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The Christian Index. Vol. 57— No 29. Table of Contents. First Page—Alabama Department- The Ala bama Baptist Convention; Birmingham Baptist Church; Religions News; Editorial Short-Hand; Cause of Crime. Second Page—Correspondence: Letter from Rev. S. Landrum; Exciting News from Field of Indian Missions—Rev. H. F. Buckner; Letter from J. J. Black, Jessup, Ga,; Agen cies—Ex-Agent; Letter from Madison, Ga.— Alien Clark; Put These Togethe —W. M. H.; Unsrriptural Methods—Mission to the Chinese in California—W: H. Mclntosh; In ternattonal Sunday School Lesson for Au gust 10th, 1879. Third Page—Growing Old; Obituaries. Fourth Page—Editorial: The Second Com mandmint; Murder of'a Mormon; The North and South—by G. J. Johnson; Who is to Blame; Position of Baptism in the Chris tian System; Intemperance; Georgia Baptist News; Constitution of a Church. Fifth Page—Secular Editorials; News Para graphs; Legislative Summary; The Life of Chief Justice Warner; Georgia News. Sixth Page—Ability the Measure of Duty; Starting. Seventh Page—Farmer’s Index: Laying by- Cotton; Fall Crops; Save Everything; Get ting Rid of Nut Grass; Spoiling a Young Horse; Renovating Land; Sheep in Missis sippi. Eighth Page—Reading Notices and New Ad vertisements. Alabama Department. BY SAMVEL HENDERSON. THE ALABAMA BAPTIST CON VENTION. The following abstract of the pro ceedings of our late Convention at Birmingham has been kindly furnished us by our brother Rev. B. F. Riley, of Opelika. We only add that passed off most harmoniously. Our State Mission work is growing in im portance all over the State. Our insti tutions of learning, male and female, all make flattering reports. The grow ing city of Birmingham did its full duty by extending the most princely hospi tality to the delegates and visitors. Between two and three, hundred dele gates attended from nearly all parts of the State. We were glad to welcome Dr. A. J. Battle, and brethren Stout and Whatley from the Georgia Con vention. We shall recur to the meet ing again, having only time now to send this on in time for our next week’s issue. The next meeting is appointed for Greenville, Butler, county, to begin on Wednesday before the 3d Lord’s day in July, 1880, instead of Thursday. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ALABAMA BAPTIST CONENTION. Birmingham, Ala., July 17,1879. The Alabama Baptist Convention met in the court-house in Birmingham this morning at 10 A. M. Devotional exercises were impressive ly conducted by brother E. T. Smythe, of Oxford. Upon an organization of the Con vention Hon. John Haralson was re elected President, and brethren Renfroe and Harris were elected Vice-Presi dents, and brethren B. B. Davis and J. S. Paullin were elected Secretaries. Brother J. 0. B. Lowry, who had been appointed to preach the Conven tion sermon, being absent, and brother W. W. Sanders, the alternate, having died, the committee on devotional ex ercises reported that the sermon would be delivered to-night by Dr. A. J. Bat tle, of Georgia. Convention adjourned after prayer by brother Hendon. AFTERNOON SESSION. Convention met at 3P. m. After prayer the Convention proceeded to business. The President appointed the follow ing delegates to the Georgia State Con vention : Drs. Hawthorne, Mclntosh, Tichenor, Murfee, Tobey, and brethren Riley, Haralson and Owens. Brother Bailey read the report of the State Mission Board, showing the work accomplished during the past conven tional year. Under the auspices of the Secretary and the several Evangelists the work is broadening in all branches. The report of the Board of Trustees of the Judson Female Institute was read, showing the steady advancement of that institution of learning. This was followed by a report from the Board of Trustees of the Central Female College, located at Tuscaloosa, indicating a growth of interest in that college. Brother E. T. Smythe read the report of the committee on Sabbath-schools, which was followed by thrilling speeches from Brethren Tichenor, Smythe, Henderson, Baber, Stout and Harris, after which the report was adopted. Prayer was now ofl'ercd by Brother I. U. Wilkes, when the convention ad journed. NIGHT SESSION. Convention assembled at 8 P. M. to hear the sermon of Dr. Battle. The SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. of Alabama. preacher chose his text from Matthew 1 25:21, and impressively discussed the 1 subject of “Individual Obligation” to a I large audience. FRIDAY MORNING. Convention met at 8 :30 A. M. De votional exercises of a half hour were conducted by the President. Dr. Murfee, President of Howard College, read the report of the Board of Trustees of that institution. The ses i sion just closed is the most successful | since the war. Its high tone of char acter has won expressions of approba tion from the Methodists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians as well as from Bap tists. Its discipline is unsurpassed, its standard the highest in the State. An appeal in behalf of the college was made. Dr. Cleveland read the report on the ■ time and place of next meeting. Green j ville the place and the Wednesday be i fore the third Sabbath in July, 1880, the time. Dr. Robey read the State Mission Report, which was followed by stirring speeches by Brothers Bishop and Tichenor,- after which a collection of $2,000 was taken for the Board. Prayer was offered by Dr. Hawthorne, when the Convention adjourned. AFTERNOON SESSION. Convention assembled promptly at 3P. M. Prayer by Brother Benton. After further discussion of the State Mission Report by Brothers Crumpton, I Henderson, Huckabee, Bailey, Renfroe, Shackelford, Tichenor, Baber, Barbour, ; and Gunn, it was adopted. Dr. J. B. Hawthorne read the report 1 of the Board of Education. He reports i that the Board has done but little in consequence of the Associations acting for themselves in the appointment of their own beneficiaries. Dr. Henderson read the report on the Condition ol the Colored People. It fully set forth the condition cf.the col ored race in its present condition in America as contrasted with its condi tion in Africa. The dangers which surround the race were dwelt upon at great length. The report highly en dorses the appointment of Dr. Marston , in connection with the evangelization ' of the colored race. A spidy discussion sprung xip upon I a motion to amend “by striking out the I partisan and sectional portion of the report,” which Dr. Henderson denied existed; but the amendment was re jected, and the report was adopted. After prayer by Brother Gregory, the Convention adjourned. SATURDAY’S PROCEEDINGS. Convention again met at 8 : 30 A. m. By invitation of the Chair brother Huckabee conducted divine worship. After calling the Convention to order Dr. Toby read the report on Foreign I Missions. It was a succinct account of the great work done in different foreign ' fields, from which the chairman drew inspiration for future enterprise in this direction. After discussion of the re port by Brethren Williams,Tichenor,Ro bey, Crumpton, and Lawber the report I was unanimously adopted. Brother West, at this point read the following resolutions : To the Alabama Baptist Convention, Whereas, the con ditions on which the Alabama Baptist was transferred to Rev. E. T. Winkler | and myself, at the meeting of your body lin Talladega last year, are indefinite ; I and whereas, in the event of the death or withdrawal of either of the parties to whom the paper was transferred, complications and misunderstandings j hurtful to the paper and consequently i to all our denominational interests in I the State might and most probably I would arise ; and wheras the prosperity I of the paper is seriously retarded by | these uncertainties; and, whereas, Rev. E. T. Winkler prefers not to become the proprietor or publisher of the pa per—l therefore respectfully ask that the Convention authorize the transfer of the Alabama Baptist to me as sole proprietor on the conditions on which it was transferred to Rev. E. T. Wink ler and myself at your last session viz.: 1. That the paper shall be faithfully employed as an agency for the dissem ination of Baptist principles and the sup port of Baptist influences and interests in every part of Alabama. 2. That in I case of a proposed sale in future this i Convention shall have the refusal of the purchase at the rates of any bona fide offer made by another party. Respectfully submitted. John L. West. The matter was submitted to the fobowing brethren : Kecble, Waldrop and Davis. The hour of 10 having arrived, which was the special order for the considera tion of the claims of the Home Mission Board, the report was read and dis cussed by Dre. Mclntosh, Tichenor, Baber, Hawthorne, Robey, Kinnebrew, and Brother Brown, and the report was adopted. The report on Indigent Ministers was read by Brother Davis. After prayer by Brother Brock the Convention adjourned. Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday, July 31, 1879. AFTERNOON SESSION. Convention reassembled at 3 p. m. Prayer by brother Dougherty. The Committee on Rules of Order ! reported through its chairman, was adopted. Bro. Waldrass reported the i remaining officers of Convention. The Convention sermon is to be preached by Dr. Joseph Shackelford. Alternate B. F. Riley. Bro. Mallory read the report of the of the Committee on Education.- Though the institutions which come under the fostering care of this conven tion, suffered seriously from adverse' fortune, yet now they are rapidly re turning to their positions of impor tance. The new features which have been introduced into the course of study at the Howard, recommend it more fa vorably to the Baptists of Alabama. The Judson is entering on a new era of prosperity. The Central Female College offers peculiar advantages to those desiring thorough instruction. It was discussed by brethren Eddins, Mclntosh, Harris, Wilkes, Henderson, Cleveland, Foster, Yancy, Gwaltney, Murfee and Brown, and adopted. After prayer by brother Paullin, the convention adjourned. NIGHT SESSION. At 8 o’clock p. m., the Convention I was called to order, after prayer by Bro. Williams. The report on the infirm and indi gent Ministers, was taken up and thor oughly and practically discussed by Bro’s Keeble, Burns, Stark, Harris and Lawler and Lewis Brown, Hendon, Ramsey, Kinnebrew, Slaughter, O’Neal and Renf.toe, after which it was unan imously adopted. Bro. A. J. Waldrass recommended the granting of the request made by Bro. West relative to the Alabama Baptist. A communication wasread from the Ann Hasaltine Society of the Judson Institute, which was ordered to be spread upon the Minutes. Bro. Gregory offered a resolution of , thanks for favors shown the conven- • t»n. Dr. Renfroe offered an amend-1 ment to the Constitution relative to the t incidental expenses of the Convention.* It lies over until next yjear. Bro. Hixon, also offered an amend- ; nient relative to delegated powers to ' certain officers of the Convention. | Lies over until next year. Bro. Watts read the report of the Finance Committee. The liberality of the churches is unsurpassed by any convention since the war. After items of minor importance were disposed of, the parting hand was taken, prayer was offered by Bro. Gunn and the convention adjourned sine die. In harmony, liberality, interest and spirit, the convention far surpassed all 1 others. Brethren start homeward with bound ing hearts and radiant countenances. BIRMINGHAM BAPTIST CHURCH To the Delegates of the Late Baptist Convention : Dear Brethren : I do not doubt that you, as well as myself, were impressed at your late meeting, with the importance of building up a strong, vigorous, self-sustaining Baptist church in the young city of Birmingham—a city, by the way, that has sprung into life as if by magic. I say, with a pro found conviction of its truth, that there is not in Alabama a place that can sur pass it in importance to ourdenomina tion. And yet the little church there, with its gifted young pastor, Brother Hendon, is absolutely struggling for life. Local embarrassments, such as they only can feel, and such as are weighing upon their hearts with crush ing power, make it essential for some thing to be done for their relief. If it is necessary for Brother Hendon or any other qualified pastor to remain there at all, it is equally necessary for relief to come from some quarter. They are grappling with disadvantages which encompass no other denomination in the city—disadvantages which the Baptists of the State could remove as easily as to will it. Their church house needs to be finished at least in a cred itable style. A little pastor’s home on the church lot, that will save him a hundred and fifty dollars a year on his salary, needs to be erected ; and I have reason to know that if the denomina tion—the hundred thousand Baptist of Alabama—will raise a few hundred dollars,say four or five hundred,it will en courage the little struggling band there to raise the balance, and place church an<l pastor on such vantage ground as will enable them to enter upon the fu ture with buoyant hope. I therefore appeal to the brethren who attended the late convention there, and shared the princely hospitality of that young city—l appeal to the churches they represented, to contribute only a pit tance from each, but which aggrega ted, will be a noble offering to as worthy a church and pastor as ever struggled to maintain the “good old cause” against fearful odds. Dear fefthren, I wish I knew how to make this appeal in adequate terms. Bir raigham is destined to be a giant city : Midlit in the heart of our noble old state I -Must in the midst of our vast mineral j Wealth- and tens of thousands of dol lirts are seeking investments there every yrar. What we do must be done quick ly to place our cause abreast of the times. I trust no brother will hesitate ti- ilo his duty. <“\'ow, I propose that we make up B it less than live hundred dollars by the $Kt of October, in subscriptions from •nwtividuals and churches of ten dollars each. Why, if we had been attending a political gathering in equal numbers in any of our cities, for the same length of time, our hotel bills would have been more than five times the amount I have suggested. Surely, out of all tSiv members that attended the late convention, and that were so well cared for, and all the churches that were represented, there can be found as many as fifty that will pay this little sum to relieve the church there. I will be one of the number to pay ten dollars each by the first of October next. Let the responses come in prompt ly and with a hearty good will. « Sam’l Henderson. P. B.—This is written without the knowledge of anybody in Birmingham. Alpine, Ala., July 23d, 1879. “Editor’s Easy Chair.”—We have been an editor in some capacity, either as principal or assistant, “ off and on,” of secular or religious newspapers, ever since 1840. nearly forty years. Per haps twenty years of that time would about embrace our editorial career. In that time we have read much of the “ Editor’s Easy Chair,” but never hav ing enjoyed so great a luxury, we came to regard it as a kind of myth, a mere figure of speech, coined by the fraternity as a piece of irony, else mean ing, like*many*similar phrases anything else than “easy ’’ —a seat of thorns,for instance. But last week, on going to 'our depot, “ eureka! ’’ we found it! The very dot! A chair on which we yc-Mi 1011, sleep, meditate, write, “ nurse well nigh write poetry, Tiuything that ease and comfort dan - »>. v We thank 1 our worthy proprietor, fJt-other James P. Harrison, for the ■ present. We shall keep it as a pleas ant memorial of his kindness, and hope to write many lucubrations “ From Our Easy Chair.” RELIGIOUS NEWS. A protracted meeting is progress at Carrollton—Rev. Mr. Roop, pastor. The Evangelical pastors of Troy, New York, have unanimously agreed to do away with funeral sermons. Dr. Thos. H. Pritchard has ac cepted the call to the Presidency of Wake Forest College. We understand that Dr. Peltz, New York, has been called to the care of the Coliseum Place Church, New Orleans. —There are said to be 050,000 chil dren in the Sunday-schools of New York State and 90,000 not yet brought in. Rev. E. B. Olmsted, D. D., has been elected to and accepted the post of President of the Union Female College in Opelika. The Penn meetings in Louisville re sulted in eighty-five baptisms—fifty by Dr. Warder and thirty-five by Dr. Bur rows. In June the missionaries of the American Sunday-school Union in the Northwest organized and aided 229 Sunday-schools, which had 1,010 teach ers and 10,394 scholars. —Somebody has figured it up and finds that the woman’s Missionary so cieties of this country raised $330,000 last year. —Spurgeon is preaching regularly in his tabernacle now. His health is much better but his hair has turned entirely gray through his recent great sufferings. —The Second church, of St. Louis, extended an invitation to the Baptist societies of the North to hold their next anniversaries with them. The invita tion was received with enthusiasm and will likely be accepted. —Rev. J. M. Weaver, D, D., of Louis ville, Ky., who has written much in defence of “alien immersion” has after careful study become convinced of his error, and was recently baptized by Dr. Boyce. Bro. R. B. Hall was in attendance at the Ala. Convention. He was for 27 years a Methodist minister. Last year he joined the Baptists and was or dained to the ministry. He is 74 years of age. Recent reports show that of the 2,400 organizations of Young Men’s Christian Associations throughout the world, 1,000 arc in America. This American group own fifty-six buildings and property valued at $2,500,000. THE CHRISTIAN HERALD, of Tennessee. Thus saith The Western Recorder. The New Testament knows nothing of a church made up up of a number of smaller congregations, as the Methodist church, the Baptist church, of the United States, or of the world. The distinction is church where a single congregation, or worshipping assem bly is named—churches where more congre gations than one are included. It corres ponds exactly with oirr cammon terms con gregations, meeting, assembly,. &c. We have noticed frequently in our Bap tist periodicals, especially from the Eastern States, something of the language of Ashdod, in the use of the term church. They tell us of the Baptist church —meaning the denomi nation spread over a section'of country. To such we would say, “ mind your terms. Words are signs of ideas. “Words aie things,” said Lord Bacon. By a wrong use of words, wrong ideas; wrong habits and erroneous practices are produced. And The Index desires to say the same thing ovei- again. There is no such thing as the Baptist church. There is the Baptist church in Griffin, if there be but one there, or in Penfield, or in Dalton; there is the Baptist church on Greene street in Augusta; there is the First or Second Baptist church in this city or that, but to speak of the Baptist church without any other designation is to use words without meaning. Every Baptist church is independent of every other, and each one of them is the Bap tist church in the place of its location. To say that a person has joined, the Baptist church, unless the church is otherwise described, either expressly or by implication, is an. improper use of words. It should be said that such a person has joined u Baptist ehnreh. The case is different with Methodists, Presbyterians, or Episcopalians. Each of these communities has an organiza tion which includes its whole member ship in Ulis country. The Roman Catholic church has an organization which includes its whole membership all over the world. These organizations may be regarded as a unit; and it is proper to speak (for instance) of the Protestant Episcopal church of the United States, for such an organization exists. It is proper to speak of the Roman Catholic church without fur ther designation, for there is only one in the world. Baptist churches exist! by thousands, and no one of them is ' the church, and there i» no organic tie’ that binds all of them, or any two of them, together. All this has been said a thousand times before, but there seems to be a reason why it should be said once more. EDITORIAL SHORT-HAND. We don’t believe the former days j were better than these days, except the proposition be qualified. No doubt some of the former days were better than some of these days. But the croakers* id unbelievers—and there is less difference between them than some people suppose—make nothing by this admission, since some of these days are better than some of the for mer days. There is reason to suspect that much of the talk about the supe riority of former times is like our recol- j lection of our childhood, when the , world was new and the wonder faculty was large and disaupointment had not ’ enfeebled our confidence. As we write we recall the old home in the little 1 village that was “finished” long ago. We know now that there was nothing extraordinary about the dear old house and its surroundings. But we can’t feel that there was anything ordinary about it. We know it was not large, but we can’t feel that it was only of common proportions. Father was among the first to give careful atten tion to fruit culture, and to this day we can’t get over the impression that his peaches and pears were the best that ever were. Certainly we have never enjoyed any others so much. The nursery-men declare that the new varieties are better, and we can’t dis prove what they say. Our recollection of the peaches and pears and old home is much like some people’s recollection of the “former times.” Those times, could they return, would not so im press us now. Another saying, quite common in all the communities where we have lived, runs this way: “Such and such a ‘ house was built when they did honest work.” It cannot be doubted that a good deal of sham work is done now a-days in house building and other building. There are sham carpenters, blacksmiths, doctors, lawyers, teachers ' and preachers. But we don’t pity their victims as we did once, having [ learned that there is some sham in the ! loud-complaining victims themselves. 1 Two little jobs of carpentering we ' have had done recently. One piece was sham, the other good work. Whose fault? Not the carpenter’s altogether. Ours in part, we must admit. Os the first job we cared little and sought a cheap carpenter, mistaking, as thou sands do, low price for cheapness. Our little job fell into the hands of a bun gler and was spoiled, and we deserved it, to say nothing of what he deserved. 1 he other was well done by a man who knew his business and charged for Whole No. 2379 knowledge. People that arc always trying to beat the price down below the line of equity and common sense are themselves shams, and if other shams : get the better of them, there is no oc- I casion for railing on their part or sym | pathy on the part of others. In all professions there are shams, because people want them. On one occasion, so the story goes, an eminent physi cian, with small practice, was talking with a “quack doctor” who had many patients. The real physician asked the sham doctor to explain the matter. The latter was at least candid. “See, Doctor,” said he, “the people passing along the street. How many of them are fools?” The old doctor, not being in a very amiable frame of mind just then, replied, “I suppose nine in ten.” “Just so,” said the quack ; “I get the nine.” We may set it down for a truth, that when people are habitually victimized by shams, it is because they themselves are shams. But we started to say something about the “days when they did honest work.” Several times in the last few years we have had opportunity to see some old houses, erected in those blessed days of “honest work,” stripped of weather-board and lath and plaster. There were revelations every time. Rough work, loose work, there was in abundance. And much ignorant work. We will not go into details, but we have lost some of our faith in the “days when they did honest work.” The fact is, they did honest work, for the most part, when it was really wanted. And they do now. Let this “they” represent not only carpenters, blacksmiths and other artisans, but lawyers, doctors, teachers and preach ers, too. Editors also. But always, when people want shams, being shams themselves, they can find them, the supply being ever equal to the de mand. But we are not disposed to boast of these times. They are bad enough, J and too bad, as is everything that can .be made better than it is.— Wesleyan Christian Advocate. i CAUSES OF CRIME. ' We believe it to be susceptible of ■ demonstration that the late extraordin ary and deplorable increase of crime, i an increase more palpable every day, i crowding with its record the columhs I of the public prints and sickening the I soul with its endless detail and novelty of horror, is largely due to the growth of materialism, or what is termed infi delity ; and that mainly in re-action from the sceptical drift of the time lies the path of wholesome reform. The fruit of unbelief among the upper or wealthy classes is sensuality. Those classes get to worship instead of their Maker the pleasures of the moment. They bow down to rich food and fine clothes and enervating amusements. 1 They make goddesses of women who i possess mere physical beauty. Their hearts are set on yachts and race-courses ! and theaters and operas. What is given, in a word, to gild or soften life, to lend grace and sparkle and color to the plod and monotone of existence,such persons make its sole object and aim. Thus they become of the earth, earthy, and all that is spiritual and exalted dries out of their souls. One after another the Commandments are broken as they stand in the way of desire, and a shame ful ruin is left at last in place of what might have been a perfect temple; a shattered and sated voluptuary in place of a nobly perfected human being. Among the poorer and less educated ranks of society the cant and poison of living only for the day is even more directly disastrous. The rich can grati fy their passions without, as a rule and in the legal sense, coming in conflict with the rights of others. But the needy, unrestrained by any fear of fu , ture account, and thinking only to eat I and drink since to-morrow they die, drive straight on crime. That this is no idle assertion can be abundantly proved. A careful survey of the mur ders, suicides and other great felonies ' committed in tne chief cities of the United States during the last ten years shows that a heavy fraction of the per petrators were atheists or free-thinkers. These unhappy persons, persuaded that life is the be-all and the end-all here, imagine that in their calculations they can jump the life to come. A . collection of the letters or other papers left by criminals when anticipating ' death shows a fearful number of in stances, some of which many readers . will recall, of absolute disbelief in the , existence of a God or in any reckoning for wrong done in this life to be exact ed in a future one.”— N. Y. Evening Post. The fourth annual session and exhi bition of the Georgia State Horticultu aal Society will be held in the Masonic Hall, in Macon, commencing on Tues day, the 29th inst., and continuing du ring the 30th and 81st.