Christian Endeavor at 50

Magic-lantern shows, lectures, prayer-meetings and strawberry festivals, under the auspices of the United Society of Christian Endeavor, were prime young people's diversions 40 years ago. Cinema shows were lacking; social life, especially in small towns, was compactly organized. Practically everyone (except out-&-out renegades) went to mid-week C. E. meetings. The movement swept the nation; in 1895 there were 56,425 delegates to the Christian Endeavor convention in Boston.

To San Francisco last week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of C. E.'s founding went some 14,000 Christian Endeavorers. Fewer than at many a previous convention, they nevertheless represented an interdenominational organization grown impressively large: 4,000,000 members in 80,000 societies in 105 countries. If any one doubted its continued prestige Christian Endeavor had only to point to its kinetic, strapping president, Rev. Daniel Alfred ("Dan") Poling; its trustee, President Paul Shoup of Southern Pacific Railroad Co.; its active member, President Herbert Hoover who spoke to the convention by radio.

Between transatlantic telephone calls (see p. 9), President Hoover told the convention (and the U. S. over a nation-wide hook-up): "Despite differences of language, tradition and custom, the youth of the world have found in the organization a common ground for spiritual training and service to their Church, community and country. . . . The best index to its purposes and values are the principles it stands for . . . International peace . . . sobriety . . . character . . . righteousness and respect for law." Spontaneously, as the President finished his speech, the convention jumped to its feet, burst into the Doxology: "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!"

Next most exciting thing to being addressed by the President of the U. S. was to have present during the convention small, motherly Mrs. Harriet Abbott ("Mother") Clark, widow of Rev. Francis Edward Clark who founded Christian Endeavor in Portland, Me. in 1881. Thrilled was she, she said, when President Hoover spoke of this "most enduring monument to the idealism, insight and organizing genius of its founder." Honorary vice president of the society, she listened eagerly at its meetings, let herself be photographed with William Quinn, Chief of San Francisco police. Burly Chief Quinn looked down at Mother Clark as she cocked a finger at him and said: "I hear the young people nowadays are quite a problem. . . . You should bring in the parents, have them take their child home and punish him. . . . There were gangsters in my day, too, but their fathers took them home and spanked them. The gangsters now are bad boys who didn't get enough spankings. . . . Young people now are as good as when I was young. Years ago it was hard to keep them out of the saloons. You don't have that problem now."

Mighty Crusade. Prohibition is one of the Christian Endeavor's prime concerns. President Poling, founder of the new nonecclesiastical Allied Forces (TIME, June 15), friend of ultra-dry Chain Store Man James Cash Penney, pointed out that in 1911 Christian Endeavor composed the motto: "A saloonless nation by 1920, the 300th year from the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth." Cried he: "Let us enroll in a mighty crusade . . . as many young people as are members of all our societies and unions!"

A tall, spare crusader is Presbyterian Dr. Mark Allison Matthews of Seattle, who asked: "Do you want the manufacturing plants of productive industry, churches, schools, or do you vote for the brewer, beer garden and saloon?" Replied he: "You cannot have both!"

St. Gandhi, said Dr. Frederick Bohn Fisher of Ann Arbor, Mich., is a "nemesis to war."*

Beer. The National Youth Conference is conducted by radio by Dr. Poling. Young people write him letters like this: "I attended the picnic, but took part in the swimming and other activities, remaining away from the rest of the crowd which was drinking the beer." Dr. Poling's comment: "Here is a girl who stays aloof and holds her ideals. She does not run away from temptation, but faces it. I hope her stand made some impression on the others." Added he: "My chief concern is not with the young flapper but the adult flopper." (Laughter.)

*Nemesis means "retributive justice."

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