4
HENRY H.TUCKER, Editor.
THE CONVENTION.
The State Baptist Convention of
Georgia meets in Athens on Thursday,
April 21st, the very day on which our
paper is published. The Index sends
its loving salutations to the brethren.
May their counsels be harmonious, and
may they be wise. Let it be remem
bered that each session of the Conven
tion ought to promote the good of
mankind and the glory of God. If
these ends be not attained, the Conven
tion is useless lumber, and ought not
to exist. If the Convention, as a whole,
is to be a blessing, each one of its parts
should contribute to the result. Let
every membei of it, therefore, feel that
there is a personal responsibility resting
on himself. Let each one remember
that if he does not add something to
the power of the Convention for good,
he is simply a dead weight for others
to carry, and that his absence would be
an advantage. There is, however, this
strange peculiarity in the case: that a
man may add to the effect by taking
away from it. If he takes home with
him, when he leaves the Convention,
better views of denominational polity,
and increased interest in the affairs of
Zion, and warmer love for the brethren,
and increased spirituality of mind, he
will be aiding the Convention in its
work, and will thus be not only a re
ceiver, but a contributor; thus, in the
blessed arithmetic of grace, subtraction
has the power of addition. To the re
flecting mind, this last remark may
suggest several analogies. In one de
partment subtraction has even more
power than addition, for it is more
blessed to give than it is to receive.
Division and multiplication also ex
change places, for dividing good multi
plies it, and multiplies without dimin
ishing, but, strange to say, by enlarg
ing. Grace is the reverse of nature.
But we forbear. Brethren! may the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
your spirit. Amen.
THE CONFLICT OF OPINION.
Sometimes we spend a leisure half
hour in a lawyer’s office, and amuse
ourselves by looking over his books, —
a class of books to which we devoted
some attention in our earlier years,
and which we still regard with some
interest as old acquaintances. In tur
ning over the pages of “Georgia Re
porte,” where the decisions of the Su
preme Court of the State are recorded,
we notice very frequently after the
rendering of the judgment, such words
as these:
Crawford J. dissenting, or Speer J.
dissenting, or Jackson C. J. dissenting,
or Trippe J. dissenting, or McCay J. dis
senting, or Bleckley J. dissenting, or
Warner C. J. dissenting, or Brown C.
J. dissenting; and turning back to the
earlier volumes we find, Starnes J. dis
senting, or Nisbet J. dissenting, or
Lumpkin C. J. dissenting. What does
this mean? It means that of the three
Justices on the Bench two were of one
opinion, and that the third held a dif
ferent opinion. This court is composed
of men of mature years, of long experi
ence, of profound learning and of great
ability. They have no interest directly
or indirectly in the cases which they
decide. For the most part they have
never seen any of the parties litigant,
and have never heard of them, until
they are represented in court by their
counsel. They are not vexed with
stupid or unscrupulous juries, nor with
tergiversating witnesses, nor with the
wrangle of the courts below ; the case
is all made up, in writing, the facts are
all accepted as final, and the court has
nothing to do, but to state what is the
law. There is nothing to bias the
minds of the Justices; they have no
interest at stake, and no prejudices nor
partialities. They have simply to say,
whether the court below was right or
wrong. Each case is argued on both
sides by able lawyers, and all the au
thorities of value, for centuries back,
are quoted and referred to, chapter and
verse. They are in no hurry to give
their decision ; they take their time on
each case, and reach their conclusions
only after deliberate and careful study.
Yet, after all this, it frequently hapjiens
that the court is divided in opinion,
in the proportion of two to one; and
there are not wanting cases where,
when the same principle has been a
second time adjudicated the former
minority becomes a majority, and the
court overrules its own decision. Nor
is this peculiar to Georgia; we find the
same in the reports of all the States;
we find it also in the reports of the Su
preme Court of the United States. In
the last named court it is not uncom
mon for two or three of ihe nine Jus
tices to differ with the majority. It
would seem that the principles of the
law, and of its interpretation and ap
plication ought by this time to be so
well settled, that the Judges could agree
upon them. In general they do agree;
still such cases as we have referred
to, are by no means rare.
The physicians are to say the least,
equally inharmonious. In diagnosis,
in prognosis, in the mode of treatment,
in the nature and effect of remedies,
their opinions are varied and conflict
ing. The most learned and the most
able among ther. do not agree. Some
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST: THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1881.
of the best minds we have or ever had,
are devoted to the humane and Christ
like profession of medicine, and yet be
ing wholly unbiassed, and having no
selfish interest to subserve, they differ.
In metaphysics and sciences of kind
red nature, there are various schools,
each composed of clear-headed thinkers
who have no desire but to ascertain
the truth, and with whom there can be
no motive to deflect them from the
right; yet they differ.
In the natural sciences the same
phenomenon may be observed. Let
two chemists or a dozen be brought
into court as witnesses, where the tes
timony of experts is needed, and it will
be found that the science of chemistry
is accompanied with great variations,
sometimes perplexing and sometimes
amusing. The chemists differ.
The geologists are more dogmatic
than any other class of scientists and
with less reason ; for they change their
opinions oftener than any others; but
they by no means justify the adage,
that “Birds of a feather, flock together.”
If half a dozen of these could be
brought into court to testify as experts,
the exhibition would be ludicrous, and
would afford rare sport to the lawyers
if it bewildered the juries. The geo
logists differ, and not only so; it some
times happens that one of them will
differ with himself, and teach in his
last edition what contradicts his first.
Statesmen differ on the science of
government, for everything that can
be thought of has been tried, the ex
periment always having some advo
cates and some objectors, and yet to
this day scarcely a question has been
settled; linguists, grammarians, and
lexicographers, differ, no two of them
having ever yet been found alike;
professional soldiers differ on ques
tions of military science and tactics ;
navigators differ; architects differ,
engineers differ; agriculturists differ ;
bankers, financiers,manufacturers, and
merchants, differ; even the mathemat
icians are not all of one mind ; and
in short, there is no science nor art
nor calling in this world, which does
not give rise to various questions on
which there will be great differences of
opinion among those who are en
gaged in it.
Yet, in all these sciences, arts and
callings, there are certain facts and
fixed principles. If these were known
and understood, and if human powers
of reasoning were perfect, and if each
man without bias were to apply him
self with sufficient zeal and persever
ance, all differences of opinion would
cease. From this it is fair to infer,
that the causes of the trouble are de
fective knowledge, defective capacity,
and inadequate study. These things
pertain to human nature; and hence
until we become something more than
human, it is in vain to expect that we
shall agree. True, agreement may be
reached on many questions and many
points may be settled as science ad
vances, and as the race improves, but
so long as we are imperfect, it may be
expected that some of our opinions
will be erroneous; and it can scarcely
be supposed that any two men can be
found whose opinions on all subjects,
whether right or wrong, will be exactly
the same. It is human to differ.
Yet there are men who reject the
Christian religion and even ridicule it,
because as they say theye is so much
difference of opinion among its advo
cates! Why do they not object to, and
ridicule all the arts and sceinces for
the same reason? Their objection
is not against the Christian religion,
but against human nature. Their
argument is reduced simply to this:
“We will not accept the religion of
Jesus because human nature is what it
is.” Should they accept this formula,
they would tell the truth without
knowing it. Their own depraved na
ture is the secret of their opposition.
We shall believe that the real reason
is the one which they allege, when they
apply the same reason to all other
things; but so long as they apply it
to no other thing, they must excuse us
for saying, that it has the appearance
of a mere subterfuge; a subterfuge
with which they cannot deceive us,
much less the Almighty, and with
which they ought not to deceive
themselves.
The Kansas Prohibition Law.—
The enemies of this law have circulat
ed the report that it prohibits the use
of wine at the Lord's Supper, and also
the manufacture and sale of all the
medical tinctures, essence of pepper
mint, laudanum, paregoric, spirits of
camphor, etc. etc.; and The Index
which tries to be cautious, published
the report, expressing a doubt, however,
as to its truth. We have since seen a
letter from Governor St. John of Kan
sas which declares that there is not a
word of truth in the report. This is
just as we expected; but the littleness
exhibited by the opposers of the law in
resorting to such measures must make
it painful to honorable men to be
in their company.
We heard of a man recently who be
ing in a community where he was a
stranger was suspected on account of
h : s conversation of being a Christian.
We think that some members of Bap
tise churches, if avnong strangers
would be regarded as above suspicion.
There is a disease commonly known
as the spring fever. We rise to en
quire if the Baptists of Atlanta have
it all the year round.
THE ELASTIC BIBLE.
Not long ago, a man claiming to be
a Baptist preacher, while visiting our
office, expressed the sentiment (if we
understood him correctly) that when
ever any of the moral precepts of the
Bible conflict with what our observa
tion and experience show to be exped
ient and proper, we are to take it for
granted that those teachings were in
tended to be only “local and tempor
ary” in their application. So far as
we could judge on short acquaintance
he was a man not likely to form opin
ions of his own, and we presume that
what he said, was merely the echo of
what he had heard. The heresy which
he had adopted is boldly anounced by
prominent preachers, and by leading
religious journals in the United States.
Their doctrine is that what Christ and
the apostles said, was intended for the
people of the age in which they lived,
and is not applicable in these days of
progress and enlightenment. Princip
les, they admit, remain the same, but
the conditions are so changed in these
modern times that what was right
eighteen hundred years ago, may be
wrong now, and vice versa. Some of
the Temperance apostles and Woman’s
Rights advocates, and some of those
who still howl over the corpse of slav
ery, and ismists generally are apt to
indulge in this free and easy way of
making right and wrong dance to their
own tunes, and exchange places at
their dictation. We are in favor of
temperance, and cheerfully accord to
women all the rights, which as a class
they are qualified to exercise, and are
glad that we are relieved of slavery,
and wish that we could be relieved of
all the isms ; but the elastic Bible which
can be squeezed into a rat-hole or ex
panded over a continent we can never
accept. Those who do accept it, have
virtually set aside the word of God al
together, and have substituted the ever
varying notions of men in its place.
“The teaching of Paul and his ordin
ary conduct were for his'own age, not
for ours,” says the N. Y. Independent:
and from our friend, The Watchman,
we learn that Mr. Beecher has said :
“In baptism, in the Lord's Supper, in the
structure of the church, or in any of the ed
ucatorv methods, men were not bound one
whit bv Scripture Human society has so
changed that to follow biblical forms might 1
be impossible. The whole book of Romans
was to-day mistranslated by the theologv of
the country merely because men have taken
methods and forms having reference to a
certain state of Jewish society—which were
Jewish, provincial, transient, relative—and
set them up as essential to be followed in
our dav. The truth was that the sources of
revelation that were authoritative were hu
man nature as it testifies under the overrul
ing providence of God—the testimony of
God through the ages in the actual develop
ment of human nature —that was God's re
velation to mankind.” To illustrate his
own looseness the Plymouth pastor said that
he had been asked, whether he found infant
baptism enjoined in the Bible, and when he
said he did not. he was asked. “Then why
do vou do it?” He replied, “’Cause I’m mind
to!”
This is probably as extreme a view
of the authority of the Scriptures as
would be taken by any except an out
spoken infidel; but it is the logical out
come of the loose views of inspiration
and of interpretation entertained by
many. Some of our own brethren we
fear are tending in the same direction ;
but we are happy to be able to say that
in our part of the country this insidious
form of infidelity has few, if any, ad
vocates. The visitor to our office whose
remark suggested the present writing,
informed us that his home was many
miles away from here. We should
have known as much if he had not in
formed us ; the distemper with which
he was afflicted sufficiently’ indicated
, the place of his abode.
One of the Banks in Atlanta recent
ly suspended payment. The deposi
tors are outraged because payment of
their checks for their own money is re
fused, and they are unsparing in their
denunciation of the managers, apply
ing to them all the epithets descrip
tion of fraud etc. etc., which our lan
guage, copious in such expressions, af
fords. It would be well for each of
these persons to remember that he
' himself is a bank, and that the Lord
Almighty is his chief depositor, and
that his drafts have been dishonored
times without number, sometimes
wholly ignored, sometimes cashed at
the rate of one cent in the dollar.
■ The gospel is to be supported, the
world is to be evangelized, the ignorant
1 are to be instructed, the poor are to
1 be cared for. In each of these things
there is a draft from the Almighty
on each man’s resources. Have these
drafts always been honored? These
are money orders, but there are others
equally imperative, though of a differ
ent kind. Individual effort personal
service is demanded. Has it always
been rendered? Besides these there
is another draft of a far higher grade
than any that have been named. It
is in these words: “Son give me thy
heart.” Have you honored the draft?
If not, remember that the Bank so
fiercely denounced has violated its ob
ligations to men: you have broken
your faith with God. The depositors
declare that they have been robbed of
their money. Whom have you robbed
by refusing to pay him his own? Every
time you hear of a broken bank or of
a repudiating State or of a dishonest
debtor, be reminded to inquire how
the account stands between you and
your Maker.
There is much work for Baptists to
do in Atlanta, and they should be do
ing it.
Northern Baptist Anniversaries.
The Baptists of the South have what
is called the "Southern Baptist Con
vention." The Northern Baptists have
no such organization as this, but they
have that which for practical purposes
corresponds to it. Their Home Mission
Society, their Foreign Mission Society,
and their Publication Society, and
perhaps other societies of like charac
ter, hold their meetings at the same
time and place once a year. Thus
several organizations with them ans
wer the purposes of one with us. There
are some advantages in their plan, and
some in ours. We do not know which
is best, but we incline strongly to our
own, and would do so even if it were
an original question ; but it is not such
a question, and we are glad of it We
are always disposed to be conservative,
and to “let well enough alone.” We
should not have thought of saying
anything about this matter, except for
the fact, that we have just been re
quested by the Northern societies to
publish the rates of fare on the various
railroads leading to their piece of meet
ing. As not one of these roads lies
within the territory where The Index
circulates, it will be no discourtesy for
ns to decline publishing the list of
rates. We announce, however, that
the “National Baptist Anniversaries”
will be held at Indianapolis, Ind., May
18—25, 1881, and we pray that the
Lord may be with our brethren there
and guide their counsels aright.
P. 8. —Since the above was written
we have received the following:
“The Western and Atlantic Railroad will
sell excursion tickets from Atlanta to In
diananolis and return (connecting per Nash
ville. Louisville and Indianapolis) for $7 00,
May 14 to 16 coupons good nntil Jane Ist.
Applicants should state the purpose for which
thev want tickets. The time for selling the
tickets mav perhaps be extended by applying
to B. W. Wrenn. Atlanta. The Southern
brethren are cordially invited to attend."
The editor of The Index grateful'v
acknowledges a personal invitation ex
tended to himself, and would accept it
if he could.
Ordination of a Georgian in Cal
ifornia. —Our brother Theo. J. Weil,
a native of Athens, in this State, and
who was baptized several years ago by
Dr. Thomas E. Skinner during his pas
torate in Athens, and who has been
preaching for several years, was recent
ly ordained to the work of the gospel
ministry in Yountville, Cal. The pres
bytery consisted of brethren John T.
Prior, formerly and now of Georgia,
but at that time a resident of California,
J. B. Hartwell, our missionary to the
Chinese, Joseph Roberts of Napa city,
and T. J. Arnold, also of California.
Bro. Weil says of the church of
which he is now the pastoV, and to
which he has been ministering for
some months, that it has recently re
duced its debt from $1,400 to $l,lOO,
and that $650 more is pledged in sums
of 50 cents and upward to be paid by
the Ist. of June. He says, “We have
raised no money by indirect means,
but have only presented the Scriptural
command to give; and we hope soon
to pay off the whole debt in the same
way, and thus show that a Baptist
church can live scripturally.” The
church, he says, has recently excluded
seven persons; among them two for
heresy and one for non-attendance
and not contributing to church expen
ses. On this showing we predict suc
cess for Bro. Weil and his church.
The California Baptist State Con
vention meets May 11th.
It is well, doubtless, at times to re
buke the parade of personal experience
in the pulpit and the prayer-meeting,
in which some men indulge until one
feels as though they speak two words
for themselves to every one spoken of
Christ. But, perhaps, we may not
safely assume the office of censor in
this matter, unless the experience
which we hold in reserve is marked
now and then (to quote Blackmore’s
happy phrase) by “tears, the voice of
silence.” Tears of penitence when we
look at ourselves, and tears of joy
when we look at Christ, we were going
to say; but it may be that the peni
tence most freely melts into tears
when, looking at Christ, we see what
sorrow and shame and blood our sins
cost him, and tears most freely flow
from the fount of joy when, looking at
ourselves, we find “Christ in us, the
hop of glory.” Where the tears are
altogether wanting, it might not be
unwise to ask', whether we do not hold
back our experience because we really
have none to put forward. In which
case, our state, if not worse than that
of the men whom we rebuke, would,
at least, be bad enough to keep us
busy over the task of setting ourselves
right.
Another Promotion.—Our vener
able brother Isaac W. Whitlock for
many years an honored and efficient
deacon of the First Baptist church in
Augusta, but more recently a citizen of
Atlanta, was called to “come up high
er” on the 7th of March. To preach
to him was a pleasure, for there never
was a more appreciative listener, and
to know him was to love him, for all
his qualities were amiable, and he was
truly a man of God. An obituary notice
and some resolutions of the Augusta
church in regard to his death may be
found on our sixth page. We were
about to say that we had lost a friend,
for such is the suggestion of nature,
but faith assures us that we have not
lost him; he has only gone before.
Monument for Dr. William Wil
liams. —To the Alumni and former
students of the Southern Baptist Theo
logical Seminary,
Dear Brethren :—At Lexington
last May a meeting of our beloved Sem
inary was held in which no little en
thusiasm was manifested. It was de
cided to increase the memorial fund to
a sufficient amount to erect a suitable
monument to maik the last resting
place of our great Baptist brother, Dr.
Wm. Williams.
For-this purpose a committee of one
from each state was appointed. As
the appointee for Georgia, I make this
late appeal to you to contribute your
selves, and solicit contributions from
others for this worthy object. We have
on hand not quite S2OO, and must
raise not less than 8300 more by the
meeting of the Convention in Colum
bus. Do your best, brethren, and what
you do, do quickly; and remit to me at
Augusta, Ga. The shaft must be rear
ed early after the convention adjourns.
Expecting early and substantial res
ponses from all,
I am affectionately, your brother,
E. R. Carswell, Jr.
N. B.— Any reader of the Index who
desires to bear some humble part in
paying this debt of honor, due from
our Baptist brotherhood to the memo
ry of Dr. Williams, may remit as above.
Amounts as small as one dollar will
be gladly received. E. R. C., Jr.,
A Bible translated from the Russian
is the only printed book in the Turko
man language. Who can say what a
prophecy of light and blessing for
Central Asia lies in the printing of
that Bible? DeQuincey made a mem
orable distinction between the litera
ture of knowledge and the literature of
power; but in that one book these two
literatures are blended. And then,the
Author of the book goes with it, to do
his own work as the Quickener of
dead souls, from the Caspian sea to
China.
We hope that the circulars sent out
by Dr. Henry Randall Waite, from
the census office at Washington, to ob
tain religious statistics, will secure a
prompt response from every minister
among our readers. In no other way
can the Baptist denomination have a
proper showing in the next census. To
withhold the information asked is to
hide —and in that degree to disown —
what the Lord has done for us.
The Central Baptist fears that “there
are preachers who have not grown
half an inch since they graduated.” It
is to be hoped that some of them have
not and will not—provided their own
estimate of their stature is correct. If
they should grow, what denomination
al enclosure could they enter, unless
(according to the song of English
children on Easter Monday in olden
times) we might “Open the gates as
high as the sky?”
The Southern Presbyterian says that
there is a very serious discouragement
to labor among colored people on the
part of its denomination, in the fact
that “they love the water of the Baptists
and the fire of the Methodiste.” If the
preferences of that race for Baptists
reached no farther than the water, —
which, by-the-way, is our Lord's, not
ours, —we should count it a discourage
ment, not serious merely, but insupera
ble.
Rev. E. B. Simmons, missionary of
the Southern Baptist Convention,
writes to the Texas Baptist Herald that
there were fifty-two baptisms last year
in connection with our work at Can
ton, China. In addition -to what is
done in that city we have nine out
stations and eight schools. A new
chapel was dedicated recently at Tsung
Fa, distant about sixty miles.
A writer in one of our exchanges
speaks of Dr. Talmage as a “disting
uished ‘master in Israel.’ ” Now,
master, in the New Testament sense,
we believe, means teacher; and how
ever highly Dr. Talmage may have
been rated in certain other respects,
we hardly think that so much as the
very slightest suspicion of being a
teacher has ever fallen on him.
Spurgeon professes to find historical
proof of the existence of Baptist
churches in England as early as the
times of Henry IL, (A. D. 1158) and
from that date down to the present.
The Sunday-school convention of the
Stone Mountain Baptist Association
will meet with Zion church 10 miles,
from Conyers, on Friday before the
fourth Sunday in July next.
Albert Harkness, author of the pop
ular series of Latin text-books, fur
which he receives an annual royalty of
some SIO,OOO, is a Baptist and a dea
con.
Rev. T. T. Eaton, D. D., of Peters
burg, Va., has been unanimously call
ed to the Walnut street Baptist
church, Louisville, Ky.
A Mississippi Baptist represents our
brethren in that State as “70,000
strong, and increasing more rapidly
than any other denomination.”
The Baptist Sunday-schools of At
lanta we learn will have mass meetings
on the fifth Sundays of May, July and
October.
GEORGIA BAPTIST NEWS.
—Rev. E. R. Carswell, Jr., delivered a
lecture in the Baptist church in Thom
son, on Wednesday night, the 20th
inst., on the subject of “The Elements
of Success,” the proceeds to be applied
to the payment for repairs on the
church.
—The Thomson Journal says:
“Through the energy of Miss Cora
O’Neal the Baptist Sunday-school has
an organ again. This will add new
interest to the exercises, for which the
young lady deserves much credit.”
—Rev. T. J. Pilcher has been called
to the pastorate of Elim church to
succeed Rev. L. R. L. Jennings. The
latter has accepted the pastorate of
the Sparta Baptist church.
—Rev. E. R. Carswell, Jr., pastor of
the Calvary Baptist church, Augusta,
acknowledging recently through the
Augusta News, the receipt of a copy < f
a’sennon on “Baptist Baptism,” by El
der J. S. Lamar, sent by an unknown
friend, says:
“I write to return thanks to the
‘nameless’ friend .(or his helpful kind
ness, and to give him every assurance
that neither the Bible nor his fraterni
ty shall be misrepresented in the dis
course proposed for Sabbath evening.
The paragraphs marked with pencil
are already provided for in my arranged
discussion.
“In all Christian affection, in all hon
esty of purpose, in all meekness of
spirit, I oppose myself, now and ever
more, as a wall of adamant and a ram
part of fire against what I deem er
roneous in doctrine, or corrupt and
corrupting in practice. With love for
man, zeal for God’s truth, and uncom
promising antagonism to error, all my
pulpit ministrations shall be marked.
So help me, God my Saviour.”
—The Executive Committee of the
Georgia State Sunday School Associa
tion, elected Rev. W. T. Cheney, pas
tor of Curtis Baptist Church, Augusta,
as one of the delegates to the Third
International Convention, which meets
at Toronto, Canada, June 22d, 1881.
—Sandersville Mercury : Rev. J. T.
Adams preached on Sunday last a
very eloquent and impressive sermon,
to a large and intelligent congregation
at the Baptist church, of which he
is the pastor.
—A Convention of the Sunday
schools of the Rehoboth Association
will be held at “Spalding,” near Mon
tezuma, May 27, 28 and 29. Each
school and church is entitled to three
delegates, and one for every additional
twenty-five members. The programme
is very interesting, and will be partici
pated in by brethren Battle, Warner,
Ross, Sanford, Mcßride, Niles and
others.
—Thanks. At the last conference
meeting of the Micanopy Baptist
church, held April 3d, 1881, the fol
lowing resolution was unanimously
adopted:
Resolved, That the thanks of this
church, be, and are hereby, tendered to
the Baptist church of LaGrange, Ga.,
for a liberal contribution of fifteen dol
lars; and to the Ladies Benevolent
Union of the First Baptist church of
Atlanta, for their donation of a hand
some pulpit lamp.
J. D. Johnson, C. C.
—The Baptists in Elberton have or
ganized a weekly prayer meeting. They
meet for worship every Tuesday night.
—The following is the programme
of the General Meeting of the Noonday
Association to convene in the Baptist
church at Marietta on Friday before
the first Sunday in May. Introduc
tory sermon, M. B. Tuggle. Organiza
tion. Discussion of subjects: Ist. How
can the influence of female members
of churches be best developed and util
ized? Speeches by I. M. Springer and
M. B. Tuggle. 2d. To what extent
may church members participate in
worldly amusements? Speeches by D.
J. Maddox, J. J. Northcutt, of Acworth,
and Prof. Howard. 3d. Devotional
exercises. 4th. Is the Lord’s Supper
a local church or denominational or
dinance? Speeches by W. H. Dean,
D. V. Stokely, W. L. Starnes, and W.
J. Baiter. sth. What is the best fin
ancial system for the churches to adopt?
Speeches by James R. Brown, M. S.
Paden and D. V. Stokely. 6th. How
can the churches best promote reviv
als? Speeches by Alfred Northcutt,
A. J. McCoy, G. Roberts and J. A. Me
Murray. 7th. Should the churches tell
their pastors when they call them what
salary they may expect? Speeches by
George Roberts, Sam. Earle and A. W.
York. Bth. How can the churches
best promote temperance? Speeches
by M. B. Tuggle, J. J. Keeter and N.
Brooke. 9th. Sermon, Saturday 11
a. m. W. H. Dean. 10th. Speeches on
missions, Sunday 10 a. m., by James
R. Brown and W. H. Dean.
The New York Times speaks some noble
words for the missionary cause. In a recent
issue it says that the missionary world, which
is growing larger and larger, embraces inter
ests now of immense importance. The
wonderful successes wrought in Turkey, In
dia, China, Japan, Africa and its outlying
islands, and the South Seas, stimulate the
churches to raise more money, and lead to
larger efforts and increasing results in the
field. Eleven societies increased their totals
of communicants in connection with their
foreign missions the past year by about
twenty-two thousand. The great Central
African missions still maintain their ground,
if they do not make much advance, while in
Turkey, India. China, Japan, and other
countries the past twelve months have
brought about great results. Surely, the
Church has abundant encouragei-ieat to
enter with new zeal into the missionary
work.
