Manchester College - Aurora Yearbook (North Manchester, IN)

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Up, Stand Up for Jesus, and passed to their respective class rooms. Preach- ing services were held one Sunday in the Chapel and the next at the Church on Walnut Street. The organization of a nourishing Young People ' s meet- ing was effected under the direction of S. P. Early, a graduate student of the second college class. This was before the Christian Workers ' Meeting had been authorized by the Church. Prior to the holiday season of the first year the students of the Bible De- partment, believing that growth in spirtual life and consecration could be best obtained by giving expression to the impressions received from day to day in the study of Divine Truth, organized the Bible Society. The interest and enthusiam manifested soon made the society a potent influence. The charter-membership was only eight or ten, but by the second year this num- ber had increased to sixty. The membership was limited to Bible Students and all were active. The constitution and by-laws framed for the Bible So- ciety at Mt. Morris College in 1892 were adopted. J. Kurtz Miller was the first president. Others Avho served in this capacity and were influential workers were : M. N. Rensberger, Alice King Ebey, J. Edson Ulery, J. W. Rarick, Adam Ebey, J. F. Souders, S. P. Early, J. H. Schrock, J. F. Layman, Kate Hollinger Preachers of the Year 1900-1901 (Compare with the Picture of Preachers of 1919-20, elsewhere in this Issue) BACK ROW — Left to right — C. W. Metz, D. Warren Shock, O. D. Foster, J. J. Anglemyer. MIDDLE ROW — Prof. W. C. Perry, S. P. Early, J. B. Leatherman, J. L. Guthrie, Prof. T. S. Moherman. FRONT ROW — Prof. L. D. Ikenberry, Prof. E. B. Hoff, J. B. Speicher, Prof. I. B. Book, S. S. Gump. W. W. Barnhart, J. B. Spiecher, Otho Winger, F. S. Moherman, L. D. Iken- berry, Vina E. Shoemaker, Mrs. Laima Brower, Nora Arnold Lichty, Jose- phine Powell. A. W. Ross, Mrs. L. M. Lautzenhiexer, and Mrs. Emma Bowman. [Page 20

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Mrs. Bowman was one of the charter members and has been closely associated in the work during all these years. She was the founder of the West End Mission. This was first opened in a small rented room where for six years Mrs. Bowman labored faithfully in teaching the Gospel story to the children who were deprived of church and Sunday School privileges. She was ably assisted in this work by Mrs.. Lou Lautzenhizer and others. The programs were held in the Bible room every Monday evening, until 1902 when increased numbers made it necessary to meet in the chapel. These consisted of orations, essays, readings and debates all on Biblical subjects, as well as special missionary addresses. A Ladies ' Quartette com- posed of Una Cripe, Elma Burkett, Gladia Swartz and was an innovation that added much to the interest and enjoyment of the programs. The following is gleaned from the Bible Student July 1897: The most meritorious fea- tures of the Institution are that the various departments are presided over by specialists in their respective lines and who have had a number of years of successful experience in teaching. Such persons attend the school as are in- spired with a brimming zeal to make the world better intellectually, morally and spiritually. In harmony with these ideals the Bible Society was inspired to reach out into practical mission work. On April 18, 1898, at a call meeting the Society decided to creat a fund to assist worthy students in preparing for the mission field and in September, 1902, issued the first scholarships at the beginning of the school year. Later this fund was turned over to the College Management and was the first sum given to what is now known as the Educa- tional Fund for the aid of ministers and missionaries in their preparation for Christian service. Correlated with the Bible Society was the Missionary Read- ing Circle. Books on Mission work were read and discussed every Wednesday evening. On Sunday afternoon a staff of workers was sent out to visit the sick and the aged who were deprived of Church privileges. Literary Societies. The Excelsior Literary Society was organized for the benefit of the Col- lege and preparatory students and met on Saturday evenings for a while in the chapel, and later when the hall was divided by a movable partition the Society moved to the west side of the partition. The Bible Student November 1896 gives perhaps a very fair estimate of the merits of the work of this Society. The Excelsior Literary Society commands the attention and praise of a large audience every Saturday evening. The characteristics of the society — progress- iveness, thoroughness, growth, purity, charity — are to be commended. The pro- grams are spicy. The hall is filled to overflowing each evening by the students and citizens of the town, and all say there must be a sister society. So be it. Next term? Yes. The Excelsior Literary Society held its last meeting Nov. 28, 1896. At that date the society was dissolved. The members had unitedly worked together for one year and one term. As they separated they called themselves societies A and B. After a short program the lists of names for the sections were read. The first named on the lists then came forward and decided by chance the halls to be occupied by the sections in the future. Miss Adah Baker ' s name headed the list of section a. She guessed the exact num- Pag-e 21 J