Francis Edward Clark, the president of the United Societies of
Christian Endeavor comes of New England stock, although he was born in
Aylmer, province of Quebec, September 12, 1851. His parents died when
he was a child, and his uncle, the Rev. E. W. Clark, adopted him and
took him to Claremont, New Hampshire. Thus it was that he acquired a
new name and country. Education and home influence inclined him to the
ministry, and he early decided to become a clergyman. After an academic
and college course—the latter at Dartmouth—he studied theology for
three years at Andover, and was later appointed pastor of Williston
church, Portland, Maine, a small mission from which he built a large
Congregational church. One of his many ideas was the exaction of a
pledge of faithful Christian endeavor from the members of his Bible
classes. The results were of so marked a nature that the well-known
society of which he is president was a consequence thereof. Churches of
many denominations endorsed the idea, and within a few years national
conventions of the organization were held which made the world think
that a tidal wave of religious enthusiasm was sweeping over it. An
organ of the movement was founded, entitled “The Golden Rule,” with Dr.
Clark as editor-in-chief. The work continued to grow, and finally he
was compelled to resign from the pastorate in order to devote himself
to the needs of the society. The movement has extended all over the
world, and in connection with it he has organized other societies,
such as The Tenth Legions, The Macedonian Phalanx, The Christian
Association, and Quiet Hour. Dr. Clark was married in 1876 to Harriet
E. Abbott. He is the author of several books dealing with his life work.