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COLLEGE STUDENTS BREA THE INSPIRA TION
Missionary League Holds Great Convention at State College, Rome
T
students of Georgia, in which minds shall be
informed, hearts stirred, and energies enlisted
for Christ and the neglected lands. It is to
be accounted to the students of Georgia for
keeping apace with the other students of the
country in the study of the tremendous ques
tion of our relation to the nations of the world
through the obligations of Christianity.
This Convention was destined to be a great
one for three reasons. The Convention last
year at G. N. & I. C., at Milledgeville, was one
that had never before been equalled in the
point of spiritual atmosphere and power, and
it naturally blazed the way for this Conven
tion as no other year had done. Then there
is more interest on the part of the students, for
the reason that they are coming more and
more to realize something of their individual
responsibility to the world from their own ex
perience; and a better vision of the world’s
needs; and the other reason is the fact that
the Convention met at Shorter—Shorter, the
. Queen of the Roman hills.
The Convention was opened with welcome
addresses by President Van Hoose and Rev.
C. K. Henderson, with a response for the col
leges by L. D. Newton. On the same evening
Miss Elizabeth Claiborne, of the McTreire In
stitute, at Shanghai, was heard in a splendid
address on the educational work among the
Chinese, and an earnest plea for more work
among all heathen peoples in educational lines.
In Sunrise Prayer Meetings.
One of the striking features of the Conven
tion was the daily service at 6 :30 a. m. At
“Dere yer goes, rar’rin an er skotch
in, buckin yer eyes jes lack Ole Marse
use’ ter. You looks jes lack you gib
de Overseer er order, or you gwi call
de kerrage. You shoe is Old Marse
over ergin, and don’t I wish he were
here ter see you. Yer is de very spit
uv yo gran’daddy over ergin. Des
look at yo sar, whin’t you hole still?
I gwi put some close on yer.”
A new baby had come into the
home, and, of course, his coming had
brought Mammy. He had been with
us two weeks, and had been in her
care entirely, as was usual in our
home on such occasions. The above
conversation was what I overheard as
I entered the room, and found her
giving him his morning bath and try
ing to dress him. Do you think he is
like father, Mammy? I asked.
“De very print uv him, an all I axes
de good Lawd to do is to make him
like Old Marse in every ’spect. He
were a proud and er jest man, but he
sho had er temper, and when he
bucked his eyes, us niggers alters laid
loe. Hit all’ers tuck Old Miss ter
quiet him when he got in one uv dem
eye bucking transfirations. All she
had ter do was to say, “Cum, now,
Henry, you’s sed ’nuff; des cum in
de house an set down.” An dat was
n
“Dar you goes ergin, buckin an
showin site dis time. Never mine, yo
ole Mammy gwi keep you strait, she
gwi take good keer you, and when
you gits ter be er man, you gwi do
HE Seventh Annual Convention of
the Georgia Students’ Missionary
League, was held at Shorter Col
lege, Rome, Ga., beginning Novem
ber 8, and closing November 10.
This Convention of the Georgia
College boys and girls is held an
nually for the purpose of cement
ing a Christian union among the
PQA V Written for The Golden Age
nwv I\J r A.ZI I by Joseph Riddich Estes
jes lack Ole Mars say. He say, you
gwi s’prise de nation. Lawdy, chile,
he said that ’fore your own mother
was borned. Wonder how he no, what
his gran’chile gwi be lack, thirty
years ’fore he is borned in dis here
wurl uv trubble?
“Well, eny how, you’s here, and we
all gwi see what you gwi do. So jes
stop bucking dem eyes, and stay still
t’well I gits you fixed. Now, dar you
is. Lookin ’bout, same’s you allers
been here, you owns de place. Well,
you sho is makin yosef at home.”
A few years roll by, and we see a
boy, a bright, manly looking fellow,
has been raised in a quiet country
home, a home where the Bible was
read at bed time, and where there
was time for “a blessing” before
each meal, and last, but not least, un
der the guiding hand of Mammy—for
two years after he came into this
home, his mother was taken by the
loving Savior, and is now being cared
for in the highlands of God’s King
dom, where she awaits, and watches
for this boy.
He is just leaving the home for
boarding school, and no one grieves
more over his departure than
the good, loving old Mammy who
stands holding his hands. As she
looks him in the face, her last words
before saying good-bye, are, “Be sho
you reads dat good book every nite,
and say yoq prftr'ps ’fore you goes ter
sleep.’’
The Golden Age, for November 21, 1912,
these services the Convention met for sunrise
prayer meetings, under the leadership of con
secrated men and women. The early morning
services proved the dynamic force of the Con
vention.
Saturday morning was taken up in reports
of the missionary interests and activities in the
colleges. These reports proved v<wy beneficial
to the delegations from the several colleges.
The exchange of ideas and the inspiration that
came through the fine reports that the colleges
made were within themselves worth the time
and expenses of the Convention. This service
was followed by an address by Dr. B. D. Gray
of the Home Mission Board of the Southern
Baptist Convention. He was especially effec
tive with the great subject that he presented
to the collegians. His theme was: “The world,
a field, a force.” In the afternoon came the
business session, and Saturday evening the
Shorter College Conservatory entertained the
Convention with an hour’s concert. Then came
the reception by the students and faculty of
Shorter to the Convention. This was naturally
one of the greatest hours of the entire Conven
tion.
Sunday on the Mountain Top.
Sunday came as the true climax to the Con
vention. At 9:30 Dr. Ayers, who has been a med
ical missionary for the Southern Baptists for
several years in China, and who is a Georgia
man, delivered one of the most profound ap
peals to the students of America, to catch a
glimpse of the needs of that great empire, that
the delegates had ever listened to. Dr. Ayers
is simple in manner, earnest in delivery and
peculiarly effective. His address was followed
by a message from Rev. C. G. Gounshell, who
is connected with the Volunteer Movement of
the Methodist Church and who was for sev
eral years a missionary to Korea. Mr. Goun
shell is an orator as well as preacher in this
address. He pictured the great need of the
Korean and all heathen peoples in vivid and
impressive terms.
At school he did well, and it looked
as if the prophecy of his grandfather,
years before he was born, would come
true. “He would surprise the nation.”
He made friends rapidly. He stood
high with the faculty, and all went
well.
A trip back to the old home now
and then made all hearts glad who
lingered there. He was the joy and
pride of Mammy, who never failed to
tell all whom she met, “He is buckin
dem eyes des lack Old Marse.”
He decided that law would be his
vocation, and hoped to follow in the
footsteps of his forefathers, who
were the history-makers of his state.
Just across the way from his old
home, another mansion of the Old
South stood, and in it one of the
sweetest girls that one would hope
to meet in many a long journey. They
had been childhood sweethearts.
Their mothers and fathers had been
friends.
His last vacation was over, the next
morning he must return to college.
He had gone over to spend the even
ing, knowing it would be months be
fore he would return again.
“You know, Lucy,” said he, “I shall
finish in another year. I shall not
seek a large city, but hope to return
here, and take up my life’s work with
and among those whom I have known
since childhood. My father wants me
to take up where he will eventually
leave off. I shall count the days, my
darling, till I return to you, and to
Sunday afternoon was given over to a ser
vice in which the foreign students in Georgia
colleges might make an appeal of the heathen
nations to American students. Miss Chung Ling
Soong of Wesleyan, Miss Aya Takeda of Bre
nau, Mr. Youtaik Kim of Korea and Mr. Gomez
of Cuba made appeals for their respective
countries. Their papers were admirably writ
ten and tremendously stirred the Convention.
Mr. Stegall of Tech responded to these appeals
for the students.
On Sunday evening the volunteers among
our Georgia students were on the platform and
made short talks concerning their life work.
This was possibly the greatest service of the
entire Convention. The spirit of this meeting
was such as we have seldom if ever seen in any
meeting of the Students’ League before. We
have in Georgia a goodly number of students
preparing to become missionaries and they are
all the leading students in their respective col
leges.
This was truly a great meeting. More dele
gates attended the meeting than any previous
year had known. The entire Convention wai»
characterized by the Christian spirit. President
Foster is to be given the credit of holding the
League together each year by his untiring ef
fort to help the students of the state to see
their relation to the world. He has never
grown weary in working for God by working
for the students of Georgia. He was unani
mously chosen the president for another year.
Too much cannot be said of the magnificent
hospitality of Shorter and the citizens of Rome.
Their entertainment of the delegates was roy
al. They did everything that could possibly
be brought to bear to make their guests com
fortable and happy, and they succeeded emi
nently. Shorter is a great college, this was
a great Convention, and the two put together
produced a great result in the Georgia students
that will bear fruit through the coming days.
L. D. NEWTON.
Mercer University, Macon, Ga.
call you my own. You will be true
to me, won’t you, Lucy, and no mat
ter what comes, you will wait for
me?” As he placed his arm around
her, to kiss her good-bye, she said, “I
shall await your coming, Tom, and
will remain yours to the end.”
Tom left next morning. All were
at the house to see him off. The same
good, faithful Mammy, who asked the
blessings from above for his safe ar
rival, and all the good things that
could befall a man, was there to bid
him God-speed, adding, “Yer ain’t
never stopped buckin dem eyes, jes
lack Old Marse, sence de fust day
yer opened dem in dis wurul un trub
ble.”
“Has you heard enything from
Marse Tom, Miss Lucy?”
This question was asked several
years later.
“No, Mammy, not a word. All we
ever heard was what I have often told
you, that he left College unexpected
ly, no one ever knew why, and had
gone to some one of the large cities.
He did not finish his course, and no
one that we know of, ever heard of
him again.”
Hit put Ole Marse in he’s grave. He
would jes set an think, en cry, and
one mornin we found him dead. He
had gone to be wid Ole Miss, and
try to cumfurt her. How long is hit
bin, Miss Lucy, sents he lef? I jeg
(Continued on Page 16.)
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