The Portland daily press., 1880-07-29
THE FREE BAPTISTS,
Tuesdays Session of The Centennial Con-
ference.

The conference session Monday evening was
one OF the most important that has been held
Ihe subject OF the meeting was "Free Com
munion of Baptist Bodies'' In 1877 COM
mlttee Was appointed to take into considera-
ton the idea of union of all free communion
organizations in the Baptist denomination.
Monday evening President Cheney, of Bates
College, chairman of that committee, made a
report, and its discussion elected much inter-
estlng talk. The aim in this matter is to con-
solldate with the Freewill Baptsts. as far as
possible, the six or eight kindred bodies which
entertain open communion. These outside as
sociations include the Disciple Baptists TO
which Gen. Garfield belongs. In 1877 the
free"lli Baptist conference voted to call a
general convention for this purpose but Tues
day evening it was decided to defer such
gathering for the present. The Free Chris
tian Baptists of New Brunswick and the Free
BaptiSts of Nova Scotia have expressed them
selves in favor of a general convention. which
action is construed as being favorable for the
proposed union. Tuesday night the confer
ence decided to invite all these outside bodies
to unite with them in the publication of a
Year Book, in the issuing of a religious quar-
terly, and in the general Christian work of
home and foreign mission efforts. If this de-
sired consolidation should be secured, as mapv
ardently believe it will be, it would form a very
influential and powerful organization of 65O.
QUO members. In this connection it NAV be in
terestlng TO the general reader to state that the
FreeWlll Baptists couch their invitation to the
sacrament OF the Lords Supper in the follow
ing words:-"Al1 persons who love our Lord
Jesus Christ IN sincerity and truth"
The session of the conference Tuesday morn
ing was an exceedingly entertaining one, and
brought out in friendly debate large o num- uIr
Der OF the most distinguished persons
The subject was the consideration of the
report of the committee on Home Mis-
slons and the Ministry. The debate finally
a el into the subject of the Education of
the Colored People and their Wants. The
talk brought out among many others the three
colored delegates, Rev. j. w. Dungee, of Har
rlsburg, Pa, Rev. Nelson Kicks, of Cairo, MI.
and Rev. William B. Brooks, of Commerce
Mo-, all of whom spoke finely and created an
excellent impression. A liberal supnort was
advocated for Storer College for colored per-
sons at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia and the
Importance was urged for re-establishlng the
school for colored pupils at Cairo, Ill. Miss
f Fl OF African descent, and a graduate
OF Storer College,spoke effectively in behalf of
her Alma Mater, porlraying its condition and
In pleasing and scholarly manner The re-
port OF the committee on the ministry led to a
discussion, in which it was made prominent that
candidates for the sacred calling should not
only have undoubted intellectual qualifications
but should possess unquestioned Christian and
moral attributes.
The Woman's Temperance meeting was con-
Quoted by Mrs. j. B. Davis, and the Bible
reading was by Mrs. Prof. Batchelder, of Pitts
field, Me. The first address was very able one
by MrsC. b. Fitzgerald, of Dover, whose theme
was "Children's Temperance Work" Re-
marks were also made by Mrs. L. R. Burlin-
game and by Mrs. Reader, a German lady and
Matron OF a Friendly Inn in Cleveland, Ohio.
The first gathering in the afternoon was in
aid of centennial offeaing. IT was voted in
1877 to raise fund of half million of dollars
to be used for such purposes as the donors
should indicate. Quite a sum of money has
already been pledged, and in the afternoon one
subscription for $4,000 came in, several for
$1,000 each. and many others for smaller sums.
This session was followed by temperance
meeting, at which several excellent addresses
were made.
At $50 p. m. an eloquent sermon was given
by Rev. G. III. Ball, d. D., of Buffalo, N. Y,
which was followed by an earnest inquiry
meeting