The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-07-14
THE BAPTISTS.
state Convention at Evergreen.
LADY DELEGATES PRESENT GRE
'f. DENTiALS AND ARE RE.
JECTED. Pc
The Foreig" Missionary service.
IN. o, PicaYuno.l

tion, who, after appointing II commit
tee on credentials, declared II recess
until evening. t'ft'a't h'.i
During the recess an eloquent ser.
mon was delivered by Rev. c. Il.
Fsuntain, president of the keachi
Male and Female College, on the text,
81 Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel. ;"
During the service there were fully 500
people present.
An elegan, dinner had been prepared
by the hOspi,able people of this conn
try aud spread in n beautiful magnolia
grove, near the Evergreen Baptist
church, where the large crowd were
boouutlfully supplied with everything
to tempt the appetite. r....,.. ..
When the convention rcconvened in
the evening session the committee on
credentials reported showing that 500
churches and IL associations We're re-
presented by about 125 delegates, in-
Guiding the names of 5 or 6 ladies who
had been sent AS delegates from their
churches.
This promptly brought an inquiry
from Prot. Thigsen of Keachi College
AS to whether ladies were entitled to
seats as delegates to this convention.
There were several responses that it
had been the custom for several years
to admit them, but when Il motion was
made to adopt the report Of the COM
mittee on credentials, Rev. w. S.
Penick of the Shreveport Baptist
church rose to interpose his protest AS
to lady delegates being recognized as
delegates, and said this was the oppor-
tunity to settle this point rs a trouble
some question. ..,
y reference was made to the consti-
tuition of the convention, which was in.
terpre.ed both for and against their
admission. ..'
Judge Rutland, as chairman of the
committee, explained that the COM
mittee held credentials OF these ladies
and deemed it beyond the province Of
the committee to exclude any who
held credentials. -... ..e..
Rev. Il. B. Harraii said that two
years since, as chairman of this COM
nittee, he filed report with one lady
as II delegate nothing was found to
prevent her aumiitance aud the report
was adopted, and he regarded the
question at settled by that precedent.
Rev. !. b. Gambrell Of Mississippi
said this question had been discussed
in the Southern Baptis. convention,
gusta, Ga, Mrs. Eagle of Arkansas, it
Was the custom OF the Mississippi, I,
Arkansas and Tennessee conv antions
to admit ladies as delegates. The Mrs.
Eagle who was excluded is the wife Of
the Democratic nominee for Governor
OF Arkansas. The general purport of
Mr.. Gambret1s remarks was that the
women were equal to men in churches
and should therefore be equal In this
convention as All advisory council of
all the churches. lie said the Southern
Baptist convention had not settled the
question properly, and IT was 4ucs-
ton of the future which would result
in the formation Of women's Baptist
conventions, as ut the north, and the
church would be confronted with the
statement that the women had no al
tentative course, as they were driven
out of the highest church deliberat ions.
Rev. Mr.. Solomon, Of Baton Rouge
church, discussed the subject and
claimed that this question would not
do III took tho position that as each
Baptist church was independent II
this convention should refuse admit
tance to any accredited delegate sent
by particular church it would be as
Stunning to direct who should be elected,
and thus the church would lose it.
Sovereignty. He said that since the
war hc was entirely reconstructed on
this subject.
Rev. }. w. lSuSsey OF New Orleans
took the opposite side of the question
a
tion Of the committees report that the
part pertaining to the male delegates
he adopted, and the names of the la
dies be recorded as present. D.. .....
! \ motion to limit subsequent speech.
eS on this question, which at this stage
! was growing interesting, to ; minutes
/ was overwhelmingly lost.
| Nv. Mr.. Penick in opposition tt
! the admiltance Of women as delegates
cited as a fact that both the Northern
and Southern Baptist conventions were
/ pronounced against it. He gave many
reasons against their ndmiitance in tht
active participation Of the busines
work on the floor of the convention. Ii
response To the position that chuich in
Herrndence would be moi4ted ne sait
this convention decided the right @
membership 10 its organization with
out interfering with the rights OF an
independent body, as ali central bodie
decide upon rights Of membership {
its own body.
: This was discussed by Rev. Mr.. r.
y aus and Andrew Walker.
; Ga "A vote to adopt the committee
report admitting The women, the ii,
I ia. fnr A Ia