The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-05-12
BAPTISTS IN SESSION.
the SOUTHERN CONTENTION OPEN
Ed ~ DALLAS.
Unique Address OF weicoms by Rev. q. l..
seachsis-Keports of Standing Com
mittees Recorded.

DALLAS. TEXAS, May 1.-THE forty
ninth session OF the Southern Baptist
Convention was called 20 order in the
Sam Jones tabernacle at 10 A. NJ. to-day
by President jonathan Harolson. There
were present. according TO conservative
estimates, between GOO and 1000 people.
The meeting was opened by devotional ex-
ercisos by Rev. +. II. Pritchard. OF North
Carolina, who read the lO3d Psalm and
followed It with an invocation OF divine
blessing on the convention This was
followed by the ron-cal by States by
the secretary. Rev. II. NJ. Burrows.
The following Is a synopsis of Rev. c.
l.. Seachels address OF welcome:
TEE ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
"When | say you are welcome. I ex-
press the sentiments OF the people OF
the largest State IN the Union and tho
largest city In the State Texas IL noted
for three things-cotton. cattle, and Bap-
lists. It is said that Louisiana raises
considerable cane, but allow me to say
that Cain IS sometimes raised In Texas,
and especially among the Baptists.
There were three times In my life
when Il seemed to me that / was lost;
first. in st. Pauls Cathedral in London;
second. on the Atlantic ocean. and third,
the first time l came to Texas.
I'VE welcome you as Baptists. When
that great southern orator. standing on
the brow Of hill and listening with
prophetic ear. called out: hear tho
tramp of millions he must have heard
the tramp OF the Baptist hosts. Yes. near
~ 400 COO Christians are marching un-
der the Baptist standard
"While nearly every old denomination
has been guilty OF prosecuting fellow
Christians in all the history OF the Bap-
lists, from the time that John led the
Saviour into the baptismal waters unul
now. the Baptist denomination has never
shed blood.
Il challenge any student Of history TO
dispute this statement II is said, now
ever that the Baptlsts OF to-day are be-
hind the times. Yes, we are; we are
over 1850 years behind the times We
are back In the New Tes lament, and, God
helping va. we shall remain there.
I'VE welcome you 20 our homes. Some
of you may not be satisfied with your
assignments. We cannot help It, We
have done what we could; but. brother
and sister, some OF you have never been
satisfied In ali your lives. and, OF course,
Won will not be satisfied az this conven-
ton. There Is an animal called the Eng
lish mastiff He IS a nOble-looking AMI
mal-large in body and large in feeling.
/ do not recall at this moment or ever
hearing one of these noble animals bark.
| There IL another insignificant quadruped
called a flee. He is a peevish little thing.
always growing and barking. lie Is a
| universal complainer There are some
| large noble-hearted Christian men and
women here who would not complain IL
! they had been assigned TO the humblest
home. There are others. like the flee.
who would growl II you put them In D
| palace There ~ not a nobler SET OF peo-
| pie on the earth than the citizens or
| Dallas. and whatever can be done VIII
| be done for your accommodation ana
| comfort.
"My brothers and sisters. welcoma
YOU I'm the name Of an unseen host, that
| great cloud Of witnesses / do not believs
| i'm modern spiritualism, but there IS q
| splrltualsm in which we all behave. We
I believe I'm that host which the young man
saw at Dothan. that company which ths
disciples saw on the TRANSPORTATION; that
living being whom Stephen beheld; that
host that the prisoner OF Palmers saw,
What are these, these which are aFrayet
in white robes. and whence came they.
"'They are those which came out or
great tribulatlon and have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood
Of the Lord
Seeing we are compassed about by so
great a cloud OF witnesses, whatever We
] 10 let us do Il I'm the name Of the Lord.
Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome
| you"
MISSIONARIES And VISITORS.
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