710 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1. 



and modest, giving all the glory for the spread 

 of the Endeavor idea to Crod, who directed him 

 in its conception. His tlieme was. "Fidelity 

 and Fellowship." 



The two elements most prominent in the En- 

 deavor movement have been fidelity to the local 

 church with which each society is connected, 

 and the broad fellowship represented in this 

 gathering connecting the difterent divisions of 

 Christ's army by common bonds. Our fidelity 

 would become narrow and bigoted without fel- 

 lowsliip, and our fellowship flabby and senti- 

 mental, without fidelity unswerving to the 

 Church or God. but with fidelity and fellowship 

 we may win the world to Christ. The watch- 

 word of the day is "combination." Kumseller 

 is combining w'ith rumseller: speculator with 

 speculator; libei'tine with gambler, to resist 

 good laws, to obstruct righteous legislation, 

 and bring about a reign of teri'or among the 

 hosts of God. Shall we. who represent the 

 coming generation of Christ's warriors, play 

 into the enemv's hands by weakening our ranks 

 and dividing "our hosts? "United we stand, 

 divided we fall," is as true of the church to-day 

 as it was ever true of any cause. 



Bishop Vincent, wlio was to preach the con- 

 vention sermon, was detained in Chicago on his 

 way by an attack of bronchial trouble, from 

 which he has suffered much of late. He told 

 Secretary Baer in the depot that, had he been 

 a Presbyterian or a Congregationalist. he would 

 not have started to come; but being a Methodist, 

 he must make the attempt. The vacancy thus 

 " made in tlie program was admirably filled by 

 Rev. O. H. Tiffany, of Minneapolis, who follow- 

 ed up the theme of the president's address in 

 stirring words from John 17:31, "That they 

 may be one. as thou. Father, ait in me and I in 

 thee, that they also may be one in us. \,hat the 

 world may believe that thou hast sent me." 

 The world complains of our denominationalism 

 and sectarianism, and can not see the oneness 

 of our Christianity. Christian Endeavor is 

 helping more than any thing else to dispel this 

 delusion. We may diher in our creeds, but we 

 are one in Christ; and the days of church strife 

 are largely past. He hoped to live to see the 

 lion and the lamb lie down together, the Ar- 

 minian and Calvinist walking arm in arm. Mr. 

 Sankey related the origin of the familiar hymn, 

 " Ninety and Nine.'' and then sang it as he did 

 the first time in Glasgow, some twenty-five 

 years ago. , , ^ , 



Every thing was applauded as only young 

 America in the joyous mood of Christian En- 

 deavor knows iiow; but Mr. Sankey made a 

 special request that applause be omitted after 

 his songs; "for," said he. " who can tell but 

 that some wanderer may be led to thoughts of 

 seriousness that would be dispelled by such 

 demonstrations over songs so sacred?" En- 

 deavorers, ever loyal and obedient, were glad 

 to obey this wish of the great singer. 



Friday morning, at the 6:30 prayer-meeting, 

 found several thousand in attendance; yet the 

 company, compared with that vast hall, resem- 

 bled a prayer-meeting in the auditorium of our 

 churches. The second morning there were 

 nearly double the number. If the delegates 

 could have located nearer the building, no 

 doubt many more would have come. The re- 

 sponse was ready, and those who attended were 

 uplifted and strengthened. 



One of the best sessions of that best conven- 

 tion, and it was hard to tell what is best, it was 

 all so good, was the free parliament Friday 

 forenoon, conducted by Rev. J. A. Rondthaler, 

 the " Indiana Cyclone," from Indianapolis. 

 Topic, "What the Society has Done." In ex- 

 horting them to be brief and to the point, he 

 savs, " Leave off the introduction, cut off the 



closing, pull out the middle, disintegrate the 

 remainder, and give us what you have left." 



As a result we had 67 testimonies in 63 min- 

 utes, and each one repeated in the main byjtlu^ 

 leader so that all could hear. 



A number of societies reported that they had 

 sustain(>d services in pastorless churches for pe- 

 riods of 6. 9. and 12 months. Nebraska reported 

 a society in every town, city, and village in the 

 State. Societies of Painesville. Ohio, had clos- 

 ed all the saloons. vSocietiis in Cleveland had 

 closed the Sunday theaters. Society in Peoples 

 Church of Boston have got hold of a lot of Chi- 

 namen and brought them into the Sunday- 

 school as permanent members. Anotlier sends 

 their members in squads to conduct services in 

 mission Sunday-schools in surrounding territo- 

 ry. A society in St. Louis wholly supports and 

 mans with teachers a mission Sunday-school 

 of a thousand children. Another society ap- 

 points a number of Its members each week to 

 take part in the regular church prayer-meeting. 

 C. E. Union of Syracuse, N. Y., have closed the 

 Sunday saloons and stopped Sunday ball-play- 

 ing. 



Another society carried on the work of the 

 church during the prolonged sickness of their 

 pastor so well that, on the first Sunday in 

 which he took charge, after his recovery, IOC)' 

 persons were received into the church. The 

 Christian Endeavor Society trains teachers for 

 the Sunday-school. In one State 163 societies 

 have brought 1026 into the church, over 100 of 

 these from one society. Another society has a 

 vestibule committee to welcome strangers at 

 the church-door, and introduce them to the 

 members after the service, making them feel at 

 home. And no one who has not gone as a 

 stranger to another church knows how to ap- 

 preciate these words of welcome. Systematic 

 benevolence, which means iceJI-ivishing, has 

 been changed to systematic beneficence, which 

 is ivell-dolng by another society, and so the tes- 

 timony rolls on. 



AVhat the .^iociety may do was clearly defined 

 in three addresses which followed in the morn- 

 ing session: The Society and the Pastor, by F. 

 O. Holman. of St. Paul. The relation of the 

 pastor to the Christian Endeavor society is the 

 same as to other organizations of the church. 

 If such a thing should happen as a disagree- 

 ment between pastor and society, the ultimate 

 appeal is not to the United Society, not to F. E. 

 Clark, not to Sec. Baer, but to the governing- 

 board of the local church, and nowhere else. 

 The relation of pastor to society is expressed in 

 the (me word "/o}ya7t{/." Brag of your pastor,, 

 and attend all the church services. If a noted 

 speaker comes to town and speaks in another 

 church, and there are services in your church, 

 be loyal and attend your own church, and thus- 

 inspire your pastor. 



" The Society and Sunday-school " was pre- 

 sented by the great Sunday-school man, Jas. 

 A. Worden. of Philadelphia. Though a great 

 Sunday-school worker he was also greatly in 

 love with the Christian Endeavor society. He- 

 said that every member of the Sunday-school, 

 from the primary department up, should be, 

 heart and soul, members of the Christian En- 

 deavor society; that 7.'),000 Sunday-schools of 

 the United States and Canada are afflicted with 

 antediluvian mossbackism. too conservative to 

 welcome an efficient ally in their work of win- 

 ning souls. He made much of the fact of our 

 remaining young regardless of the number of 

 years we had lived. What have we to do but 

 grow young ? " Except ye be converted, and 

 become as little children, ye shall in no wise 

 enter the kingdom of heaven." When we have 

 all eternity to grow in. what business have wo 

 growing old? To keep young in spirit, we 



