Newspaper Page Text
Many good and strong things were said in be
half of
missions
During the Seston of the
Southern Baptist Convention.
Subscribe to and read the Christian Index,
if you would keep informed.
.ESTABLISHED 1821
®ltc Christian gttdese
r ■■■ ......
Published Bvery Thursday at KH S. Broad
Street. Atlanta.*
J. c. McMichael, pbofuibtob.
Organ of the Baptist Denomination in
Georgia.
Subscription Prick ;
One copy, one year 8 2.00
Ono copy, six months 1.00
One copy, three months CO
Obituaries.—Ono hundred words free of
charge. For each extra word, one cent per
word, cash with copy.
To Correspondents.—Do not use abrevia
tions; be extra careful in writingproper names;
write with ink, on one side of paper; Do not
write copy intended for the editor and busi
ness items on same sheet. Leave off personal
ities; condense.
Business.—Write all names, and post offices
distinctly. In ordering a change give the old
as well as tho new address. The date of label
indicates the time your subscription expires.
If you do not wish it continued, order it stop
ped a week before. We consider each sub
scriber permanent, until he orders his paper
disoontinued. When you order it stopped pay
up to date.
Remittances by check preferred; orregis
tered letter, money order, postal note.
-- " ♦
Rev. 0. L. Haily has been elected
Corresponding Secretary of the new
Sunday School and Colportage
Board of Tenn.
The highest and best rewards of
this life are set upon through, open
faced honesty, and yet the “honesty”
that shapes itself with reference to
rewards is not thorough.
The First Church, Jackson, Tenn.,
licensed C. W. Daniel, W. W. Hor
ner and Fleetwood Hall, to preach.
They are all Seminary students, and
are said to be pious and promising
young ministers.
Rev. M. T. Martin fias been on a
visit to Meridian, Miss. While
there, he was the guest of the Edi
tor Baptist Record. Thence he
■went to Brookhaven to aid Pastor
Lomax in a meeting.
The church at Jackson, Miss., has
lately had ten accessions, five by ex
perience, and five by letter. They
are to vacate their old house of wor
ship, January 1, next, when they
hope to go into the new one.
No, friend, things are not what
they ought to be. Nobody pretends
that they are. But we needn’t go
through life grumbling. “Fret not
thyself because of evil-doers.” Cul
tivate a sunny temper and the habit
of looking for the good that lies all
about you. And for every minute
you give to complaining of the
wrong that others do, take an hour
for mending your own wrong-doings.
There is no such thing as leading
a “double life,” except in the exoter
ic sense. A man who maintains an
outward show of piety while embez
zling money entrusted to him or
' living in adultery, is really as bad
at heart one day as another, and his
final discovery and disgrace is no
discredit to the religion he professes,
since he simply proves that bis pro
fession was false.
General James William Barnes
died at Lis home, Prairie Woods,
near Anderson, Friday morning
Oct., 21, 1892 being 77 yearn and 16
days. He was born near Sparta,
Hancock county, Ga., Oct. 5, 1815.
He married Miss Carrie A. Green of
Jones county, Ga., and moved to
Texas in the fall of 1840. He was a
member of the Baptist Church, was
baptized by Rev. J. W. Creath in
1847 into membership of the Ander
son church. He leaves a wife and
three daughters, Mrs. C. C. Gibbs,
of San Antonio, Mrs. Eugenia Quin
cey of Navasota, and Mrs. Benjamin
Hill of Anderson.
Rev. L. N. Brock, who has lately
resigned the pastorates at Sardis and
Batesville Miss., makes tho follow
ing statement of his doting work.
“At Sardis, two weeks ago, we or
dained Rev. C. C. Howard to the
full work of the ministry. Bro.
Howard is a grand-son of Eld. C. B.
Young, who once was so well known
and loved in this part of the State.
Bro. H. is a young man of promise.
On last Tuesday night wo ordained
Rev. Jno. L. Stricker to the gospel
ministry. He goes at once to take
charge of tho church at Marianna,
Ark. On the same night I baptized
his Presbyterian wife, together with
two other ladies.”
We are not dabbling in politics in
any partisian sente, when we express
our grave apprehension that the
greatest danger to free popular gov
ernment is in the wide-spread cor
ruption of tho ballot-box. The
“balance of power” in this country
seems to be in the purchasable vote.
The “corruption fund” is recognized
as of greater moment in “practical
politics” than the party platform.
Universal suffrage is a political
©c ©ristian
. 1&W RevTßWest
“fad.” Such a thing never did exist
“on land or sea.” And since in the
nature of things tho lines must be
drawn somewhere, it is easy to see
how tho temptation to venality
might be very greatly reduced.
One of our secular exchanges
gives a happy expression to a most
suggestive idea, in saying that “a
boy cannot go far wrong who has
his mother for a chum.” Why do
not father and mother more gener
ally make themselves companionable
to their children ? We give it up.
Certainly nothing would more richly
repay their efforts, and they have
the noblest incentives. It is credi
table in the highest degree, alike to
father and son, to mother and daugh
ter, to see them “chummy” with
each other.
The prosperity of the wicked who
are openly and unblushingly wicked
is, perhaps, not so great a trial to
our faith in the divine providence as
the success of the hypocrite, or the
man whom we believe to be a hypo
crite. But we have the consolation
of knowing that the Judge of all the
earth will do right, and that in. -he
case of both the openly and the se
cretly wicked “He seeth that his day
is coming.” Besides, we are our
selves not infallible, and it is possi
ble for us wrongfully to withdraw
our confidence from a weak and err
ing but struggling and repantant
brother. What a joy it is that “the
Lord looketh on the heart!”
Speakifig of infallibility, the dog
ma of Pins IX excited the ridicule
of sensible men throughout the
world. It claimed infallibility in
the official acts and judgments of
the pope. There are some extraor
dinary persons in our own country,
and even in Georgia, who are put
ting forth the far more preposterans
claim of infallibility in conduct. If
that is not the real meaning of tho
“holiness” and “second blessing non
sense about which wo have heard so
much, then we can see no meaning
in it whatever. The truth about
this matter ij; that the seriptaraf ideal
of perfect holiness is forever unat
tainable in this life. It is an ideal
toward which we may make delight
ful and encouraging progress here,
and to which we shall attain in the
life to come; but for reasons wbieh
are not difficult to see, it must re
main an ideal this side the grave.
The place of the beautiful in Chris
tian worship should not bo difficult
to find, and yet it seems to be very
much unsettled. Our God hath
made everything beautiful in its
time,” and in his worship every
thing ought to bo beautiful. Only
let us be sure that our worship does
not lack the essential quality of de
votion. It is quite as fatal to genu
ine homage and die spirit of real pi
ety to felicitate ourselves upon the
ugliness and discomfort of our places
of worship, as it is to boast of their
convenience and costliness. There
is inherently no more religion in the
uncultivated tlian in the cultivated
voice, and the carefully trained qua
tette may be thoroughly devout.
Tho ascetic may be in his way as far
wrong as the self-indulgent. It is
only when fine architecture and fur
nishings and rnuaic and oratory are
made an end in themselves, or the
basis of our appeal to tho ungodly,
that they become a menace instead
of an aid, and deserve the stinging
epithet (recently bestowed on them)
of a “chronic Christianity.”
Written for the Christian Index,
GIVING THE EIGHT HAND OF
OHUECH FELLOWSHIP.
In the New Testament we read a
good deal about the imposition
of hands by the apostles, after bap
tism. Os course this apostolic prac
tice had divine authority, as Peter
and John (Acts 8 :17,) and Paul
(Acts 19 :6,) were inspired. But,
without doubt, the right to exercise
this act, for the reception of tho Ho
ly Spirit, expired with the apostles.
Yet, the custom continued to exist
among the churches, though not for
the reception of extraordinary gifts
of the Holy Spirit. Two hundred
and fifty or three hundred years
ago, it was a common custom among
Baptists, but by no means universal,
for the minister of a church, receiv,
pg a new member by baptism, to
jay his hands, accompanied by pray
er, on the head of the kneeling coh
ort or new member, founding tho
custom in Hebrews 6 :2. In the
seventeenth centucv. this nractice
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1892.
was brought from Europe to Amer
ica, and is still maintained by a few
regular Baptist churches. Three Bap
tist Churches in the Philadelphia As
sociation of Pennsylvania, practice
and admire the custom now, two of
whiohare in Philadelphia, namely
The Second Baptist and the Roxbor
ougb. The Third is the Lower Union
Church. In the Roxborough Church
the candidate kneels, the pastor lays
his hand on the candidate’s head
and prays for the power and pres
ence of the Holy Spirit to guide and
help him ; and, on his rising, gives
him the hand informally. The same
church gives the “hand of welcome’’
or the “right hand of church fellow
ship” to those “restored” or “receiv
ed by letter.” It is well Known
that the Philadelphia Confession of
Faith,” adopted by the Baptist As
sociation met at Philadelphia, Sept.
25, 1742,” includes an Article de
claring, “XWe believe that the laying
on of hands, with prayer, upon bap
tized believers, as such, is an ordi
nance of Christ, and ought to be sub
mitted unto by all such persons that
are admitted to the Lord’s Supper.’*
(In Cath,cartß’ “Baptist Encyclope
dia” pagO 1320.) But, it is stated
that the object of this, “is not for
the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit,
but for a farther reception of the
Holy Spirit of promise, or for the
addition of the graces of the Spirit,
and the influence thereof to confirm,
strengthen and comfort them in
in Christ Jesus.” (Article 31.)
There are a few “Six Principle”
Baptist Churches, in New England,
who hold to this custom. But, al
most universally it has been super
seded among regular Baptists, by
simply giving to newly “baptized”
persons, as to those “restored” and
“received by letter,” the right hand
of church fellowship ; and even this
is not always practiced by the minis
ter, though it is certainly appropri
ate. It should be stated that the ob
servance, or non-observance of the
custom of imposition of a kind upon
persons newly baptized, is not made
a test of fellowship by these churches
which practice it.
I understand that a volume, edit
ed, with Notes, by C. E. Burrows,
D. D., entitled “Diary of John Com
er” which will throw some light on
this custom, will soon be issued by
the Baptist Publication Society, of
Philadelphia.
It is, perhaps, needless to say, that,
almost universally, the adoption of
its 31st Article, in The Laying on
of hands,” by the Philadelphia Bap
tists, in 1742 was unwise, although
the reasons for it are given.
It may not be generally known
that the First Baptist Church, in
Providence, Rhode Island, “split,”
because of this very custom, or so
called “ordinauce,” of “Laying on of
hands,” about the year 1652, and
that the seeeders, who believed in and
practiced this act, as an ordinance
formed themselves into a church at
that time, which church now consti,
tutes the First Baptist Church of
Providence. Previous to that time,
a Baptist Church existed at New
port, which, rightly speaking, is,
therefore, the oldest Baptist Church
in America. For the church, from
which the present Providence Church
seceded, and which did not practice
tho imposition of hands, afterwards
expired. It had been formed in
1639 ; and hence, the present
church, formed in 1652, claims 1539
as the true date of its own organiza
tion. S. Boykin.
Nashville, Tenn.
Written for the Christian Index.
FROM NORTH CAROLINA.
Perhaps the Index readers would
be pleased to hear, now and then, of
the doings of their Baptist brethren
of the Old North State.
A good example, worthy the em
ulation of other city churches, has
been set by the Newberno Baptist
Church, Craven County. They have
recently raised, in addition to their
liberal contributions to Association
al Missions, four hundred dollars for
evangelistic work in their county.
It is a matter of no surprise to those
who know that the church is under
the leadership of Rev. Rufus Ford,
one of the best pastors in tho State»
aided by such laymen as brethren J.
C. Whitty and C. C. Clark.
Dr. T. 11. Pritchard, to the great
grief of tho brethren of tho Eastern
Baptist Association, will soon close
up his work as pastor of the First
Baptist Church of Wilmington, pre
paratory to entering upon the duties
of his pastorate in Charlotte. Ilis
removal will be a bereavement to
the Eastern Association, that has,
for several years, enjoyed his pres
ence, speeches and sermons.
The Colored Baptist State Con
vention met in Fayetteville on the
18th of October. Report says that
some of the speeches and sermons
were of a high order. They claim a
membership of about 150,000 in the
State. Their advancement in or
ganization, education and missiona
ry enterprise has been rapid. Ne
gro slavery in tho United States,
having served the purpose of Divine
Providence, has been forever abol
ished from the country, and South
ern people are glad that it is so-
But the institution, whatever may
be said against it, rendered the pres
ent intellectual and moral condition
of the American Negroes a possi
bility.
Among the one hundred or more
delegates to the Fayetteville Con
vention, there were six presidents
and principals of schools, one editor,
one foreign missionary, one ex-mis
sionary, three doctors of divinity,
two doctors of philosophy, four mas
ters of arts, one bachelor of arts, one
ex-senator and one ex-minister to
Liberia, There were, doubtless,
other or visitors
whose jnaawa I failed to see.
Rev. iv .d. Oliver, editor of the
N. C. Baptist was so favorably
impressed by their proceedings, and
the high order of some of the ad
dresses and sermons, that lie said of
them, in his paper, “God bless the
work of the colored Baptists in
North Carolina.”
The white brethren of Fayette
ville invited Rev. W. W. Colley, ex
minister to Africa, to deliver a lect
ure for their benefit in the opera
house, promising him a good collec
tion for African Missions.
The Convention decided to raise
$5,000 for Home and Foreign
Missions the ensuing year. They
raised,at one of their sessions, in cash
and pledges, about $1 ' 'fa
oign Missions. A part of this
amount was paid by the white citi.
zens of Fayetteville, Rev. W. P.
Fife, the popular evangelist paying
SIOO of it.
Unquestionably, Shaw University,
at Raleigh, has been an important
factor in the process and develop
ment of the colored Baptists of
North Carolina.
Jno. T. Albritton.
Mt. Olive, N. C.
SOUTHERN BAPTIST TRAINING IN
STITUTION.
Baptists are practically agreed on
the following: 1. All true ministers
are divinely called into the ministry.
2. Every man so called should
preach, whether his learning be much
or little. 3. Every minister is in
duty bound to seek the best possible
preparation for his work, not only to
begin with but all through his min
istry. 4. It is the duty of the church
es to aid ministers in preparation for
their work. The conviction of the
truth of this last proposition is at
the bottom of all our efforts to found
and carry forward our noble Semi
nary at Louisville. It has had no
little to do with the establishment of
our numerous Colleges also. The
work done by the colleges and the
Seminary abundantly justifies their
existence and their cost. It is above
all price.
But let us look at the field. With
a college in every state on an aver
age and a great Seminary, not one
in five of our preachers is reached.
In the very nature of the case the
greater part of our ministry can not
be reached by existing methods. The
full four-fifths must go without any
help except such as comes to them
in a haphazard way. They are pas
tors of a great majority of the church
es. They cannot break off their
work, leave their families and fields
to go to college or seminary. But
they are noble men, many of them
with rare natural gifts and great zeal-
Can anything be done to help them ?
If so, clearly it ought to be underta
ken. Tho Southern Baptist Training
Institution is the first organized at
tempt to reach and help three classes
of people, first, the preachers above
referred to: second, active Christian
workers, third, the laity who desire
by reading the right books to be
come socially intelligent.
The methods employed ale ‘such
as have been tested and approved in
other lines of educational work.
The correspondence method.—The
preachers, and workers, course will
be carried on by correspondence.
There will be a month’s work laid
out at a time and examinations, with
special instructions, will be by cor
respondence.
It is not a sm'all thing that a
preacher undertakes to do regular
work and solid work. It is no small
thing that many preachers study
books worth studying. It is much
that this work is to have intelligent
superversion. For preachers and
workers—Sunday school Superin
tendents, teachers etc., there will be
at convenient places and times lect
ure schools to hold from 10 to 30
days. The ablest men in the various
states will be engaged in those short
term schools. The expense will bo
inconsiderable and pastors need not
surrender their pastorates to attend?
Anyone can take the correspondence
course and tho lecture course both,
or he can take either one without the
other as he likes.
The reading course will be made
for circles and will be formed on
the Bible, but will extend to such
books as will make the reader strong
and intelligent. The Chatauqua
plan will be followed with these cir
cles, and how wonderfully successful
that has been all intelligent readers
have some idea. More than 30,000
people have taken the course and
general intelligence has been im
mensely increased.
Such a movement as the one un
der consideration must have a center
and an organ through which to
speak. The Guardian, a monthly
magazine of 60 large pages, publish
ed at Waco, Tex., by Rev. S. L
Morris has already passed its infancy,
being now in its 11th year. For many
reasons this monthly has been deem
ed a suitable organ for the Training
Institution. It is in competition
with no weekly paper. It is pub
lished by the Secretary of the Insti
tution and it is suited to the class of
communications demanded by such
a moyemejit. , Tho subscription is
very low, only $2,00 a year: to
preachers SI.OO.
This effort has met with universal
favor. More than 200 have matric
ulated before the opening. The work
of organization is pressing hard upon
us. It is reasonably certain that
before the Institution is a year old
it will have its lecture schools estab
lished in a half dozen states and its
students will be numbered by the
hundreds. Unless I am mightily
mistaken there is a blessing in this
undertaking for our people. It
conies home to the hearts and to the
common sense of the masses. In
forming the courses, I have the help
of a wise committee. The ablest
brethren among us are also lending
their help to the effort.
If any of your readers wish fur
ther information let them address-
Rev. S. L. Morris, Waco Texas.
J. B. Gambrell.
Meridian, Miss., Nov. 1892.
THE ATTITUDE OF OUB OHUKOHEB
TO THE MISSIONARY MOVE
MENT.
New developments, imposing upon
us now relations, emphasize afresh
old duties and suggest others.
In the present state of the demands
of missions it seems to me the at
titude of our churches is aptly illus
trated by the seal of the American
Baptist Missionary Union, of tho ox
standing midway between the plow
and the altar, “ready for eithcr.”The
two duties enforced upon us by the
hopefulness and imperativeness of
missions may bo expressed by the
words, service and sacrafioe. To
one or the other, or to both of these
crowning Christian duties every
disciple of Christ is being called.
No new gospel is demanded, no now
commission is needful, no complotor
endowment is necessary above that
which is ours for tho accepting, the
anointing of God.
■'Wo mark the foes advancing ranks.
Wo see their gathering powers;
Tho battle may ho fierce and long,
Tho victory must bo ours."
Whatever view we may hold as to
the plan of Jesus Christ in the worlds
evangelization, whether a redeemed
world is to be laid at bis feet when
he comes to reign, or whether He
shall gather out from among the
Gentiles a people for himself and
then come to assume his throne, the
urgency of the effort for the redemp
tion of the perishing must by either
view be minimized by those who fear
God and love the souls for whom the
Christ died. Service is the decora
tion the ascended Christ has bestow
ed upon his disciples. Sacrifice is
the badge of the most intimate and
blessed fellowship between the Lord
and his people, and the work com
mitted to His church, by terms of the
commission, furnishes the supreme
opportunity for the service and sacri
fice. He demands or all who have
confessed our dicipleship. That
there is a necessity for Christians to
re-adjust themselves to the demands
of Missions, I need not stop to en
force. Enthusiasm is needful to stir
us to a fresh activity, but a strong,
intelligent conviction of personal
obligation, enforced by the word
and spirit as God are conditions in
dispensible to that measure of conse
cration this great work of Christ re
quires of our churches. A position
of inactian is the one of greatest
price to the church. We may hear
it said sometimes “it is gives give all
the time,” or “it is something else
just as soon as we get one thing done,”
yes, so it should be, if the church is
doing the work of the Lord. Pente
cost had scarcely flung its power and
blessing upon the fresh born church
of the New Testament when all
the members, men and women, (ex.
cept the apostles) were scattered
abroad preaching the word and testi
fying to the fact of Jesus resurrec
tion. Thus on, and on, the divine
presence led the disciples as the
pilar of cloud and fire led Isreal.
New relations was voicing duty
and suggesting fresh obligations, as
day succeeded day. This is clearly
Christ’s purpose respecting Ilis
church and the method of the Holy
Spirit’s leadership.
We must come, under the Spirits
guidance, to read fresh and larger
meanings into these old words of
service and sacrifice. For service is
coming to mean the active side of
joy, and sacrifice is coming to stand
for the best illustration of a divinely
enkindled love—“Responsibility”—
that old word, that has heretofore
weighed among words as lead weighs
among ores—is coming to be under
stood, it is ceasing to mean, in daily
Christian life, impossibilities but is
better understood as meaning our
capacity for discharging obligation.
These are terms the master employs
to measure out to us the work he re
quires at our hands. The difficulty
comes from our mistaken notions
that we can do Christ’s work apart
from Christ’s help—“ Without me ye
can do nothing”. As we come to
place ourselves in such relations to
Christ’s work, as he directs us to oc
cupy, we shall find the joy of the
Lord lifting the service of duty into
the gladness of privilege—and the
work of the Master will he no lon
ger the bondage of servants but the
loving homage of sons.
That the demands of missions at
home and abroad are multiplying in
number, urgency and requirements
is obvious, What then? The more
work for God means the need of
more power and better qualification
for this work, more work means
more prayer, more faith, more know
ledge, more money, more men, in a
word more personal consecration to
God and his cause. We are again
coming to see as it was so often
seen in tho apostolic age—what
God can do with a man wholly de
voted to Christ, as Peter, Paul and
Barnabus were.
The hour is eloquent, with the
divine call to every Christian to
realize, as he or she never has done
their “high calling of God in Christ
Jesus”. What opportunities of ser
vice and self-denial the cause of mis
sions is loading upon our church
es !
The providences of God arc also
just as earnestly and plainly plead
ing for the use of the peculiar gifts
of His people for His service. Look
at tho miracle of modern missionary
activity and success in the work of
the women of all denominations at
the contributions of the Sunday
schools to the work of tho world’s
evangelization. On nil hands the
awakening of quickened energy is res
ponding in organized effort and self
denial.
Paul’s metaphor of the church, i.
e. the body, is being better under
stood because we nre seeing its lar
ger meanings. The hand has been
trying to do everything, to get on
without tho foot, tho eye, the ear, in
deed without tho head in too many
cases. We are understanding the
relations of tho parts of the body of,
Brother Minister,
Working Layman,
Zealous Sister,
We are striving to make
□Fine
the best of its kind. Help ub by securing a,
new subscriber.
VOL. 69—NO. 46
Christ better and the body is doing
its work just that much better.
We are finding a use for feet,
hands, Lead eyes and ears and every
other part and the result is an im
mense improvement. We are wiser
and have seen the folly of saying
even of the least of the members of
church body, “I have no need of
thee.” But the whole “body fitly
framed and'knit together through that
which every joint supplieth, accord
ing to the working in due measure
of each several part, maketh the in
crease of the body unto the upbuild
ing of itself in love.” God’s plan
with us, is after all, the best for us.
Our attitude as members of the
church body must bo wisely adjust
ed not according to our whims and
feelings but according to tho mind of
Christ.
Every member must be alive for,
either a dead member must be cut
off or it will cause the mortification
of the body. Vitality is essential
for us.
Again, the mission work is de
manding of our churehes the best,
the strongest the most efficient mem
bers among them for the field. Wa
need a readjustment of attitude as
churches in this respect. “Surely
inferior me tai will do for the hea
then.” God says no and demands
the best we have and more and
more of it.
What shall be our reply? Can
we, daro we make any other than
“Here Lord am I and mine, send as
thou wilt?” Ah! It is these ques
tions, that so concern the honor of
Christ and his cause, that oomo so
close to all that is dearest to you
and me. “Who is ready to go for
us? and whom shall we send?” are
questions God’s Spirit will bring closer
to the Chritian homes of our churches
than he has been doing, the need is
becoming greater, and God is faith
ful. Duty as it becomes clearer, be
comes more personal.
Wo have been satisfied heretofore
in saying “is there nothing that can
be done to bring tho perishing to
Christ.” Wo must change this
question in two respects and honest
ly ask, “Is there nothing I can do?”
and the answer to this question must
be sought from the Lord, “Lord,
what will thou have me do?” This
question the spirit of God is bring
home to thousands of Christian
hearts in our churches to-day. Men
are more than methods. From the
days of Paul down to Luther, Caa’ey
and Moody men have been God’s
measures. These are what have
told in missionary efforts. Judson,
Moffat, John Williams, Clough, men
are Christ’s agencies and instru
ments.
But the churches need to face
another attitude to Mission work. I
believe that gthe origin of mission
boards was no accident. They are
manifest providences in God’s plan.
They are needed and it is foolish to
discuss their worth. Wo can’t get
on without them. We would em
barrass if not wreck the work on
many fields home and abroad in
a year if we tried to do without
them.
But I do think the churches are
not as close to the boards nor to the
missionaries and fields us they ought
to be and might be.
Instead of the Boards being de
pendent upon the uncertainty of col
lections for the support of the mis
sionaries, it seems to me it would be
infinitely better if back of each mis
sionary or his field there stood a
church strong enough to assume the
expense of that mission just as thej
assume the expenses of their own
church. When that is not possible
then let one or more churches of the
cities, or towns, or the churches of one
or more towns unite to support mis’
sionaries as the Boards select the
fields and locate tho missionaries,
and then let the Boards enlarge
the work just as fast as the funds
come in from other sources. Give
to our Boards the larger work of
supervising tho work and of direct
ing the plans of the Convention and
relieve them of tho unreasonable de
tails of money gathering. This is
the work of the churches and ought
not to be tho work of the Boards,
and would not be if the pastors and
officers of our churches did their
duty. Let us an pastors face such
practical questions as these. Study
tho interests involved in a wiser and
a justcr adaptation of the work of
our churches along such lines. There
la much that fit ineffective iu <jur