Beautiful bright warm Spring day. Arose 7:15 A.M. To College 8-9 and 11-12:15 M. Helped father, studied etc. Took nap in P.M. To college chapel to meeting under auspices of Inter-Church World Movement. Home in evening. Studied, wrote letter, ate ice cream etc. To bed 9:20 P.M. THANKFUL FOR HEALTH, FRIENDS etc.
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Here is some interesting information about the Interchurch World Movement, taken from a collection in the
Columbia University Library:
History
The Interchurch World Movement (IWM) began on December 17, 1918, when 135
representatives of the Home and Foreign Missions Boards and allied agencies gathered for a
conference under the aegis of the Foreign Mission Board of the Presbyterian Church of the
United States. The purpose of this conference was to discuss the feasibility of a united Christian
campaign. The Movement was a direct response to the end of World War I; initial considerations
for this movement were begun by the Executive Committee of the Board of Foreign Missions of
the Presbyterian Church days after the signing of the armistice between the Allies and
Germany. The purpose of the Movement was to unite Protestant churches in North America and
coordinate Christian services and programs.
In 1919, the Interchurch World Movement formed the Interchurch Department of Industrial
Relations in order to take an active role in the Great Steel Strike of 1919-1920.The Industrial
Relations department was specifically concerned with objectively documenting and studying
industrial disputes and their social consequences. On October 5, 1919 the Interchurch
Department of Industrial Relations formed a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the steel strike
because of concerns from Protestant church leaders that the public was misinformed about the
basic facts surrounding the steel strike. In 1920, the Movement published its findings in a book
titled, Report on the Steel Strike of 1919, which countered popular views of the steel strike and
highlighted the poor wages and working conditions of steel workers. This report and its
supplementary volume are considered to have influenced U.S. Steel’s decision to improve
workers’ hours and wages.
On May 10th, 1920 at the General Committee Meeting in Cleveland, a sub-committee was
appointed and charged with the complete reorganization of Interchurch World Movement in
order to curtail expenses and decrease the Movement’s growing debt. However, by the end of
1920, the Interchurch World Movement was disbanded and its assets liquidated due to financial
difficulties.
The B&M bridge Stanford refers to was the Boston & Maine R.R. bridge which was part of the line that went to Troy, NY.