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The Baptist Ministers’ Mutual Aid
Society.
There are many Baptist ministers, who
have but little or no inheritance to leave to
their dependent families after their death,
who feel it their duty to “provide for their
own,” lest they be “worse than an infidel,”
and who suffer much painful anxiety from
this cause. It is proposed ami sought, at
least in a measure, to perform this duty and
relieve this anxiety, by means of the Society
above named, and constituted as follows:
Art. 1. The years of this Society shall be
gin and end on the first day of April, at 12
o’clock, m.
Art. If. Its stock shall consist of cash
shares of ten dollars each, payable on or
before the end of every said year.
Art 111. All Baptist ministers, whether
ordained or licensed, who are members of
the churches and Associations composing the
Georgia Baptist Convention, shall be enti
tled to its membership, and shall become
bona fide members, by paying or causing to be
paid into the harnds of its treasurer, the
amount of one or more shares of its said
stock, within the time prescribed in Art. 3.
Art. IV. The Treasurer of the Georgia
Baptist Convention shall be engaged to act
as the Treasurer of this Society also, if he be
otherwise eligible, and shall be its only of
ficer ; and, in consideration of his services,
shall be entitled to membership gratis; and
shall, by enrolling his name, at his option,
become an actual member, with all the
rights, privileges and immunities of the
other members ; otherwise a Treasurer shall
be elected, on the same terms, by a majority
of the members present at any session of
the said Convention.
Art. V. The heirs of the stock of this So
\ciety shall be the lawful heirs of its mem
bers; notwithstanding, every member shall
have the right to name the particular heir
or heirs who shall inherit his own portion.
Art. VI. During every session of the Geor
gia Baptist Convention, the Treasurer shah
report to that body, with its consent, the ag
gregate amount of stock actually paid into
the treasury of this Society, during the pre
vious said year; also the total number of its
membership, and the names of the members
deceased within the said time; and shall in
company with the Committee on deceased
ministers, divide the said stock for the year,
into as many equal portions as there are
deceased members ; and on rightful demand
or order thereafter, shall deliver the said
portions to the said heirs, when competent
to receive them; otherwise, to their lawful
agents.
Art. VII. It shall be the duty of every
member of this Society to act as its agents,
for the purpose of securing other members,
and for soliciting from all other benevolent
persons within the bounds of his field of
labor, additional stock for its treasury; and
this additional stock may be either in shares
or parts of shares.
Art. VIII. This Constitution may be al
tered or amended by two thirds of the mem
bers present at any session of the Georgia
Baptist Convention; provided Ist, That
they do not increase the amount of stock
which is hereby prescribed as the basis of
membership; 2nd. That there shall be no
paid officer except as hereby provided ; 3rd.
That this whole amount of actual stock
shall be annually and equally divided, as
herein ordered.
I send you herewith the sketch of a Socie
ty, which, it seems to me, may be of great
benefit to all classes of Baptist ministers.
For a small outlay, every one may reap a
good harvest for his bereaved loved ones,
wh< nhe can help them no more. This is an
insurance company which cannot fail to re
turn valuable dividends. Let us see how
well it pays. If there are only two members
and one of them dies, his heiis will receive
twenty dollars for the ten which he paid.
If there are ten members and one of them
dies, there will be a return of one hundred
for the ten invested. If there are one hun
dred members and one dies, there will re
turn to his heirs one thousand for the out
lay of only ten, etc., etc. This will be the
case, if each member pays only one share;
but if each one, as an agent, adds but one
other share to his own, the amount will be
increased to two thousand, etc.
There are in the Georgia Baptist Conven
tion more than one thousand ministers. If
every one of these would join the Society
and take only one share each, there would
be a treasure of ten thousand dollars annu
ally, for the heirs of the eight or ten mem
bers who would probably die during this
time. In ten years, by single shares, they
would pay one hundred thousand, to a
very worthy class of women and children;
and in one hundred years (the time it would
take for one member to pay out the amount
which his heirs would receive again, if there
were only one hundred members of single
shares) they would pay to these worthies,
the grand sum of one million dollars.
Moreover, there is no discrimination be
tween the rich and the poor, neither be
tween the aged and the young, the healthy
and the diseased or afflicted. It is true, that
the rich will greatly assist the poor; but
the poor will also help the rich. No one is
too poor to be a member, whether as a pri
vate worker, or as an agent.
There are no paid officers or agents to ab
soib the contents of this treasury, and yet its
only officer and all the agents are well paid.
Our treasury is close by that of the Georgia
Baptist Convention, under the same lock
TLffi CHRISTIAN INDEX: MAY 31, IRB3.
and key, and in charge of the safest Treas
urer in the denomination.
Brethren of the ministry, shall we herein
join together, and “bear one another’s bur
dens, and so fulfil the law of Christ ?”
I will be pleased to receive, forthwith,
the names, not the money, of all the min
isters in the Georgia Baptist Convention,
who will join this Society, together with
any suggestions they may wish to make
as to its character or practicability; and
ere long, God willing, they shall hear from
me again, as to further progress.
T. B. CoOI’ER.
Notice. —Brother S. A. Burney, Madison,
Ga., Treasurer of the Georgia Baptist Con
vention, promises to receive all funds sent
to him by applicants for membership in the
Baptist Ministers’ Mutual Aid Society, and
to disburse them as prescribed in its consti
tution. All brethren interested will, there
fore, send their names and their money di
rectly to him, naming those whom they wish
to be the heirs and assigns of this investment,
and asking of him a certificate of member
ship, and not forgetting to enclose ten cents
to pay expenses. “A good man leayeth an
inheritance to his children’s children." Prov.
13:22. T- B. C.
Ogeechee, Ga., May 12, 1883.
Letter From Macon.
The writer has perused with the deepest
emotion and regret, the characteristic and
affecting parting words of one of the editors
of your valuable journal, Rev. H. H. Tucker,
D. D. The Doctor was a power in the reli
gious and literary press of the country, and
hundreds of admirers will deploie the loss of
his trenchant pen to the columns of The In
dex. There is an individuality in his ideas,
—a nervous energy of expression—a bonhomie
that wins the regard of the reader —a deep
vein of piety, and a quaint logic and vigor
in all of his writings that challenge admira
tion even from those opposed to him in any
topic under discussion. Few men also are
possessed of greater sagacity and powers of
discrimination. When in Europe during
the Franco-Prussian war, the ablest paper
on the political situation, and the mostlucid
explanation of the causes which resulted in
the terrible disasterat Sedan, and the speedy
overthrow of Louis Napoleon, was eontiibu
ted by Dr. Tucker to the columns of the Ma
con Telegraph and Messenger. It excited uni
versal comment. As an occasional lecturer
and sennonizeralso, he is the author of quite
a number of discourses rarely excelled for
wit and elegance in the English language.
In short, the ex-chancellor is a genius, and
his able articles, albeit we could not always
agree with him, will be greatly missed in
The Index. It can be readily understood,
however, that probably not a single weekly
religious journal in the South, could
afford to employ the numerous brilliant
corps of editors which have hitherto held
positions upon the staff of The Index. The
recent accession of Dr. Wharton, who is also
one of the proprietors of the paper, doubtless
made the retrenchment which culminated
in the retirement of Dr. Tucker possible and
expedient. Wc are assured that outside of
financial necessity, there was not one solita
ry reason for the displacement of the latter.
On the contrary, the most pleasant relations
continue to exist between the Doctor and the
owners and manageis of The Index. Itis to
be hoped that the eminent literary ability
of Dr. Tucker will not long be lost to the
country.
Under die new editor and his able as
sistants, there is not the shadow of a doubt
th-t the old Index will continue to retain,
and even increase its present popularity and
influence. Dr. Wharton is a natural orator,
and essentially a man ot the people. Pos
sessed of gifts of a high order, great shrewd
ness, pleasant manners and a silvery elo
quence, he is just the person to win his way
among the masses and build up his paper.
And here the writer would earnestly im
press upon him the duty of advocating and
sustaining the cause of Mercer University.
It is a matter of just reproach to the largest
religious denomination in Georgia, that this
excellent literary foundation receives so lit
tle patronage at ,their hands. True, the pres
ent matriculates, though comparatively few
in number, are all of them full fledged col
legiates, and their ranks are not swollen by
the sub-freshmen and tiny pupils of prepar
atory grammar schools. So far from this,
they are a wel 1 grown, stalwart band of
young men, not a few of whom wear beards.
It has been aptly remarked that they “make
up in quality what they lack in quantity.”
Certainly* a Jmore prepossessing and finer
looking body of students cannot be found
in the State.
As to the faculty and its able and accom
plished President, Dr. Battle, the whole
South may be challenged to furnish a more
competent and distinguished corps of in
structors. Among them are authors and sci
entists whose fame is not bounded even by
the limits of the Western continent. Why
then should such an institution languish?
The fault lies palpably at the door of the re
ligious sect which rules and dominates the
concern and yet “leaves it out in the cold.”
It should be the mission of Dr. Wharton
and The Index to revolutionize this state
of affairs. Let the duty be charged home
upon every Baptist of supporting glorious
Mercer, the prolific mother of governors, leg
islators, and eminent jurists and divines.
There is abundant material in Georgia for
the generous maintenance of all of her first
class colleges. Not a tenth of the youth of
the commonwealth receive liberal educa
tions. The University branches are nothing
more than first class grammar schools, and
are not permitted to take their pupils high-
er than the sophomore class. They accom
plish an immense amount of good, but we
fear, do not as yet serve as feeders to any
considerable extent of the parent Universi
sity nor of Mercer and Emory. Sooner or
later, however, the people will find out that
the mere name of attending one of those off
shoots of Athens, does not carry with it the
prestige and practical results of thorough
education. Then it is to be hoped that the
real and properly equipped institutions of
learning in the State will receive their dues.
But the friends of Mercer should bestir them
selves, and like Emory establish a primary
department in the University, and rally the
whole strength of their denomination to
her support. It is in the power of The In
dex to contribute largely to this desired re
sult. The writer feels quite sure that your
admirable paper will prove equal to the task.
The wet, coldspring has materially retard
ed the growth of vegetables and field ciops,
but there is ample time, with favorable sea
sons, for them to recover. The yield of
small grain will, however, fall far short of
last year, and the stands of corn on bottom
lands have been thinned out by the ravages
of the bud worm, which enters at the root
and saps the life of the plant.
At length the attention of farmers has
been directed to the importance of diversi
fied crops, and a very large area has been de
voted in this region to melons, Irish pota
toes, etc. With prompt exportation the ex
periment will certainly prove profitable, ami
inaugurate a new era in the husbandry of
the State. H. H. J.
Macon, May loth, 1883.
Errors Corrected—Georgia’s Quota.
Dear Index:—You ought to be very care
ful in what you say. Error, you know, can
travel seven leagues while truth is putting
on his boots; and when by mishaps of the
press and mail the correction is delayed, er
ror gets so far ahead that, truth despairs of
ever winning the race. You print in your
“Waco Waifs” that “Rev. G. A. Nunnally,
said Georgia would probably raise $50,000
next vear for Home Mission work.” I hard
ly think I said this. My recollection of the
remark is as follows: “The Convention has
by recommendations and instructions to its
Boards advised expenditures, under the For
eign Board about SIOO 000, under the Home
Board, about SIOO,OOO, under the Church
Building project to make it successful, about
$50,000 and the Seminary at Louisville needs
about $50,000, which aggregate the round
sum of $300,000. Now, the vital questions
are: Are we sincere in these suggested ap
propriations? Are we willing to carry out
these propositions? Where and how and from
whom is the moneyto be raised? What will
each State agree to furnish? Georgia, last
year raised for all purposes about $30,000.
For next year we were willing, in the lan
guage of brother Henderson, “to promise to
resolve that, we would endeavor to make an
attempt to try to raDe” $45,000, and Dr.
Boyce might take charge of the territory and
get $5,000 additional for the Seminary.”
If the $300,000 is raised (and who will say
that we cannot, or ought not to raise it) Geor
gia must come forward with $15,000 for For
eign Missions, $15,000 for Home Missions,
$5,000 for Church Building and $5,000 f >r the
Seminary, besides SIO,OOO for State work,
making $50,000. This would be about 50
cents per capita for the Georgia Baptist Con
vention. Surely we can raise it. But we
will not, unless there is an energy and a vigi
lance among our pastors such as has never
been illustrated by them in the past. Four
collections from each church would secure
the amount. But it is a sad fact that some
churches are forced to take ten collections
because other churches contribute nothing.
A simple statement of facts—an unvarnish
ed rehearsal of the necessities—a mere men
tion of the work before our congregations by
the pastors every three months, followed by
a quiet, unforced collection, would be cer
tain success. Is there a pastor in Georgia
who is unwilling to do this much? Is there
one who could be induced to do less ?
G. A. Nunnally.
(Join mbits Mission.
Tv the Baptist Convention of the State of Geor
gia :
Dear Brethren :—We respectfully ask the
privilege of earnestly calling the attention
of your body to the efficient and valuable
missionary work, conducted by our venera
ble and zealous father in Israel, Rev. J. H.
Campbell. Our failure to perform this duty
heretofore arose from a sense of delicacy,
and not from want of interest in his labors,
or endorsement of its importance and the val
ue of the benefits derived therefrom by a
class of people who, for various reasons
which they think justify them in not seek
ing the Word of life in any of the churches
of the city, but who readily avail themselves
of the congenial privilege which the attrac
tive open air meeting affords. No one can
attend the administration of the Word of
Lift, dispensed by thisaged and pious her
ald of the Cross, without being impressed
with the respect and interest with which
hundreds of willing people listen to the gos
pel of Jesus, and which secures for him an
influence over their manners, morals and
lives. This eminently qualifies him to min
ister to their necessities, and supply their
temporal and spiritual needs. His unflag
ging labors through sun and rain, heat and
cold, facing and relieving want, pain, and
suffering, mitigating the pangs of death, per
forming the tender rites of Christian burial,
and giving religious comfort and sympathy
to sorrowing survivors. The assiduous dis
charge of these self sacrificing labors has se-
cured for him the fellowship of all Christian
hearts, the confidence, esteem, and sympa
thy of all our citizens, who willingly and
liberally make him their almoner. His ex
ample and labors of love have stimulated,
enlaiged, and called into active service the
energetic efforts of the female members of
our various churches, so that vast numbers
of suffering humanity receive attention and
relief to an extent never before known in the
history of this city.
While our church is doing all it can to
sustain him with spiritual and pecuniary
aid, we know that the latter is not adequate
to encourage him as he deserves. We feel
impelled by a sense of Christian duty to de
serving merit to lament the withdrawal of
all aid from him by your State Mission
Board, and respectfully ask that your body
take such steps as your justice and judg
ment may deem best to mitigate and correct
this seeming neglect, and want of apprecia
tion and sympathy in this last, best work of
his useful life.
Henson S. Estes, J. Albert Kirvin, J. E.
Appier, W. A. Willingham, James J. Slade,
Deacons of the First Baptist Church, Colum
bus, Ga.
“A communication was read from the
First Baptist church, Columbus, Ga., setting
forth the great importance of the work of
brother J. H. Campbell in that city. The
labors of this venerable brother are highly
commended. His zeal, and prudence, and
unction, winning the confidence of the peo
ple and securing him an entrance into tneir
homes, much temporal relief has been dis
pensed through him, and great spiritual
good has been accomplished. The church
requests his appointment as City Mission
ary.”—Christian Index.
Since the adjournment of the Convention,
the State Mission Board has renewed my ap
pointment, and have agreed to supplement
the salary paid me by the Home Mission
Board. Both combined, however, are insuf
ficient for my support. If my friends, who
feel an interest in my work, will remember
this, I have no doubtthey will supply such
additional aid as will enable me to prosecute
my mission successfully. If they could attend
just one of the open air meetings I am now
holding, they would not need to be again re
minded of the importance of the work in
which I am engaged. J. H. Campbell.
Mercer University—The Crisis and
the Proposed Measure.
The author of a measure which received
the unanimous support of the Convention
of Georgia Baptists at its late sitting, and
which contemplates the liberation of Mer
cer University from all her embarrassments
and the better establishment of all her high
"nd holy interests, the writer deems it not
inappropiate that he should appear in a
brief article to indicate the line of policy
proposed. The resolution provides that the
Board of Trustees open themselves to corres
pondence to brethren generally, soliciting
information and suggestions in regard to the
status and w'eal of our beloved Institution.
The passage of said resolution by the rep
resentatives of our Ga. Baptist Zion is public
confession on their part of that which is a
most palpable fact—that a crisis is upon
Mercer University. The time has come
when the existing state of things at Macon,
cannot be longer ignored or winkea at.
Something must be done, and that right
speedily. And it was well for the Conven
tion thus to announce her conviction of the
imperative demand, that the Trustees, the
appointed guardians of the Institution, may
have the moral support of this influential
and (in the premises) authortaitive body, in
their investigations.
Nor is it an improper inference from the
intelligent adoption of the resolution afore
mentioned, that it was the conviction of the
body that the diagnoses of Mercer’s disease,
as presented in the speeches on Saturday, do
not fully and radically describe the case—
that the real cause or causes, ot the decline
of Mercer’s patronage and power remains to
be. published. It will not be den ed that
many good speeches were made —perhaps,
too many and too good—and, doubtless.
Mercer might be greatly benefited by the
improvement of suggestions offered in some
or all of the speeches. But it is blindness
or insincerity to claim that the real difficul
ties that blockade the way to Mercer’s high
est usefulness and success, were urged or
more than hinted at by any of the speakers.
Still again; the Convention has given her
endorsement to the policy of placing the re
sponsibility where it belongs—officially,
upon the Board of Trustees, but not ex
clusively ; every Baptist in the State is ask
ed to share the burden of responsibility
with the Board. It is important at this
juncture that we each duly apprehend the
part stern duty assigns us. Every Baptist
in Georgia owes it to himself, to posterity, io
the sacred interest this Institution was foun
ded to foster, as well as to God, whose cause
Mercer lias and may yet so nobly serve, to
put into the hands of the Board, an honest
and fearfess a count of his own convictions
of the causes operating against Mercer's weal,
and the best means and methods for its re
suscitation. True, promptings to diffidence
are numerous; but what are these in com
parison with the sweet consciousness of
fidelity to interests such as are involved,
and to which we can so ill afford to be faith
less.
An intelligent and noble brother who has
given to Mercer two sons, one a full gradu
ate, only this afternoon remarked to me.
That while all the speaking was going on
at Griffin he said to himseif, “Well, there
are many of us who have sent boys to Mer
cer that could tell a straight tale, if we