 1886. 

 The total number of cities described, including 

 those in this volume, is 445. 



Belleville, a city of Illinois, the county seat 

 of St. Clair County, in the western part of the 

 State, 15 miles southeast of St. Louis and 110 

 from Springfield. It is on high ground, which 

 affords excellent natural drainage, and has a 

 thorough sewerage system. It lies in the midst 

 of a fertile agricultural country, with inexhausti- 

 ble coal fields adjacent. It is reached by four 

 lines of railroad the Louisville and Nashville, 



