The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-05-30
FIFTIETH ANNUAL SESSION OF
THE BAPTIST GENERAL ASSO-
CITATION OF VIRGINIA. 5saHs ~

w
Being presented to the Association too
late for our yesterday evenings edition,
we this evening lay before our readers the
REPORT. OF DIR. BURROWS, GENERAL
AGENT, no THE MEMORIAL COMMIT
TEE. ~ 81 sk gEaiI NJ & 81a
lie had entered upon his labors the LIST Of
October last by the request of the commit
tee and consent of his church. Failing in
efforts to secure congregations at week.
day appointments he had set himself to
work to have a memorial meeting and col
lection in every church on its regular sab
bath preaching-day. But the unprece-
dentedly severe weather, and the large
amount of correspondence necessary to
arrange for the meetings and secure speak
ers, had delayed the real Inauguration OF
the plan until the middle of March, so that
most of the effective work has really been
done since that time. OF the GOA white
churches in cooperation with the General
Association, - have been visited and col.
lections taken, the time not having been
sufficient to visit the others. a9sagas
The report goes on to say: ~ wish to
bear most grateful and emphatic testimony
to the zeal, devotion, and self-saerifice of a
large number of our ministers and brethren
who have been called upon to give direct
service in raising these contributions. Sew
eral of our pastors gave up, with the con.
sent of their churches. their ordinary re-
gular ministrations, and consecrated their
whole time, for months, to this memorial
Others gayea part of their time, as much
as they could control. Many of our lay
men, among them the professors Of the col
lege, held themselves ready to respond to
any call, to visit any churches, and earn
estly advocate utheo claims Of this jubilee
and centenary movement. 1t would give
me great pleasure to present q list of such
laborers, and move for them q resolution
expressing the grateful thanks of this body
for their unwearied and effective services.
But the catalogue would be too long.
And all this labor has been given with
out pecuniary compensation. Even their
own travelling expenses some OF these en-
thusiastic toilers have declined to receive,
and the total sum of the personal contribu-
ton on Of these speakers themselves will
far more than pay the whole expenses in.
Cured in the prosecution of the work.
The responses OF the churches have
been in very many instances, munificeni
beyond precedent. With generous .enthu.
siasm, with self-denying zeal, in many in
stances with painful personal sacrifices,
our people have contributed to this thanks.
giving memorial offering. The people Of
Virginia are poor in comparison with their
former wealth. Those who have Travelled
and visited most widely among them (espe'
cally in the agricultural districts) can best
appreciate the truth Of the statement. In
some sections Of Virginia the adyerses Of
the people have been severe, repeated, ano
protracted. For five years there have beer
no full crops. In some of these years con.
tinued droughts have left only withered
fields to answer the farmers tolls and dis.
appoint his hopes. gaiy.sq
In some parts Of the state during the
last winter and spring the farmers have
been compelled, for the first time in theil
history, to purchase corn and provender
which their own titled fields did not yield
to sustain their stock and their families
In not o few instances the docile horse
stops in the ftlrrow, from want Of thu
strength which sufficient nutriment gives
unable to draw the pillow. On many plan
tations the cattle and horses are poor ant
emaciated, wanting the early grasses re
tarded by the late cold spring. In SIEVE
raj counties 4 am assured that the mort
cages on the farm, rendered necessary b,
security and ante-war Indebtedness and oil
sorts Of losses occasioned by the war
more than equal the entire value Of thu
land at present available prices. Ant
these calamities, too, have been suffered il
those sections in which our Baptist churche
are most numerous, our membership
largest, and among the best cultivated
most generous, and public-spirited in tn
state. Iala4s5j ga 10 raiIe
The contributions, therefore, Of many Q
these churches to the memorial fund ma.
not seem SO large as, judging from tn
well-known character and hberality OF th
people, our hopes indicated. But taking al
the circumstances into consideration, the,
have been wonderfully liberal. Out of th
depths OF their poverty their lberality ha
abounded. OF course there have been ex
ceptions 10 this general eulogistic state
ment. i Such, alas are always to b
found. But taken altogether, there hay
been noble, sublime, responses from eve
the most depressed portion Of the state
this call for grateful jubilee and centennis
offerings. .s go. L. %
In more favored sections, and especial
from the Central and Valley churches, gatt
cred, organized, and edited by the misslor
aries,of the General Association, most ger
erous contributions to our Memorial fun
have come. They have paid back in tn
single year large percentage OF the p'
cuniary outlay expended in sustaining o.
missionaries among them., The churcht
of the Valley Association have subscribe
theirfull quota of the proposed fund Of $500
900. Could we only have changed the chr,
nology, and have arranged that our jubilt
year should have been celebrated in pa
prosperous times, or could we postpone,
10 the future prosperous times, in who's
coming we have cheerful faith, our vi
ginia Baptists would need no outside aid 4
raise the full proposed fund. But dat
are net transferable. .' ~, %.
The report gives some further detail
concerning the collection of the fund and Il
publication Of the proposed Memoir
Volume" giving the history of the NOV
ment and the names of the contributor
and concludes as follows:
with profound admiration of the spil
and liberality of our people in this graz
effort, with sincere love for all who ha
manifested self-denying interest for Il
enlargement and { establishment Of o
blessed Redeemer's kingdom, and wi
grateful praise to our gracious Lord fro
whom all things come, and of whose ov
we have given to Him, to whose era
alone we owe it that we have been al
to offer willingly after this Sort l nc
commit back again to your hands the tru
which Won with such fatterinp cnnfidan