Y I , \'. ’ i..'$}§f\tko‘. .. . Flfiaflfq’i ne‘- ‘rs m:— . 1.. fill in U . Au «Raga: .‘ flu "fi""‘ '4 3.965 WESIS \\\\\\\ \\\ \1‘R‘NWM\\V\.\\\\K\\ V $553: :1: 31293 01094 595 mushy This is to certify that the thesis entitled THE CHICAGO SUNDAY EVENING CLUB: A STUDY IN CONTEMPORARY PREACHING _~ presented by Steven P.‘ Vitrano has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ph. D. degree in Speech Major professor Date January 20, 1966 0-169 P132012 123 9 0§EZ COpyright by Steven P. Vitrauo 1966 ABSTRACT THE CHICAGO SUNDAY EVENING CLUB: A STUDY IN CONTEMPORARY PREACHING By Steven P. Vitrano The purpose of this study is to contribute to the continuing analysis and evaluation of contemporary preaching as represented by a unique American preaching institution--The Chicago Sunday Evening Club. fart I of the study is historical and descriptive, in which, for the first time in some detail, the story is told of how a "service of Christian fellowship in the business center of Chicago" became a national pulpit where "sooner or later every great preacher is heard." The first part of this story (Chapter I) belongs to Clifford Webster Barnes, founder and president of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club for more than 35 years. One day in 1907 while Barnes was having luncheon with a group of prominent Chicago businessmen, he suggested that they initiate religious meetings on Sunday evening in downtown Chicago (Chapter II). This suggestion started a chain of events that produced a unique Sunday evening program in Chicago‘s famous Orchestra Hall, a program that is now enjoyed by multiplied thousands of peOple in the Chicago area by means of radio and television (WIND and WTTW, Channel ll). o ‘ lr‘ , ...,- we ‘ Hunt; 3.. 3 u“ (f L! '1 r.- «\rA " ‘ V ' o -‘g 6 21.3. :auym. . J. :2” Y “ .- (V 5“ v ‘ a. t“.: \ .A-A-~ ,o‘.c9f&"‘g: ‘ r ......i dtu.é V" .... ...... a 017‘ 9 -\~ I “ ‘ ---.- 2.._-.v‘:s all AL‘L 1.3 aslysis sears , i ---w-' . w s ~- N's-‘3‘ yCCA¥Eutn ht «Mu . u” ... ..s 33 0H*-ir.'ef: i. ,3 ( th ~v ‘3' I ‘F« ‘1. n’F-o ‘N ‘J- . - ‘1 35 rem § .‘H ‘ V-I u“ - rW .4 . ‘x‘VvO 3.1~ .b‘ Pfii‘ . ~s‘dl “"" .~{ § J'- h" 's. ‘Q‘ . -N..; “'_‘_I 1 «‘2‘ .‘ U ro‘ , ‘ n - h C \s.% ' y. HP‘A'- ‘l: -¢ . “ , . h -h. ; :fi- ‘ p. “‘2“ ‘ - ~ U. I“ V ‘J l N 1 ‘\ “_“ ‘1 g I .\ ' A brief abstract of sermons preached during three seasons, l9l3-lh, 1953-5h, and 1963-6h, pertinent biOgraphical data of the Speakers, and a historical sketch for each season, to provide con- tanctual background for the sermons, is the substance of Chapter III. Part II of the study is analytical, in which the content of the sermons abstracted in Chapter III is carefully examined and analyzed. Time purpose of this content analysis is to determine whether or not 'these sermons fulfill the objectives and image of the Club, with reSpect to pmeaching, as viewed by the Club and its founder, Clifford w. Barnes. 'Phis analysis seeks, in the words of Bernard Berelson, "to audit com- xnunication content against objectives." Consideration of the statements of purpose and objectives of the Club as outlined in Chapter II of this study produced three major questions or points of inquiry for the analysis (Chapter IV). Cate- gories for each of these questions were chosen in keeping with the objectives of the Club and with the concerns of contemporary homileti- cal theory as represented in the homiletical literature published since 1960. Following is a list of the major questions and some of the categories used in making the analysis: (Chapters V, VI, and VII). A. To what extent are the sermons distinctively Christian? The names for Christ References to the life of Christ Christ's teachings Elements of the Kerygma B. To what extent are the sermons really relevant? Current issues mentioned Non-Christian axioms challenged t. :3 "-Jt 333-7 . . ...;v p..- -.- ouh.‘ Dfld‘ 'rr.~-c-O-\ ) :C.‘Jv.a. s” N_ .\.;-v- 5-:13 AJ ‘-‘— -‘--:-~ ~ ..-. 53~d-U~L-..3 '-. 7...: n-q pV-Dr‘ 5-... “5‘, ‘«'- vii-«QO'R .v‘. _= ‘_ ' ‘ an; v.5.‘-)..‘., 3“ «a v '. "" ”-54 a- g J._ . ‘c. ..5 0‘. _ . a 1‘" . A A q '5‘ I. l I... \ .... .u “:5 "pm". .‘J"” n .e-I..~‘ \ SIB P v- , . "VM ‘0‘ d“ 1‘ . H'G§A&:ion cf 1: l. ..|_' ‘ 0-. bar 4‘ ‘U Q4Qc+i “rn O vub‘ a; I u 4‘ Q s q: :1» \:{3.. ~ n} (5 C1_._ 10“ ~.‘ " I f 3..:1;« ... " .;‘:‘-‘ ‘1‘ ‘ n“ n- ‘\ ‘uw;e " a ‘ f—. "v '91.?! I "n A. " |\ '2v4 's. - ‘. " tcr Y . . ~‘ . .v 1‘ \‘J:“E {a ‘b ’n" “‘Q1 *7- “.3: I ‘ ‘ .;.‘ \r ‘- Q‘ .A‘ . 'Nt 0;).3‘ Hf“ “W" “1"": S ‘: a ." ‘. I .“‘1: '1 a. r... ‘vI‘ . . d ('90; “\- v— 3 - *L ‘ C. To what extent do the sermons Clearly "communicate" their message--are "critical" words, such as "sin," "salvation," "grace," "faith," "resurrection," etc., clearly "defined"? Tabulations were made for (l) the number of sermons in which units occurred for each of the categories ("distribution"), and (2) the frequency of occurrence of units in each of the sermons for each of the categories ("frequency"). Evaluation of the findings for all categories under Questions A and B was based upon a critical level of 50% of all sermons for "distribution" and an average per sermon of 1.00 for "frequency." Evaluation of the findings for Question C was based upon a critical level of 50% for sermons in which "critical" words were "defined" in contrast to the number of sermons in which "critical" words were used and got "defined."l For Questions A and B the analysis found "significant" levels for "distribution" and "frequency" in the sermons for all three seasons being studied. With reapect to Question C, however, there is serious question concerning the extent to which sermons communicate their H H message--the degree to which they "define critical" words "signifi- cantly." (Chapter VIII) The final conclusion as measured by this analysis is that the preaching at the Chicago Sunday Evening Club does fulfill the objectives and image of the Club as viewed by the Club and its founder. lFor a definition of "critical" and "defined” see Chapter VII. THE CHICAGO SUNDAY EVENING CLUB: A STUDY IN CONTEMPORARY PREACHING By ) Steven P3 Vitrano A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY College of Communication Arts--Department of Speech 1966 “ ,a. l '\ r‘“ ." a-L‘baovit" L ‘0‘”. q. . v.:. -’a"’ .....a" unealut V.“l “a" v.1. A; ."“" Va re:;-e 'darif ’Q ...,_ u R; v- 3- 5~knetal If er- I "- ¢ ...", :‘fl: I -._._ x. “‘F a..‘5.d::t it) o t- -- .. ‘n. . 4;. :I .“It J . he #0., e ‘JL l "I "y ‘,‘ .1 \_ 5'flx ..1, - .. V‘W Q ‘ v ... y , . Legaet. G a '-.I:S s.“ *Q‘ .a :?n 5..“ "$5 :- \ M“: Q. 4 541 Lhflv‘ a“," I, :h H. .1;- .s“ v. n ”J J‘N: §D_ "7 ‘L4 ’ ‘ .‘- ‘U 4.:H't .‘ N. ~13+ l ' H ‘. “ v I ‘\ ‘I . I‘ g“ :9. ~s..~"‘" ‘. “, ".. |' 4 ..: \ ' .ZA. ‘:\.‘ .Q.v\. ’u “in, ‘1‘. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Although conceived and inspired by its founder, the Chicago Sunday Evening Club has been a corporate enterprise. In somewhat the same way, this dissertation is the result of c00perative effort, the product of peOple working together. To some of these peOple I am eSpecially grateful: Permission to make the study was graciously granted by Mr. Joseph 0. Hanson, president of the Sunday Evening Club. Clara E. Randall, associated with the Club for more than fifty years as secretary and assistant to the president, and Francis V. Gregory, present assistant to the president, gave willingly of their time and effort in providing me with the records, recordings, and data, without which this thesis could not have been written. Their friendly, enthu- siastic c00peration, plus the interest and counsel of Lilace Reid Barnes, daughter of the founder of the Sunday Evening Club, Clifford W. Barnes, provided encouragement and inepiration. Dr. Kenneth G. Hance, my major professor and committee chairman, (Emerves a large share of the credit for the success of the project. His Cmumel and guidance in directing this study have, as always, been char- aCterized by wisdom, competence, and generosity. Credit must also be given to the other members of my committee, Ihs, David Ralph, Gordon Thomas, Fred Alexander, and Paul Hurrell, for their help in sharing with me the knowledge and understanding that under- gird a research project such as this. 11 i . .— 1|. .. t . u 3.. a» ..1\ ' i ) UL v . —.1.. teak. f 5‘ ~ ~' . I . 1 a .01. ‘ ‘ . (.A' am: ‘3’" .._.....'3 .“ .».-u , v.01 ‘ ..u v 0‘" =CIESSCI .. n -‘-..., D iii The time required to undertake this study was first granted by Dr. Floyd 0. Rittenhouse, president of Andrews University, and the late Fabian A. Meier, dean of the undergraduate school. Encouragement to continue and time for writing were provided by {resident Richard Hammill, successor to Dr. Rittenhouse, and Warner E. McClure, dean of the college. The help of Valerie Ashby and Marian Mendel in hours Spent at the typewriter must not go unmentioncd. Their contributions were vital and indiSpensable. Aside from all that has been said, however, this dissertation would never have become a reality had it not been for the long-suffering support and encouragement of my wife, Charlene, and our three children, Joyce, Edwin, and Roger. For all the tender loving care and patience, plus the many hours Charlene Spent in typing rough copy, I shall ever be grateful. For others not mentioned--friends, colleagues, and loved ones-- I offer my deepest appreciation and thanks. I trust that in the years to come I may be as helpful to those who seek to increase knowledge as many have been to me. W“ III-5.3 4" . I ’- ’ .' 'I "-' a... d.l.U . . . I "‘ “t p. a. a ' M I -. o "' . h id's . . . . "9 “‘ ~% ~ _ q\': I». U. - hgdu . . . . . "7: ‘.”‘H"‘r »w....x . v ' w A. C |.':' r 'v ._ ' . V W .0 :4 . l': ‘-’| “‘ a. . ..- ut . | . _ “Aij v‘iJ- : . ‘ LS "‘“r ,- , “ VLA a (J) g .r n I r- f. 'valea.) (D l I ('1 J" r—g (f3 ‘) v n) I I ‘d‘ p]\!; o.~ , ( \ I (D I f7"! I‘: l r J a «tit; N TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWI‘EthN'IS I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I L IS T OF TABIES I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I LIST OF FORMS I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I IMODUCTION I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Chapter II II. III. PART I CLIFFORD W. BARNES, FOUNDER OF THE CHICAGO SUNDAY EVENING CLUB I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I His Birth and Early Childhood His Call to the Ministry His Training for the Ministry His Ministry in Teaching and Social Work His Marriage and His Ministry in Eur0pe His Ministry in Jacksonville and Chicago as Educator, Religious Leader, and Social Reformer Summary THE CHICAGO SUNDAY EVENING CLUB: ITS ORIGIN, GROWTH AND MSE PW STATLJS I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Organization Objectives and Purpose Program Growth and Develoyment Image Summary THREE SEASONS OF THE CHICAGO SUNDAY EVENING CLUB EROGRAM: 1913—1h, 1953—5h, AND 1963-6h . . . . . . . 1913-1h The Status of the Club Events of the Season The Schedule of Speakers and Tepics 1953-5A The Status of the Club Events of the Season The Schedule of Speakers and TOpics iv ii vi vii viii 37 128 ..,_ \— 0.5. . ... ~‘r0‘ru... I ‘V “a. v.ub._‘_,_ r .\/_ . r" l‘ l . . Q's. - aw- ”. -.-v a H A... “\h .. —‘ ,-. ..fl .‘ . r .. un-u\.u .. \ pw ‘ R- “ 4.... ...-.h ‘9 ".' I‘I'q"a,~ -.— "0 'I n .. '4._ lb‘ '0‘ W.“Ll \ *‘1 r.“ 'I _‘ . 1.... . . “ -4“ “a, yshqu " A.h~ "ihwy :, .. (1,?" . ‘ ’ .-‘Vl ‘ ‘4 ‘8 du‘ H“ 35““: l a ‘ 5“..- U...“ ‘ fin ’ I‘v‘ ‘ N‘bt :rffi', Y? ‘V "Um | i' H . .1 p O FH“.‘L‘\\JID b. ') C:_7 ‘ Hr.” T .-....‘nd ‘“‘-‘l~ '3 A ...“: “at: z " t .3 I ‘L¥ h'Gas " I . . T '\ . h k ‘?- 0‘. . VQV‘: 5. _~ ,. .) ‘ A; ”r. ‘ s .“.7-.“" U ... ‘ 5 § ,-_ ‘5. ._. “3‘? 'L‘ivL' T- \ JK ‘ h A| a \ H~ K." r I K “3:“. ‘V ... r M. \p ‘ . \ "' u d 2 “a Va} _ ..A‘ ‘. . \l‘U‘ L s ,_ \ .."\ Chapter III. VI. VII. VIII. IUWENDIX Continued 1963—6u The Status of the Club Events of the Season The Schedule of Speakers and Toyics PART II AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENT OF SERMONS PREACHED DURING THE 1913—Ih, 1353—5h, Ah; 1963-6h SEASONS OF THE CHICAGO SUNDAY EVENING CLUB: NATURE, PURPOSE AND FIRSTPROCEDURES................. Nature and Purpose of the Analysis First Procedures in Making the Analysis ANALYSIS OF SERMONS FOR DISTINCTIVELY CHRISTIAN CHARACERISTICES C C O O O O C C O O O O O C O O O The Categories The Analysis ANALYSIS OF SERMONS FOR RELEVANCE . . . . . . . . . The Categories The Analysis ANALYSIS OF SERMONS FOR CLARITY IN COMMUNICATION . . Tne Categories The Analysis CONCLLIS lot; 0 O O O O O O I 0 O C O O O O O O O O O 0 Summary Evaluation Suggestions for Further Research B IBLIOGRA PM o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 2l5 268 30:4 I 338 10. ll. 12. 13. 1h. 15. LIST OF TABLES A Rank-order List of the Names for Christ . . . . . . . A Rank-order List of References to the Life of Christ . A Rank-order List of Biblical Examples and Illustrations O I I O O O O O 0 I O O O I O O O O O O A Rank-order List of the Teachings of Christ . . . . . A Rank-order List of Christian Precepts or Axioms . . . A Rank-order List of Christian Precepts or Axioms (Combined Seasons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elements of the Kerygma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Current Events Cited in Sermons . . . . . . . . . . . . Current Issues Cited in Sermons . . . . . . . . . . . . Auioms Challenged O O O O I O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 "Critical" Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Critical" Words Used and Defined . . . . . . . . . . . Distribution and Frequency of Occurrence of Units Which Indicate Distinctive Christian Characteristics in Sermons Preached During the 1913—1h, 1953-5h, and 1.963“ 6h seasons 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 Distribution and Frequency of Occurrence of Units Jhich Indicate Relevance in Sermons Preached During the 1913-Ih, 1953-5h, and 1063-6h Seasons . . . . . . . . Distribution and Frequency of Occurrence of "Critical" Words, and Per Cent of Sermons in Which "Critical" Horde Were "Defined" in Sermons Preached During the 1913-lh, 1953-5h, and l963-6h Seasons . . . . . . vi Page 239 2A2 2A6 250 257 326 Form 1 Form 2 Form 3 Form A Form 5 vii LIST OF FORMS fr, ‘ 'M. R, ‘ .‘ 1" ‘ we Egan-‘3‘ 13‘ n . ”‘1‘“ "“‘i 33.38%, ‘ -A \- U . . " -‘Y v a,“ "Rflt‘-P| 2‘ ..l. “uneqhnfi ‘UJ V. . nugwq‘ngg " “A _ "W“, D‘ . ‘ - r‘ ‘. . o. .... -¢-4‘.., an“ L "'.:' . l"‘n ‘ I Afifih‘lc ‘ “H" 1:1. ‘1.) V ’Y'. y s. Ahe‘e A 93?; k .4 v. a a- ‘.. K. g gr I 5' hr { ‘.“r'.: q “\ NP‘-‘ v -\‘ r \ i. “~“J ‘ l 4:. 5"- . ‘ 1 ‘4“: Q.‘ ‘\“‘-. . ~‘ A ~\,“‘T“A- ‘. “ My“, u; t . , (‘-:\ .0 J. :;L\9* . ~‘ “ A ’ ’x INTRODUCTION Purpose and Nature of the Study The general purpose of this study is to contribute to the con- tinuing analysis, and evaluation of preaching as a distinctive form of oral communication or Speech. Its particular concern is with contem- porary preaching as represented by a unique American preaching insti- tution--The Chicago Sunday Evening Club. The study seeks to accomplish its objectives through (1) reporting historical and descriptive data of the Club, and (2) analyzing and evaluating the content of a selected number of sermons preached at its services. Justification for the Study gustification for the Study of Preaching in General According to the Yearbook of American Churches: 1. There are 397,05l practicing clergymen in the United States. 2. Forty-séx percent of the American pOpulation attend church. lBenson Y. Landis (ed), Yearbook of American Churches (33rd issue, annual edition for 1965; New York: Office of Publication and Distribution, National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America),p. 25h. 2Ibid., p. 283. viii . -. o , rd. J. J . ‘5'“ . ..4“ .._.‘ ~ . Ht. 1‘ ix 3. The estimate? population of the United States is 189,73h,000. ’ This could mean that from week to week more than 397,000 new sermons are prepared and delivered and more than R6,000,000 peOple hear at least one of them every seven days. Discount these figures by 20% for clergymen who do not preach every week and peOple who do not attend church "faithfully," and still the sheer weight of numbers in terms of regular occurrence of this type of oral communication justifies a continuing analysis and evaluation. A sampling of the literature on preaching since 1960 reveals a critical concern for the place and purpose of preaching in the contem- porary scene. In the Protestant Pulpit.-- In every decade the problems of preaching must be taken up and discussed anew. Indeed there is an inevitability about this periodic diagnosis, because the Protestant Church by its very nature and genius engages constantly in two simultaneous Operations: re-examining itself in the light of Holy Scrip- ture and measuring its health by its impact upon the mores of the times. And since preaching is one of the Church's most distinctive acts, the second part of this process of evaluation can not fail to include it. It is more than a clever aphorism to say that as goes preaching, so goes the church. Every preacher who does not get his sermons from a book wants to put them into one. This guarantees an unfailing stream of sermonic literature, but it hardly accounts for the flood level of current books on preaching. The unSpec- tacular work of the pulpit is exciting remarkable interest 3Ibid., p. 281. 1‘Latest figures are for 1963. 5Donald Macleod, Word and Sacrament: a preface to Preaching Eflggfisgg§h$p (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall,IEC., 1960), p. 3- A" II! in a perverse age f jitters and yawns, when peOple may look, but seldom listen. Ever since the Reformation put new emphasis upon the authority of Scripture, the pulpit has been the pride of Protestantism. Nowhere has this pride been more evident than in the U.S., where sermon-centered churches . . . flourished with the conquest of the frontier. . . . Even today, the Protestant congregation's first question about a new minister for its church is likely to be: "Is he a good preacher?" Good or bad, today's minister is sure to be a different preacher from the ones his father heard. Like the U.S. itself, the sermon is in permanent revolution. To meet the challenge of the SOphisticated congregation that wants its message fast, straight and sensible, . . . preachers have changed the content of their sermons as well as their style. In Roman Catholic Renewal.--Reporting on a recent meeting of the Catholic Homiletic Society, William D. Thompson writes: Dedication to the renewal of biblical preaching drew more than 100 Roman Catholic priests to Boston recently for the seventh convention in the six-year history of the Catholic Homiletic Society. . . . Fr. Joseph Connors, Divine Word priest who founded the movement in 1958 and who has Just moved from president to executive secretary, sees the 385 member society as repre- senting a still early stage in a burgeoning revival of Catholic preaching that began in 1936 with the publication of Fr. Joseph Jungmann's The Good News and the Proclamation of the Faith. Part of the eXplanation for the strong state- ments on preaching in Vatican II's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy appears to many Catholic clergy to be in the vigor of the society and its counterparts in France and Germany. . . . Along with demonstrations of teaching techniques and an inspirational address by Richard Cardinal Cushing, members heard papers on "The Second Vatican Council and Homiletic Renewal," "The Homily as an Integral Part of the Mass," and "The Role of the Preacher as Exegete."' 6Edmund P. Clowney, Preaching and Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1961), p. 9. 7"The Changing Sermon," Time, March 16, 1962: 9- 70° C 8William D. Thompson, "For Catholic Pulpit Renewal," The JiLstian Century, May 13, 1961;, p. 61.1.. L ‘R ‘v xi In the Liturgical Revival.-- The remarkable growth in all the churches of interest in ”liturgical revival," or "renewal," has within it an enlarging interest in Biblical preaching and in the relation of the ministry of the Word to the ministry of the sacraments. This interest is not confined to Protestant churches nor to any one country. In the Concerns of ContemporaryTheolggy.-- These biblical studies have influenced contemporary theOIOgy, but it is no less true that theological interest in preaching has spurred and patterned investigation of the kggygmg in Scripture. H. H. Farmer has stated that the most central trends of contemporary theology may be defined as "the rediscovery of the significanuaof preaching." Barth's "theology of the Word" has develOped in connection with his anxiety about preaching, and is centered upon "church proc- lamation" in sermon and sacrament. The movement he re re- sents has therefore been called "kerygmatic theology." O _In the Contemporary American "Ethos."-- Little fresh can profitably be said about preaching as an art, but the examination of the question, Why preach at all today? will reveal that an age-old discipline needs re- examination. The question must, for us, be asked particularly in the form of the American ethos. The unexamined and often unrealized basic assumptions of the modern American seem, as they meet us every day, remote in the extreme from any basis of motiva- tion congenial to the Christian goSpel and way of life. This is becoming increasingly true far beyond America as Western industrialism Spreads to Africa and the East. An entirely new situation obtains for which there is little precedent to be found in history or any previous culture. The means of communication that have been develOped, the uses to which they are put, the effect they are having in scepe and depth, and the ends for which they might be used constitute not only a problem.for the success of preaching but also an actual threat to the whole undertaking of which preaching is the excessive part. 9Char1es w. F. Smith, Biblical Authoritj for Modern Preaching (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960}, p. 21. loClowney, op. cit., p. 21. xii The preaching of sermons as generally conceived involves a minister ordained by his church to preach, standing before a congregation and delivering to it a Spoken discourse as part of a service of worship. In this process the preacher Speaks without interruption or immediate comment from his audience upon a theme about which it has not been consulted. No check is made, as a rule, upon his selection of subject or upon the effectiveness with which he performs what appears to be SXpected of him beyond the freedom of peOple (in the Protestant churches) to absent themselves. This they do in large numbers. Those who attend are usually in some sense "members" of the church involved and provide the means whereby the preacher is free to devote his time to the functions of his ministry, however these functions may be conceived. The implication is that a kind of authority is inherent in the function of the minister in the pulpit that he takes for granted as justifying his right to Speak unchallenged. This inherent authority his hearers appear to accept without protest. It is really an odd undertaking in the modern world. The question is, Does it fit, and can it, or should it, survive? The kind of communication involved appears from modern studies to be wasteful because ineffective.l In the prelude to his book Heralds of the GOSpel, A. Skevington Wood tells of a play written by Winifred Holtby in which Fenelon, the celebrated French preacher is talking to Anthony, a young intellectual: Fenelon gravely eXplains that he is visiting England to collect material for his little work on "The Future of the Pulpit." Anthony is vastly amused at the idea of such a sub- ject. "Alas, my poor Archbishop," he exclaims, "you come too late! The pulpit has a past now, but no future." That represents the opinion of many today. They regard the pulpit as possessing antiquarian value only. Preaching they consider to be an outmoded form of address. With BishOp Hensley Henson they would regard it as one of those social forces which have now Spent themselves. The preacher is looked upon as a curious survival from a bygone age, as out of place in the modern world of astronauts and atomic scien- tists, as a visitor from Ancient Egypt. The pulpit is not so much maligned as ignored. One hears much these days about a crisis in the pulpit. Sometimes signs of this crisis come from ministers and 11Smith, 02. cit., pp. ll-lh. M 12A. Skevington Wood, Heralds of the Gospel (London: Marshall, Owner: zand Scott, 1963), pp- 7, 8- "n. . ‘ ‘ .q'vrv- v'qerln‘ i ELLA." {a v. v . ...-mu. .3. -P. , ‘ [ Ib'a~~..A’. H ‘_ ~1.. ‘ v n l l r'v’ - n s... :— we an”. . i l “"-O~~o' .‘. ‘Y‘ ‘:-~.: nu I‘vC-nLaL‘ A "‘1 r r‘.‘ r ‘ I‘ .- ‘-:-.CL“.4. ”at J "1 5"!“ Clgvt ‘ .' §. ‘ IJ "v “u“‘ C 0 fl. Arnin} [~_""~. M ‘w-wu. -3 ....- ‘vuu. \ ‘ . ‘" ".3 amp...) . ., In ”A. . I ..- ‘11:}-.I‘." " ‘U ...: _'.QMS “A ;' . ‘- ~'v‘ : .- I-éw be} ‘4‘-5Lt v ‘ s ”a FW “"1; «but, stun U. 5“; Li., J. v ' Vb“‘-‘ i In ' b: ., .-‘. . “ a K“ ‘ ~. C33; h- ’- a ‘\ Ll- ~ “~‘ IV. 1.1- r i . 5 ‘\‘~ ‘2 “g‘. :1“; 9'3)- .MV“ ‘ Q a. . ' l . N_ l r e5. . \ . C . - A. . ‘ . . ' x, ~r‘. “‘ ‘ ,.‘ a-.. i’ ‘ - K. ‘ ‘ "I -. . a - . . .‘ ‘ ~ ‘A. xiii seminary professors who wonder aloud and in print whether preaching has not gone out of date. They seriously doubt whether sermons are effective in this latter half of the twentieth century. They commend their doubts to others by declaring that sermons these days are generally irrelevant and exert little leverage on the problems of modern life. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I The church cannot afford simply to brush aside this derogation of the modern pulpit and return to stroking its comfortable assumptions that all is well. For it is unfortunately true that the pulpit toda§ is one of the weakest places in the life of the Church.1 In the light of this crisis in preaching, it might again be said that continued analysis and evaluation is very much needed. Justification for the Study of the Sunday Evening Club An historical-analytical study of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club is justified because of: 1. Its uniqueness as an ecumenical ministry that, as far as can be determined, has never been critically examined in a study such as this. From the time of its origin in 1908, the word "unique" seems to have been a hallmark of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club. An article by Walter H. Dodge in The Saturday Times of 1909 carries the headline, "The Chicago Sunday Evening Club - A Unique Reli- gioustovement in the Business Center of the City, . . ."lh Edgar T. Cutter, manager of the Associated Press, in a letter - t0 Mr. Clifford Webster Barnes (founder of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club) in 192k said, "I consider the Club unique, and I am glad to send k h. 13"Crisis in the Pulpit," Christianity Today, June h, 1965, p°2 o . llWallace H. Dodge, "The Chicago Sunday Evening Club," The Elegday Times, October 2, 1909. .L.‘ 1:)“: ‘u‘: ‘i‘i’.’ .. ...oiovls V6 H. C ‘0 v n 1!. u-q ’ .. w 'II)‘. ‘ . .. . nw wn-g-¢w a" a '- ..-uv:u.e “3“, Iirraoi.a “0“ 7‘?“- ‘It' van—r JG». t-d‘-‘ ‘ f D ...”. M ‘ 'I'£.. "I. . - a ‘ cu». " ‘- 1. D " V “41‘ I: ‘ -s .: 1 .5? t.. . 'c u v u ‘ } u. f‘f‘f s. a ..;t Ir: I. ‘ . . ‘ ‘cs :C's‘.v -‘dIC :‘- ‘. .9‘. ..“;H~‘P §" “ 5st ti". ta . rq‘ ‘0‘ “ I ‘v—C- . p . ‘IA . .Qr \ ‘\. .. :n ‘ A‘ ‘;A H,‘ » ~‘ .I_ A . i '. u " ~ . C ‘ -. H. 1. ‘. ‘sa.x i “I .. \.‘~ .‘\ I I 5 .v ”a ‘ I ‘ ...»: -- ‘N xiv out in our mail service a story telling of big business interests in this religious work. As a native Chicagoan I am particularly inter- ested."15 Writing for radio station KYW in 1929, W. J. Wetherbee said, "From Orchestra Hall, in Chicago, we have broadcast the Speeches of many other nationally and internationally famous men, Speaking under the auSpices of the Sunday Evening Club. The club is a unique organi- zation, being a down-town church service that is entirely undenomina— tional."l6 The April, 19h9 issue of This Veek in Chicago reported, "Some forty years ago when the Chicago Sunday Evening Club was first estab— lished, it was an organization unique in the United States."17 The Christian Advocate of March 19, 1953 carried an article by Alton Motter which said; "The secret of this unique program is twofold: first, the vision of its founder, who served as its first president until his death in l9hh; second, the continued belief of the city's tmsinessmen that religion - as well as modern streets and new park- 18 ways - helps to make a city strong and great. R 15General Report filed with the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, January 25, 192A, Chicago Sunday Evening Club (in the files of the Club). 16W. J. Wetherbee, "Good Evening, Everybody! This is Station KYW," The American Magazine XCVII (March 192%) p. 208. _ ’ 3 ’ 17"The Sunday Evening Club," This Week in Chicago, April: l9h9° 18Alton M. Motter, "Sunday Evening in Chicago,” The Christian .flflfizzzgg, March 19, 1953. v u a r n r_ a O , .) t-A - .I/ uh- v ‘cv‘...l,_'. "» .' L -"'~a-3w... . vh.\-‘a {, .ifrxy'm- "r- we... “a. u “- —¢ h xv In 1955 the "Voice of America" informed the world of, . . . an organization in Chicago that is . . . unique to Chicago--differentiates it from other large American cities."19 And again in 196h, Lloyd J. Averill Speaking in Orchestra Hall Opened his sermon with the words, "Thank you Mister Hanson. I'm de- lighted again to share in this wholly unique ministry of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club."20 2. Its schedule of Speakers, year after year, represents what many consider to be the best in American preaching. For nearly a half-century [ this was written in 195247, the outstanding religious Speakers of the world have added their voices to this oldest and most significant Sunday night meeting where in the words of The Pulpit magazine, "sooner or later every great preacher is heard.W A glimpse at a partial list of the preachers who have appeared before this distinguished religious forum of the Mid- west (in addition to those whose names appear in this volume) reflects the fact that they are among those who helped to shape the religious climate of our century: Russell H. Conwell, Henry Van Dyke, Charles R. Brown, S. Parkes Cadman, Charles E. Jefferson, Frank H. Gunsaulus, Newell Dwight Hillis, William Spurgeon, Hugh Black, Walter Rauschenbusch, Rufus M. Jones, Albert W. Beaven, Edwin H. Hughes, C. Campbell Morgan, Stephen S. Wise, Lloyd C. Douglas, Joseph Fort Newton, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Ernest Fremont Tittle, Peter Marshall, Henry Sloane Coffin, Sherwood Eddy, Willard L. Sperry, w. Russell Bowie, John Haynes Holmes, Halford E. Luccock, Francis J. 19Part of a quotation taken from a broadcast of the Voice of America, May 17, 1955 (in the files of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club). 20Lloyd J. Averill, "Professing What We Believe, and Believing What We Profess," (from the author's personal c0py of a tape recording Of65318 sermon preached at the Chicago Sunday Evening Club, January l9, l9 . 21This list would consist of Elton Trueblood, Angus Dun, Edwm T. Dahlberg, Melvin A. Hammarberg, Frank c. Laubach, Otto P. Kretznuann, Harold Cooke Phillips, Henry Hitt Crane, Conrad Bergendoff, Ralph Sockman, Martin Niemoeller, Liston POpe, G. Bromley Oxnam, Benjamin E. Mays, William G. Lorenz. xvi McConnell, Albert W. Palmer, Edgar DeWitt Jones, Charles M. Sheldon, William Temple, Cyril Forster Garbett, Mordecai Johnson, E. Stanley Jones, Luther W. Weigle, Joseph R. 81200, Paul E. Scherer, Albert E. Day, Allen Knight Chalmers, George A. Buttrick, Oscar F. Blackwelder, Emil Brunner, Reinhold Niebuhr, Henry F. Van Dusen, Howard Thurman, Robert J. 1cCracken, Edwin McNeill Poteat, Richard P. Raines, Franklin Clark Fry, Henry Knox Sherrill, Roy L. Smith, 0. Frederick Nolde and Harold A. Bosley. . . . To these prOphetic voices must be added the names of great laymen whose Christian influence has also left its imprint upon large portions of our world: Edwin Markham, Booker T. Washington, Jane Adams, Eva Booth, William Jennings Bryan, Robert E. Spear, John R. Mott, Wilfred T. Grenfell, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Cordell Hull, Lyman Abbott, William Lyon Phelps, Harper Sibley, Francis B. Sayre, T. Z. Koo, Walter Judd, Douglas V. Steereé Norman J. Makin, Charles P. Taft, and Luther W. Youngdahl. 3. Its successful Operation over a period of 57 years as a Inbgram_which features preaching in the dominant role--continuing with- out interruption even in recent years when many churches in the larger cities have discontinued Sunday evening preaching services for lack of interest and attendance. Source Materials Used in the Study Source materials for the historical and descriptive portions of tin: study are drawn largely from the files and records of the Chicago Sunday'Evening Club. Those considered primary consist of: (l) A com- plete file of printed programs and data on Speakers, (2) correSpondence 0f Officers and personnel of the Club, (3) a complete set of the min- Utes <3f the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Committee, (A) the unpublished reminiscences of Clifford W. Barnes, (5) contacts and iateififjmewS'with officers and personnel of the Club, (6) personal \ Hap 22A1ton M. Motter (ed.), Sunday Evening Sermons (New York: 1x21? 81nd Brothers, 1952), pp. 13, 1h. \v‘ 4 ..t... y...p ‘ V l V y‘- ‘ ...»;u. “'vh .Ju-n 4. auto: -: I. n ‘V’\ ‘1»: .- .V'." l“ D‘ J.“ ..IL An A I- ....‘a. rn‘ '6.'3‘ H“ .a mfi .3,h~. d . , u . v- t ‘ A '9 ..- f. “V ‘- £1-15. » "by . .v > :‘pn '0‘..* " $044 '35 1 (’1 v..." , v fia.‘~_ . _ _u..-. “(Hurt Hy " b -q C |-'. H. V '1 r. V'p.‘ . . .....kuai “TREE-rug U "‘2... ‘ .h, ':; ,:.' v.1 ~~ \. ‘ a..“. l q I ‘su.‘.""‘i 'n. n — V '- .39 ‘ V A I ‘ In and g‘ :8” A'- x ‘1‘. a.“ g "'b“:.» n‘" 'Q‘; “‘.. "Ju "';:_f‘~ I ."“G“ 1— a u a... ‘ a fun: -. Vd_~-:‘,- l M“: 5-, ‘.' 'c ‘A‘ ‘ \ . 4 -: ‘x‘ ,"~ ‘V'u . .‘l \ .’4’ h -. H‘ . -1- ... ‘~ \ “_ f“: . ‘ 1 ,u .Q ’1 \ 67“ fl \ “WI 3| \“ a" M pi». ”Vb RF; ‘L‘~ . ,. ‘. \ \. . . In " xvii contact with each of the Speakers for the 1963-6u season, and (7) fre- quent attendance at the Sunday evening services including one entire series of prOgrams during the l963-6h season to get the "feel" of the program and gather "on the Spot" data. A most valuable body of materials that contain both primary and secondary sources is a set of scrapbooks kept by the Club containing printed notices, periodical articles, newSpaper clippings, and public relations brochures. Other secondary sources consist of the intro- ductory sections to two books of sermons produced by the Sunday Evening (Hub--Sunday Evening Sermons,23 and Great Preaching Today edited by Alton M. Motter.2h For that part of the study dealing with the analysis and evalu- ation of sermons, the following primary sources are used: (1) A c0py of each sermon preached during the l963-6h season. (2) A COpy of all but two of the sermons preached during the l953-5h season. (3) A reconstruction of the sermons for the 1913-lh season made from articles appearing in four Chicago newspapers: The Chicago Daily Tribune, the BECOrd-Herald, the Inter-Ocean, and the Examiner. (h) CorreSpondence Eflui consultation with Merrill R. Abbey relative to a portion of his EKKflC, Preaching to the Contemporary Mind.25 Secondary sources for this portion of the study may be enumerated as: (1) Source books and ‘_ 23Ib1d., pp. 9-17. H 2kAlton M. Motter (ed.), Great Preaching Today (New York: arPe-P and Brothers, 1955). er 25Merrill R. Abbey, Preaching to the Contemporary Mind (New ‘k: Ikbingdon Press, 1963). aJ!II==a___ xviii Sunday Evening Club files for "background" materials on the preachers whose sermons are used. (2) Books and periodical articles having to do with content analysis. (3) Books and periodical articles on the subject of Preaching and Homiletical Theory. Limitations Imposed upon the Study In preparing the historical and descriptive portions of this study, there was a strong temptation to be too comprehensive. his was due to the fact that a wealth of material is available and yet nothing seems to have ever been dene to publish either a history of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club, one of America's most unique religious institutions, or a biography 0° Clifford W. Barnes, its founder and guiding Spirit. To better serve the purpose of this Study, however, smmzlimitation and condensation was necessary. Sermons selected for analysis are those preached during the l963-6h, l953-5h, and l9l3-1h seasons which were separated by intervals of ten, forty, and fifty years. This selection was prompted by Donald Macleod's suggestion that, "in every decade the problems of preaching 26 must be taken up and discussed anew." Limitations are also imposed upon the categories used for pur- Poses of content analysis. While this is explained more in detail later in the study, here it may be stated that the major questions and categories are determined by the evaluation the Club makes of itself aSaninstitution, its Speakers, and the sermons preached from its PUlpit. g .Based upon this "image" the analysis asks three questions of ESee quotation from Macleod, p. 2. xix each sermon: (1) To what extent is it distinctively Christian? (2) To what extent is it really relevant? (3) To what extent does it "communi- cate" its message--are "critical" words clearly "defined?" The termi- nology here is borrowed somewhat from a statement made by Harold Brack in an article reviewing recent literature on Homiletics and Preaching publishing in a l96h issue of Quarterly Journal of Speech, "Contemporary preaching is determined to Speak a saving word to this age by . . . Incoming truly Biblical, radically relevant, and genuinely communi- cative."27 Organization of the Study The study is divided into two parts. Part I contains those chapters which report the history and describe the function of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club. It is designed to give background and basis for the analysis of sermons reported in Part II. Chapter I is a short biOgraphy of Clifford Webster Barnes, founder and for many years "pastor" of the Club. Those events in Barnes' early life are related which Show why he was prompted to be- come a minister. The account then proceeds to trace through the early Neale of his ministry the episodes and eXperiences that were to prompt hinlih the prime of his life to launch this "unique" religious insti- 'hxtion. It took an unusual man to begin this unusual program. Chapter I intends to Show how, "the secret of this unique program . . . [:lies 2 19;? the vision of its founder." 8 k I 27Haroid A. Brack, "Homiletics, " in "New Books in Review," by “We E. Brockriede uarterly Journal of Speech, L (April, 1961+), p. 188. ’ 28Motter, "Sunday Evening in Chicago," 0p. cit. XX Chapter II is the story of the Sunday Evening Club. It tells of its beginning, its growth and success through many prOSperous years, and its present status as a "national pulp t." This account highlights the unique and distinctive character of the Club, producing documentary evidence to Show what it anticipates and eXpects from its program and its preaching. From this the major questions and categories are drawn by which the content of sermons is analyzed. Chapter III contains the schedule of Speakers and togics for each of the three seasons being studied. This schedule includes: (1) A statement as to the status of the Club during each season indi- cating, for instance, where it stands with reSpect to its development tum.growth as outlined in Chapter II, (2) a brief summary of world events for each season to provide historical perSpective and give con- textual background for the sermons, (3) biographical data for each Speaker which provide for a consideration of his "ethos"--his competence and qualifications as a religious Spokesman, and (h) the title and a brief abstract of each sermon. Part II is that division of the study in which the content of the sermons abstracted in Chapter III are analyzed and evaluated in keeping with the objectives and "image" of the Club as outlined at the Close of Chapter II. Chapter IV defines the nature and purpose of the analysis, and exPlains the procedures followed in acquiring sermon texts, in selecting the number of sermons to be used, in numbering the sermons, and in deteI'mining the major questions or points of inquiry to be used in the analysis. ~ --~‘3I ’u . ...3,h~‘ ‘ o . n O :4: \v""“ :gv- ... . ,— ‘J~‘-...A‘ hllv ! w . a u u n-o-pt r") 09‘; ~44 ..‘.uuu'~ .— th ' ‘l u -. I . n.A.~..: ., "W‘ A- . annub‘u‘lw“ 0...- .1 I . . - f; :-: 9“ 31‘" f- Id.'_... 1v. «'J... v. a. ‘ _. 'gv an 7‘ ' t '0‘. .«A C . .... ”a: ., I. r. O- . a“ ---.~.u ~“e cs 3 h! ---A .. n 3’ g . V, 1 'h 9 r- u. ...,C; 2‘“: ‘z‘: ‘n "r“. ‘ . -I, ' ‘ .. “ .."‘" heie‘fih't ‘I-- I .,~.-.. g ‘ "-“‘ 3r J'flr -' n"V . r ‘ V-‘vtn u ~. ' a ..3‘ VIY' ” ‘u w. n, ’ “33-4.. \'-‘ . PD . I It t.‘ 6.: y hi .2‘ Ra . - , 1‘ :“"\r-““ . .. "" Y."‘w2 4 C U q... '."\ ‘v‘. A a. ‘ ¢ f.” d “the ah. w r.- . “u:.:0r ‘!r A V. I ‘ Ix., ‘4“ H \ V ~ra 0: "- a. :. ,'. I N‘ “n ;« V‘i§ ‘ \. ~ ‘4 l 4“". A . I 'v ‘ 1-“ I ;"Q‘ .. r h n b \-_‘ "k, ‘ \ A PH“ ‘~c f», ‘ _ ‘ '1‘ v'Jy. @- “'fl ‘ L4.“ 1, ‘0‘ ‘9 >.' I‘u': ‘5, ~‘ xxi Chapter V reports the selection of the categories to be used in analyzing the sermons in terms of the first major question: To what extent are the sermons preached at the Chicago Sunday Evening Club distinctively Christian? The chapter also reports the findings of the analysis for each of the categories. Chapter VI reports the selection of the categories to be used in analyzing the sermons in terms of the second major question: To what extent are the sermons preached at the Chicago Sunday Evening Club really relevant? The chapter also reports the findings of the analysis for each of the categories. Chapter VII reports the selection of the categories to be used in analyzing the sermons in terms of the third major question: To what extent do the sermons clearly "communicate" their message--are "critical"?9 words clearly "defined"?30 The chapter also reports the findings of the analysis for each of the categories. Chapter VIII brings the study to a close. It contains: (1) A summary of the findings of the analysis for all of the categories in each of the three seasons, l913-lh, 1953-5h, and l?63-6h, (2) the evaluation of these findinss, and (3) su gestions for further research. ¥ 29Words of a critical nature in terms of their peculiar Chris— Elan (theological) meaning, such as "sin," "salvation," "grace,” faith," "resurrection," etc., (see Chapter VII, pp. 315 and 317). 3ODefined, not in the general sense, but Biblicaily or theo- logically. PART I CHAPTER I CLIFFORD w. BARNES, FOUNDER OF THE CHICAGO SUNDAY EVENING CLUBl Like most institutions, this program is the projection of a great personality. That personality was Clifford Webster Barnes. For this reason, the first chapter in the story of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club must be his chapter.‘ It is best divided into six parts: (1) his birth and early childhood; (2) his call to the ministry; ( 3) his training for the ministry; (h) his ministry in teaching and social work; (5) his marriage and his ministry in EurOpe, and (6) his ministry in Jacksonville and Chicago, Illinois as educator, religious leader, and social reformer. His Birth and Early Childhood Clifford Webster Barnes was born October 8, 186h in Correy, Pennsylvania. His father, Joseph Barnes, had been in business in Buffalo, New York, but following a term of service in the Navy during the Civil War, moved to Correy to join his brother in an oil field SUDPly business. His mother, Anna Webster, a native of Buffalo, New ‘— H C 1Based upon an unpublished manuscript, "Reminiscences, by lifford w. Barnes (from the files of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club). Ad 2Alton M. Matter, "Sunday Evening in Chicago," The Christian 4%, March 19, 1953. York, was a granddaughter of one, Daniel Webster, who bore the same name as his first cousin--the great American statesman and orator.3 Both parents were active in the local Baptist Church. Joseph was superintendent of the Sunday School and led the singing, while his wife, who was an excellent musician, played the organ, helped with the choir, and taught a Sunday School class. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that among Clifford's earliest recollections of home life was the hour of morning worship. My father read a passage from the Bible and then, as we knelt, offered a simple prayer, thanking God for our many blessingsa and asking help to live through the day as He would have us. Indicative of Clifford's natural sensitivity to things of the Spirit is this episode from the time of his boyhood: Our faces were soon bruised, our lips bleeding, and the other lads were cheering us on. When at length my Opponent turned and fled, I left the cheering crowd and went home, feeling sick at heart and very wicked. I did not enter the house, but went out to the barn, climbed the ladder to the hay loft, and there, filled with sorrow and repentance for my awful deed, I knelt down and asked God to forgive me, to please stOp being angry, and to love me again. As I offered my prayer and made my confession on the dirty floor of the hayloft, I felt a flood of joy suddenly fill my heart, and I knew that God had granted my request. His Call to the Ministry With such a religious background and Spiritual aptitude as Clifford had, one might think of him as "born to the ministry"--as a \_ 3From an interview with Lilace Reid Barnes, daughter and sole 8“rV’ivor of Alice Reid and Clifford Webster Barnes. f l‘Clifford W. Barnes, "Reminiscences," l9h2-h3, (unpublished, ITXH the files of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club), p. 2. SIbid., p. 3. o... '- boy who has always wanted to be a preacher. In reality, however, it was not quite that way, for there was a period in his life when he was actually anticlerical. For instance: During his younger days be frequently accompanied his mother on visits to her home in Buffalo. While there he enjoyed the comforts and spacious grandeur of the family estate and found special pleasure in the companionship and attention of his grandfather. Granddad had cnmer interests, however, which greatly annoyed little Clifford. One of these was an interest in the Rochester Theological Seminary. Since the old brick family mansion was a spacious building, kw grandfather's invitation it became a "stOpping place" for distin- guished members of the seminary faculty and students. Of this Barnes wrote: When these guests took up their residence in the old home during my short visits, it annoyed me greatly. My grandfather would then have less time to walk around with me and tell me interesting stories; at the table, instead of chatting with me, he would talk with these strangers, and the situation was altogether so trying that I came to have the feeling of real hostility towards all members of the theological profes- sion. As a result of this eXperience, I decided, very early in life, that tever I did in the years to come I would not be a minister. Some years later the Barnes family moved to Buffalo. As in Correy, they became prominent members of the Church, and here in this church Clifford was confronted with one of the great decisions of his life. The pastor of the church customarily held meetings in the earlJ'part of the year at which time the young peOple who had become \ 6Ibid. , p. 1+. .J'.“ “,.§ ‘ . “a? If?! .S'itec ‘ g5 Hi attended {85' 222:. But be had 5 asecret conviction terand this re did 1 :1: attitude soften-5 2.3:; with the six? Lianaister. Em Clifford llfrzz‘etion with 6. 131333 I Suggests 1 .31 3.9 ‘ :‘f‘lh. "Q to do’ n'? “6 ~_ U tug 3““ ‘. ' «.5194: “11‘s: ~‘- lfiugl :‘i of age were invited to Join the church. Because young Clifford was of age and attended regularly with the family, he was urged to become a member. But he had a serious problem. He wanted to Join, but he had a secret conviction that if he did so he would have to become a minis- ter and this he did not want to do. However, with the passing of time this attitude softened somewhat, for two years later he Joined the church with the simple reservation that "if God called" he would be- come a minister. But Clifford's life was not all "sweetness and light" and confrontation with divine imperative. He was quite human, with all that that suggests in temperament and disposition. As already indi- cated, he was perfectly capable of being competitive and belligerent. He attributed this to the fact that he was born during a howling blizzard so severe that visibility was almost zero. One day during the latter part of his high school training, whale walking home from his class in military drill, a group of young ruffians about his age taunted and made fun of his uniform. This indignity was not to be allowed1--not because of his personal pride alone, but because his uniform represented the government which he had sworn to defend. When the battle was over, Clifford walked on home completely vindicated! Throughout life, Clifford Barnes was not one to run from the field. He was always as ready to defend principle as he was the honor of a military uniform, but the nature of the conflict and the weapons used were not to be of the fist or the sword. . I 6 But those days were yet to come. Meanwhile he must study dili- gently. His goal was to finish high school and then college in order to be ready for that "possible call to the ministry."7 Suddenly, life seemed to change completely through a sinister and entirely uneXpected turn of events. Clifford had develOped an interest in geology which led him upon occasion to the cliffs near Niagara Falls to look for Specimens. It was here that he was stricken one day with a sun stroke and for several weeks thereafter was under the doctor's care. Upon recovery he noticed that, while normal in other reSpects, he stammered badly when he became excited. This turned his class recitation eXperience in school from one of delight and enjoyment to one of fear and dread. How could he recite when he stammered so? When rest and relaxation failed to cure the difficulty he was convinced the impediment would be permanent. It was then that the thought occurred to him, "I can never be a preacher amd.must choose some other work in life."8 Thus he decided to become a doctor. For a time he served as assistant to his personal physician, but before long he entered ‘Buffalo Medical School, where he Spent two years, "performing weird tasks at the dissecting table, visiting patients in the hospital, and learning all that Gray's 'Materia Medica' contained."9 From all indications he was destined to be a success in this new profession. g 7Ibid., p. 5. 8Ibid., p. 6. 91bid., p. 7. But life was yet to take another turn. This began with an uneXpected move to California in lBRh. The move was made for two reasons: (1) his sister's health had not been good, and (2) his father had been asked to become president of a wholesale paper house in Los Angeles. In California, the Barnes family occupied a lovely home in a rural atmOSphere near Los Angeles. Horseback riding in the morning, regular exercise in the out-of-doors, the scenic beauty of his sur- roundings all conspired to restore Clifford to full health and physical fitness. To his surprise and delight his stemmering left him completely. But this proved to be a mixed blessing for now his conscience concerning the ministry began again to plague him. He felt he was letting his medical career stand in the way of "the more difficult and dreaded life of a minister."10 A crisis develOped when his pastor, a vigorous and enthusias- tic Baptist minister, scheduled one of his annual revival programs for which he always invited to his pulpit the most distinguished Clergyman it was possible to obtain. As a member of the choir, Young Clifford was present at each of the meetings. He was much impressed by the sincerity and earnestness of this guest evangelist, aOdat the close of the last meeting his soul was deeply troubled. That night he took the walk home alone, climbed an old haystack bfickof the cow barn, and sitting there in the moonlight after an ‘ lOIbid., p. 8. hour of thought and prayer, dedicated himself to the work of the Christian ministry.ll His Training for the Ministry Returning to school, he finished his college preparatory work, and in 1885 went to Berkeley, passed the entrance examinations, and became a freshman in the University of California. He worked hard that first year, getting up at 5 a.m., cooking a.small breakfast, and struggling with Greek which seemed to be his tuggeat hurdle. His efforts were rewarded when at the close of the year he placed first in the classics. Offered membership in three fraternities, he chose to join Beta Theta Pi which then ranked highest in scholastic achievement, producing for several years the class valedictorian. All was not work, however. Clifford made friends readily. This is demonstrated by the fact that although acquainted with few ‘peOple when he entered school he became president of the freshman Class. That same year he came to know Hiram Johnson, president of the SOphomore class and his Opponent in the freshman-SOphomore "rush." JOhnson, who later became U.S. Senator from California, represents one of Clifford's early contacts with prominent peOple which through the years was to prove one of his Special talents. Student activities multiplied. He played on the fraternity football team, organized a debating society of which he became presi- den.t,was a member of the College Glee Club, and took a leading part K 11Ibid., p. 8. in Christian student work. At the close of his freshman year he was chosen "Bourbon Burial Orator." This honor involved Speaking at a ceremony which celebrated final release from bondage to algebra. Through it all he never lost sight of his commitment and calling. Thus it was that he soon left Berkeley and went to Yale where he could complete his college work and move right into Divinity School without interruption. Yale gave him a kind and friendly reception. In a short time Barnes' special talents were winning him new friends and bringing him recognition from peeple with vision and influence. Work in the College YMCA city mission put him in touch with "Billy" Phelps, 'Tenny" Stagg, and a fine group of Yale's best men. Always active in student prOgrams, he had a way of inspiring confidence and trust such that the mantle of leadership was easily laid upon him. Before the close of the year he had been sent as Yale's representative to Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, and Vfllliams College, speaking at student conferences and making a study Of the work carried on by the undergraduate students in these univer- Sities. It was while doing this that he first met Robert E. Spear and John R. Mott, who were to become his lifelong friends. Daring this activity he also met the famous Chauncey Depew, an eXperience Which he considered a distinct and singular pleasure. About the time of his graduation from college, the firm of \nueh his father was president was forced into bankruptcy due to the fact that a'business partner had absconded with a large amount of ... up 10 money. Clifford decided it was time he became financially independent and wrote his father to send him no more money. Now he was on his own. How would he finance his divinity training? Earhaps the hand of God which had led thus far would con- tinue to Open the way for him. During his senior year he had taken a course in biblical literature from Dr. William Rainey Harper. That Spring, Dr. Harper suggested that Barnes Spend a few weeks at the Bible School which he conducted each summer at Chautauqua Lake. Being a member of the Yale Glee Club which was providing music for the Chautauqua Assembly that summer, and extremely fond of Dr. Harper, Barnes was inclined to accept the invitation with enthusiasm. But there was, of course, an acute problem of finance to be faced. Without help from home, how could he do it? Deliverance came this time in the person of Dr. Harper himself, who offered Clifford a Job which promised room and board and a fair income. He was to serve as janitor for the large building in which the Bible School was conducted. The building contained classrooms, a large auditorium, a library, and a reading room; and when he saw what a deb it would be keeping the place clean, he was appalled. He was Imt used to brooms and mOps and he would need some time for study. looking back upon this experience, Barnes wrote: I am.not sure whether the brooms were exceptionally good and the scrubbing brushes eSpecially kind, but at any rate we worked together in a very effective way, and by early rising and late retiring, I managed to do the Job in a satisfactory manner. . . " 2 ¥ 12Ibid., p. 13. 11 That fall he moved into a dormitory room in Divinity Hall. The problem of earning his way through school was again before him. What could he do to keep body and soul tOgether and at the same time study for the ministry? As it turned out, he not only earned his way but in the process gained valuable eXperience that was to influence his ministry for the rest of his life. It happened this way: During his last year in college he had become very much in- terested in a mission conducted by the students in a slum section of New Haven. Here he had led in the singing on Sundays and conducted a men's Bible class. This work was generously Sponsored by one of the leading businessmen in New Haven, who,upon hearing that Barnes needed a Job during the next school year, suggested that he be made director of the mission. The salary was sufficient to care for all of Clifford's financial needs that first year in Divinity School; but more than that, the Job gave him valuable eXperience in conducting Sunday ser- vices and supervising various clubs and classes which used the mission as their headquarters. In the Spring a very unexpected call came for a new and most important position. A good friend "Lonny" Stagg13 had for two years been secretary of the Yale YMCA with headquarters in Dwight Hall. This beautiful building was devoted entirely to YMCA work with con- ference and reading rooms for the four classes, a large assembly hall L 13This is the late Amos (Alonzo) Stagg who became famous as head football coach at the University of Chicago from 1892 to 1932. Stage died March 17, 1965 at the age of 102. l2 seating about 500, and delightful living quarters for the secretary and his assistant. Stagg enjoyed his work and made a great success of it, but after one year of study in the Theological Seminary decided that he did not care to be a minister, and so, to the regret of both students and faculty, he resigned his position and left Yale. To Barnes' amazement and unSpeakable joy he was asked to take Stagg's place-- to fill the post and live in the delightful quarters of the General Secretary of the Yale YMCA. This he did for the next two years. All in all, Barnes considered his life at Yale most fulfilling. Studying under such teachers as William Rainey Harper, George Park Fisher, "old President Day," President Timothy Dwight, and Billy Simner was a great inSpiration to say the least, but the practical eXperience gained as secretary of the"Y"was a bonus of immeasurable value. During these days Dwight L. Moody, Henry Drummond,and other religious leaders made a practice of visiting the universities of the east to conduct religious meetings on campus. Each Sunday evening in DWightIHall, the visiting college preacher would give an informal address and use Clifford's office as headquarters. It became Barnes' responsibility to preside at the evening meetings, introduce the Speaker, and, following the meeting, should the Speaker be so inclined, escOrthim on a stroll about the campus. He found these contacts most rewarding for a young man pre- paring for a life work in the ministry. In later years he recalled “ith Satisfaction the interesting conversations he had on these 13 occasions with such men as Phillips Brooks, Lyman Abbott, Henry Van Dyke, Richard Storrs, and numerous college presidents. Another privilege connected with his duties as secretary of the "Y" was that of leading the Yale delegation at Northfield, Massachusetts, where a student conference was held every summer con- ducted by Dwight L. Moody. Joining Barnes and his students from Yale were Bob Speer, leading a large group from Princeton, and John R. Mott, with a similar group from Cornell. The significance of all this to the Chicago Sunday Evening Club may be seen in this statement made by Clifford Barnes many years later: As I look back on these two years in which I carried on my work as a student in the Theological Seminary and as secre- tary of the Yale YMCA, they stand out as among the most inter- esting and satisfactory of my life. The Dwight hall duties brought me in close touch with the undergraduates of all the college classes, and many life-long friendships were formed at that time. As Yale's representative, I attended various conferences in different parts of the country, having to do with the problems of religious life among students, and so I came to know college presidents and professors who in later years lent a helping hand in the work of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club. But, best of all, were the letters and messages which came to me then, and have not ceased coming, telling of changed lives and a new understanding of Chaist's teaching, as a result of these Dwight Hall meetings. His Ministry in Teaching and Social Work At the close of his seminary training, Barnes was invited by DT- Harper to Join a small group of Yale men whom he planned to take with him to Chicago to participate in the work Of the newly organized university. He was to be a Divinity Fellow and teach in the department ‘- ll'Barnes, Op. cit., p. 15. lu of History and Social Science. Financial compensation was to be generous, and the future could hardly have been more promising. Before joining the staff in Chicago, however, he Spent a most enjoyable and rewarding experience as summer pastor of a very large and wide-awake Congregational Church in Appleton, Wisconsin. Two things about this assignment stood out in his memory. First, was the pleasant surroundings in which he lived--a lovely home and cordial friends who day after day entertained him with fishing parties and pleasant outings on the lake. In recollec- tion he said, "I can well remember with what terror I faced the large audience that filled the church every Sunday morning, and gave them the sermon that seemed to have been ground out of moshing during the week."15 Second, was the little mission in "fourth ward," the indus- trial section of the city, WKJYB he worked in the evening and felt nmch more at home. He felt he did a better job here than in the big church on Sunday morning. The going away party these folk gave him when he left made a deep impression upon him. This is how he ex- pressed it, "The kindest things possible were said in gratitude for the service of their summer pastor, and a beautiful Bible was Presented, which I still hold as a rich treasure."l6 Barnes started teaching at the University of Chicago that fall. He was comfortable in his new quarters in Divinity Hall and ‘- 15Ihid., p. 16. 16Ibid. 15 in his contacts with the other members of the faculty. He was im- pressed by the atmOSphere of COOperation and helpfulness that pre- vailed on campus. Although busy teaching in both the Church History and Social Science departments because of a shortage of instructors, he found time during that first year to visit and become involved in the work at Hull House, which Jane Addams had started three years before. Here he was given a room where he could stay Overnight after working in the 19th Ward during the evening, and from which he could walk to the university for his classes in the morning. At this time, Hull House had only three resident workers, Jane Addams, Ellen Starr, and Julia Lathrup, but many friends assisted in the work, and evening dinner time Offered Opportunity to make a number of new acquaintances. Barnes became so much involved with the work at Hull House that he almost drOpped his work on an M.A. thesis which he had begun to write. Jane Addams insisted, however, that he take the time necessary to finish the degree; and at the end of the year, the M.A. was conferred upon him--the first awarded by the new University of Chicago. President Harper now wanted Clifford to become a full-time Permanent member of the teaching staff, but Barnes enjoyed his social wOrktoo much and when the offer came from the City Mission Society Of the Congregational Church to be pastor of the Ewing Street Mission Ctlurch just around the corner from Hull House, he accepted immediately. Jane Addams and Ellen Starr, who made this church their home, assSlated in every way to make it a helpful religious center eSpecially 1 t-ha‘ 16 for children and young peOple. Under Barnes' leadership, young peo- ple?s societies, clubs, classes, and recreational facilities were activated and enlarged. To provide more Space for recreation, he prevailed upon an old friend who owned considerable prOperty in that part of town to demolish a number of "very rotten" tenement buildings and thus Open up a playground which proved to be of immense value to the entire neighborhood. During the winters of 1893 and 199h the Pullman strike in Chicago brought much misery and hardship to the peOple Of this dis- trict. Barnes and his associates at Hull House rented an Old lumber- yard and turned it into a place where some could come and earn their keep. He Observed, however, that when peOple were required to work for what help they received, the number of hardship cases greatly diminished. A number of cases during this phase of his ministry, impressed Ihmnes with the idiosyncrasies and frailties of human nature. There was the elderly lady whom he persuaded to give up her squalid quarters on the third floor of an Old frame building and move out to a clean, pleasant home in the country. Not many weeks after She had left, a call came to Hull House asking for the aid of a nurse in the old rooms that had been vacated. Upon investigation, Barnes fOund, to his astonishment, the Old lady back in her old rooms in the tenement who explained her return with the observation, "Folks is more company than stumps."l7 \ 171bid., p. 21. 17 Then there were the blind boys who had been taught to make brooms and sell them for a living. Barnes had arranged for the sale of the brooms at a fixed price, but two boys sold them on the side at a higher price and Spent the profit at Mike Murphy's saloon. But Johnny Powers, boss of the 19th Ward was society enemy No. 1. He controlled peOple by his judicious gifts such as baskets of food, etc.,at Christmas time and Thanksgiving. Barnes started the 19th Ward Citizen's Club to beat this crook out of Office. To the surprise of everyone the club's candidate won the election. To Clifford, the result was a rewarding experience but not a complete surprise. He had worked hard for the victory, campaigning long and diligently, in behalf of the better candidate,giving one Speech while standing on an upright beer barrel. It was one of his first excur- sions into a prOgram of political reform but by no means his last. As a result of this experience, a sort of men's branch to Hull House was organized. For this purpose, an old house on Polk Street was rented for lodging. Its most persistent residents, how- ever,‘were not men but bedlnigs. The house was fumigated several times, but the bugs stayed. In recounting this eXperience, Barnes Said, "We continued to give good blood in the interest of our work."18 Graham Taylor of Chicago Theological Seminary became inter- eSted in Hull House and persuaded Clifford to help develOp a social Settlement on the northwest side Of the city which later was known 33 Chicago Commons. He did not remain here long for soon he was \ 18Ibid., p. 26. Wei: be 35;; 4.. ‘. ":11 A’ e ’ ‘V V. I“. " '.. a: ..I'V .-‘.' ba- sed rth.e l“ ‘ U W? 4p 0,, AV A I. a.» ..‘ Lu~ C‘bt * Ville ass: 3'3...‘ ma r, "wt-nvfis aJ. ak‘v I c C . . :~.5‘4 ”Q“’\, "NH.“ .'v 0 v ‘ “Am": r y «- than... 0‘. h \ «'5‘ ”‘3“ I . A. H. ~.(-§v&lk ‘SS 1 :; Q 5“ F‘ ‘. sq» ‘LN ‘, fi ‘ ‘ t . A 0“ \‘i: fLL', n .&‘\- ~ ...! V N‘; v1“- .=nf\‘- 5 V‘- by T A 1 an _ < ...! ““u‘. ‘ it ,vt 'ah '4... \ 1' c 9.! \ ‘§. a\ _ "“‘~,§,$ H ‘— ‘v‘sL ‘ 1 Val “2‘. . u... 'q q: «0“ V“ f: v v Li: .. k I l‘! x A. "‘ .~ I ' " M Ts 0" . ~\. :\ ‘8" 9‘ J C '-1 . ‘ \~: I.. “- .3 i . 18 called to be assistant pastor of New England Congregational Church in charge of the Sedgwick Street Mission. With the c00peration of the young peOple in the church and business friends, he started a settle- ment in the 2lst Ward that gained a city-wide reputation. While associated with this mission, Barnes, aided by such generous and able friends as Frank O. Lowden, Alexander Bruce, and others, formed the Municipal Improvement Association. Through this Association they entered the political arena to put an unworthy alder- man out of business, and elected a good man in his place. They also tackled the problem of cleaning up the neighborhood physically, and as a result Barnes was appointed Sanitary InSpector by the newly elected mayor. Thus he could be seen early in the morning making his rounds on horseback through the streets and alleys of the Ward to see that the garbage and trasn had been prOperly cared for. So efficient was the Operation that the city newspapers began commenting on the cleanliness of the 2lst Ward. The good work Spread to other parts of the city, and before long, all of Chicago felt the impact of this project. In a little less than two years Barnes was invited to become assistant pastor of the large Fourth Presbyterian Church. His special assignment was to deve10p a mission known as Christ Chapel in a north 8eCtion of the city. Leaving the work at Sedgwick Street in good hands, he moved intc> Christ Chapel, where his quarters consisted of a sleeping room and 2Study. It was while here that an illness overtook him that radixzally changed the direction of his ministry. 19 A little more than a year following his move to Christ Chapel he was stricken with double pneumonia. He was taken to Presbyterian HOSpital, where one day after a few painful weeks he was told he had about twenty minutes to live. It seems a blood clot had formed and made its way into the main aorta and had stOpped circulation and normal heart action. Somehow, however, the clot slipped, and with the help of superior medical aid he recovered from the attack. So miraculous was the recovery that the head physician said to him, "You've come back to life, my boy, the first dead man whom I ever saw accomplish that trick."19 Barnes looked upon this eXperience as demonstrating providen- tial care and guidance. When I was first taken 111, my good friend Cyrus McCormick called upon me and urged that I come to his home and remain during my illness. It was a most gracious invitation and very tempting, for I would have found both comfort and cheer in his lovely home, but if I had been there when the blood clot formed and my breagh began to fail, I would never have lived to tell this tale."-0 Recovery promised to be slow and wearisome. Before him lay a three-month vacation with nothing to do but get well. His mother, having come to be with him, took him back to California, where the clhmatewas more suited to a rest cure. Again Barnes felt that FTOVidence intervened in his behalf. About two months prior to his arrival in California, another YOUBS invalid had taken up residence in a lovely home in Pasadena. k 19Ibid., p. 28. 20Ibid. 20 Clifford had met Alice Reidgl while working at Hull House. Her home was in Lake Forest; and here, with mutual friends, they had been to- gether on several occasions. Now they were brought together again. For want of companionship, he called upon her and invited her to a round of golf. Alice was good at tennis but had never tried golf and hesitated to accept the invitation, but Clifford persuaded her to go with the suggestion that she might like to see the new course that he and several of his friends had just laid out.22 Two things deveIOped from this association: (I) both invalids regained their health, and (2) they fell completely in love with each other. As Barnes put it, they "were convinced that only through . . . marriage could a full and happy life be assured."23 They were engaged to be married some time before it was officially announced, since, without employment, they did not think a hasty marriage would be wise. This problem, however, was uneXpect- edly solved when Cyrus McCormick came to California and brought with him a formal call from the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. They wanted Clifford to be full-time assistant pastor. As matters develOped Barnes was not at Fourth Presbyterian very long, but while he was there a Men's Club was organized to which some of Chicago's most prominent citizens were joined. The E 21Daughter of Simon Reid of Reid, Murdoch, and Company, Chicago, 22They had rented a "piece" of the Campbell Johnson sheep ranCh Which in due course of time became the Annandale Club. 4- 23saroes, 0p. cit., p. 29. club became a tradition in the churCh and has remained active down through the years. Thomas Hall, who was then pastor of the church, was called suddenly to aid his ailing father, John Hall, pastor of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York. It thus became Barnes' task to preach both Sunday morning and evening. Frightening as this eXperience was, t was nothing compared to the apprehension that gripped him when Thomas suggested, upon his return, that Clifford take a call to assist his father, who continued in poor health. He found the peOple at Fifth Avenue friendly and helpful, immever, and soon settled into his work with characteristic vision and vigor. His Marriage and His Ministry in EurOpe Clifford and Alice now decided to be married the following May. That winter he received a number of calls to become pastor of important churches, and he looked forward with keen anticipation to a successful ministry. Alice was deeply interested in religious work, and he was sure she would make him an ideal companion. While debating which call to take, he was amazed to receive a SUSEGStion from his future mother-in-law, Mrs. Simon Reid, that he and AIM“? Spend a year traveling abroad. This would give Opportunity for Special study and better understanding of the needs and characteris- tum (If the peOple of the world. The suggestion was not a hollow one, foritwas accompanied by a generous wedding gift which made Just 8 uch 8“31 undertaking possible. 22 After consulting with old friends, they decided to spend their honeymoon at Oxford, where Clifford planned to study under Irincipal Fairburn of Mansfield College. From friends in the Fifth Avenue Church they were given letters of introduction to such prominent persons as Dr. John Natson of Liverpool, Dr. Alexander White, pastor of St. George's Free Church, Edinburgh, President Dodd of Edinburgh, and others. Clifford Barnes and Alice Reid were married May S, 189?, and the days that followed at Oxford brought pleasure and profit in large measure. Work and study were interSpersed with trips and excursions through scenic England. On one such excursion they came so close to Queen Victoria during one of her visits to Windsor Castle that Clifford felt they were "quite a part of the royal circle."2h Before the year was over, however, his old friend Tom Hall called urgently from Paris. Dr. Hall had accepted a call to become director of the Christian Student Movement in Paris, a work which Ihu Charles Wood of Philadelphia had started. Sudden illness in the family of Dr. Hall made it necessary for him to leave the post before his term of service was ended. Appeals from both Wood and Hall per- suaded Clifford to fill the vacancy. So it was that the Barnes moved tOFrance taking up residence in Paris' Latin Quarter, where, with the aid or two good French maids, they entertained through afternoon teas and Social functions planned to bring them in touch with university Students. Of this work in Paris Barnes wrote: \ 2thid., p. 32. 23 In those years it was estimated that something over 8000 English Speaking students made their home in the Latin Quarter of Paris, studying in the Beaux Arts, the ateliers, and the various art schools of the district. They lived a very gay and busy life, but seldom if ever came in touch with the church across the river, and sadly lacked the guidance and inSpiration which only religion can provide. The Christian Student Move- ment was organized to supply this lack, and under its auSpices a meeting was held every Sunday evening in the Viti Atelier, where a hundred or more young men and women accustomed to gather for a simple service of song and worship. As a new- comer, I began to draw a somewhat larger audience than cus- tomary, and as the room became crowded, I realized the peril involved in holding these meetings on the second floor of an old wooden building, lighted only by oil lamps, and entered by a narrow and rickety staircase. In my search for a larger and safer quarter, I discovered a beautiful hall, owned by the French Government, called the Hall of Agriculture, built of stone, with fine lines and a broad, gracious entrance. It was conveniently located on the Boulevard, St. Germain, . . . Its large audience room, capable of seating some twelve hun- dred comfortably, had its walls lined with bookcases, pictures and interesting bits of statuary, and down the center a long rug, which gave a peculiar charm to the whole place, while at one end was a good sized platform where a piano, choir and a desk for the Speaker could find abundant room. Stirred by the importance of my cause, I called on the group of French officials and asked for the loan of this hall every Sunday night in the interest of our Student Christian Movement. To my delight this request was granted, and the word Spread rapidly through the Latin Quarter that the student meetings were no longer to be held in the Viti Atelier, but in the beautiful Hall of Agriculture. A good choir was quickly organized, and held its rehearsals every week in my apartment. A music leader was chosen who could conduct a song service, in which all the peOple joined, and at stated intervals I invited distinguished men, who happened to be in Paris for the time being, to meet with us, and give the evening talk, insisting, however, that it be of a religious character. Men like General Horace Porter, American Ambassador to France, Senator Frye of Maine; Mr. Whitelaw Reed, publisher of the New York Tribune, and many others whom I could mention, accepted this invitation, which of course served to give the meetings wide publicity, and Sunday after Sunday the Hadl.was crowded with an appreciative audience, numbering swc Fare " u.- .40 ‘ 11L. . \ the F1 r83 r 2.4. .219 .. v ‘ J- , ”..., . ‘ V Sui LZCS, one 32-4.} {1.01/3 J F“ At this first nceiino Mr. Barnes stoke iro etieallj. 'As Chicano dcvelo;s watu m-ly and irresisti‘ly into the breatest narhet of our nation, those who Come to this City for connercial and otLer gurgoses will increase hy the tlows nos, ,-c a vast {tuiti- Christiai men, it is clearly our due; to h a Clris ti an s; rviCG (,1 ~ .1..- "IN .L‘- _._ n .- 1 \ ‘ a 1 tie hotels will hecOL.e the tenzorarg none c w t de. A3 a -ocy of o.i’e these guests of our ci 3 w't easilv access Ml e.'/ frothet or r trorhet, Barnes was hardld .ared for one ed very early in the fist ory of Le Sunday ‘1‘ ‘1. A ‘4 :Qn- .- ,‘ “',..‘"»- 7") o _ ,q‘- Lacn wee' ”but as on oreninb night, a tersistently evening troaran. a: arly crowd 'athered in fr nt of OrcLes t1 a hall waitin for the doors (D 7:15 it was often necessary to have a Loliceman direct traffic to kee;.; the sidewalk Olen. Here was a lrohlem--the kind of Lroblem t2 at cones with success and is therefore nore than welcome estecially if it can be turned into an unex; ecte d bonus. How cou 'ld this 1e done in this case“ In an attem to co;e with the situation it was decided to 013 0- the doors at 7'00 instead of 7:30 and let the beagle find seats in'LELe larse " ait the second floor. Here Barnes, accom— :. Ch: *1 O 9 O is ganlead.hy his wife, Alice, at the Liano, led them in the singing of 508 9551 songs. This was so well received that more and more folk Startfiad coming early. In fact, they came so early that what started \ \‘1 Unpublished Manuscript (83" files . hl out to le a ten to fifteen minute meeting lengthened into a thirty to forty minute meeting of nothina but sinbing. After several such ses- sions, Barnes decided to make better use of part of the time by giving the group a fifteen minute Bible talk. This proved even more potular than the singing and soon nearly BOO geogle were cominé to that early meeting, some standing in the upper lobby since there were no more seats to le had in the room. Finally it was decided to move this meeting into the main auditorium and it became one of the great tradi- tions of the Clue. bus the Chicago Sunday Evening Club was born. What it has been and is in its (1) Urbanization, (2) Objectives and Purpose, (3) Probram, (h) Growth and DevelOgment, and (5) Image; is the concern of this chapter. Organization Officers and Trustees As indicated above, the men Clifford Barnes brought tosetner to launch he Sunday Evening Club were among Chicago's economic aris- tOCracy. At the time of the first official meeting in Room L of the Unicni League Club on February 2k, 190”, the roster of the "Executive “ownxittee" looked like this: C-Llfford Webster Barnes Char'les Ailing, Jr., lawyer; “dLitted to the bar in l???; trominent in civic affairs; appointed by the governor, attorney for the State Board of Health in 190". F L. . . . ran‘_ H. Armstrong, merctant; greSident of Reid, Murdoch, and Co., wholesale grocers. (Simon Reid of this company was the father v" of Mrs. Barnes~-see ;. lO of this study.) Ado ... . lblhis C. Bartlett, merchant; entered employ of Tuttle, Hibbard and Co., of Chicago, at the abe of 19 on January 1, 1992; made "fr-1 ~. 3 '\~ o v-lv \ .~ ‘ - A ~~ . x - P ‘ r x - r A a r . 4 :1 scrotard ans. the lisi.ees was incor,oratec as Hibhar«, L ‘ ‘L o L,”3 (3-- , T1 .1- ”a . ‘7 an”, n ‘ . . O - o,31Cer, ”1r le 4 Lu- Co., la tr Lqun: Chairman 0. the 1 15437.8 I Tlarles L. Bartle tj, la~y1:raCticed in Cnicaoo si11ce 1095; a m:rnber of the firm, Johnson and Bartlett from 19°9-92; Johnson, Lo rrell anr Bartlett 1992; attorney for Title Guarantee and Trust Co.; General Solicitor of Chicabo itle and Trust Co. since 1901. Lloyd W. Bowers, lawyer; general counsel, Chicago and North Western Railway. . William C. Boyden, lawyer; admitted to the bar in 199?; loQO-QT a member of the firm Haulin, Rolland and Boyden; member of Natz, Fisher and Boyden; memter of Mata, Fisher and Boyden since 1°97. Eubene J. Buffing on, capitalist; treasurer of firericaz Wire and Nail Co., Anderson, In diar.a, lqoh-po; secretary nd treas- urer of American Steel and ‘Jire Co., l?99—”?; rresident of Illinois Stee since January 1, 197°; president of Indiana Steel Co., Gary Land Company. Edward B. But ler, merchant; with trother, GEOTQG H., founded the hous e of Butler Brothers at Boston in l977; now at New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and Minneagolis. J. Lewis Coc :hran,real este te; in Chicabo since lQPh; designer and bui er of Bdéewater, an attractive residential district on the shore of Lane Michiban, wrincipally under firm known as Coc.rane an} McClure since January 1, l70h. UGOrfie E. Cole, stationer, grinter; since 1979 nresident, Ge 3 E. Cole and Co. (fictive with Mr. Barnes in egislative Voter's Lea;ue--see ;. 30 of this study.) Henry- F. Cro ell, nanufactnrer; :ec are president of the Cuaker Mi“ Comjany at Ravenna, Ohio, lool; wr en it was sold to American Cereal Congany of Akron, Ohio, in 1971, he ~waistline vice— president a‘d general nnna;er; made fres dent president of the Quaker Oats Conyany; vice- re the Cleveland Foundry Co: any; a tr".stee of No Tteologicaf Seminary and Illinois College; fre-' 41 . .'., u a r. A v,. .me to rd of trustees hoody Dille Institute. ”'1‘. “-01.33: I? n -.. w . .‘1 ~14)“. ,4, say a vs~o n ul‘qy‘m y“, o. .0 :-le,, Ln~ owot; e.. :re. inim.: ;tao i. - w a .-i e 9gb; Serge- as woxknan in all .e ' ‘ .' f“\ I ‘I r'v asurar of B. R. Fonnelle, and Sons Conraiy, P a U a. ‘- ... u .— ' .- 3 - ax- ‘ .m' . O a .- 71'1“. 'w 1‘_ sn~ s a d ,rin qrs, since one C nth 0 Tie .a ter lu L3 James H. Doublas, executive; vice-Fresicent o“ the Cuaaer Oats Comeany since lei. Bernard A. Ecnhart, manufactirer; rebresentative of Eagle Milling Comgany, Chica¢o; founder of Eckhart and Swan which later became Echhart and Swan Milling Company, of which he was president; president B. A. Ecuhart Milling Comgany. Richard C. Hall, merchant; began business as shinning clerk at Boston Belting Comtany from 1°?5-77; member of the firm Elson Hall and Company from 1935-97; member of the firm The Pucx Brand Company; wholesale dealer in "Duck Brand, rubber and oil clothing, 5 see 1997. N Th0mas a. Hall, president, Thomas A. Hall and so. Tbrman Wait Harris, banker; bresident, Harris Trust and Savings Bans. (For his connections with the Chicago Community Trust see g. 3l of this study. Charles L. Hutchinson, banker; yresident and vice-fresident of the Corn Etchange National Bans; director Northern Trust Comfiany; president of the Art Institute of Chicago since lCCl. lfilliam F. hyres, merchant; vice-oresident, larshall Field and Combany. Ihilip L. James, merchant; secretary, Marshall Field and Company. John L. Lord, merchant; president and menacer of Ayer and Lord Tie Comyany, largest oak tie (railroad) dealers in the U.S. Franklin MacVeagh, merchant; went to Chicago in 1966 and established firm of Franklin MacVeaCh and Company, wholesale grocers, of which he is iresiient; Democratic nominee for he United States Senate in l93h; Republican since l836; (became Secre- tary of the Treasury in the cabinet of lresident Taft in 1909, the year following the organization of the Chicago Sunday Evening Clut). John 7P. Pirie, Jr., merchant; after graduation went to work in the dry goods house of Carson, Pirie, Scott and Co., and became a gartner in the firm. H“ s 'r n . « ”“aIWJ van Doren ohaw architect- a member of the Illinois the ter ) I I of American Institute of architects; member of Art Commis- sion of the Chicaco Art Institute. JLh‘ ~ . . n L). Shedd, merchant; came to Chicago and entered the employ of Field, Leiter and Combany, lR72; remained with the firm and its successor, Marshall Field and Comgany, of which he became president. tn 1",“ '.... '“ .~. (‘3.3‘-.. ‘,.. . . ~.- ., . ...f.‘ l‘ p-N. r_‘,~.x_ ' l -. '«L.._A_l'»_h 11"JUU ‘» LC. '_\—J ..'_\..~-- " .71. . i‘~..-¢..}."’.:f (J: Luff: .l. ills. AAJ}. U " 'i’53-__.‘r ) J . ) ) . .1 C ' '71 ~. .‘ .. 'l 0"" , - ' r. h ,‘ .‘ .1 1 title. ...L‘_._.,L:J' SL'ICV) f )3, flCd-zr? l ‘CVIL; LA '. 9‘3qu ..L (LO‘I'A-3_I.’ v v .‘ ¢ ..'-. 'T . .- t“ «Cater? ul:CLTlC oOhgduJ. Tovnnr K. Hehster, manufacturer; ;resident of Nehster Manufacturing Con;any; president of Webster Electric Company of Racine, Wisconsin, since 190”. fiorman Hillians, manufactirer; vice—gresicent Chalmers and Williams Y" l / Maiufacturina Ccm;any side: i 3 organization in 1905. Members of this QTOlI met frequently in the months followinb ‘hat first meetinb. On March 7 they decide; to incor;orate but took i no action until their meetino 0° March 2'. At that time Clifford Barnes was elected germanent chairman, and the follominb resolution Resolved, that this society nerehy decides to inccrgora e ader the trovisions of the laws of Illinois le"mitting the incortoration of relibious corporations; that the name of the at the society now croceed to elect thirt‘ trustees who shall constitute the L 3 ?irst Board of Trustees of such corgoration; . . . hat the trustees of the cor~oraticn shall have rower from time to time 1. r t l r ’V-n corgoration he "Chicaoo Sunday Evenin5 slut"; th to establish such Ly-anws for the corporation as in their Judgment may be wise. All of the committe=' memters listed above were then elected members of the "Board of Trustees with the addition of John V. Fa «1 T . at. . P , . . . , rwell, or., a prominent enicaco merCnant. hCCOrdlnd to tne minutes \ C UMinutes of the Executive Committee, February Ch, 1009, Chica;o Sundacf Evening Club. Cited hereafter as Committee Minutes (SEC files). Kata (Sn each member of the committee taxen from The Book of Chicagoans, eéltefi by Albert Nelson Marquis (Chicago: A. N. Marqiis and Co., l9l7) ftceift for Lloyd W. Bowers, Thomas A. Hall, Norman Watt Harris, Wm. F. Elegy, and Philiy L. James, which was taken from SEC files. Data on eaCh member as of l?0°--the year the Club was organized (excettion—— See‘Drl Franklin MacVeabh). 7Committee Minutes (SEC files), March 29, 190°. F . 'John V. Farwell, Jr., merChant; became treasurer and manager, "’ I10w president, John V. Farwell Co. us J A.) , .1 "N .-‘_ \} ‘1“.v'fi ) 1 v [u ~ ‘ f ‘v" TFVr" : o- aprii do, however, Le :esibnei and was reglacec tj a balaer, pavlC R. Forban,’ who for many years mice an outstaniiné COHtleUblOfl to the arwell joined the arou; abain at a later date. F11 work of the Clul. - ‘! . - 1 / 4 V , ~ ‘I -\ At a meetin.3 held Atril o, a slate o: By-Laws was aaofted and Adolphus C. Bartlett - First Vice—President (J) Vice-Eresident John G. Shedd Frank E. Armstrong Charles L. Hutchinso: Richard C. Hall ’Lilip L. James - Secretary John T. Firie, Jr. - Treasurer In course of time, other offices were added to this list. That of Assistant to the President, created in l920,l* was usually filled by an employee in the Sunday Evenind Club office rather than by a Specially elected administrative officer. For a time, however, be~ ginniné in l?39 w.en Mr. Earnes needed more help beCause of his weakened 9hysical condition and the possibility that he might be away from x C 9David Robert Forgan, banger; came to Anerica in lpRQ-from ucotland via Nova Scotia; vice-president lPQS-QQ, rresident, lng-lQOO, Eaton National Bank which then meréed with First National Bank of Lmicagx>of which his brother is chairman; David Forgan then vice- esident, First National Bank and First Trust and Savinés Bank, l903- 3 Orgpnizer, 1907, and vice gr sident, National City Bang of Chicano. , ‘ o -- p‘ 1 - _ y W n c ‘QMinutes of the board 0: lruStees, Afrll 6, lGQQ, Chicago ”Vuufiy'Eveninb CluL (SEC files). Cited hereafter as Board Minutes. Ibid., Octoter in, 1920. ., “ .- n1 ,1 ,A .' ‘ 5‘ ... ,nn :6 I ,0 ,._. .. , oul-u o tor cited cu rerlofic o. le-, t e --.icz o_ ”,slstant to tufi r- ..".. .,:1 ,3 ., r.-. A ,-, -‘ -\'.:.:,,. 1,-1l' ... ' v ,: , iresicent entailed greater r;s,o331tilitles and oJlS «as listed as ole ice, that of Chairman 0? the Executive Committee, . . . .. a . A l? was added when a s;e31al Executive tomrittee was created in 113L.** This too Lroved to be a tangorary Lost deriéxcd to fill a need Jule” below.) Tie comsittee Lunciioned to: Severai years but was LAQJ Cl'p-CQJLIHLICCH ‘. I" ~v ‘. W r ' «I. .,~ ,—-—. ~ ‘.,“' ~, 0 . a.“ .‘ ’-,‘ 7‘ ,‘. ..‘__‘, Uton sevezal occasions, uvsr a 5:.iou o- Jeais, bu. pa ues duk 'r a my). fj'r-C,~~(~’J‘, -'-‘ _, nor-um: .i‘ ---- --. Vs‘w' 1 -‘,1 ?".;r\-‘4 .vy; ELAL, .4)“. b -‘l.. uquu b..© l' pa); ‘ .LLU U ‘AL... 1 L) and “4.x,veAcl . v . ‘I ‘ "V— “ ‘ ’ v . ' f ,1r‘. . v. 3 ~ ‘ “ ‘* , . J‘ . ‘W . AI ' " “1 " Director to maJaU; ans dimid¢;ter tne (rabran o. tue canday arenlnb I .:. . - , ,. m V ‘ .1. - .- .) 2 .1 _ , \ .. . No atvcmrt JdS .aoc to infilenens tkc filafi romexer ‘) ;?ter Barnes' dautb Vlen stqu was Liven to Lt; maint n use and fut r: 03er;tion 3° tte institution. is a result of this study, 9. Executive 3irector was hir;d during ETHS, creating 2 new oiPice by Jiich the lllb .as to be manaQe Ttis arranLoment last;d until 1?55 at wrieh t1"? it was decided to let the lresident and his assistants carry ttise 0 . A ' 1“See the frinted proLrars for Octoler, l ??, in the Pro;ram 1?. . n 'Ibid., October 7, 193b. *hFor an illustration of this, see letter of Clifford w. Barnes V7“! ra J. Warner of Sprague, Warner and Co., November 1h, 1911 (SUV 15 Board Minutes, January h, lQhS; February 16, l?55; January 7, Laurence A. Carton, Solomon B. Trustees: William H. Avery Rosecrans Baldwin Kin;man Doublas, Newton C. Farr William E. Coodman Fred G. Curley Edward J. Hekman Robert S. Ingersoll Vayne A. Johnston Glen fl. Lloyd C. Virgil Martin A.thony L. Michel John Nuveen, Jr. James L. Palmer John Shedd Reed John 3. Stevens Herbert R. Stratford E. Hall Taylor Errett Van Nice William S. Warfield III Edward K. Welles Edward Foss Wilson James C. Worthy Jr. Thus, through the years, , Dee“ Thaintained, centered in a se chooses its officers and members men. \ lG‘Pro,_.-,ir'e.rn Files, lQéh. Snitb, Troasur h? Follows: er Honorary Trustees: Jorn 9. Broeksmit Alfred T. Carton John L. Clerkson James B. Forgan Stanley G. Harris Frans D. Loomis James F. Oates, Jr. Edward L. Ryerson James W. Seaburj Albert W. Shercr Hermon D.Emdtn 6 Elmer T. Stevencl" a basic OYCEUizational structure has lf-pergetuatiné Board of Trustees that from among ChiCSgO'S leading business- In addition to those already mentioned in this chapter, there {F I, :1 . .~ 7- ~‘ - ‘. ~ - v‘ v ‘ 3 ' u h 7'.. .7 v f‘ v‘ ‘u.-‘ .l1sez :69” OLL; memonls o tn: soara, Sons mole actlye 1n tne leU than (b .‘7 ._‘ . ’ n,.- —_~ 1 . -~ \I«1‘-: (1‘ 1 . "".I‘ w u‘fi‘j .v- “ O‘Lll‘4L5 10 1c: Bur , 3-111an ...-...:2; w.) llu also be 1‘3CO.I11(.:(. TCanly 1.1 most MUfFiJISSS circles, locally, nationally, and in some instances inter- ruataLonally, such as: Ezra J. harner, II, Chauncey Keel, Andrew McLeish, Cyrus I‘vICCOI‘miC‘A, Jr., R. Floyd Clincn, F“ed W. Bar e.t, James Simtson, .4 I Stan 32;" G. Harris, and :1' 5.r0_ ; ’1. S’a‘i‘f‘t. ... In tue early days of tLe Clflu, qualificatiOns for memberskiy 'werxa as follows: er m01 of hood moral character may become a member of .ue Club lg signing its card of atilication and I.ayizt; tte rec ular dles annually. Tne amount of annual dues snall be for sustainiz.o members $100. 00; for active mcmlers $13. 00; and for associate nethers $5.03. nflj J: Though reasonatle in its requirements and uncomglicated 1n ts Str;u:ture, this membersnig clan, for some reason, was soon abandoned and,:1ev er revived. Instead of Laying dues nd carryinb membershi; cards, tLOSQ: nho attended evularl were encouraged to become active in one or 330tlaer of several xili.u ry or anicatiOns s 01 or it; the Cllb. TL: firsf, of these to be orbanizgd was the Men's League (1 O"), * wibned to tlflovide Christian fellowstis and 1st uction for the tromisinb young ”33 tin Chicago. Other siLilar organizations in earlier years (1310-16 wel“3 ‘the Social Service League, the RCCEftiOQ and CLurch Affiliatiorx Y Com , fi‘ - u n " 1 v . JnlJttee, tue FCllOWSfllp Commlttee, and tue wecnesdag exeninQ 'At \ 1'7“ ‘ A 0 K "I“? -';oard hinutes, arrll t, l;o . 10" - 1- ¢ ‘ ’a ‘/ l J-tor.'.r.11ttee Minutes, Maren ;, 190C. 1.; Home.”19 In later years (1920-h0) the Social Service League was re- vived, and the Young Men's and Young Women's League, the Monday Council, 20 and the Young PEOple'S Service League were created. Mbre recently (l9h5) the Reception Committee was re-named and became the Interchurch Relationship Committee.21 Social gatherings, lectures, study groups, counseling services, and numerous projects of one kind or another were programmed to keep these agencies active. At times some flourished, others never made much of an impact, and none of them became per- manent.22 Operational Structure and Procedures To maintain a weekly program in Orchestra Hall and auxiliary units such as those mentioned above, the Sunday Evening Club, like every other institution of its kind, has had to channel its energies and resources through certain basic organizational units known as com- ndttees. For this purpose, standing committees chaired by members of the Board have carried the responsibilities of Invitation, Membership, Publicity, and Ushering. As the program developed, committees on *1 19See Announcements on the back of printed programs, Program Files, November 1, 1908; April 10 and October 23, 1910; December 15, 1912; NOvember 29, 1911, January 6, 1918; October 2h and November 7, 1915. 20Ibid., January 18, 1920; October 16 and November 6, 1921; OctOber 7, 1928; February 2, 1935; and General Report to the Board of Einstees in the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, October 13, 1921, ghicsgo Sunday Evening Club (SEC files). Cited hereafter as General eport. 21Ibid., 19h5. 22Board Minutes, April 9, 1915. SO Endowment and Finance were set up to handle monetary problems and pro- vide for the Club's financial well-being.23 Through the years, the business of the Club has been conducted through a monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees. Although business may be transacted if five members are present, all are sent a notice of the meeting and invited to be present. All members are also in- vited to attend the Annual Board meeting which is held in late May or early June for purposes of reviewing the past, filling vacancies in office, and making plans for the future. When, in 1909, full time help was needed to keep records, make reports, answer correSpondence, handle public relations, etc., a quali- fied person was hired to do the work and was given the title, Assistant Secretary. For most of the period prior to 1917,2h this post was filled by two men, Roy 0. Randall, and his successor, G. J. Anderson, both of whom served with competence and distinction. Following 1917 nmch of this work was cared for by Clara E. Randall who had worked in the office with her husband, Roy, and to whom much credit belongs for the extensive records that have been preserved for the Sunday Evening Club. Through a period of almost fifty years, she served the Club With selfless devotion as Assistant Secretary in charge of publicity and as Assistant to the President, retiring in 196k. At present, the office personnel consists of Francis Gregory, Who has been Assistant Director of Music since 1955 and was asked to 23Program Files. 21‘Board Minutes, April 9, 1915; October 11, 1917. 51 serve also as office manager and Assistant to the President in 1961.25 He is assisted by Mrs. Francis Ross who joined the staff in 196k. Finances The Club has seldom had a deficit. This does not mean it has not had financial problems, but rather that there have always been men with adequate means and sufficient interest in the program to keep it financially solvent. For many years, operating funds were supplied through subscriptions, contributions, collections taken at the Sunday evening meetings, and from a source that, to begin with, the founders did not intend to tap. This is how it happened: During the second official meeting of the committee in 1908, a decision was made to keep all seats and boxes free.26 Before long, however, some of the trustees had reconsidered and were wondering if the boxes might not be a source of additional income. By the end of the year, seasonal box seat tickets were being sold and the names of Box Holders printed in the Sunday Evening Club PrOgrams.27 From then until the present time, the boxes have, indeed, been an important source of revenue. Concern that the club should be endowed for more permanence and financial security was indicated by the trustees early in the second year of Operation. aszhifl-r September 1”; 1955; November 8, 1961. 26Committee Minutes, March 2, 1908. 27Program Files, November 15, 1908. 'rl \fl [‘0 On motion it was voted to be the sense of the Executive Committee that the work of the Sunday Evening Club should be placed on a more permanent basis and that 33 effort should be made to obtain endowment for that purpose. A discussion later that year concerning a plan for endowment revealed a difference of Opinion on the question among members of the Board. Mr. Cole suggested that it might be wise to proceed immediately by setting up a committee on Permanence and Endowment, while Mr. Forgan, though not Opposed to the plan entirely, was of the opinion that the stability of the Club should first be proved.29 Barnes' concern for the financial well-being of the Club is seen in one of his first annual reports to the Board. For yet another reason I deem it desirable to guarantee the future character of our work, and that is in order that we may more easily obtain for the Club a satisfactory endowment. Our expenses last year amounted to $17,h79.10. A persist- ent effort was made to conserve old subscribers and to obtain new ones, but it was necessary, nevertheless, for several mem- bers of the board to contribute as much or more than $h00 each in order to avoid a deficit. This is a larger amount than can be fairly expected from men who are not more directly and in- timately connected with the cause which they support than are the Trustees of the Sunday Evening Club, and we can hardly expect our successors to willingly assume such a burden. The budget for the present year calls for an expenditure of $19,350. If a paid Director for the Club were required, it might be necessary to increase the expenditures by some- thing like $5,000. Should such a condition arise, I would not consider a budget of $25,000 as excessive in view of the vast importance and far-reaching influence of the work. It can be readily seen, however, that an exPense account of this size, if it had to be met entirely by subscription, might imperil the future of the organization, eSpecially since some of the zealous supporters who are now with us might have passed away. If the business men of Chicago could be assured that the Sunday Evening Club would be maintained in the future on the same basis as at present, and that its importance would increase 28Board Minutes, January 5, 1909. 29Ibid., November h, 1909. \n k0 rather than diminish, I think one might reasonably hOpe to Obtain specific endowments for various features of the work. The choir, for instance, which is composed now of 85 trained singers, might be endowed in the name of the donor, as other choirs have been, notably abroad. The lectures, drawing dis- tinguished men from all over the world, and so being noteworthy far and wide, might also be endowed in the name of the donor, as was done in the case of the "Lowell Lectures." The organi- zation itself, as a great downtown Christian movement, might be very prOperly endowed, and no more Splendid memorial could possibly be erected to any name than such an endowment would provide. And, best of all, we might even hope for the gift of a building for our organization in which there could be carried on a work for the common welfare as would requfise a great auditorium, lecture halls, committee rooms, etc. By 1915 the picture looked like this: With each year it has become easier to Obtain noted speak- ers, both because of the wide publicity given the meetings and the enormous audience which can be always counted upon. Under these conditions there is no reason why the Chicago Sunday Evening Club cannot expect to become as permanent an organiza- tion as the University of Chicago, providing prOper care be exercised in the management and adequate financial support can be assured. O O C O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O I O O I C O O O O In looking towards th future and considering that develOpmen of the work which one might naturally expect as well as that increase of eXpense which would result, should it be necessary to employ an Executive Director or Secretary, we have a pos- sible Budget with Disbursements amounting to $hl,h3h. In view of these facts, the Trustees of the Sunday Evening Club believe that it is now desirable to make an effort to place the Club on a more permanent and satisfactory foundation, and to that end, that certain lectureships be established and certain positions and departments be endowed, bearing in each case the name of the donor. They would suggest the following: Four lectureships the amount of $50,000 each, entailing an obligation upon the Club to provide annually at least ten Speakers and at a total cost of not less than $1000 for each lectureship. That the position of Musical Director be endowed for the sum of $50,000; the position of organist be endowed for the sum of $50,000; and the Choir be endowed for the sum of $100,000. It being understood that the interest obtained 30Letter of Clifford W. Barnes to Ezra J. Warner of Sprague, Warner and Co., November 1h, 1911 (SEC files). from these endowments should be used in such a way as to pro- vide religiously inSpirational music of the noblest type on not less than forty Sunday evenings each year under the auspices of the Sunday Evening Club. That a Foundation to be known as that of Administration be established for the sum of $200,000, with the understanding that the interest from this fund be used in paying the salary of such Officers, clerical force, rent and other incidental expenses as may be deemed advisable for the prOper maintenance of the Sunday Evening Club. The names of the donors would appear on the printed matter issued by the Club and as the Trustees might elsewhere arrange, . . .31 But the endowments did not come easily. The minutes of 1917 contain a discussion in January of endowing four lectureships for $25,000 each. After discussing it at some length, the Board decided to seek one on the basis of 2h subscribers at $1,000 each. In February they were talking about encouraging lectureships in the principal sum of not less than $10,000.32 At a meeting of the Board in 192A, Mr. Barnes again made a detmailed analysis of the Club's financial position and future needs. At. tine close of that statement he said, ”To wisely prepare for the futiure, therefore, I would suggest the appointment of a committee on endowment."33 Acting upon this appeal, the Board decided to have Barnes' 383131313 sent to all trustees and call a Special meeting to give it COHSideration.3h By May of the next year and after several meetings \ 31Board Minutes, January 8, 1915. 321bid., January 11 and February 8, 1917. 33Clifford Barnes, Statement to the Board of Trustees, 25, l92h, Chicago Sunday Evening Club (SEC files). 3h Januar3, Board Minutes, January 25, l92h. «a \.". \n and much discussion, a Resolution on Endowment aiming at a goal of $200,000 was considered.35 In January of 1926 the Board'endorsed the program and authorized Barnes to appoint a committee and get to work.36 It was not until endowments and bequests by trustees began cxmnuing in, however, that the endowment fund really got off the ground. Eventually a goal of $500,000 was set which by 19143, the year before Nhr. Barnes died, had reached $3h5,563.00.37 Endowments and bequests of $5,000 or more that have at present been realized are as follows: Clifford w. Barnes $50,000 Albert w. Harris 25,000 John Shedd 25,000 Martin A. Ryerson 15,000 J. J. Dau 10,000 Wallace D. DeWolf 10,000 Mrs. Charles Hutchinson 10,000 James Simpson 10,000 Miss Kate Buckingham 5,000 E. J. Buffington Trustees 5,000 The Misses Colvin 5,000 James H. Douglas 5,000 Bernard A. Eckhart 5,000 William E. Goodman 5,000 Chauncey Keep 5,000 John B. Lord 5,000 Bernard E. Sunny 5,000 Frank Winans 5,00038 Comparison of Endowment Value over a recent ten-year period shows ; Fiscal Year Ending Endowment Funds Market Value May 31, 1953 $230,65h39 May 31, 1963 597.011 \. 351219., May 29, 1925. 3élbid., January 6, 1925. 3ngig., June 10, 19u3. 38Special File on Endowments and Bequests (SEC files). 39Board Minutes, November 20, 1963. PrOgrams for the 1963-6h season indicate twelve sermons were supported by Foundations or Lectureships. Foundat ion Number of sermons Clifford W. Barnes Charles L. Hutchinson James Simpson Frank F. Winans William P. Sidley Albert W. Harris Frank W. Armstrong HHHI—‘mww Total 12 As of 196A the Chicago Sunday Evening Club owns an Endowment Fund of $600,000 with an estimated income of $21,500 per year.ho Whereas in 1915 this would have almost provided the total budget for Operation, today it is but one of several sources of income needed. to offset an annual eXpenditure of about $100,000. Selection of Speakers The method whereby the Speakers for each season are chosen would be of Special interest to this study. How this is done should Say something about whether or not the Club is non-sectarian as it claims to be . In the early days no Special system seems to have been used 0“161‘ than that of Mr. Barnes making the selections in consultation With the officers and trustees. For instance in 1908: In preparing the programs for the coming year, the Presi- dent was authorized to obtain a Speaker of national reputation ODCe a month and pay for such, an honorarium of $100.00. A list of names of possible Speakers was submitted; and after an informal discussion the meeting adjourned. 1‘ \ hoIbid., January 15, 193A. hlIbid., June 29, 1908. v~- ... ‘ U a » c -‘ or in 1910: Discussion of prOposed Speakers. Suggestions of Prof. Steiner,hgongressman Bartholdt, Judge Cutting and Judge Gemmill. C As of September 9, 1918, while Barnes was in Greece, Messrs. Buffington, Sidley, and Forgan were appointed a Committee on Pr0gram to have charge of the selection of Speakers and to be, in general, re Sponsible for the prOgram each evening.h3 It may be observed, therefore, that when present, Barnes was well qualified to take the lead in this, not only because of his posi- tion in the Club, but even more by virtue of his background, eXperience, acquaintance with scores of prominent peOple, and, most of all, his concern that the Club be accepted as nonsectarian. 0n the other hand, wtueci he was absent, there were men on the Board of Trustees who could share this responsibility because they had been with Barnes in the fournding of the Club, had worked with him for several years and under- stocui what made it Operate successfully, and, most of all, they Shared with him the desire to keep the Club what they had intended it to be fronl‘the beginning-~a Christian, religious, nonsectarian program. But what would happen after they were gone? Could they do sometkring to safeguard this unique nonsectarian characteristic of the Club? It will be seen that this was very mucn on the heart and mind 0f BarOES and of others on the Board of Trustees. That is why an amemhnetrt to Article VI, section 3 of the By-Laws was suggested in 1931 ’ Wh ich read: \_ h21bid., December 8, 1910. h3Ibid., September 9, 1918. Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall con- sist of not less than five trustees, of which the President shall be ex-Officio chairman, and the first vice-president shall be a member ex-officio. It shall assist the President in all matters pertaining to the general management of the Club, and may take action in place of the Board when so authorized by the Board. Advisory Council: The President is authorized to appoint each year an Advisory Council, subject to the approval of the Board, which Shall consist of five or more ministers or educa- tional leaders, representing not less than five different de- nominations. It shall be the duty of the Council to assist the President in the preparation of the annual program of Speakers, the same to be submitted to the Board for its approval, and to advise with the President and thEhBoard in matters per- taining to the conduct of the meetings. This proposal seems not to have met with immediate approval, fRDI' in November of that same year: The question of having an Advisory Committee to assist in the preparation of the year's program of the Club was discussed at some length, and it was the Opinion of the members present that B? change to that effect should be instituted at this time. The question seemed to persist, however, for in May of 1932 this; brief entry was made in the minutes: On motion, the president was authorized to appoint a Special committee to assist him in the preparation of the tanhual program of Speakers, and to advise with himhén other nuatters pertaining to the conduct of the meetings. The timing of this action seems almost providential, for later that IYear (1932) Mr. Barnes suffered his first heart attack, making it necesraary for him to curtail his activities and rely upon an advisory commiirtee to help him carry on the work of the Club. A special \ thbid., April 27, 1931. l‘SIbic1., November 25, 1931. h6Ibid., May 25, 1932. 5} ccyuunittee, therefore, continued to serve in that capacity for the next tmec> years as indicated by the fact that Barnes called for a meeting of true: Advisory Council to follow the Board meeting in August of 193A. In November of 193k, however, another revision of the By-Laws was submitted which provided for a combination Executive Committee and Advisory Council. Article IV, Section 3 reads: The Executive Committee shall consist of not less than five trustees, in addition to the President and the First Vice-president, who shall be ex-Officio members. It Shall advise the President in the choice of Speakers, the arrange- ment of the weekly p£0grams, and assist in the general man- agement of the Club. 7 This apparently was not final, for in January, 1936, the ques- tiJDtl‘WaS raised again and action taken approving the prOposed amendment made in 1931 although it now appears as section 8. The action must have been of some consequence for in February Mr. Barnes states that the: Advisory Council had two meetings and had pored over a list of speakers. Moreover, the first minutes of the Advisory Council date from January 3, 1936.“8 The matter was considered again in 1939 and settled with some final ity. Mr. Barnes Spoke of the work of the Advisory Council. He Séiid that his desire was that the Sunday Evening Club should never degenerate into the Forum type of organization, but that ift Should hold distinctively religious meetings in the center (If the city in the future, Just as it has for the past thirty— tndo years. EurOpean problems, international affairs, and eGenomic debates were not suitable tOpics for the addresses at the meetings, Mr. Barnes said. He wished to have the gOSpel (If Jesus Christ, and the helpful things of the Christian re- Jdlgion, presented to the peOple who came to the meetings from \ J h7Ibid., November 28, 193k. l*BIbid” January 6 and February 3, 1936. C‘\ 0 all quarters, so that their lives might be enriched and cheered 'by that kind of message. With that in view, it was unanimously ‘voted, after discussion to adOpt the following change in the ‘Byzlaws of the Club: Change Article VI, section 8, so that it shall read: "There shall be an Advisory Council appointed each year by the IPresident, composed of five or more of the leading clergyman <>f the city or suburbs, who shall be representative of at least ffiive different denominations. It shall be their duty to select sapeakers for the main meeting of the Club, subject to the ap- Ixroval of the Board of Trustees, and to suggest methods by tehich the meeting may be improved. There Shall be at least ffiour regular meetings of the Advisory Council each year, to hue held preferably in September, November, January, and April." Mr. Barnes said: “The Advisory Council at the present time consists of: ' Dr. Edwin E. Aubrey University of Chicago Dr. Oliver W. Brackett First Presbyterian Church, Lake Forest Dr. Duncan H. Browne St. James EpiscOpal Church Chicago Dr. C. H. Heimsath First Baptist Church, Evanston Dr. Albert W. Palmer Chicago Theological Seminary Dr. Herbert W. Price Church of the Holy Spirit, Lake Forest Dr. John Timothy Stone Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Chicago BishOp Ernest Lynn Waldorf Methodist EpiSCOpal Church, Chicago A Dr. Alfred Lee Wilson The Kenwood Church, Chicago" 9 BEEEEENlrsement of Speakers The policy of reimbursing the Speakers develOped in this way: In 1908 the Board authorized Mr. Barnes to have a Speaker of SO natl(Dual reputation and to give him an honorarium of $100. The next year he was allowed to give local Speakers $25.,51 In 1913, however, a” Speaker could be given $100 at the discretion of the President,52 \ h932$3., January 12, 1939. 59;bid., June 29, 1908- 511313., May 27, 1909. 52Ibid., January 10, 1913- 61 and by 1926 eXpenses could be added to the honorarium. During the depression, when there was a need to curtail ex- penses, local Speakers were given $25, out-of-town men $75, and those who came to Chicago just for the Sunday evening service got eXpenses up to $65. When better times returned in 1937, the honorarium went back up to $10053 plus expenses for out-of-town guests. Today each Speaker is given $150 plus expenses. Objectives and Rirposes @eCtives and Purposes Stated Suppose we do it and make it an organization of Christian businefis men to promote the moral and religious welfare of the City.5 This proposition made by Clifford Barnes to his friends at the Chicago Club in 1907 eXpresses purpose and intent. The terms "Chris- tion business men" and "to promote the moral and religious welfare of the City” are significant. They suggest that the Sunday Evening Club is to be Christian in its religious orientation and practical in its con(Earn for Chicago’s welfare. How the founders of the Club intended to promote the moral and religious welfare of the city was indicated quite clearly in Article, IV 0f the By-Laws . The purpose of the society shall be to maintain a Sunday evening service in the business district of Chicago, which \ 531bid., February 5, 1937. ShBarneS, "Reminiscences," Op. cit., p. 1:2. (‘v\ R) shall afford those sojourning or resident in the center Of the city, a conggnient Opportunity for Christian inSpiration and fellowship. In his statement to the Board in 1911, Mr. Barnes outlined what he felt was essential if the Club were to accomplish its purpose and objectives: The work of the Sunday Evening Club, as it is now carried (Jn, is distinctively Christian without regard to any denomina- 1:1on, and aims to give that type of moral and religious in- spiration which springs directly from the life and teachings (Jr Jesus Christ. The power to direct and maintain this work is resident in the hands Of the Trustees, and its future <:haracter is therefore dependent upon the personnel of this Inoard. I consider that the board, as it is now constituted, is £18 nearly perfect as possible because; let, it is composed solely of Christian business men; 2nd, a majority of its membership fairly represents, and in due proportion, the wnarious Protestant denominations of the city; and 3rd, a good-sized minority is composed Of men who are not identi- fied with any church, but are heartily in sympathy with work cxf this character. If some change could be made in our con- Stitution which would guarantee the perpetuation Of this type (if controlling board, it would seem to me desirable. Perhaps an amendment somewhat along the following lines would furnish the guarantee which I have in mind. To amend ltrticle 2 of the By-Laws by adding: "The Board Of Trustees shall consist of thirty members, (If whom not less than two-thirds shall be drawn from the active membership of Christian churches, the representation or the various denominations to be fairly prOportionate to their strength in the city of Chicago." Tb amend Article ll so that is [-sic;7 shall read "Addi- tions to or amendments to the By-Laws may be made by vote of not less than two-thirds of the Trustees at any Trustees' ‘nueeting, provided that notice of the prOposed addition or change shall be given in writing to reach trustees at least One week before the meeting by mailing such notice to the 56 trustees at their residence or regular place of business." When the Club met the following month this notation was made: \ 5500mmmee Minutes, April 6, 1908. 56Letter of Clifford Barnes, Op. cit. 4*) .—~ (”0 ‘~.. -A.. ‘r. “d.. 5.,1' ii. It was evident . . . from what was said, that . . . they questioned the wisdom Of any alteration in the By-Laws which might seem to restrict in any way the present broad character of the work, or perhaps limit the definition of the word "Christian" to those identified with sO-called Christian churches. 0n the other hand, the Trustees were very evidently in entire accord with the Objects of the prOposal, i.e., to take whatever steps might seem wise and necessary to safeguard the character of the work as now carried on, and to secure its permanence. This reaction to Barnes' prOposals shows a caution and delibera- ‘tion on the part of the trustees which seems in keeping with the character of businessmen. Serious study was given to the By-Laws, however; and a revised edition was submitted in 1915. Article h in this revision reads: The purpose of the Society shall be to maintain a service of Christian inspiration and fellowship in the business center of Chicaggaand to promote the moral and religious welfare Of the city. This statement of purpose is contained in a paragraph which aPpears on the cover Of the Sunday Evening Club Program now being used: Organized in 1907 to Maintain a Service of Christian InSpiration and Fellowship in the Business Center Of Chicago and to Promote the Moral and Religious Welfare Of the City Nonsectarian A number Of the most unique features of the Sunday Evening Club are related to or grounded in the concept of its character and ObJectives. For. instance, some have wondered why the word "Club" shm—‘ld be part of the name of this religious institution. Hayden Hall reIxDIfits an interview he had with Mr. Barnes in 1937 relative to this que Btion: \ 57Board Minutes, December 8, 1911. 581b1d., November 17, 1915. 63",: ' I“. l ’0” my: ‘Vocv 8.»; 5 a .5 “VLC.S. 'u v ) ,, ~'t.., 6 . Q‘C “n;- “.1 II “ran ..‘y ,' ‘uJbe ‘ AOVH IA mi or a ‘ ' “\ VIA hie LU ‘ «. F wee C3“;_.Q‘Q ' u '34 u‘ 00 "7°11. a I'“*~~ .‘ I ‘ -‘Vg I“:Ltc 4" 'r. «*1 5“ . a “l a. ‘r‘ . e . a“ .Q- ‘w. . u . 5" 6h We asked him about it. "The term 'club' was chosen," he says, "because it seemed to emphasize the idea of friendly fellowship which I hOped would appeal to the commercial trav- elers and strangers Spending the week end in our downtown hotels." And so with all the other terms. For the sake of those whom he hOpes to interest he eschews every ecclesiastical word or appointment likely to prejudice the religiously shy. The board members are trustees, the sermon is an address, the congregation is an audience, the service is a meeting. His own Speech from the platform glitters with the shine Of present day language, with not the slightest suggestion Of pulpit drone or outworn verbiage. He, and his audience with him, bear themselves with dignity, but with poised case. There is a deep reverence over all said and done at he Club, but it is a reverence unshackled by cold convention. For all practical purposes one becomes a member Of the Club by Simnply walking into Orchestra Hall on a Sunday evening and taking part in.‘the service. @Jectives and Purposes Safeguarded In a statement to the Board, January 25, 192h, Mr. Barnes in- diceates a continuing concern that the Objectives and purposes Of the Club be safeguarded. In regard to the character of the meetings. It has been (Mir endeavor, and I think wisely, to keep the meetings strictly tweligious in a broad sense, the purpose being, as stated in our Ciharter "to provide Christian inspiration and fellowship, and Ilromote the religious and moral welfare Of the city." If the Dmeetings had been allowed to degenerate into a forum, or if we had provided merely a platform for the public eXpression Of Various social and political doctrines, or had frequently (Iffered musical or literary entertainment, even of the highest erder, the Club would have fallen far Short of its present Eniccess and have proved of far less value. With the present Ixersonnel of officers, and Board members, I have no fear Of Eloy change for the worse in the character Of our meetings. Ehat this personnel will not remain. Looking forward into the <1istant future, I would suggest for your consideration, as a Safeguard, the appointment of a program committee to consist \ S 59Hayden Hall, "Shepherd of Chicago's LOOp," Christian Herald, eElf-ember , 1937 . N , Y‘ 31 "° : Sun ‘9‘,.' w: H --4 when-A a. Ali‘s-u . u“9' S‘s-b. an 510.. n- H ”at: 'u. -$l’ :l . yinj‘uit "' A: ... .- ;.Eu 3!. \An'fi m... BE "in"; o ”M. a J; ituc ... Q.OT w“ :h 28)" 5‘0 \ 5 \. "PA ..g E 11;. m Of the President and Secretary of the Club, ex Officio, two other members Of the Board, together with three clergyman Of different religious faith who Shall be pastors Of prominent city churches, of the Baptist, Presbyterian, Congregational, Methodist or EpiSCOpal denomination. A committee thus organ- ized Should be able to provide the best type of Speakers, and could assure, as far as pogsible, the broadly religious character of the meetings. It may also be observed that in discussing the origin Of the Ildvisory Council in the previous section of this chapter, this question <3f safeguarding the Objectives and purpose Of the Club was anticipated. th perhaps need not be repeated, except for emphasis, that the Advisory Ccnincil grew out Of the very concerns eXpressed in the words of Mr. Barnes , quoted above . Moreover, these words and this concern undoubtedly influenced Bonn: changes in the revised By-Laws Of 1929. Article IV "Trustees": The management Of this club and the care, custody and con- trol of all its prOperty shall be vested in a board of thirty- five Trustees, of whom at least twenty-five shall be members in.good standing Of Christian Protestant churches in Chicago and its suburbs and shall be fairly representative Of the several leading denominations. And again in l93h, Article II was amended to read: The character of the meeting shall be distinctly religious, tht the Club shall be without sgctarian or denominational con- nections of an Official nature. 2 To prevent the Speaker's message or his ethos from conflicting "1t&3 ‘the nonsectarian religious nature of the program, the Club has taken various measures. One Of these was a decision by the "Executive \ 6OBarnes, Statement to the Board, January 25, l92h, op. cit. 61Board Minutes, January 20, 1929. 621bid., November 2h, l93h. s-u I! no.» ’31! u C ‘ '~'~al 'Lv ~ O ‘al c' ‘ \ 0:1‘ "3': ”I 7" . ., r. ‘ a. ‘ f :‘4 JJ:_ wt l"">‘.' a ‘ A1. '5': a0 a“. v V‘ V‘J ., “. ‘4 "W“ “\'.“'Jr :5 ..r n ‘9‘; Q, a. f 'I r) Committee," during its very first meeting in 1908, not to have any Speakers of political prominence on the program.63 Another was the plan to include in the invitation to each Speaker a request that he "make the life and teachings of Jesus Christ the basis for his address/'6" In other words, by careful selection Of, and communication with, prOSpective Speakers, the purpose of the Club to be nonsectarian, yet religious, was to be safeguarded. A more recent action of the Club suggests that the same con- cern remains today: The chairman said that the form which we send to our Speakers for information regarding their subjects, etc., has been revised. A paragraph has been incorporated suggesting that they give "helpful messages of spiritual import, as distinguished from the promotion Of some particular cause, Political or secular movement." It was felt that such a suggestion gguld help maintain our reputation for "great Preaching." Many were the temptations when the Club was young to become 1m’Olved with projects that could have distorted, misrepresented, or detracted from the ministry it was trying to effect. There was the proPOSal to publish a 2h-page magazine called Sunday Evening Club Lonthlz Review, which would contain the Sunday evening addresses and “8‘3 of Club activities. There was the prOposal to start a restaurant (no liquor served) in the LOOp district where young peOple could 80 for an after-the-theater supper. There was also one by a Mr. Charles W. \ 63Committee Minutes, February 2h, l908. (This attitude has of cour 38 been modified since then.) 6"Hall, Op. cit. 1 65Board Minutes, November lb, 1962. (See Appendix A for form etter used to invite Speakers.) "‘"D‘p Y'J-. 1I A». ....2. .. iii. A C3t° rm“! 0 ~ V ‘ "'Nr ‘3" : "“u. , g ‘1‘ “HM“ bx I ~.~J‘JQ LU ..firfia. :fi‘w g'.4‘~: - . .n. ,.. “h, 0“- “ ‘ ' . v . 1 . 3‘; . 9‘ A...“ a“ v _ ‘ y“ r r“ L“ Q a ‘u .1 ' ‘"°>-. I 1L. . . ‘-.. . a N l a. L“; 7. ‘-., ‘a. In; ... nu. I“ ‘l“ ~ '~. 3.x . “‘ 6? ESpey (of the Clark Settlement, asking permission to publish in his paper)..Archer Road, any or all the reports of the meetings")6 To all H H of truese there was a discreet no. The suggestions might have been good canes, but they involved risks that the trustees of the Sunday Evenixug Club, wary businessmeri that they were, were not willing to take. Once the Sunday Evening Club was established as an unqualified succenss, it was perhaps to be expected that others would Spring up to make (napital of this great idea. SO it was with the Third Presbyterian Churcdi on the west Side Of Chicago. In l91h, they wrote asking per- missicni to start a similar Club to be known as the West Side Sunday Evenirng Club. Their request was denied, but this did not disuade them and 1%! May of that year, not only the West Side Club, but several otherus were reported to have been created. In 1915 the Board attrib- uted El drOp in attendance, "to the numerous soocalled Sunday Evening Cl"b8:. which have come into existence in many quarters of the city and SUburqu. Chief Of these are the West Side, the Englewood, the South Side: ‘the North Shore, and the Evanston."67 By 1916 requests for help and 8Uggestions in starting new Sunday evening clubs came in from “he? parts of the country-~The Pittsburgh Sunday Evening Club in CarQQTSie Music Hall, and Marble Collegeate Church, New York.68 The Chicago Sunday Evening Club had no Objection to other clubsbeing created in its likeness in the various cities of the \ 1910 66Board Minutes, October 7, 1909; February 10 and November 10, 67 6 General Report, February 17, 1915. g VIbid., February 10 and April 13, 1916. 69 natiori. Quite the Opposite, it believed the program would benefit these (zities even as it had been a help and a blessing to Chicago. It did cfloject strongly, however, to any program using the name, "Sunday Evenixug Club," that was not purely religious in nature. This was con- sidered a denial Of the objectives and purposes of the Club and thus it referred tO some Of the new ones as "so-called." Sunday Evening Clubs. Because such clubs perverted the idea and concept he had tried tormaintain, and because those in Chicago detracted and drew attendance away from the original, Barnes suggested to the Board that legal action be taken against any program using the name "Sunday Evening Club" with- OUtLPertussion, particularly if its prOgrams were not religious. For- tuna13er the Board decided against this, and the embarrassment and poor 1miblic relations Of court proceedings were avoided.69 Barnes' basic attitude toward the origin of other clubs, and his deep-felt convictions concerning the goals and Objectives Of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club are seen in this letter to Dr. James w. Fiflieldfl, Jr., First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, California, "3y 19, 1938: Replying tO your letter of May 13, and your subsequent wire, I have just telegraphed to this effect: Use my name if Club will maintain strictly religious character. There is always a temptation to make these Sunday Evening Club prOgrams more or less of a forum type, with discussion of economic and political problems, which I feel to be a misuse of the Sunday evening Opportunity. During the thirty-one years \_ 69Board Minutes, May 8, 1911;; General Report, May 10, 1917. ., . I *‘va‘d‘ .g] 1 . V'V'I- ahfiu'J ‘m .' A... .‘ ‘ x. .' a a I ‘l " :‘g in « "uh uh.“ ‘ ... . . ' W”) Jr A. —-~ “'H- V. ‘ A “ ' 'a- d ' .“‘a" u ‘Q‘V‘L v. ‘wai‘u ' ‘.r‘ . . _‘ N I‘Su‘w‘:u~‘ I : E II' “-I- ‘33. '3 Y 5 P -. 1 k .2 v . '1’ w, ‘ .. 1’ 'N .'" § of our Club history, we have strictly avoided that pitfall, and, while we have had Speakers Of all denominations and lay- men from public life as well on our programs, their messages have always been Of a distinctively religious character. I presume that is what you have in mind and, under those 70 conditions, I Shall be very glad to render any help possible. Mr. Barnes was aware, however, of the power which his pulpit ccptild wield in matters of social and political concern; but only under true .prOper circumstances did he feel that this use Of the pulpit could ‘be ‘JLAStified. This is indicated in his reSponse to a request that he pathzicipate in some program with decided Pacifist proclivities: I am leaving Chicago today for my summer in EurOpe and in triew of certain events which occurred here on Decoration Day, If am going to ask to be excused from assuming a leading part in your St. Louis Convention. There is evident here a very bitter feeling against those By our meeting VJIMD in any way seem to be Of the Pacifist type. :iri Orchestra Hall, where I am very glad of an Opportunity to :itrtroduce as our Speakers men with an international outlook or 51 <flefinite preference for friendly relations among the nations, ‘45: enjoy a unique Opportunity of promoting just that thing for As things now are, ‘Vllzlch your St. Louis Convention will stand. ‘V63 are able to do it without arousing antagonism and without SLalojecting our meeting tO bitter criticism. If I become in Elrlar way identified with those who stand for extreme Pacifism, "€3 would immediately be classed as belonging to that group, ‘itlti it would make it more difficult to Obtain the gind and fair hearing for men of the type I have mentioned. That this point of view did not constitute a fundamental change Barnes' concern for the Club, with reSpect to its Objectives and inMr- purpOSes, is seen in a statement made in 1939 by Edward K. Welles, Secretary of the Club: The safeguarding of the future Of the Sunday Evening Club 8. ever on the heart and mind Of the President. Recently he \ 70(SEC files). (SEC: 71Letter from Clifford Barnes to Fred Smith, May 31, 1927 files). 70 said that his great desire was that the Sunday should always remain a distinctively religious organization, holding services for Christian inSpiration and fellowship in the centre of the city, as it has done for the past 32 years. The discussion of EurOpean problems, international affairs, 23nd economic issues, would not be in keeping with the Spirit (of the movement. He wished to have the great truths of Christian religion so presented to the peOple that their .lives might be enriched and cheered by the GOSpel message. ‘ Evening Club Objectives and Purposes Realized Although it has never been an Objective of the Club to compete with the churches in the Chicago area, tensions seemed tO have devel- Oped in the days Of the Club's beginning, when some ministers felt that the downtown meetings would attract peOple from their own church programs on Sunday evening. For this reason, Mr. Barnes and the trustees tried to make plain that they were not interested in attract- ins the church peOple in Chicago away from their churches, but were interested in doing something for the visitor, the stranger, the men without God and without hOpe. That, no doubt, is why the words "those sojourning or resident in the center Of the city" appear in the original form of Article IV of the By-Laws.73 That tOO is why, "it was dacided upon the suggestion of Mr. Hutchinson, that each minister Of a Church which is now conducting Sunday evening services, should be consulted upon how far he would wish us to campaign his section "1th Our literature . "7" \ 72From a report by Edward K. Welles, Secretary of the Sunday Evening Club, February, 1939 (SEC files). 7300mm1ttee Minutes, April 6, 1908. 7"Ibid., March 2, 1908. F, m. ”,1 ‘d‘ no... ‘1”. firm I t“, Aubu I rm .ue r! - 5 ‘na ‘r: _‘ 5“: Q‘GLN“. ] Slit is f! I. u E o "h- .. ... i 31,. h ‘ , “‘5'. hi ‘3 w. , " cs 5"- :Q‘.‘ 0-» 71 Commenting upon a canvass of the attendants at a meeting in 1912, Barnes observed: The result of this canvass is a satisfactory refutation of the claim, which is sometimes made, that the Sunday Evening Club is drawing unduly from the churches of Chicago.75 One of the objectives of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club, as previously indicated, is to bring great preaching to the heart Of Chicago. But the Club has realized that great preaching, as such, is not an end in itself, but is of value because of what it can do to and for men. The Men's League, the Social Service League, the Wednesday evening "At Home," the Monday Council, etc., were therefore designed to implement the message from the pulpit in the lives of men and women. The Reception Committee, the Church Affiliation Committee, and the Fellowship Committee were even more direct in this reSpect. Their avowed aim was to bring man and church tOgether. Mr. Barnes outlines at some length a new undertaking by means of which he hOped to get in closer touch with those who might be eSpecially influenced at the Sunday Evening meetings, and, if possible, lead to form church affiliations. It is planned to have a Reception Committee made up of representative Christian workers of various denominations; to aVe an Invitation Committee composed of young men accustomed to attend the Sunday Evening Club, who would each week invite friends and acquaintances to attend the Sunday Evening Meet- Qgs; and to have a Special meeting of these workers for prayer and conference in the Assembly Room immediately following the regular service. In order that he might meet these workers individually and 0there working on Committees in the Sunday Evening Club, it Was moved that he be authorized to arrange for a weekly lunch- eon at a cost not to exceed 50¢ a plate and that the Club bear the exPense of same up to April lst, i 6being understood that the total cost should not exceed $500. \ 75Clifford Barnes, Statement to the Board of Trustees, May 23, 1912, Chicago Sunday Evening Club (SEC files). 76Board Minutes, October 12, lth. mafec to , '2‘: “fatty; . "‘ aia‘l‘ "3" “:‘3 M»; .'.>- I \ I - "IV ' mu. \0. ‘.'- C's‘. _A «3 NA} r:. . t1 . . 5 ~33? *‘ ...t. “v“ u 72 N . Barnes also stated his purpose in his church affilia- tion committee, saying that he had asked the pastors of all the larger churches in the city to nominate some members of their church to serve on the committee--that at the present time twenty-three such men had been nominated and they were working together in harmony and were sure of good results. While none of these auxiliary organizations or committees has succeeded to the extent that it has survived through the years, several were active for a number of seasons fulfilling the purpose for which they were created. A most gratifying aSpect of the prOgram has been the hundreds of letters that have come to the Club each year telling of blessings and help received through the Sunday evening proErams. ESpecially has this been true since 1922, when the pngram was first broadcast over radio, or since 1936, when it was first televised. But whether before or after the advent of radio and television, the message in the great majority of letters is one of thankfulness and appreciation as indi— 78 cated in the samples that follow: 1909 As a traveling man, I want to express to your club my appre- ciation of the service I attended last night in Orchestra Hall. It was grand; the music inapiring. I had been having a hard week, and I went out helped. It is always a question when Sunday comes away from home where to go to church and the directions given at the hotels are not always the best. The conception of your club was an inSpiration. ’ 1912 My father was a minister. My three uncles also were, and my grandfather in New York City before them. 77Ibid., November 13, l9lh. 78One of the most remarkable letters ever received was from a German business man after his return to Germany. See Appendix B for full text. 79Board Minutes, March h, 1909. 73 I was brought up very carefully in regard to religious be- liefs, but in Spite of it for six years preceding last October or November, when I began coming to the Sunday Evening Club, I was a full~fledged backslider and a near agnostic. I stopped going to church altogether and felt a sincere and earnest dis— like for all religious movements and leaders of whatever sort. I attended my first meeting of the Sunday Evening Club merely out of curiosity to hear a prominent Speaker. If he had Spoken in a church, I wouldn't have come. I have attended every service but two since. These meetings have been the means of leading me back into the right relationship with the God of my father and forefathers. I intend to become actively identified with the work of some church, and I want to continue coming to the meetings in Orchestra Hall whenever possible. There are many others like me no doubt who have received benefigg from those services that cannot be expressed by lan- guage.' 19h2 . If it had not been for such meetings as those of the Sun— day Evening Club, I fear I should have lost contro of myself during this past year, the most trying in my life. l96h I enjoy the Sunday Evening Club very much. A great work is being done by this medium and I am so thankful for all of it. I am delighted to tell peOple what can be heard and seen over television on Sunday from 8 to 9 p.m. So many peOple will benefit from your services; may God bless every effort put forth in thié2great and glorious work being done in the LOOp of Chicago. Perhaps more than anything else, these letters tell of objec- tives realized and purposes fulfilled through the program produced by the Sunday Evening Club; and it is this program--its format, order of service, and distinctive features--that is next to be considered. 80Barnes, Statement to the Board, May 23, 1912, Op. cit. 81General Report, April 3, l9h2. 82(sac files). 7:, Program You'll be wise to accept that invitation. That is, if you are interested in witnessing the manner in which one man is bridging the gaping chasm between religion and life--and doing it on a large scale. Here are some of the things you'll see and hear: You'll see a vast audience of more than two or three thou- sand, Chicagoans and visitors, mostly men and women who some- how have been lost to the churches, heartily entering into a service that except for the familiar hymns and the sermon bears not the faintest outward resemblance to a church--and yet is doing exactly what the church aims to do: building up the Christian faith, feeding hungry souls with the Bread of Heaven, calling the peOple to the Cross of Christ. You'll listen to one of the largest and finest choirs you've ever heard, with a quartet of soloists who sing for the radio networks on weekdays and for the Lord on Sundays. You'll hear <:ongregational singing that will move your soul-~not high-brow sstuff, but Just the glad and Joyous harmony of folks finding (new beauty and strength in the old hymns. You'll see on the stage, converted for the moment into a rrnstrum a string of Chicago's financial and commercial tycoons ‘vkusse names read like a page out of the city's Who's Who, rweady and willing to come to the front on a moment's notice ‘t<> "line out" a hymn or lead a prayer. And you'll be treated to a half-hour sermon-~no more, no 31€iss--from some churchman or lay Christian whose name and <3<>ings are front page material for any newsPaper in the land-- Poling, Rough, Fosdick, Mott, Speer, Buttrick, Jefferson, Coffin, F'I‘eeman, the Lord BishOp of London, or some other of the major prOphets of our day. And watching the effect of the unadorned Gospel on this c31‘0wd, you'll know at once why all Chicagoans capable of Judging "1flll place the Sunday Evening Club at the tOp of any list of reasons why this city, like the old gray mare, "ain't what she L1fled to be." You Just can't see this unique cluB in action--we challenge you-“without being broadened in heart."3 So wrote Hayden Hall in 1937; and as thousands of peOple will testxifyy one still may come away from a Sunday Evening Club meeting witil a "broadening of heart." Not all the features or elements of the proEsramhave remained tlrough the years; however, changes have been in detfiil, not in basic design. \ P3Hayden Hall, 0 . cit. 75 Barnes‘ Bible Talks From 1909 until early in the 1930's, when his health would no longer permit it, Barnes' Informal Bible Talks in the "early service" were a regular part of the Sunday evening prOgram. During those years when attendance at Orchestra Hall ran to capacity--2500 to 3000--as many as 2000 came early to hear the Talks; and when in 1922 the prOgram went on the air, they were enjoyed by thousands, many of whom wrote in to tell how much they were appreciated. During the 30's when Barnes was able, and after Barnes' death, when Dr. Albert J. McCartney began a series in 19h6, the Bible Talks continued intermittently, as quali- fied personnel were available. In the early 50's they were discon- tinued. There were times, when the Bible Talks were not given, that the early service was used for talks, music, and features, not directly religious, but always educatiOnal and informative and often in the in- terest of social improvement. In more recent years this part of the program consists of a short sacred concert given by guest choirs and 8h choral groups. Great Music From the very first, the Sunday Evening Club has featured the best in sacred music. In 1908 the Trustees determined that the "music" [.was.7 not to be of too high an order, and that it should be rendered 8hFor statistics and details on early service, see Board Min- utes, January 12, 1912; General Report, November 1h, 1913; November 3, 1937; October 21, 1938; April 8, 19h3; January 16, 19h6; Report of the Executive Director in the Minutes of the Board, October 21, 1953 (SEC files). J dur- in. \ "- «..., 76 P: by the best talent fossible." " During the first few months of 1908, wluen that "best talent possible" was being recruited, choral music was snipplied by the Marshall Field and Company Choral Society, under the (tirection of Thomas Page.86 Soon, however, the lub had its own ckuarus, and how successful it was in recruiting "the best talent" is adrtested to by the fact that the now famous Clarence Dickinson was its first organist and director. From year to year, under the direction of outstanding musicians, the Chicago Sunday Evening Club choir develOped into an institution that won national rec0gnition. Dickinson was succeeded in the fall of 1909 by his bass soloist and..assistant, Marion Green, under whose leadership the choir grew from 50 ‘tc> 80 voices88 and attained a reputation that rated a full-page Wrixteh-up in the journal, Musical America, July 20, 1912 89 By suggestion of the Board of Trustees in 1910, Opera singers were irwited to Join the choir for the Christmas prOgram,9O and before longi‘the choir was made up, not only of peOple who volunteered to sing because they enjoyed doing so, but also of peOple trained in the art ————_____ 85Committee Minutes, March 8, 1908. 86Program Files, February 1h, 1908- 873239., May 3, 1908. 881bid., October 3, 1909, October 9, 1910; October, 1911. Or 89Nicholas deVore, ”One of Americas Most Distinctive Choral SamIl-zations: The Sunday Evening Club of Chicago," Musical America, “13' 20, 1912. 90Board Minutes, December 8, 1910. J: . ...” m. . 'q . «union. 1 , -‘ .,' - 37 ~. ‘ a \_ “L. . ‘H .‘; J'. ‘ ‘1 77 21nd paid for their services. The famous quartet of soloists has always tween chosen from among Chicago's best professional talent. Green was followed by his assistant director, Oscar Gordon Etrickson, in 1912. By 1915 when it had reached 100 voices, the choir nuade a tour of the West to present concerts at both the San Diego and :Ssan Francisco eXpositions. Its fame was Spreading.91 In 1917, Edgar Nelson, who had been one of the organists and axzcompanists since 1910, became musical director and conductor of the cluair. He held this post with distinction for more than hO years, EMBIJlg forced to retire in 195? due to poor health. His successor is thus present director and conductor, Mark Hallett.92 Having varied in size from 50 to 125 voices,93 the number of chc311'nwmbers now averages between 65 and 70. Today, as in the past, it :is recognized as one of the nation's best. In the 57 years since its beéinning, the Sunday Evening Club ““3 Ilad.two dedicated and loyal organists who have made noteworthy ContI‘ibutions to the musical probram. The first, Kathryn Howard Ward, Joituici the staff in 1909, and became famous for her "early concerts" whiC}1 preceded the main service each Sunday night. The second, her Succfiesssor, Stanley Martin, is famous not only for his brilliant work at the ergan, but also for his faithful service to the Club covering a Perix>6 of over hO years.9h \ glGeneral Report, February 17, 1915- ’3 O 9LPI‘Ogram File, October 7, l9195 Board Minutes, April 9, 1959, ctOber 1h, 1959; January 13, l960. 0? ’“PTOgram File, October 6, 1929. -h . , . 9 Ibid., Decemuer 23, 190°; April 11, 1920. 79 In addition to the choir of 63-70 trained musicians,- Iviarh Iiallett, director; and Stanley Martin, organist, which have already been mentioned: the staff today includes, Francis V. Gregory, assistant director, master of ceremonies, and leader of congregational singing at the early service; Jack Olander, pianist; and the quartet, Alice Riley, SOprano; Lois Mathies, contralto,’ William Miller, tenor, and ....— Gerald Smith, bass. "’ Two of the great musical traditions of the Club are the Special concerts at the Christmas and Easte seasons with selections from the Messiah in the former, and a Special oratorio in the latter. Indeed, one can see why the musical prOgram has always been one of the Club's great attractions. Great Preaching PI‘each-ing, for which the Sunday Evening Club is perhaps most famOLIs, is the Specific concern of Part II of this study,- thus it will not be dealt with at length here. Suffice it to say that while the original intention to invite "no Speaker of political prominence" was not maintained for long in tue history of the Club, messages from the pulpit at Orchestra Hall have consistently been called sermons (even to the I—‘lace where President Taft‘s message was called a "sermon" in the Chic l 96 ,, V. . ... 8:90 papers), and have occupied the central pOSlthfl in the program. \ 991b1d., 1963; Board Minutes, September 1h, 1955. <36 , Inter-Ocean (Chicago), October 30, 1911. nv...‘ ‘1‘ n . Through the years a number of speakers who could always be counted on to draw a crowd have returned again and again. Each was famous in his own right and did much to give the Club stature and prestige. Those who have spoken ten times or more are: Speaker Number of Speaker Number of sermons sermons Charles P. Anderson 11 Louis L. Mann 12 Albert W. Beaven 15 Benjamin B. Mays 10 Hugh Black 18 Francis J. McConnell 22 Harold A. Bosley 10 William F. McDowell 19 Charles R. Brown 3h William P. Merrill is George A. Buttrick 17 John R. Mott 12 Henry Sloane Coffin 15 Reinhold Niebuhr 23 Samuel A. Eliot 12 G. Bromley Oxnam 17 Louis B. Evans 11 Francis G. Psabody 13 Albert Parker Fitch 16 Harold C. Phillips 28 Harry Emerson Fosdick 26 Daniel A. Pbling 10 James B. Freeman 2h Richard Raines 25 Frank w. Gunsaulus 15 Paul Sherer 16 Lynn Harold Bough 26 Fred B. Smith 11 Edwin H. Hughes 20 Ralph W. Sockman 31 Ferdinand M. Isserman 10 Robert E. Speer 2h E. Stanley Jones 2h Willard L. Sperry lO Rufus M. Jones 10 Edward A. Steiner 16 Gerald Kennedy 17 D. Elton Trueblood 11 Raymond Lindquist 11 Henry van Dyke 11 J. A. MacDonald 11 Charles D. Williams 1297 Special Features As the years went by, features of one kind or another were added to the program. Some remained and became permanent; others lasted for a time and then were drapped, such as the auxiliary organi- zations already mentioned. One that has remained to this day began in 1909. The Board minutes for January 5 report that it was decided to have two members of the Executive Committee, in addition to the Presi- dent, sit on the platform on Sunday evening, the President to make 97speaker'a File (SEC files). 80 zappointment from week to week as to whom flLShould be. The next year <3n.0ctober 6, ”the matter of appointing business men, and eSpecially unambers of the board of trustees to read the scriptures at the Sunday evening meetings was discussed. It was the sentiment of all present tflaat this custom should be maintained.'?? Certain special dates to be related to the churches of the com- nninity were incorporated into the program in 1951. The schedule was as follows: October 7 ”Chicago" Sunday October 28 Reformation Sunday November h Youth Sunday November 25 h-H Club Sunday December 9 Universal Bible Sunday February 10 Boy Scout Sunday February 17 Race Relations Sunday February 2h Brotherhood Sunday May 11 Family Sunday May 25 "Seminary" Sunday99 As of 1963-6h only three such dates remained in the calendar: Octxiber l3--Layman's Rally; November 3--Interdenominational Youth Night; and December 1--h2ud National u-H Club Congress Night. A "forum period" following the sermon, during which members in the Enidience could ask questions of the speaker, was added to the pro- granl in 1952. This was tried for a time in an attempt to "increase the Studente' and young peOple's interest and participation,"100 but has now been discontinued. K 98Board Minutes, January 5, 1909; October 6, 1910. 99Alton M. Hotter, Report of the Executive Director to the gigrd)or Trustees, June 20, 1951, Chicago Sunday Evening Club (SEC 88. l°°Ibid., June 23, 1952. The most recent innovation to the program is the five-minute talk introduced in 1955. That year Mr. Hanson, the President, wrote to the trustees outlining a plan whereby a prominent citizen, occa- sionally a trustee, would give a short five-minute talk on some spiritual subject early during the 8:00 to 9:00 hour. While this was not attempted every week during the season it was introduced, it was so well received when it was done that it became a regular part of the program. Since 1956 these talks have been referred to as "Living PhilOSOphies."lOl Some "Living Philosophies” Speakers since 1955 have been: Charles Aaron, Attorney and President, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago F. G. Anger, President, Chicago National Bank Melbourne Akers, Editor, Chicago Sun-Times Thomas J. Ayers, Executive Vice-president, Commonwealth Edison Company John D. deButts, Illinois Bell Telephone Company V. Raymond Edman, President, Wheaton College Clifford Gregg, Director, Chicago Museum of Natural History Mortimer B. Harris, Chairman, Harris Brothers Company Robert W. Murphy, Vice-president and General Counsel, Borg Warner Corporation General Robert E. Wood, Chairman, Director, Sears Roebuck & Co. R. W. Reneker, Vice-president, Swift and Company Norman Ross, Daily News columnist and radio personality Miller Upton, President, Beloit College Bill Wade, Star Quarterback, the Chicago Bears Mrs. Charles R. Walgreen, Sr., Walgreen Drugstores 102 Kenneth L. Wilson, Commissioner, Big Ten Athletic Conference A feature strikingly noticeable to the visitor who first attends a meeting of the Club is the way the audience applaud: certain parts of the program. Although applause hardly seems prOper in a religious 101Board Minutes, October 31 1955; February 8, 1956. 102File of "Living PhiloSOphies" Speakers (SEC files); Pr0gram Files, l955—196h. 82 service, this practice, which started Spontaneously many years ago, has become a strong tradition. The problem was discussed by the Board in l9h5, but the members decided to do nothing about it since it had become a ”well intrenched custom."103 A member of the staff told the author that years ago when the audience started this applause, Mr. Barnes tried to step it, but the audience persisted, holding it to be their chosen means of expressing appreciation. Length of Season For a short time during the early years of the Club the season ran from October through June. It was later shortened so as to close by the end of May, and, at present, by the end of April. Present Order of Service The present order of service as compared with the original format of 1908 (see p. 39) testifies to the continuity that has pre- vailed in the history of the Club's program. Doors Open (7:00 p.m.) Organ Prelude at 7:05 Jack Olander Doxology (standing) Favorite Hymns Led by Francis V. Gregory Sacred Concert Guest Choir Organ Recital Stanley Martin Anthem Chicago Sunday Evening Club Choir The Lord's Prayer (sung by the congregation standing) Prayer (seated) Featured Music Solo, Duet, Trio, or Quartet Scripture Reading One of the trustees "Living PhilosOphies" Prominent Chicago Layman Announcements Joseph 0. Hanson, President Hymn Congregation Offertory Anthem Chicago Sunday Evening Club Choir Address Guest Speaker 103BOgrd MinuteS, March 1 and November 15, 19h5- 93 Hymn Congregation Benediction Guest Speaker 10h Postlude Stanley Martin Following the program, the audience is invited as it leaves to meet the speaker in the main lobby. The Human Touch No prOgram, however well organized, that runs without interrup- tion for over fifty years, is going to escape those moments when things seem to be getting out of hand. There was the time in 1938 when: Dr. Richard C. Raines and Dean Charles R. Brown, without col- laboration, of course, happened to speak on the same text, and originally sent in the same subject, "Power to Become." As Dr. Raines was the first Speaker, we advised Dr. Brown and he changed the tepic, but spoke as he intended. Their addresisg were very different, but each most helpful in its own way. Somewhat more hectic and certainly more dangerous was the following: We do have our off times, and it is our hope that all the mishaps that might occur in a year's Operation were disposed of last Sunday in one grand bundle. The singers scheduled for the early meeting could not come as their director was ill; Dr. Holman who was to have given the Bible Talk also succumbed to flu and had to send a substi- tute at the last moment; we combed the hall but could find no trustee to introduce this newcomer to the audience; Mark Love suddenly lost his voice and could only sit on the platform while Miss Auyer said his advertised part in the program, and Pater Marshall, the later speaker was late indeed. He walked on the platform at ten minutes after eight, Just in time to save our President's life, practically. Because the plane on which Dr. Marshall was to have come was taken by the govern- ment, he had to take the next ship and that was forty minutes late on account of a storm around Cleveland. After all this, during which life seemed grim and earnest indeed, we perhaps louProgram Files, 196h-65. loSGeneral Report, January 10, 1938’ ‘ ‘ ... m. Ja‘.-““ a ‘77 a vJu'ert ‘. 'ri, Tmaafi‘; E W -" :— as. t h ”F c 2 V . t I should have been glad that Dr. Marsha1% emphasized in his talk the fact that life was just a vapor.10 Growth and Development Place of Meeting Orchestra Hall, 216 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois has been the home of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club since February 16, 1908. With very few exceptions, such as the month of April in 1908 when it was not available, or the two Sunday nights in 1918 when the Board voted to close the doors because of the influenza epidemic, or the six weeks in 1957 when the meetings were held in the Prudential 107 this famous Building because Orchestra Hall was being renovated, concert hall has been the scene of a unique religious service every Sunday evening, season after season, without fail for 57 years. The idea of sharing facilities with Central Church, which met in the Auditorium, was given serious thought by the trustees of both organizations on numerous occasions. As early as 1912 they were talking of Joining forces to secure a "permanent home." By 1913 the need for a larger place of meeting by the Sunday Evening Club was painfully obvious. The seating capacity of Orchestra Hall is 2,656 but with the addition of chairs on the stage and in the boxes, which normally seat only six, 3,000 can be admitted. On nearly every Sunday night thus far the lhO chairs on the stage have been occupied by young men, with no vacant seats remaining, . . .108 l°6Ibid., May 7, 19h2. 107Board Minutes, February 2h, 1908; October 17, 1918; March 3, 1957. 08General Report, November 1h, 1913. .... Li‘dJDtC‘ New ' «qu. '- -‘ .... I; -.ash 1" caring 8 :1 actuate vi \- :,c.‘j , ' "“N- we I It! a *1 (1) gm In C.) Thus it was that both groups made inquiry of the Orchestra Hall management to determine if the hall could be enlarged to seat an additional 1,000 people. They were told it would cost as much to do this as it would to build another building. In 1916 their plans for sharing a new location took on the prOportions of a "City Temple," complete with social and educational facilities. The prOposal to affiliate was made again in 19h5, and for the last time in 19h8. For some reason such a union and move were not realized. The year 1959 seems to have been the most recent year in which some thought was given to the possibilities of leaving Orchestra Hall. At that time the move was considered as part of a plan to change the status of the Club completely by affiliating with a social group or a seminary.109 Location of Office Though the place where the prOgram is conducted has remained the same, the location of the Club office has changed during this fifty-seven year period. First located in the Tribune Building, it was moved, in 1912, to the new Otis Building at 10 South LaSalle Street where space was shared with the Chicago Community Trust. Moved again in l9h5, the office is now located in the McCormick Building at 332 South Michigan Boulevard, just south of Orchestra Hall.110 109Board Minutes, February h, 1909; March 10, 22, and April 17, 1911; January 12, 1912; Board Minutes, December 12, 1913; November 9, 1916; February 1, l9h5; February 11, 1957. 110Board Minutes, March A, 1909; February 9, 1912; February 1 and October 17, 19h5. cg Attendance Profile Attendance at the Sunday evening program in Orchestra Hall has always been of vital interest to the Sunday Evening Club. This is to be eXpected, since the Club exists for the purpose of producing this program--the main vehicle through which it has endeavored to accom- plish its objectives and purposes. From the following chart, which provides a profile of attend- ance covering a period of h6 years, it is clear why, at times, the Club has indicated serious concern for its effectiveness and future well-being. This is not to say that it has ever seriously considered discontinuing the program, but through years of decline in attendance from the peaks of the early twenties to the lows of the fifties, it has had to carefully study ways and means whereby the prOgram could be adapted to changing times and circumstances. How this was accom- plished so that, today, the Chicago Sunday Evening Club continues to be a vital religious force in the heart of one of America's largest cities, with a much larger outreach than attendance at Orchestra Hall could possibly measure, is part of the story to be told in the pages that follow. I O t I D r\1 I D . to n.) u ‘. .. 0' ‘ .“, l- ‘i ‘ I...‘/ .... “I a r- u ‘9 Aw -.,I .» ‘7 -..~..l ‘- .. v ~..‘, “ l -,. ‘14 / ‘\ 'a-~. "4dr Q. o 4D 87 Average Yearly Attendance-~1907 to 1953111 1907-08 . . . 1293 l923-2h . . . 2626 1939-ho . . . 1837 1908-09 . . . 1968 l92u-25 . . . 2530 19h0-u1 . . . 2055 1909-10 . . . 2206 1925-26 . . . 2282 19hl-h2 . . . 1931 1910-11 . . . 2&36 1926-27 . . . 1931 19h2-h3 . . . 2006 1911-12 . . . 2600 1927-28 . . . 2371 l9h3-hh . . . 1968 1912-13 . . . 2uhl 1928-29 . . . 2166 19hh-h5 . . . 1353 1913-1h . . . 2&02 1929-30 . . . 2091 19h5-h6 . . . 1Lh6 191h-15 . . . 23kt 1930-31 . . . 2057 19h6-h7 . . . 1381 1915-16 . . . 2309 1931-32 . . . 1997 19h7-h8 . . . 1379 1916-17 . . . 2629 1932-33 . . . 1979 19h8-h9 . . . lhll 1917-18 . . . 2296 1933-3h . . . 1600 19h9-50 . . . lh69 1918-19 . . . 2028 193h-35 . . . 1609 1950-51 . . . 1290 1919-20 . . . 21h9 1935-36 . . . 1763 1951-52 . . . 1275 1920-21 . . . 2577 1936-37 . . . 2006 1952-53 . . . 1226 1921-22 . . . 2676 1937-38 . . . 2150 1922-23 . . . 2510 1938-39 . . . 2062 Historical Sketch—-Season by Season The following historical sketch, drawn from the files of the Sunday Evening Club, is structured as a partial season by season com- mentary and analysis of the attendance profile given above. 1908-O9 Reaction to the first meetings was favorable. The peOple whom the founders wanted to reach were attending. The fellowship gatherings before the regular service were considered inspiring. Mr. Barnes reported the continued interest of Chicago peOple to the meetings, and said that newspapers in various parts of the country had been taking note of the organization, both by news items and editorials. 12 lllAlton Matter, 0p. cit., "Evaluation Report," May 20, 1953- 112Committee Minutes, March 9, 1908; Board Minutes, June 29, 1908. 1911-12 Numerous articles appeared in the newspapers heralding the suc- cess of the Sunday Evening Club. During this season William Howard Taft, President of the United States, Spoke at the meeting October 29.113 Returns from a post card survey showed that 25 per cent of the attendants at the meetings were church members, and of these 92 per cent were members of churches outside the Chicago area.llh 1912-13 Continued advancement has marked the progress of the Sunday Evening Club during the sixth season. . . . Another feature frequently the subject of comment among those most familiar with Sunday Evening Club audiences has been the increased attendance of young men at the meetings. On many occasions 1&0 men have occupied seats on the stage and of these prob- ably 80% have been men whose ages would run from 20-30 years. It is now safe to say that the Sunday Evening Clu is the best advertised religious organization in the United States, if not in the world. One city editor of Chicago recently made the statement . . . that he believed the Sunday Evening Club received eight times as much publicity as any other religious institution in Chicago.1 5 1913-1% A brief survey of the closing season discloses the encouraging fact that the Sunday Evening Club is not only maintaining its position--that of the most largely attended non-sectarian reli- gious body in the Country-~but in some directions is going ahead of its own conspicious record. One of these is the grow- ing power in attracting to its meetings large numbers of young men. It may be that many of these young men come from points 113Sorap Book, 1911-12 (SEC f11e8)- 11hBoard Minutes, February 9, 1912. 115Barnes, Annual Statement to the Board, 0 . cit., May 9, 1913. outside of the downtown section, or adjacent territory, but it is evident that they come to the Club and repeat their visits because they find in the service just the kind of speaking, music and general moral and mental refreshment they most need. There are many mothers on the farms and in the little towns of the Middle West who would rejoéce to find their sons at Orches- tra Hall on Sunday evenings. l l9lh-15 The Sunday Evening Club is now in the midst of its eighth season and with each succeeding year it has more clearly dem- onstrated its right to be regarded as an established factor of the greatest importance in the moral and religious develOp- ment of Chicago. Its audiences have steadily grown until the capacity of the building, when arranged to seat 3,000 people, has long since been over-taxed. It has been used as a model for similar organizations in other places, has been copied to some extent in our own city, and has received the unstinted praise of ministers, educators, business men, and the public press, both at home and abroad. Its normal constituency, which comprises strangers, hotel guests, men in the downtown boarding houses, and the unchgrched everywhere, will constantly increase as the city grows.ll 1916-17 A message of congratulations from Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, was read at the Opening meeting of the season, October 1, when Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels spoke. The first two meetings of the season turned hundreds away. It might be well to explain that a part of this extraor- dinary total in attendance must be credited to the night of November 19, when for hours a crowd estimated by all the morn- ing newspapers as not less than 10,000 people tried to hear William Jennings Bryan. The lines formed before five o'clock in the afternoon. In order to lessen somewhat the disappoint— ment of the thousands unable to attain admission to the hall, ll6Roy (L Randall, Report to the Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees, May 28, 191A, Chicago Sunday Evening Club (SEC files). 117Clifford Barnes, Report to a Meeting of the Board of Trustees, January 8, 1915, Chicago Sunday Evening Club (SEC files). at the suggestion of the President, the assistant secretary arranged an outside overflow meeting addressed by Mr. Bryan from the Art Institute steps. Since Mr. Bryan had Spoken at the club before this attend- ance was attributed ngt only to his appeal but to the increased appeal of the Club.11 Franklin D. Roosevelt, Assistant Secre- tary of the Navy, spoke at the meeting of November 12, 1916. 1917-18 Because of the large attendance, on Sunday nights, the Committee does not deem it wise to put out the type of adver- tising which would bring a larger number there. It seems best rather to build up a clientele that can be depended upon and, to this end, to fix in the minds of the attendants the value of the Club, i.e. to make the work intensive rather than exten- sive. 1918-l9 Attendance was down. It was voted to close down for two Sun- duay nights because of the influenza epidemic. Poor attendance was attributed to this and to "Gassless Sundays" [sic].12o 31920-21 Attendance increased this year over previous years. At one meeting 2000 people were turned away.121 1922- 23 The first radio broadcast of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club "38 carried by station KYW Sunday evening, December 21!- This was the 118General Report, October 12 and December 1h, 1916. ll91bid., December 13, 1917. 120Board Minutes, October 17, 1918. 121General Report, December 16, 1920. .:. 1 annual Christmas program, said to be the first religious broadcast in the history of American radio.122 1923-2h The attendance except in threatening weather, taxes the capacity of Orchestra Hall. At 12 meetings we were obliged to turn hundreds away. Add to this the vast radio audience, reaching into millions, spread across the continent, and the sc0pe of the Sunday Evening Club work will be seen to be tremendous. The Sunday Evening Club is entering upon the last half of the Seventeenth Season. With the exception of three unusually cold sub-zero nights the average attendance has been for the Bible talks 2&97, for the main meeting 2720. From scores of radio letters, we learn that the services of the Club are reach— ing lonely ranchers in the highlands of Montana, small church communities in Oklahoma, and Texas, which have been too poor to afford regular preaching, hospitals near and far with their multitude of invalids, and countless homes from one end of the land to the other. The value of this work is recognized not only in Chicago but throughout the entire United States and even abroad. It is a significant fact that the leading newSpapers in most of the great cities of our country, as far removed as Portland, Oregon, Atlanta, Georgia, and Bangor, Maine, carry in their radio news the weekly program of the Sunday Evening Club. 23 1925-26 Attendance dr0pped. It was thought to be due to competition ?frtnn the radio pr0gram—-pe0p1e were listening at home. Some also said that the Club is too successful. "No need to go down to Orchestra 3311, you can't get in anyway."12h la?£§$§., January 9, 1923, 8 123General Report, Annual Meeting, l923-2h; and Barnes, tatement to the Board, January 25, 19211, 0 , cit. lQhGeneral Report, Annual Meeting, 1925-26. \1‘). To A letter was sent to President Coolidge, to be delivered by Barnes in person. He was wanted for the anniversary season 1927-28. Before the season closed word had been received that the President would not be able to come.12 \n Toward the close of this season daylight saving time was thought to hurt the attendance. 1927-28 There were omens that this would be the best season in three years in attendance and publicity. New hotels, such as the Stevens (now Conrad Hilton), were being built. The Illinois Central depot The Club eXpected greater arttendance from lake front residential pOpulation.126 was under construction in the downtown area. 193081 Attendance was better than the two previous years. "One night thus entire Federal Grand Jury came, their foreman asking that the men 'be' seated together with great secrecy."127 1931-32 .A very encouraging develOpment of this season has been the inoticeable increase in our attendance, the balcony being :filled IBBmOSt cases, and on two occasions the gallery was Opened. 1 125Board Minutes, October 12 and November, 1926; April 28: 927,- May 11, 1927. 126General Report, October 26, 1927- 127Ibid., December 2h, 1930. 128mm, November 25, 1931. , SW11 l.Ul ,- but... )— p. I!“ -~. 1 .P ...: : A: 19333-33 In regard to this Special service, the 25th Anniversary Program Mr. Barnes wrote on February 22: "It looks to me as though the event has brought new life to the Club, and has deepened and strengthened the foundations on which the future of the Club depends. And how timely it was. We planned better than we knew when we started in February 1908, and so brought the 25th anniversary into the midst of the world‘s greatest depression. Never before have we needed so much the wide publicity this event gave us, and at no other time have the messages we sound been of such priceless value. Attendance was good this season. Upon one occasion hundreds were turned away. Observation was made that in this season, more than any other, the addresses were carefully and painstakingly prepared with knowledge of a particular need.129 1933-31‘ The addresses which our Speakers have given take account of the vital need of the day for inSpiration, faith, courage, and strength to carry on in difficult times. We had many visitors during the progress of the World's Fair, where our invitation cards were liberally distributed. The past two Sundays there has been a lower attendance, indicating the absence of these visitors. 1935-36 Between ourselves we must admit that some of the addresses 'by our visitors are disappointing, even ineffectual, but the (Zlub offers a free platform, and it is well to know what these (:hurches and state leaders are talking about. . . . Yet some <3f the addresses we have liked least have been highly praised 1J1 letters from friends of the radio audience, who claim to have gotten value from them. In the face of the discouragement we feel at times be- cause our audiences are smaller than they used to be, it is ‘\ J 129Board Minutes, March 1, 1933; General Report, April 26 and ””e 7: 1933. 130 General Report, November 29, 1933. A (rogn .u‘wvs J V‘- {we fl’.|‘l f‘lwfi'r‘v ,- at t . ‘1' VA :A VIA l V g :u M: Mb a interesting to note the comment of a member of the Board of the Century of Progress. He says: ”Since the days of talking pictures, radio and easy tranSportation, it is getting increas- ingly difficult to draw the public. The daily attendance at the Fair was 3% of Chicago's pOpulation in the face of the anticipated 10%." He cites the fact that there was more elec- tricity used in the Hall of Science at the Century of Progress than in the entire United States at the 1893 exposition. He comments "Neither this fact, nor the presence of search-lights of ten billion candle power, caused the sensation that the mere use of electric lights did in 1893." So we are working in a changing age, breaking down apathy that is dangerous, promoting fruitful and hOpeful ideas to work like leaven in the mass psychology through the great down- town mission that is the Sunday Evening Club a Spii§£ual and stabalizing force in the community of the nations. 1935-37 A wider interest in meetings and concerts is reported on all sides, the symphony has a larger subscription list than ever before, Opera has returned. There seems to 33 a feeling in the air that life is beginning again in 1936.1 1938- 39 Our Speakers seem to be particularly earnest and inspired this season, anxious to meet the challenge of the hour for help in daily living, made so difficult by the complexities of our times. The men who come to us have nothing Spectacular to offer, it is true, nothing new, they do not sound the mighty tones of the spell binding orator, or strike reverberating keys of the forensic art, but emphasize effectively a point made by Mr. Barnes in one of his recent talks: "The things of the past are good and worth preserving." What they have had to say has held audiences of thousands in rapt attention. The events of that evening December h were overshadowed lxy anxiety concerning Mr. Barnes, who had been taken to St. IAJke's Hospital from the train. We are glad now to report that he is recovering from what was a slight heart attack, although we fear he cannot be with us at the meetings, or ésifire those delightful Bible talks, for some time to come. \ l311bid., January 6, 1936. 132Ibid., October 26, 1936- .\ fir ‘f 5..“ ‘ .x h a In the Spring bad weather and the absence of Mr. Barnes were considered reSponsible for poor attendance.133 1939-ho At the opening of the season Mr. Barnes was again at his post-- his health improved. Over a thousand persons of all ages waited Sunday night, March 31, in a line that extended from the front of Orchestra Hall around Adams street for half a block until two hours after the Opening of the doors, in the hOpe of gaining admittance to what might be called our "double feature," that is, the annual address of Harry Emerson Fosdick and renewed participation in the person of our president, absent from our midst for many weeks. The large crowd, which quickly filled every seat before seven, began to assemble at five o'clock, and the Club's helpers had to take precautions against a near-riot, such as occured on a previous visit of Dr. Fosdick, when the front door of the hall was crashed, and an usher and bystander injured. A passerby asked last Sunday if "Gone With the Wind" was now in Orchestra Hall. It was recognized that there is a falling off in attendance 13h when Mr. Barnes is absent. l9h0Al Comments were made on attendance--the audience fluctuated in numbers except for a few hundred regulars. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick had been a "regular" guest speaker for so many years that the absence Of his name from the program this Season called for special comment. It was said that he was "retiring."135 ¥ l33Ibid., November 10, 1938; March 8, 1939; Board Minutes, December 1h',‘ 1938. 13"General Report, October 11, 1939; April 10, 19hO. 135Ibid., June 5, l9h1. 06 19h2-h3 E. Stanley Jones attracted one of the "hundreds turned away" The Speakers this season emphasized the war of the Spirit, 136 audiences. as physical war raged in the world. 19hh-h5 Mr. Barnes passed away before this season got under way. A serious study was made of the Club to determine whether or not it should continue, and if continue--how? Negotiations with Professor Samuel Kincheloe, of the Chicago Theological Seminary, began. A survey of attendance was desired by ‘the Board of Trustees. In the Spring, note was taken of the good attendance and in- ‘terest for the season.137 1915-116 Dr. McCartney, now executive director of the Club, was opti- rnixstic about the attendance, stating that it was of a higher quality than he had expected.138 196- 147 Dr. McCartney reported a good attendance with many youth groups coming to the services. 136Ibid., May 6, 1918- 137Board Minutes, November 2, 19h“; May 16: 19"5- 138Ibid., May 23, 19h6. 6y. h... of- 97 1951-52 A tape recorder was purchased SO that the sermons could be reproduced and sent to those requesting them. A regular mailing list was begun. The guest book in the lobby Showed visitors from all across the country.139 1952-53 Harry Emerson Fosdick was back again February 1, when over 500 peOple were turned away, some being cared for in the Assembly Room of Orchestra Hall and others in the Chapel and social rooms of Central Church . The statement on attendance for this season Showed the largest ccfllection and the smallest attendance in the history of the Club. Alton M. Motter's book, Sunday Evening Sermons, a collection Of’ sermons preached at the Sunday Evening Club, published by Harper arui Brothers, appeared November 12, 1952.1'"0 Motter's second collection of Sunday Evening Club sermons, Eljeat Preaching Today, published by Harper and Brothers, appeared January 19. 1955. The Club had the lowest attendance in history on October 10; Otherwise the yearly attendance was average. l391bid., October 17, 1951- 1"°Ib1d., September 2b, 1952; April 15 and June 17’ 1953’ Consideration was given to televising the program on Channel 11.1"1 1955-56 The Chairman of the Board Spoke of what he considered the most serious problem-~to reverse the downward trend in attendance. The five-minute "Living PhilOSOphies" talks began this season. TV live from Orchestra Hall began March h, 1956.1"2 1956—57 TV was considered a success. The season ended in the black ‘with $982.57 and a bank balance of $3,700.72.l"3 1957-58 The Sunday Evening Club 50th Anniversary prOgram was held erbruary 16, 1958. Mayor of Chicago, Richard J. Daley, attended and read a proclaxnation.l"" TV was going strong, running about 200,000 viewers. Comments made at the 50th Anniversary meeting by President Hanson: In order to really live, perhaps our greatest need is spiritual strength. The Chicago Sunday Evening Club's fifty- ;YSar record demonstrates, I believe, that our services have lhlIbid., September 29 and November 2h, 195“. 1h21b1d., September 1h, 1955; February 8; 1956' 1"3Ibid., June 12, 1957- 1""See Appendix D. been helpful; and today, through pig medium of television, our audience is greatly expanded. ) 1959-59 Because of a drOp in attendance, consideration was given to moving the meeting to a smaller hall. Some study was also given to affiliating with another institution; but in the end, this idea re- ceived no support. The Opinion was eXpressed that the correct shift was made to TV to offset smaller audiences, therefore the program should continue lh6 as usual. 1959-60 Mr. Clarkson of the Television Committee said he felt that television "furnished a valid reason for continuing the work of the (llub into the foreseable future."l"7 Thus, in terms of attendance, the program has had its times of .PITDSperity and adversity. As was suggested in comments made concern- ing: the 1935-36 season, the loss in attendance at Orchestra Hall was no cloubt due to the advent of "talking pictures, radio, and easy trans- POrtuation." By 1953 other factors were added to these, including teletflision, and the problem became more acute; even churches in the larger cities diSpensed with Sunday evening meetings because their peoplii just would not "come out." That the Sunday Evening Club has X lhsIbid-, November 13, 1957; February 2h, 1958. l"6Ibid., January 7, 1959; June 15, 1960.. l"'YIbid” January 13, 1960. t u not b." lOO survived is a tribute to its wide acceptance as a program of value, and its ability to adapt to changing situations. By turning to radio in 1922 and to television in 1956, the program has in some ways actually increased its effectiveness. If it could contribute to the moral and religious welfare of Chicago through a service of Christian inSpiration and fellowship by reaching 3,000 people every Sunday eve- ning in Orchestra Hall, what indeed might be accomplished by increasing that number almost 100 fold through the mass media of radio and television! In terms of reSponse by members, friends, radio and television audience, the 196h-65 season was one of the most successful in the recent history of the Club. Every telecast was Sponsored--not one had to be written off against Operating eXpense. Historical Sketch-~Three Milestones In its history the Sunday Evening Club has passed many mile- siuones, but three are of Special significance because of the effect inney have had upon the future of the Club and the course Of its develOpment. The first milestone was passed when the Sunday Evening Club Vetrt on the air over station KYW in 1922. These were the early days Of Inadio; and this station, owned and Operated by Westinghouse Electric Conuxany, seeking to secure a "first" in religious broadcasting, chose this isunday evening program because it was nonsectarian. As far as can 1M3 determined, this was the first religious service put on the air with "coast to coast" coverage. The most immediate problem was that of getting Orchestra Hall w ired for broadcasting. With permission from the Board of Trustees, ' u! ...... _ “\ 4 .. m4. .’.A.-' ...! “v :E C‘ :I‘: 1;: 't ‘7‘... i ‘-—A ., a q “9-. 'V\v a! \‘. ‘9.) 1 '4: N ' n2- .; lOl Elmer Stevens began negotiations with the Orchestral Association; and by early December approval was obtained and the necessary equipment installed in time for the December 2h broadcast. Thus it was that the Sunday Evening Club radio ministry began with the Christmas prOgram of 1922. KYW carried both services from 7-9:30 p.m., including Barnes' informal Bible Talk, the choir concert, and the principal Speaker. In those days, when radio transmission and reception were not what they are today, and the whole business was a novelty and a wonder, strange things could happen. There was, for instance, the fan who sent Mr. Stevens 25 cents to buy cough drOps for the audience because their coughs came through so clearly they got on his nerves. An incident that received wide publicity, and therefore rendered the Club immeas- urable service, was the ticking of BishOp McDowell's watch. The day following his sermon letters of complaint came in from Texas, New York, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois saying that the Watxzh ticked so loudly it Spoiled the sermon. On Tuesday the story "38 given to the City News Bureau, and on Wednesday it appeared on the Ifirst page of the Tribune, and Herald-Examiner. The Westinghouse Publglcity department also sent the story to its list of papers, and thus it was printed far and wide. Clippings were received from all parts of the country, including one from the front page of the £133 32£5;5§§g§§, one which said that the BishOp's watch now has been made famous by radio and threatens the immortal glory of the "Old Clock on 102 the Stairs," and one which warned that "Grandfather's Clock" would have to look to its laurels.lh8 When station KYW moved to Philadelphia in 1927, WMAQ, Chicago, carried both early and main service until 1933. Following 1933, broadcasts of the Sunday evening meetings were rather irregular; WLS carrying only the early service from 7 to 8 p.m. during l933-3h, and WGN broadcasting the main service at 8 o'clock from l93h-36, after which, for one season, the Sunday Evening Club was off the air. The program went on the air again in l937 over WIND and con- tinued until l9h3. The time given by the station varied except for the last two years when it covered only the main address from 8:30 to 9:00. Beginning in October, 19h3, WAAF made a recording of the address and introduction by Mr. Barnes. This transcription was then broadcast the following Sunday at 8:30 a.m. After another season off the air, the prOgram was picked up by ”GRUB (FM) broadcasting the main service from 8 to 9 p.m. until May, JSHVT. Once again the program had no outlet until it returned to the air April 16, 1950, over WAAF-F'M. This continued through the 1950-51 season after which arrangements were made with WIND to broadcast the “Bill address from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m., which marked a return to AM broadcasting after an absence of seven years. It was during this Seascnl that mimeOgraphed c0pies of the sermons were offered to members and radio listeners, and a large mailing program began.lh9 Today, Staticni WIND still carries the program from 8:30 to 9:00 without charge. \ 1“Board Minutes, April 29, October 26, and November 23, 1923. l"9"History of Broadcasting," (unpublished) (SEC files). - uJ' '. . I . . .,;.~ I ' I. F .‘3-:_c,' ‘.c flu. UH! an... 15“,. uh“. “‘av 103 Radio added a whole new dimension to the ministry of the Sun- day Evening Club. It became a national institution after 1922, with listeners numbering into the hundreds of thousands. One prominent newSpaperman called it "the Nation's Pulpit"; and to this title, which it still holds, no other rostrum has better claim.150 The second milepost was passed following the loss in death of the Club's founder, Clifford W. Barnes. So much, for so long, had depended upon his insight, vision, and inspiration. Would the Club recover and carry on without him? Fortunately he did not go suddenly while in the prime of life, and thus, the officers and trustees were somewhat prepared for the blow when it came. At the beginning of the 1932 season, Mr. Barnes wrote a letter to the Board concerning a heart attack he had suffered which kept him from attending the meetings and giving the Bible Talks. He described his condition as "thrombo phlebitis" followed by a "pulminary embolism' Witfla a "coronary Spasm."151 Barnes was active in the Club for more than ten years follow- ins this attack, but from time to time was not able to assume his usual duties, whereupon members of the Board presided at the meetings. For instance, he was inactive during the early part of the 1936-37 season, but was back again for the 1937-38 season. He was not well 1“ May of 1938, but was giving the Bible Talks in October or that Same bfiaar until December, when he was again absent--stricken with \ 150Hayden Hall, o . cit. N0 151Letter of Clifford Barnes to the Board Of Trustees, yember 30, 1932, Chicago Sunday Evening Club (SEC files). 10h another slight heart attack while on his way to the meeting. When the 1939-ho season began, he had recovered and remained quite well until September 18, l9hh. Shortly after Mr. Barnes' death, a Special committee was appointed by the Board to study the future of the Club. On November 2, 19hh, Mr. Sidley, chairman of that committee, made a report to the Board. He said that they had reviewed the names of several candidates for Director, but decided to take no immediate action. They did de- cide to recommend a survey of attendance at the Sunday evening meetings so that they would know what audience they were reaching. This recom- mendation was accepted and the survey authorized.152 On December 7, Mr. Sidley presented and moved the adOption of the following memorial: Every service and every meeting of the trustees of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club serves as a memorial tribute to the life and character of Clifford Webster Barnes, and every record of his outstanding contribution to the welfare of our city bears the imprint of the highest standard of Christian fellowship which this organization so uniquely represents. Through the medium of the Sunday Evening Club and in many other important community activities, Mr. Barnes served our City as a great leader with vision and courage for more than fifty years. The remarkable leadership of this one man made it possible tfor the Sunday Evening Club for more than a third of a century ‘to wield a great religious influence upon the lives of count- lless individuals, and to make our city of Chicago a better ccmmmnity for all of our citizens. Its influence, under his linspiring guidance, has played an important part in numerous (Ither institutions, social, civic, and religious, which he hoks at itself. Points listed after each quotation are intended tc> ennphasize recurring themes relative to the mission of the Club and the character of its preaching. 1923 TPhe Sunday Evening Club, while retaining its place as an im- Lportant factor in the moral develOpment of Chicago, now seems 'tolhave become a great central forum from which distinguished Bush, closely allied with the better movements of the day, make their plea to a vast audience for the develOpment of the Chris- tian ideal. Addresses by men of this type necessarily would indicate 1336 trend of the times, and so, throughout the season just Eelssed, the dominant note has been the need for wise friendly ccxapeiggion in national, international, civic and religious life. \ l6thid., April 10, 1957; January 13 and June 15, 1960. 165General Report, May 25, 1923. 110 l. The Club is an important factor in the moral welfare of Chicago. 2. The Club is a central forum from which distinguished men make their plea for the develOpment of the Christian ideal. 3. Distinguished Speakers indicate the trend of the times. h. The central theme in sermons this season is for friendly anOperation in all of life, including the religious. 1928 The past year our leaders seem to have begun to translate into action the long talked of subject, religious unity, . . . Though we do not state it as a fact, it is entirely possible that the Club's work over the past twenty years, and its con- tact with the leaders of every denomination, may have ggd some influence on this change in the religious world.1 1. Contact with religious leaders of every denomination has helped translate into action the long talked of subject, religious unity. 1929 But we of the Sunday Evening Club know that before the .radio, even before much had been said about this idea of unity, ‘voices from EurOpe were Joining with our own leaders in sound— Iing that note at Orchestra Hall. Here in what the world seems tr) think is the stronghold of crime and political corruption, fifven in darkest Chicago, the Spirit of Western pioneering was a‘t work in a field which is becoming increasingly pOpular with Tfldoughtful peOple. Thus, before even Kg were aware, had Cfllicago begun the Century of PrOgress. 7 1. Voices from EurOpe are Joining with American leaders in sounding the note of unity from Orchestra Hall. \ 166Ib1d., May 2h, 1928. 167Ib1d., December 18, 1929. 111 2. Through these voices the Century Of PrOgress has been anticipated. 1931 The Club becomes an intermediary department, an educa- tional institution for non church goers, the idea being that after contact with these informal services, many Of those attending would be led to Join a church of their choice in their neighborhood. This has actually been the case in many instances, . . . Our Speakers, being the religious leaders Of the da , the rulers in their class so to Speak, in the past have discussed freely the vital questions facing the world at the moment, their combined addresses often indicating a definite trend. Many of them have stated that the unrestrained platform of the Club gives them a welcome Opportunity to eXpress private Opinions on these great problems. At the present time there seems to be a reawakening of interest in religion, . . . With some exceptions, the series of Club meetings will 'be then an interesting symposium on this subJect by our able list of Speakers, many Of them Of the younger group, classed (as liberal or as modern, certainly known as fearless. By :following these addresses, . . . a pretty definite idea can ‘be acquired of the trend Of the times, and we Egow Of nO c>ther source where Just this may be Obt8106d.l’“ 1. The Club is an evangelistic agency. 2. Speakers at the Sunday Evening Club, being the religious leaders Of the day, indicate trends on vital questions in the world. ThrTNi h them one may acquire a definite idea of the trend Of the times. 3. Many Speakers favor the unrestrained platform of the Club. It Siares them a welcome Opportunity to express private Opinions on greatr.problems. h. Many speakers are young men known as liberal or modern and \ lb8Ibid., October 29, 1931. r... 3. The sermons are a unique source of learning the trend Of tmthEs. 193h If anything is going to save this country it is the broad religious Spirit which looks upon something Spiritual as having very real value, as over against the purely material. A good many business men have come to see the same thing. There is nothing, in my judgment, which is going to hit the nail on the head, as the Sunday Evening Club. It has a great, nondenomina- tional, broad platform: a religious service right here in the heart of the city where it can be of the very greatest influence in promoting the moral and Spiritual values of the city, and of the nation, when we broadcast. If we are to help this country, we have got to do it with a revival of the finest Spirit in religion. The Sunday Evening Club is one,of the greatest platforms instituted for this kind of motive.lO’ l. The Spiritual is more important than the material-~this ivilll. save the country. (Stated during the depression of the 30's.) 2. The Club is a great nondenominational platfo no 3. The Club promotes the Spiritual values of the city and the nation . h. The Sunday Evening Club is one of the greatest platforms iantituted to help the country through a revival of the finest spirit in niligion. 1935 Miss Wooley Z Mary Ea Wooley, President, Mount Holyoke Cklllege, South Hadley, Mass.:7 told us in her address Of April 7th that there are moods in the Bible, and we Often chOOse to read the passage that suits our present feeling. SC) the services of the Club reflect and carry through them tkka prevailing mood of the peOple and of the times. Not long ago the Christian Century published the results of a. survey of Sunday evening church attendance throughout the \ 169Board Minutes, October 3, 193k. country, stating that in man! cases the evening meeting had been discontinued through leek of interest. The Sunday Eve- ning Club through fair weather and foul, heat and blizzards, has rarely had less than a thousand. While fulfilling its purpose to maintain a service of Christian inSpiration and fellowship . . . the great under- lying forces of the times have played across this now historic platform through the utterances of the religious, educational, national and international leaders, both men and women who have Spoken there. The important issues facing the world have been treated by those best qualified to pass judgment upon them. While the definitely religious and Spiritual note has been the foundation of these addresses, this interpretation has been brought to bear upon the day's work by these twentieth cen- tury prOphets. l. The services of the Club reflect and carry the prevailing mood of the peOple and the times. 2. Sunday evening meetings continue at the Club although they have been given up in many churches across the nation. 3. The purpose of the Club is to maintain a service of Chris- tian inspiration and fellowship. h. Speakers at the Sunday Evening Club have caused great underlying forces of the times to play across this historic platform. 5. They are qualified to pass judgment upon and interpret the issues facing the world as twentieth century prOphets. Now more than ever it is a time for the work of the Sunday Evening Club where the 20th Century prOphets bring to our every- day life now so frought with perplexities, the solution Offered by the Christian Religion. 1. Speakers at the Sunday Evening Club are 20th Century prOphets. l7OGeneral Report, May 29: 1935- 1711b1d., November 11, 1935- 11h 2. They bring the solution to our perplexities through the offerings of the Christian religion. 1936 Once again the Sunday Evening Club made history last night when the ArchbishOp of York took occasion of his visit to out- line a plan for work in uniting Christendom for more effective Christian leadership in the world. As he Spoke of the first great step toward unity having been taken in 1910 by BiShOp Brent at the historic World conference, it must have occurred to some intimately connected with the Sunday Evening Club that our organization was launched three years earlier with the definite object Of providing a place of common worship for those of all denominations. 72 l. The Club is a great ecumenical movement--one of the first. Reviewing the names chosen by the Federal Council of Churches for a National Preaching Mission next fall, and :reading the statement by them that they were selecting the ‘best preachers in America, we were pleased to note that this .1ist included all our favorite Speakers. It reminded us that ‘the Sunday Evening Club carries on a continual National Preach- ing Mission and has done so for nearly thirty years. 1. The Club has been a continual National Preaching Mission for' nearly thirty years. 2. It features the best preachers in America. 19ho In this report we paradoxically take a backward look to Gflnphasize the forward view, for the past season, comprising tilirty-five services in Orchestra Hall, has pointed up more timan ever the Sunday Evening Club's Special attributes: Its nondenominational character. Its appeal to the men and women of every class. Its emphasis on the religious and Spiritual values in its service of worship. \ 1L7(I‘bidn January 6, 1936. l73Ib1d., May 6, 1936. 115 Its use of the finest sacred music in strengthening its . . . . 17h appeal as well as the use of congregational Singing. ‘ lth We are more and more coming to feel that something as broad as the Sunday Evening Club is the best answer we can give to the problem of the downtown church in great cities: denominationalism isn't the way. There is something in a platform such as the Sunday Evening Club which will assure a xnan who is giving money to religious work that he is tied up ‘with something that will go down through the ages. Where could you find anything like that Sunday Evening Club crowd? There are thousands packed into the hall, thousands turned away frequently, all the peOple keenly interested! There is nothing like it anywhegg in the world: a platform broad, but distinctly religious.l" l. The Club is the best answer to the problem of the downtown church; denominationalism won't do. 2. This institution is something that will go down through the ages. 3. There is nothing like this Club anywhere in the world-~it is Linique. h. The Club's platform is broad yet religious. In this wanton, warring, willful world, it would seem that Inen acquainted with the "inside of things," as nearly as one czan.be these days, might be pessimistic; yet we find the leaders fiflao come to us insisting on the Optimistic note. Ralph Sockman, Sipeaking on February 9, finds the signs pointing to a vigorous Iwenewal of faith in the Christian way of life; John R. Mott . . . CH1 February 16 declared: "I want to go on record that I was m3Ver more hOpeful of the coming day. Ten years from now peOple ‘Will.look back upon this tragic era as one of the most creative that the world has ever known." Dr. Coffin, in a stirring Patriotic address February 23 , confidently predicted that thflfiaugh the present travail men will gain a firmer faith in a Sovereign God, and a universe favorable to society based on bITYtherhood. Rabbi Silver of Cleveland, last Sunday, made no 17thid., June 5, 19ho. 175Ib1d., Board Minutes, November 6, ighi. 116 complaints because of the particularly poignant suffering of his peOple, but felt that these testing times would put a "new heart in man." . . . So far as the Sunday Evening Club's part in this Spiritual rebirth is concerned, we find a growing connection everywhere eXpressed that the division of religious thought must be re- , solved for united action.* 1. Speakers at the Sunday Evening Club are prOphetic and Optimistic . 2. There is united action for Spiritual rebirth found in the Suinday Evening Club--it is ecumenical. 19h2 wku: Now our thoughts and plans are turned toward the future, and a considerable mention of how the Club will be affected by ‘war and the unwelcome events which it will thrust upon us. The tragic state of affairs will affect the messages of our Speakers; Men who are devotedly toiling to keep Christian principles alive in the world . . . can be counted on to make their Special talents and good influence count as never before. Tb these Spiritual prOphets and leaders, not mere visionary dwellers in Ivory Towers, we can look forl%$5piring as well as practical and helpful addresses, . . . 1. Speakers at the Sunday Evening Club are spiritual prOphetS ‘Will keep Christian principles alive during wartime. The Club's work is of such importance this season, that it Cannot be taken merely for granted, or, as usual. It Justi- fies as never before all the thought, care and effort that has been put into its building and its future. Of some things we can feel sure, however, and this is an Eige when certainties are eagerly sought. We can be sure that tine prOphets of our day, who by their accomplishments and high ixieals, qualify to the Sunday Evening Club platform, will com- 1Dine with the ministry of music to promote not only the moral 841d religious welfare of the city, but the national morale as well. Their thoughtful, helpful addresses will give us all \ 176General Report, March 6, lQHl. l771bid., June h, 19h2. ..J Fa —~J greater fortitude to mee fihatever unhappiness, even tragedy, may come into our lives. t 17. l. The Club is of vital importance in time of trouble and strife among men. 2. Speakers at the Sunday Evening Club are as prOphets who teilgl help meet whatever crises we face. Testimonies from those who have Spoken from the Orchestra Hall zillgpit produce a Similar image of the Club although from a different gxoixit of view. Francis Peabody of Harvard: On the other hand I was impressed once more with the extra- ordinary work you have develOped and the reverence, patience, and responsiveness of the multitudes of plain peOple. I am not exaggerating when I say there is nothing like it in the world.‘L ht EL In Faunce of Brown University: Mr. Faunce likened the Sunday Evening Club to the Forum Move- merrt in the East; or Ford Hall, Boston, where it got started.190 At another tine he said: .AS I told you last year, it is a marvel to me how that audience keeps coming. Certainly thelgervice supplies a vital need in the life of that great city. “ 178Ibid., October 8, 19h2. 179 , Ibid., November l3, 191b, p l“‘OGeneral Report, February 10, 1916. 191 Ibid., March 8, 1917. Fred B. Snith cf the Jahns-Manville Company: I do not know of another forum in the world that has kept such perfect poise, Open mind, wide gange and perfect sympathy as the Chicago Sunday Evening Club.1 2 Rabbi Stephen S. Wise of New York: In 5 Be ways, it is the most significant service in the country. 4 o 1, Dean Charles R. Brown, New Haven, Connecticut: I am happy to sit anywhere at all on that platform for the sake of the high privilege of Speaking to that Splendid audience which you assemble every Sunday night. It is a great work which {BE are doing, and may God bless you in it abundantly. BishOp Henry Knox Sherrill: I have a fairly accurate knowledge of religiaus conditions in the United States, and I know of no place where I can find such a unique audience in a Christian service as this largecone of several thousand in Chicago at the Sunday Evening Club.** .Lynn Harold Rough of Drew University: when Mr. Barnes was making his very effective appeal for this work, I was wondering if you in Chicago really know how some of us feel about the Sunday Evening Club, who come here year after year, sometimes from rather a long distance; how ‘we feel that there isn't anything in the United States, or Elsewhere, quite like it; that it is not only the most American of institutions, but one which somehow captures that fine Spirit of’democracy, that eager spirit of Spiritual inSpiration, that .provides the things which represent the hOpe of the republic find the hOpe of the world. Sometimes when I am on the other side of the water I am €3Sked if I have ever really seen America. I reply, yes, I heave taken an airplane across the entire country from east to ‘deSVt, north to south. But, they say, we mean, have you really gcrtten acquainted with America herself? Well, I reply, I have -————____ 18?£E£9., February 10, 1916. 18;£EEQ., January ll, 1917. ””3313” May 23, 1918. lPry-Board Minutes, October 22: 1931‘ 1‘s "‘1' driven in an automobile from New York to Los Angeles. And then they say, you protably know it geographically, but we mean, the Sgirit and heart of America. Finally in order to give them a really devastating reply, leaving them no words to say in return, I say: for eighteen different years I have Spoken before the Chicago Sunday Evening Club, which is the most complete cross section of the United States of America you can find anywhere. £93: I know the real heart and Spirit of democracy in Anerica.l-O Henry Sloane Coffin: The Sunday Evening Club is just the sort of thing that ought to be done to bridge the gap between the non-church goers and the churches.‘ Paul A. Wolfe, Brick Presbyterian Church, New York: One of the outstanding things about this Sunday Evening Club is that we are all here as common worshipers of a common God, lovers of a common Christ. Whatever the name of the in- stitution in which we were brought up, here we all sing the same old hymns, pray to the same God, love the same Christ. Wouldn't it be a great thing if such statesmanship would arise in on time, and make this possible in the nation and the world?l”' Harry Emerson Fosdick: This volume of characteristic messages delivered before the Chicago Sunday Evening Club reveals, better than any mono- graph could do, the Spirit of the Club itself. These sermons run snugly close to human need, are relevant to our pressing problems, deal with realistic life situations and bring the Christian gOSpel to bear on the urgent difficulties of our time. That great audience in Orchestra Hall, endlessly varied in .its constituency, calls out the best in a preacher. Nothing jpetty, narrow and sectarian will do. The Speaker is dealing ‘there with folk from many backgrounds of race and creed, and Vflaat he says must strike a universal note, making clear some tlnith weighty in itself and cogently applicable to human life. 0 . O O O O O O O I O O O O O O I O O O I O O I O O O O O O O For forty-five years now this creative enterprise in down- tcnVHChicago has served an ever-increasing constituency, and \ 186General Report, December 27, 1933- 1871mm, April 12, 1939. lBBIbid., April 8, 19h3. today its message is pertinent to some of this present genera- tion's most crucial needs, as though the Club had been Specially organized to meet them. For one thing it is interdenominational. For another thing, the Club represents a quenchless faith that even in the most unlikely places the gOSpel is not only needed but wanted. For another thing, our generation is in desparate moral and Spiritual need. Both th stimulating history of the Club an its present vitality prOphesy a future of enlarging usefulness. It is meeting a real want, and it deserves not only generous sup- port in Chicago, but imitations in many another town.:‘--'9 Dr. Harold C. Phillips: Mr. Chairman, and my good friends of the Sunday Evening Club, here and listening in: I can assure you that the con- tacts that I've had with this Club over the years are among the most enriching and rewarding of my experiences. I have always deemed it a privilege to be here, and I have never failed to be inSpired by the uplifting music of this glorious choir who contribute so much to these periods of worship. / BishOp Gerald Kennedy: Mr. Hanson, my friends of the Sunday Evening Club, I thought as I sat here tonight, I've been coming here, I think, for nearly twenty years, which is very hard for me to believe, and I always come with great anticipation and joy, partly to hear the music, and in these recent days to hear some great layman give a testimony of his faith. It is great to hear ‘these men speak, but there is something about the Sunday Eve- ning Club that always warms my heart, and I think it's one of fiw'favorite pulpits so I come year after year with a great Sense of privilege.194 \ 199 m 3Harry Emerson Fosdick, "Introduction," Sunday Evening Ser- —EUEEE: ed. Alton M. Motter (New York: Harper and Brothers, 19527 H" - 9~11. 190 From a sermon preached at the Sunday Evening Club April h, 1951. - lg‘Ibid., March 22, lQEh. 191 Bisho; Austin Fardue: sank you, Mr. Fanson, I am delighted to be back here again. It is always a privilege to be a part of this program that has gone on for so many years, and has been so effective in the life of the city of Chicago. ““ Commenting on the attitude of Speakers toward the Sunday Eve- ning Club, Joseph 0. Hanson recently "stated that he was impressed again this season by the high prestige of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club as evidenced by the fact that the Speakers, all among the great spiritual leaders of our time, are eager to accept our invitation to ~ o Speak from our plathrm.nl,3 Followin~ are two statements made at the time of the Club's a 50th Anniversar celebration in 3-958. They provide some insight as to I what Chicago thinks of its Sunday Evening Club. The Chicago Tribune: An invitation to Speak for the Chicago Sunday Evening Club ;153 reCOgnized among churchmen (and others) as an honor. Through- CDth the 50 years, the best known and best loved ministers-- occasionally laymen, too--have been glad to Speak under the Club's auSpices. Tho the Sunday Evening Club schedule IUfBII of wide reputation, it is not filled with "safe" men or with representatives of any single viewpoint. Pr0phetic voices are often heard; the club welcomes those who raise searching aJléi challenging questions, and does not read advance cepies of What will be said. .At a time when the Sunday evening church service is becom- itlé; (obsolete at least in cities, the Sunday Evening Club brings SIVBErt preaching to Chicago's downtown area week after week, is usually filled with 1921mm, April 26, 1961». Jun 1493Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees, e 121, .1963, Chicago Sunday Evening Club (SEC files)- 122 decade after decade. It continues to deserve and receiv sub- stantial support in both attendance and contributions.lg Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago: As Mayor, and on behalf of all the peOple of Chicago, I am happy to be here tonight on this 50th Anniversary of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club. This is an occasion of significance for every Chicagoan. It was exactly fifty years ago to this day, i this very hall, that the first service of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club was held. Although the tempo, the economic and social life of our times, have changed enormously since that day, the spirit, the faith, which guided these men is stronger than ever. The glorious legacy left by Clifford Barnes and the origi- nal members of the Sunday Evening Club has been carried on by John Nuveen and Joseph Hanson and everyone who participates in service. And here, in the heart of the area which houses Chicago's business and commercial institutions, has flourished this inSpiring SXpression of religious life in Chicago. All of th past is a preparation fo the future. A new (Shicago physically, yes, but a Chicago holding fast to the sage-old beliefs in the dignity of man, and the wisdom and ghastice of the Creator of us all--that we must and will keep e ternally . I Join with all the peOple of Chicago in congratulating ‘tlie Chicago Sunday Evening Club on this memorable Fiftieth Birthday . 95 The Sunday Evening Club has always had a Sincere desire to see itselgf’ as it really is. Twice, studies were made to determine just “hat Ideas taking place in terms of the program's outreach and effective- ness. {The first of these was right after Mr. Barnes' death in IQSh-h5, and time: (other, three years before going on TV, when in 1953 attendance w . . as dc“4r1 and there was serious concern as to what should be done if \ 1959 2L9h"Decades of Evenings," Chicago Daily Tribune, February 21, Or- Celeb ¥lJJRiChard J. Daley, A Speech given at the 50th Anniversary Fe: rathn of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club, Chicago, Illinois, oruary 16, 1958. 123 tflie Club were to continue its Operation. The A,:pendix to this study cxantains tr ree doc1ments which were Ire giared when the latter of these t'wa studies was made, and which help one see the Club in a time oi crtisis through its own eyes. They are: "Report of the Executive Direc- rsis by Alton Motter from txgr," October 21, 1353; Attendance Anal; "Ehraluation Report," May 20, 133 ; and a report of the Kincteloe Study 5., Anthony L. Michal, from "Minut tes of the Meeting of the Board of J ‘oK Truistees," June 17, 1953.L'J This consideration of the "image" the Chicago Sunday Evening (Zliib has of itself is, perhags, best concluded by the following three tatertements, which constitute an evaluation of the Club by the three highest administrative Ineti who have served it as President--the Club's office. Clifford Webster Barnes, ICOQ- lghh: “hen the world is at its worst, it certainly needs religion {it ' ts best, and t set time is now. We neel a rel i5ion wZ. ich briigs us into a close and real f”: lowsh iy with God as our heavenly Father, so that we can look ‘tCD Him for hel}, comfort, and guicance, and, through His Spirit