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LJ P -VAN NESS,} EuITORS
A RIGHT MOVE
At the meeting of the Mis
sionary Union at Asbury Park a
plan was inaugurated for a Com
mission composed of representa
tives of the Home Mission So
ciety, the American Baptist
Publication Society, and the Bap
tist Young People's Union, with
those from the Missionary Union,
•who shall consider and study
the plans of giving and en
deavor to unify the interests
of these agencies as they
ask for the gifts of the
churches. This Commission will
sit for three years. It is a great
advance and* will serve to make
the varied work of the different
and distinct societies present a
unity of idea to the minds of
givers. It will emphasize the one
ness of Baptist missionary la
bor however conducted.
Southern Baptists have the
groundwork of such unity in the
idea of a Convention for mis
sionary co operation. Our great
problem has always been to se
cure co-operation with a con
vention organized for purely
missionary purposes. In this
idea is expressed the unity of
all our efforts. For convenience
of management interests are di
vided, but every year our com
mon meeting brings them to
gether as our one great work.
While we have the idea of
unity thus embodied in our Con
vention for organized and co
operative mission work, the fact
is sometimes obscured in actual
administration. In its mainten
ance is the hope of the immedi
ate present. Organization is the
point of attack now, and not the
intrinsic question of missions.
How to get churches to co-oper
ate with Boards, and not the
mere question of theological
missionary belief is our prob
lem. Only when all our Conven
tion agencies and our State
agences see eye to eye and
as one stand for organization
and co operation can we make
great advances. The issue is to
be made for us. We are not in
this confusing distinctions. We
believe the appeal to send the
gospel to those without it is a
motive higher than any idea of
organization. We believe as
truly, however, that as a prac
tical measure the unification of
cur appeals to this motive along
the thought of a common work
through organization and co-op
era’ion is the best and most
promising measure for great re
suits.
The brunt of the attack falls
0:1 the work of the Foreign Mis
sion Board. All along the line
of organized effort we must qs
one man, give our aid and sup
port here. It was a real pleas
ure to hear Dr. Tichenor say
that he would sacrifice a great
deal to see the Foreign Board
free from debt. He realizes to
the full the mutual relation. The
battle for organization in mis
sions will be along the line of
sending the gospel abroad.
Every State Board that holds in
cc-open tion churches and se
cures others, will be helping the
grea q limactic cause of Foreign
Missions.
It is because of this idea of
unity incur work that we deplore
the failure of the Mission Journal.
It expressed that idea. The For
eign Mission Board, however, al
ways seemed convinced of the bet
ter usefulness of their own jour
nal. We are sure, however, this
expresses no disposition to iso
late their work from the other
lines of effort that are alligned
with them in organization. The
time was when Foreign Missions
as an idea carried all other lines
of missionary work and fostered
them. Now it seems as if these
other agencies ought to be used
and will be needed to great ly ad
vance Foreign Mission work.
The problem of unification is
easier for us than -our Northern
brethren. It needs no commis
sion but simply a purpose in our
Foreign. Home, and Sunday
School Boards, our Woman's and
Young People’s Auxiliaries, and
our State Boards, to work as one
for the common idea of an or
ganized and co operative work
that shall send the gospel to
every nook and corner of our
own land and the world, and
shall develop at home a people
truly missionary Baptists. It is
greatly to be deplored if any of
these agenti is shall isolate them
selves at this juncture.
QUIT YOU LIKE MEN; BE STRONG
We are evidently entering up
on a few months of active agita
tions as to the Baptist positions.
The controversy waged by va
rious brethren from Providence
to Texas, via Lcuisville, upon
Dr. Whitsitt, seems fated to beour
mental stimulus for some time
to come. For ourselves, we look
for great good to come of it. The
discussion so far has revealed the
lamentable dearth of historical
knowledge among us. The dis
cussion bids fair to incite us to a
new reading of our history as a
people. That will be well.
Baptists will be on their mettle
before the world also. The pa
pers of other bodies of Christians
are beginning to give attention
to the matter under discussion.
As a rule they have dealt very
fairly with us and have given less
perverted views of the facts and
consequences than some of our
own men. We will be watched,
however, very closely, and we
will, in a short time, begin to
find the masses of the pedo-Bap
tist people producing some
strange perversions as new argu
ments.
We will be tested as to our
loyalty to truth as truth. It is a
test other denominations have a
right to apply rigorously. As a
people we have been challenging
the accepted notions of every
body around us. Practices linked
with family memories and in
trenched in traditions dear to
human hearts, we have boldly as
saulted and asked that they be
given up and nullified by acts
that we advocate. Our claim for
so doing is that these practices
are errors and that truth is worth
more than error even when sen
timent and family heritage threw
their glow over it. Baptists have
been continually demanding that
previously accepted ideas be ex
amined in the light of the truth.
This has been our history. Shall
we now repudiate it all before
the world? When we are asked
to consider what is claimed as
the truth of history, shall
we take shelter in our
accepted theories and de
cline to examine the truth pre
sented. All the world would
laugh at us. Baptists stand for
truth and they are not afraid to
face truth anywhere. They will
not accept until the truth is de
monstrated, but they will bring
every challenge to the bar of
judgment and begin theexamina
tion with a heart that intends to
accept it if the truth it be.
We must further use this occa
sion to emphasize to our pedo-
Baptist friends our loyalty to the
Bible. For our own selves, we
may be concerned to find our kin
in all ages, but for outsiders we
are content to ask only the test
of being Bible Christians. The
truth is that Baptist succession
and a free Bible go together.
When the Bible has been with
held from the people Baptists
have been hard to find. In every
age when the Bible has found its
way into the homes and been
read bodies of Christians can be
found holding in essence our te
nets. Standing, as wedo, on the
basis of plain New Testament
facts, we find that an open Bible
has always developed Baptist
people whether called by that
name or not. Here is our im
pregnable rock to-day. We ask
history only as a confirmation.
Scripture practice is our basis.
So we most respectfully give
warning to our pedo Baptist
friends in Georgia that we are
maintaining ourselves on the
same old basis, and that if they
come to us with any arguments
drawn from Johnson Encyclopedia,
we shall promptly get out the
same old New Testament, that
they have seen before, and ask
for the chapter and verse.
A great many Baptists in the
South have come to a crisis.
That crisis is as to whether they
are men enough to turn their at
tention to their own accumulated
theories and examine them in the
light of new facts. This is pre
ceded by a test as to whether,
when one honored and respected
claims new light, we are to try to
seejwhat the light may be, orbe
brother for producing it.
The trouble is, we unconsciously
recognize the possibility of its
being true and we don’t want it
to be so. This, however, is the
way we have been arousing other
folks for a couple of centuries
past. Are we men enough to
stand by our own principles? Let
us quit ourselves like men and be
strong. We are not afraid of
factsand we fear the truth only
as it convicts us of sin. What
ever the outcome of this discus
sion let us hold to our fundamen
tals. loyalty to truth, and the Bible
our rule of faith and practice.
We want history to sustain us,
but we leave to the Romanists
that reliance on tradition that is
afraid to examine new historical
light when it is offered, and sup
presses the facts when uncomfort
able. We believe in an open Bi
ble and an open history as well.
FOR ONE DOLLAR !
We will send the Christian
Index to new subscribers from
now until January 1, 1897, for
one dollar, cash in advance. We
have not called on our readers to
help us before, but we now in
vite their assistance. You can
send the Index to your friends
for one dollar for seven months.
Will not pastors, deacons, and
Sunday-school superintendents
take this opportunity to get up
a list in their churches? Let
every fifth Sunday meeting take
up the some good work and ap
point some one to canvass for the
Index. The Index has gained
greatly in circulation since the
change of ownership, but we
desire it to go still further. We
are pledged to give Georgia Bap
tists an unsurpassed paper. Help
us and we will do it. One dollar
gets the Index for seven months
as a trial.
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX: THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1896.
Tne Prohibition National Con
vention has just been held in
Pittsburg. It was a gathering
of much interest and proved live
ly in the extreme. The great is
sue was as to the introduction of
other than the prohibition ques
tion into the platform. Two par
ties contended. The “narrow
gauge” stood for simply the pro
hibition issue. The “broad
gauge” party desired free silver,
woman’s suffrage and various
populist issues to be included.
Afteralongand heateddebate the
“narrow gauge’ 4 won and the is
sue was clearly defined as prohi
bition. Woman's suffrage is no
longer included, except as a reso
lution declares it to be the sense
of the Convention that it is d,e
sirable. The result of this heat
ed debate was the departure of
some 200 delegates and a bolt.
The bolt will represent the
“broad gauge” and stands for
notions, to many and too varied
to be enumerated.
In the long run this purging
will work for the good of the
prohibition cause. Few voters
were gained by these extraneous
planks, while many were alien
ated. Whenever the Prohibition
party gets in sight of victory it
will of necessity be compelled to
define clearly its position on all
issues. For the present its mis
sion is to draw clearly into light
the one issue and stand for it.
We welcome the outcome of the
Pittsburg Convention.
The most sensible thing was
the nomination for president of
Joshua Levering, of Baltimore,
Md. He is an honored Baptist,
and a generous giver to our va
rious causes. Few men more
worthy have ever been named for
this office. We are sure every
Baptist in the South, whatever
his politics, will wish he could
vote for him. If Southern Bap
tists but thought he would be
elected we predict a solid vote.
We rejoice with him at this dis
tinction that has come to him.
In Texas the gospel mission
adherents have called a conven
tion, or meeting, as they desig
nate it. At this “ meeting ”-Rev.
G. P. Bostick, it is announced by
the Texas Baptist and Herald, will
be present. Is not the inevitable
tendency of this movement to
get a new name to cover the same
old methods which our fathers
found necessary as their work
extended? The Gospel Mission
has but one real lasting principle
and that is the desire to arouse
churches to their responsibility
for Foreign Mission work. Time
will disintegrate the movement
or see it take to itself in some
form every real idea of practical
administration embodied in the
Convention plan of organized
missions. The church ‘responsi
bility idea is as possible under
one plan as another.
We have refrained from any
special comment regarding the
$20,000 promised to Mercer Uni
versity, that we might be in a po
sition to give the conditions upon
which it was promised. We
presume it means that SBO,OOO is
to be raised previous to its being
available. This ought to be
easily done by Georgia Baptists.
We are sure the intention is
good,and if the committee having
the cause in charge will but pros
ecute the matter vigorously it
can be easily secured. The Ed
ucation Society has done a good
work. It is, as is probably
known, the medium through
which Mr. John D. Rockefeller
makes his gifts to our educa
tional institutions. The meth
ods adopted are very wise and
have secured largely increased
contributions to our schools.
The disastrous cyclone that
struck St. Louis seems to have
included the church of our St.
Louis correspondent, Rev. T. C.
Carlton, in its pathway of de
struction. His church is the La
fayette Park Baptist church, and
was put down in one of the daily
papers as being damaged to the
extent of SB,OOO. This would in
dicate a considerable damage.
As early as possible we hope to
have a letter from him, and we
are sure if he needs the help of
his Georgia friends it will be
forthcoming. The results of the
cyclone seem to be increasing
with every new report. The la
test returns places the fatalities
at over four hundred. It will be
mouths before the material dam
age will be righted.
It is a matter of regret to see
the gratification expressed by the
advocates of the Gospel Mission
plan over any unfavorable fea
tures of the Convention's work.
It seems to be a source of pleas
ure to some that the Convention
should be at all embarrassed.
Flippancy of criticism marks the
mind of many who are in the
lead in this movement. We are
sure the true friends of missions
in both Convention and Gospel
Mission Methods will some day
work together again. We ft ar
there are some who are lovers of
their own way rather than of
missions. Earnestness of spirit
in dealing with matters so vital
as missions is becoming even in
the midst of differences of opin
ion.
FOR ONE DOLLAR!
We will send the Christian
Index to new subscribers from
now until January 1, 1897, for
one dollar, cash in advance. We
have not called on our readers
to help us before, but we now
invite their assistance. You can
send the Index to your friends
for one dollar for seven months.
Will not pastors, deacons and
Sunday-school superintendents
take this opportunity to get up
a list in their churches? Let
every fifth Sunday meeting take
up the same good work and ap
foint some one to canvass for the
ndex. The Index has gained
greatly in circulation since the
change of ownership, but we de
sire it to go still further. We
are pledged to give Georgia Bap
tists an unsurpassed paper. Help
us and we will do it. One dollar
gets the Index for seven months
as a trial.
I
A hurried visit to Nashville
found the city busy preparing for
the celebration of the Centennial
of Tennessee’s admission into the
Union. This will be in connec
tion with the great exposition,
but the exposition will not open
for a year yet. The buildings,
however, are far advanced and
indicate an exhibition of unusual
scope and beauty. We are sure
all will heartily aid Nashville in
this enterprise. Following At
lanta’s great success, it will ad
vertise to the world the ability
of the South from a commercial
and industrial standpoint. At
lanta wishes to Nashville the
best of success. Major J. W.
Thomas, president of the N. C.
& St. L R. R., is the president
of the Exposition Company, and
a number of the leading spir
its are well known Baptists.
We have received from the
Southern Railway a handsome
pamphlet entitled “Summer
Homes and Resorts.” It gives
full information as to the various
summer resorts reached over
their lines The rates, which are
greatly reduced, are given, and
also a list of hotelsand boarding
houses with rates at these. Such
information is invaluable to those
planning for summer outings.
The Southern Railway deserves
credit for preparing this infor
mation in such a convenient
form and giving it to the public
thus early in the season. A
copy can be obtained from any
of their offices, or by mail from
the office here.
Sympathy will be general witn
Dr. J. M. Frost'in the death of
his infant child. He was called
home from the Convention by
her illness, and ftas watched anx
iously ever since for some im
provement. It is well for us to
remember with special expres
sions of sympathy these men
whom we,as a denomination,have
taken from pastorates to manage
our more general affairs. Our
secretaries can look only to us
for that close and tender love
that they crave.
Rev. J. A. Howard, pastor of
Glenn Street church in this city,
will from now on do some can
vassing for the Christian In
dex. He will cover more es
pecially the Western & Atlantic
and Atlanta & West Point rail
roads. Our good brother Edens
covers more territory than al
most any other man could do, but
Georgia is a big State and hard
to get over in a year with the as
sociation meetings coming on.
With brother Howard’s help we
can thoroughly cover the greater
part of the Associations. We
are grateful for the kindnesses
extended to these brethren.
We trust we shall be able to
give our readers some of the
many commencement sermons
that been preached the last
week or so. We are sure they
are all good and deserve the
wider audience the Christian
Index can give them. Our
schools seem to have had com
mencements of unusual power
and interest. We are glad to
see it. Good schools mean a
good people. The editors of
the Index have necessarily con
fined themselves to Mercer and
Shorter. Os both of these we
shall speak next week.
The functions of the preacher
with regard te every sermon are
those of the artist, the architect,
and the artisan.
The Baptist Record; We are glad
the Southern Baptist Theologi
cal Seminary is to have a regular
scientific bathing apparatus. We
have been called “the great un
washed” long enough. Lately
an Episcopal bishop said, “The
further one goes away from civ
ilization the more Baptists you
find and the fewer bath-tubs.”
For aught we know it may be
true. All the same, we are be
ginning at the right end, and we
shall hope to reverse the old
adage of “like people, like
priest” and let it read, “like
preacher, like people,” as our
preachers are to have bathing as
a part of their ministerial train
ing. “Cleanliness is next to
godliness.”
yuftat the sapttet
(!5 (liters
77ie Standard: The religious
conventions emphasize two chief
elements in religious work—indi
viduality, and co-operation. On
the one hand, the personal nature
of the missionary enterprises is
brought out; general impressions
of “missionary work” are made
definite and local by seeing and
hearing particular men and wo
men, who embody in themselves
the principles of such work; ab
stract “tendencies in Baptist
thought” are manifested con
cretely in Doctor So and so and
Editor Blank and Layman Dash;
boards of directors are seen to be
composed of men, not of names.
The reflected glory of missionary
triumphs lights each face; the
shame of depleted treasuries be
comes a personal mortification
and sorrow. All this is full of hope
for the future, for success was al
ways won by individuals, not by
capital letters; and the Gospel
moves through men, not through
machinery. But on the other
hand, these great gatherings
emphasize the complementary
truth of co-operation. If they
put individuals to the front, they
bring those individuals into more
intimate understanding and mu
tual helpfulness. They generate
the energy of personal contact
and store it against the time of
separation. As each man is im
pressed with his responsibility
he joins hands with his fellows,
and the whole becomes more than
the sum of its parts. At the an
niversaries a man never feels
that he has given too much
money to missions or too much
of his time to church work; he
feels humble and glad that he is
permitted to have a place in great
deeds that make for the saving
of the nations. Thus individual
ity and co-operation go hand in
hand, and help to advance the
independent churches in their
independent mission.
The Examiner: Any one who
has not paid attention to the sub
ject, would be surprised to learn
how enormous is the preponder
ance of frauds among appeals for
charity. Some years since Dr.
Crosby, of New York, stated
publicly that, through a series of
years, he had caused to be inves
tigated every application for
charity which had come to him,
and that he had yet to find a
single genuine case. Recently
one of the vice presidents of the
Brooklyn charity organization
said to the writer: “Eleven years
ago, when I moved to my present
home, we agreed that we would
have investigated every appeal
for charity that came to us, and
that to every honest case we
would administer relief that
would really mean something,
that we would endeavoi’ to put
every honest applicant above the
needs of charity. Out of all the
applicants that have come to us
in these eleven years, we have
found but one that was deserv
ing; that was a poor, partially
crippled boy, whose story we
found, on investigation, to be
absolutely true. Through the
elevated railroad company we
got him permission to have a
stand for selling papers, and
now he is supporting himself
and doing well.” There is a great
lesson here. Nothing without
investigation; aid, adequate and
efficient where- investigation
proves the case to be genuine
and deserving. This is the es
sence of organized charity.
The Watchman: It is worth
thinking of that the Anniversary
Meetings, which do so much to
bind our churches together in a
spirit of common fellowship, do
so, not on the basis of specula
tive theological discussion, but
on that of practical co-operation
in Christian work. These socie
ties are all benevolent organiza
tions. The simple aim of them
all is to advance the interests of
the kingdom of God by preach
ing, the Gospel and gathering
churches. Unity in Christian
work is often practicable when
unity in speculative theories is
out of the question. It is often
said that the absence among
Baptists of doctrinal disagree
ments is phenomenal. Certainly
we have no occasion for the her
esy trials which have played so
prominent a part in the recent
history of some other denomina
tions. This is not because we
all think alike, or because a lynx
eyed theologian might not be
able to discover among us some
tendencies that he might deem
heretical. But our unity arises
chiefly from two causes. First,
we concede a large measure of
individual liberty and practical
ly exemplify our belief in soul
liberty; and, secondly, the de
nomination is chiefly bound to
gether. so far as externals are
concerned, by the work of so
cieties whose single aim is loyal
obedience to the Great Commis
sion.
The Journal and Messenger: A
change of great importance was
made in the Methodist “discip
line” at the meeting of the Gen
eral Conference in Cleveland,
which is likely to attract more
attention in other denominations
than in their own. It consists in
the omission of the following
foot-note under the subject ■ Bap
tism;”
The rebaptism of persons known to
have been previously baptized is mcon
Bistent with the nature and design
the ordinance asset forth in the New
Testament.
It is given out that this matter
is to be left with the ministers,
but it is understood that hereaf
ter no person sprinkled in infan
cy will be refused baptism after
conversion. The result must be
to weaken the hold of infant bap
tism. The change has been
brought about by the large num
ber of persons sprinkled in in
fancy who have come to see the
Scriptural requirement of be
liever’s baptism, who have some
times gone to a Baptist church.
The Methodists believe that the
change will retain such persons
within their own organization.
Os course Baptists rejoice in the
increase of believer’s baptism in
any church. The Methodist
Protestant Conference, in session
at Kansas City, has also adopted
an amendment to the “Discip
line” sanctioning immersion.
The Religious Herald:— What is
needed to bring our Baptist peo
ple closer together? One thing
is surely needed. Until our peo
ple are more generally educated,
we cannot hope for intelligent
and hearty co operation. Igno
rance and isolation interact. Iso
lation intensifies ignorance, and
ignorance promotes isolation.
The more widely and genuinely
we can educate, the more effec
tively shall we uproot those pre
judices of section and locality
which tend so powerfully to keep
men apart. Education will give
our people a broader outlook,
wider and more generous sympa
thies, and will enable them to
join hand and hand in enterprises
worthy of their great numbers
and resources. Akin to this is
the necessity for broader and
more enlightened leadership.
Unfortunately, the undeveloped
and undisciplined host too often
have as their leader the narrow
est among them. This leader
must make himself solid with his
constituency, and' this he pro
ceeds to do by yielding to, rather
than by attempting to remove,
their prejudices Thus he fails
to lead them into larger concep
tions of Christian fellowship and
duty. Another prime necessity
of the situation is a modified no
tion of religion. In large sec
tions of the South, the past half
century among Baptists has been
marked by heated and acrimo
nious debate over small, almost
infinitesimal, doctrinal matters.
With rigid carefulness, the mint
and anise, and cummin have been
tithed, while the weightier mat
ters of the law have suffered sore
neglect. With the growth of
general intelligence, with broad
er and more inspiring leadership,
there will surely come the need
ed modification of the too preva
lent idea of what constitutes the
very gist and marrow of the re
ligion of Jesus Christ. Our
brethren will come, let us hope,
to see that the principle of loyal
ty to Christ, while including
some of the lesser matters about
which they have been disturbed,
is by no means exhausted by
them. Os these and other needs
of the hour we shall speak more
at length in a later issue.
lite Biblical Recorder: It is not
without interest to witness a
class of boys at a blackboard
striving to solve a problem in
arithmetic. The teacher has
given his pupils certain facts
which must be considered in
their relations. If these facts be
grouped in wrong connections,
or if some of them are not used
at all, the answer is impossible.
The boys are working with di
verse degrees of diligence and
interest. One is playful or indo
lent; of course he accomplishes
nothing, placing no value upon
the problem. Another works
better, but comes far short, yet
is commended for an honest
effort. The third toils with in
tense earnestness, correcting
every mistake,and at last presents
to tl e teacher the answer. This
is but a picture of humanity
working at the blackboard of
life. Some are frivolous and
neglectful; others are pondering
the problem of destiny with
eager concern, seeking the per
fect answer to the inspired ques
tion: What is your life? God
has wrought in them salvation,
and by his help they work it out.
The Evangel: It is not often that
you hear of a Bible student back
sliding. The prayerful study of
the Scriptures is sure to fill one
with such blessedness as to make
him content-with the service of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He has
no relish for the husks of world
ly pleasures, and so he is kept
faithful. “He has meat to eat”
of which the world does not
know —meat which strengthens
the soul and makes glad the
heart. But neglecting the Scrip
tures, the Christian is an easy
prey to the.seductive influences of
Satan. He is like a youth who
goes from his father’s house, and
hearing seldom from home,
ceases to think about that home
and the loved ones there, and so
is easily led to believe that they
do not care for him. The va
rious books of the Bible have
been compared to letters from
our heavenly home, sent us by
our loving father. If we fail to
read these letters, we come to
feel little interest in our heavenly
home, and begin to live as if
heaven were but a dream. The
backslidings of many may be
traced to the neglect of the Word
of God.
yew a*
FIELD NOTES.
Oh the glorious rain! Thank the
Lord for it!
Brother farmers, plant some more
corn right now.
We are in Gainsville, Ga., at this
writing, attending the commencement
of the Georgia Female Seminary.
We heard an extradine sermon from
Brother H. W. Williams, of Elberton,
Ga . last Sabbath, at Gainsville. The
Index readers will get it also.
Our correspondents will please be
patient with us, we were not at home
last Sunday and Monday, iou will
hear from us in due time.
Last week was picnic week in Au
gusta, Ga. Our work was not helped
by the fact.
Brother Lansing Burrows, of Augus
ta Ga., delivered the literary address
before the Honea Path High School at
Honea Path, S. C., last week.
Pastor E. E. Bomar, of Aiken, S. C.,
preached morning and evening for the
First church in Augusta, last Sab
bat.
Pastor T. M. Galpin, of Curtis church,
Augusta, will, D. V., preach the com
mencement sermon before the Orange
burg Collegiate Institute, Orangeburg,
S. C.. the 2d Sabbath in June.
Pastor Lansing Burrows, of Augusta,
Ga., preached the commencement ser
mon before the Aiken Institute, Aiken,
S. C,, last Sabbath.
Pastor A. G. Collier preaches every
Sabbath to the Woodlawn church, Au
gusta. Brother Collier has done, and
is doing, a noble work for his people.
The church has enjoyed a good meeting
lately.
Brother C. M. Wilkinson preaches
three Sabbaths each month to the Be
rean church in Augusta. Pastor and
people held a jubilee meeting on last
Sabbath on getting out of debt.
For the last ten days Pastor T. M.
Galpin, of Curtis, Augusta, has been
helping Pastor John F. McMillan, of
Graniteville. South Carolina, in a se
ries of meetings. We hope for good re
sults.
Father W. M. Verdery, of Martinez’
near Augusta, preaches three Sabbaths
in each month to the Calvary mission
in Augusta. Brother Verdery has been
quite sick lately, but is up and able to
meet his people again.
Sister Burrows, the sweet-spirited
wife of Brother Lansing Burrows, Au
gusta, has been quite ill with nervous
prostration, but was thought to be im
proving last Saturday. May the Lord
deal gently with his feeble child.
Pastor Thomas Walker's dear people
in Augusta, picnicked at Berzelia last
Friday. It took twelve coaches to carry
the vast crowd. How those dqgr fac
tory folks do enjoy a day's outirtg. We
were glad for them.
The morning and evening papers of
Augusta, the Cft ronicte • and Herald,
honored the field editor of the Index
last week by giving him kindly notices.
We make our politest bow.
The Curtis church, Augusta, has put
a thousand dollar front to their already
nice chapel, which makes the house a
thing of beauty now. In addition to
this work, they have built a sixteen
hundred dollar cottage on their church
lot. and have room for another, which,
when built, will be the third cottage
they possess.
The Georgia Baptist, the organ of our
colored brethren in Georgia, is pub
lished weekly in Augusta. Brother
W. J. White is the editor and proprie
tor. Brother White and the Baptist are
doing a good work for the colored
brethren.
We expect to be in Augusta again
next week. The pastors will do us, the
Index, and themselves good by giving
their dear people a strong Index talk
next Sabbath. Do it for /iis sake, breth
ren.
Pastor J. H. Gambrell, of Greens
boro, Ga., preached the commencement
sermon for the High School in Coving
ton, Ga., last Sabbath.
Hurrah for the brethren and sisters,
of Siloam, Ga. They have built for
themselves a bran new meeting-house,
out and out, and in and in. New bell,
new carpets, new pulpit suit, new
everything—all from start to finish —in
about four months, and nobody kicked
either, while the work was going on,
and the best part of it all is, that it’s all
paid for. Now for the jubilee; we hope
to be there.
Pastor Thomas Walker has been with
the Kallock Street church in Augusta
for nearly thirteen years. He has bap
tized in the neighborhood of seven hun
dred persons into its fellowship. He has
married five hundred and ninety one
couples. The Lord only knows just
how much good, hard, self-sacrificing
work he has done in all these years.
The Lord has been and is still with him
m power and blessing. May he remain
with this dear people until the Lord
takes him to himself.
Brother W. J. Stockton, son of Broth
er J. H. Stockton, deceased, of McDpffie
county, Georgia, has been recently
licensed by Kallock street church, of
Augusta, to preach the Gospel. Brother
Will is doing a great work for the cause,
selling Baptist books in Augusta and
vicinity. He hopes to go to the Semi
nary next fall.
The Green street or First church,
Augusta, has grown steadily under the
pastoring of Brother Lansing Burrows.
He is now in his thirteenth year with
these dear brethren. Brother Burrows
has welcomed into the fellowship of the
church about sixty new members since
October of last year. Between thirty
and forty of these have been by baptism.
The congregations are good. The
preacher holds his own most gloriously.
The Sabbath school, under the efficient
supervision of Brother J. T. Bothwell,
is full to the brim, and is accomplishing
great good. Larger quarters are need
ed for both congregation and school.
Come, brethren and sisters, rise up and
build a house for the Lord and the
future generations of your beautiful
■ t there not be found a single
obstructionist in the camps of Israel.
If one should arise, in the language of
Dr. John G. Gibson: “Just kill him,” or
do like that six hundred pound .North
Carolina sheriff did to his obstreperous
prisoners, just “sit down on him.”
ooa rrr James F. Edens.
380 Woodward Ave., Atlanta, Ga.