The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-11-18
The Virginia Baptist General AS
ISOLATION.

Socldtlou.
A FULL ATTENDANCE FROM ALL Sh1-
TIoNs OF THE ATE.-INTEREsTlNe
PROCEEDINGS.
The snectator who looked over the audi
ence assembled in the Baptist Church on
Thursday night last, must have been I'M.
pressed with the personal appearance oi
the gentlemen who composed it. 1t IS
rarely that SO intelligent body OF men IS
gathered together. All ages were repre-
scented. from the minister With MS ilrsI
charge, and scarcely beyond his maJori'y'
TO the l,oarv headed soldier OF the cross
whose faltering feet had tread the path LOT
,nany a weary year, hut whose step seemed
firmer and his eye brighter as he looked 10
the farther shore and To the rest that re-
manned for him there.
The Virginia Baptist Association IS
purely a missionary body. Before IL doc
trinal matters are not discussed, ana IL
exei cises no supervision or contfol oseA
tb. churches It's duties and functlohs
are limited to providing the ways anu
means for the extension of the cause OF
Christ into new fields, the strengthening
| a, d upbuilding of the church at nome anu
the advancing of christianity by every
possible avenue.
There were i'll connection with this gen.
| eral Association as reported last year, ac'
cordipg to the Dispatch, % district asso-
Citations, 627 churches, 1888 ministers. ana
| 76. 1888 members. There were also reported
for the year 4,456 baptisms and 5s6 Sunday
Schools. with 6l26 officers and teachers,
| Al .744 scholars. The Association does It's
/ work through a State Mission Board 10
Gated at Richmond, Of Which DR.. john
Pollard iitresident aud Hon. II. x. ELY
son corresponding secretary; an Educa
tion Board local ed in Richmond, with Dr.
". F.. Hatcher president and Hon.J. lay
| lor EIlyson corresponding secretary: a
Sunday School ausa1'ible Board located at
Petersburg. of which Colonel d. e. Potts
| is nresident AID Rev j. NJ. Pitcher gen
eraI superintendent : Foreign Mission
Board located at Nerfulk. With DIR. ). l..
! Burrows president aud Dr.. a.. r. owen
ccrrespont ing secr' tary Home MISSION
Board loeats ii l.ynchburg. with Or. w.
r.. L.. Smith Irs sdent and G. +. b. fieet,
ESQ. corresponding ST cfetary and a
| Board of Trustees Of Ministers fehei
Fund located i'll Richmond, with Thomas
II. Stake. Esq. president and J. F. Cot
trell. Esq. secretary.
These Boards all submit annual reports,
| which are subjects of such discussion and
the basis of such action as may be deemed
proper. aud other topics connected win
the general objects OF the Association are
introduced hy resolution aud discussion
on the floor.
The organization of the Association was
effected by the election of the follow
| ing officers
4 President. Capt. John Fl. Wright, OF
Suffolk Vice Presidents, DIR. George Is.
TIA, ior. of the University, DR.. c. +.
James. of Cnpeper. Judge 3. L. Gunter,
of Accoulac, ard Hon. A. Il. Evans. oi
Middlesex Secretaries. Rev. G. }. Hob
day. of Berkeley, and Fl Theo. Ell}son OF
/ Richmond Treasurer. Norvell Ryland, OF
Richmond Auditor, James b. Winston
of Richmond.
Visiting brethren" were invited te
seats, and the following reported: Rev
DR.. b. Griffith, of the American Baptist
Publication Society of Philadelphia Hon
A. N. Giapp of Washington; Rev.. NJ
Bib d. y. Johnson. Esq. (; Rev. W. E
Powell sec. etary State missions OF v es1
Virginia: aud i.ev. H. NJ. Wharton, Of
Baltimore.
The usual committees were appointed
by the chair:
SECOND DAY.
2 The Association convened at half-pas
8 o'clock.
Rev. Dir Tyree, of Salem, was mucf
! gratified at the increasing fraternity be
tween the evangelical denominations o
the State He moved that the greeting
of this body be sent to the Presbyterian
e Synod, now in session i'll Richmond. Th
e resolution was adopted with marked una
: nimify.
Tie subiect of changing the time o
meeting of the Association back to tn
! month of June was discussed. By al
overwhelming vote it was decided agains
the change.
J, Rev. J. NJ. Pitcher. superintendent 0
the Sunday school and. Bible Board, rea
the annual report upon that subject. l
gives a very satisfactory showing. On
> general superintendent had been employed
% cnlporters and 4 volunteer laborers
Their report of the work accomplished il
, their several districts showed great actly
lty, laudable zeal and gratifying results.
Il The children 's-day'' movement ha
u been great success Ill adding to the rev
Il enues OF the Board and stimulating Sur
day-school work. Fifty six Sunday school
+ have been organized and many need
schools aided. The work. receipts an
sales of the Board have been larger durin
d the past year than ever before.
!, The report elected considerable discus
At sion, which was participated in by Rev. ,
10 M. Pitcher, Rev J. w. Hundley, DR.. A
- E. Dickinson, DR.. c. Tyree. and others.
u Rev. DR.. Dickinson moved that we Ell
:. deavor to raise for this object during til
coming year the sum of 81 $780,
J. The resolution was the subject of COZ
ii siderable discussion, participated. in by d
k. Geo. B. Taylor, Prof. H. H. Harris, an
s. others.
,e The spirit of the discussion was as
10 whether the sum named was too large
~ justice to the other boards of the Associ
Of ton.
s. The resolution was withdrawn by tt
mover with the consent of the body, it beir
agreed that during the coming year effo
" shall be made to largely increase the CO
~ tribution for all of the boards.
~ Hon. J. Taylor Ellison, CORES pondii
: secretary, read the report of the educatit
= board. 1t gave gratifying exhibit of tt
q increase of young men entering the mi
80 istry Last year the Board had under
~ care forty one young men. Now it h
. fifty-four forty-two of whom are pursuil
Of their studies at the Richmond College al
| tunlvp at tho Sfuthprn RautiSt Thpo1ot