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The LA YMZN’S MISSION A 2<Y MO VLMLNT
"The Greatest Problem That Confronts the Christian World Today” Says J. Campbell White.
By Dr. J. L. D. Hillyer.
The first state-wide meeting of the Laymen’s
Missionary Movement began its work at the First
Baptist Church on Friday, the fifth of December.
A banquet at the Aragon on Thursday evening, a
feast of good things for the outer as well as the
inner man, having served the purpose of bringing
the men together socially, and the many warm hand
clasps around that board, bespoke the intensity of
feeling burning in the heart of each for the cause he
represented.
The meeting at the First Baptist was presided
over by Mr. J. Campbell White of New York. The
time of the session was taken up in a series of most
valuable talks by earnest, thoroughly aroused and
thinking men who are putting themselves into this
movement, with the determined purpose of giving
the gospel to the world in the next twenty-five years.
It is one of the signs of the times. Hitherto there
has been really no comprehensive movement among
Christians for the evangelizing of the world. A few
of the choice souls in the churches have been chip
» ping in some nickels and dimes with here and there
a quarter, calling that a “contribution to missions.”
But the Christian men of our country have begun
to see that their part of the Lord’s work will not be
done if they leave to the “Woman’s Missionary
Societies” and bands of “Willing Workers” among
the children, the whole business of collecting money
for the salvation of the world. This enterprise is
of an importance far beyond any conception that
has ever reached them before.
The Laymen’s Missionary Movement has come out
of such experiences as Walker Brooks of Rome had,
when a few years ago he electrified the Georgia
Baptist Convention by a gift of $5,000 for foreign
missions, Mr. Brooks caught the spirit of this busi
ness and has stuck to it. Now, all of these fine,
stirring, able and busy business men are taking time
to realize that this thing of saving souls for Christ
is a serious matter which demands the best that
they can give.
A fact made quite prominent in the meeting Fri
day morning was that the Laymen’s movement has
vastly enlarged the plans of the church missionary
organizations. For example, the Northern Method
ists, at their General Conference last May, de
creed an increase of one million a year until 1912,
when their contributions will amount to six millions.
The evening session was given chiefly to an ex
tremely interesting address by Rev. Motte Martin,
who has just returned from the Congo country. He
was followed by Dr. John R. Pepper of Memphis,
chairman of the Laymen’s Movement of the South
ern Methodist Church, who described the methods of
organization in church and district. He said the
result of this organization showed a broader out
look for the work and larger co-operation in spirit
ual work.
Saturday’s Session.
“Is the Church’s Interpretation of the Great Com
mission Correct?”
The first subject for discussion which followed the
devotional exercises was a searching enquiry after
the real meaning of 1 ‘ The Great Commission. ’ ’ The
interpretations were not entirely harmonious, but
ideas were brought out that will help many of those
brethren to understand the meaning of the Lord’s
commands more clearly in the future than they ever
have before.
This was followed by a series of short, crisp talks
on “The Marks of a Model Missionary Pas
tor, and His Relation to Success in a Missionary
Enterprise,” which amounted in the greater part to
criticisms on the laggard churches, while some laid
the blame to the pastors who had failed to tell the
truth about missions. They had pretended to be
God’s messengers, yet they had not delivered the
message that God gave them to deliver. They had
claimed to bring the whole council of God but they
had not done it. Hon. W. B. Stubbs of Savannah
The Golden Age for December 10, 1908.
opened this discussion with a very fine address.
But a turn was given just here to the drift of the
discussion by a reminder that there are thousands
of churches scattered all over this Southland that
were planted by men of God who went into the des
titution on their own borders and at their own
charges preached the Word. Such men as they
could not be blamed if they gave little or nothing to
foreign missions. They gave all they had, and that
was themselves, to the missions that they themselves
had planted. Upon this view the lay brethren were
urged to push their work out among those churches
that have not been doing what they might have done,
and to encourage among them the organization of
this movement.
One of the bright thoughts of the meeting was:
“We are not here for The Laymen’s Movement, but
for the Kingdom; the laymen are moving because
the Kingdom is coming.”
Mr. George Gordon, for The Associate Reformed
Presbyterians, said that his church had given last
year one dollar per capita for missions and prom
ised that it would be the care of their laymen to
increase this the coming year. Dr. Lambuth, in his
intensely interesting talk on Korea, told of a woman
who, at the request of her neighbors, had walked
215 miles carrying her baby on her back. In their
remote valley they had heard of Jesus. They had
heard that He was in their country. They wanted
Him. The others had household cares that prevent
ed any of them from going, but that woman could go,
she had only a baby, and they would help her. Each
of her neighbors put two handsful of rice into a
sack. They said: “Go, this will feed you on the
trip.” The woman took her baby on her back and
the bag of rice, and came to the people who had
Jesus with them. She found the Lord for herself
and carried him back to her country and her peo
ple.
One man was spoken of who had been exceedingly
prosperous. His ambition was to make a million of
He became interested in this movement and
now he is just as prosperous, but his ambition is
to be instrumental in saving a million souls. Mr.
Pratt of Athens declared: “If you do not want to
have your whole life changed you had better let the
Laymen’s Movement alone.”
Dr. Cromer of Newberry, iS. C., knows of a man
with a new kind of higher criticism. He is so ex
cessively patriotic that he does not believe the Bi
ble is authentic because it makes no mention of the
United States.
An Important Session.
Saturday afternoon the subjects were, “How to
Lead a Congregation or a City to Its Highest Mis
sionary Efficiency,” and “The Advantage to Each
Denomination of Undertaking Missions in Co-opera
tion with Other Churches.”
The most important meeting of the Session up to
that time was held on Saturday evening. A plat
form, or declarations of principles was adopted,
which sets forth the reasons for this movement in
Georgia. At this session also were two of the most
important addresses of the session. Dr. Lilly made
an “appeal for larger Christian service. He
pointed out the responsibilities of the Chiistian
churches in the work of evangelizing the woild
and declared that any reason for doing much for
missions was a reason for doing more.
Colonel Halford spoke on ‘ 1 America’s World-Wide
Opportunity.” He told of how, while on duty in
the Philippine Islands, he had been awakened to
the needs for missionary work there and in othei
parts of the world. He stated that it was in the
Philippines that President-elect I aft learned that
“Christianity is the only lasting basis of civiliza
tion.” He saM the islands yielded better results
from missionary work than any other part of the
world and declared that the Christian missionary
was the true empire builder.
Sunday’s Services.
The session of the Laymen’s meeting came to a
close on Sunday. There were twenty-five of the
city’s pulpits occupied by visiting members, each of
■whom sought to impress upon the minds of the peo
ple the importance of this great work.
A big mass meeting for men only was held in the
Bijou Theater at 3 o’clock p. m., for the purpose of
making them acquainted with the purposes and work
of the laymen’s movement. Despite the inclemen
cy of the ■weather a large audience Was present, near
ly very seat in the orchestra being taken, besides
many who were seated in the balcony.
Ex-Governor W. J. Northen presided in the ab
sence of Governor Hoke Smith, -who was called away
unexpectedly to Washington, D. C., on official busi
ness. The two speakers were Rev. Dr. W. W. White
and J. Campbell White, brothers, and both living
in New York City. Their addresses were compre
hensive and inspiring and both made a deep impres
sion on their hearers.
Seated on the stage of the theater were many of
the prominent laymen, among the number being
Herbert K. Caskey, of Philadelphia; Sam Inman,
Colonel W. B. Stubbs, of Nashville; Dr.- Marion
McH. Hull. The meeting was opened with prayer
by Dr. D. Clay Lilly, of Nicholasville, Ky., who was
also seated on the stage.
J. Campbell White was then introduced by Gov
ernor Northen. Mr. White is a business man and
is the general secretary of the laymen’s movement.
He has been a central figure in the work since
its birth two years ago. He explained the
spiritual significance of the Laymen’s Movement,
and said that it was the greatest problem that con
fronted the Christian world today. He spoke of
the educational side and of the philanthropic side of
the movement. His address was delivered with
great emphasis and made a deep impression.
The benediction was announced by Dr. Lambuth.
The final meeting at the First Baptist Church
maintained the high character and deep interest of
the whole session in spite of the downpour of rain.
Gob. Northen ’s Ringing Speech.
(Continued from Page Three.)
ruin, because of the alleged undemocratic policy of
so-called sumptuary laws, and the value of money
put against the value of men.
How does it happen that there is now a general
awakening of the social conscience upon public
questions as regards graft, trusts and special con
cessions? Is it not true that the social conscience
is now insisting upon the correction of business
habits, and the people, through their civic
conscience, are bringing these hurtful conditions
up to higher standards? The social conscience must
demand righteous social progress, or the community
will encourage evil habits of life, and thus destroy
the ideals of the best citizenship.
The social conscience must be kept alive, if so
ciety is to remain in a plastic condition. Once let
men feel that they are about as good as they need
to be, and wrongs appeal to them in vain.
Every great moral idea has had its period of
infancy, and it has been developed through the
opinions of the few. All reforms come as the de
mand of a civic conscience, that has been awakened
by the conscience of the few.
Coleman, in Social Ethics, says: “There are
three methods of social expression—first, through
the individual lives of the citizens; second, through
its social institutions, and third, through civil law.”
(Continued next Week.)
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