Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-13

and one in three is of either foreign birth
or parentage. He gave other Interesting
statistics about the foreign population of
the United States. and called the cities,
which are rapidly absorbing the people, the
storm centers Of the country. The city
population has increased in a few years
from to "a per cent of the total number,
and the need of harder work in those fields
grows each year. The report urged that
more missionary work be done by the
church among these people, in order to
counteract their natural tendencies toward
unWholeSome conditions.
DR.. Christian, speaking on the report,
called attention to the distressing condi-
lions prevailing abroad, which drive the
poor people to this country as a natural
refuge. A great majority of them, he said
are opposed to the institutions of this
country, and are imbued with anarchisuic
tendencies. He believed that the best way
and morality is to give money 70 the home
mission board. He knew of no problem in
all the field of civics or morals that can
not be solved by the doctrines of the
church
Rev. VIM. Richmond, in charge of the
Baptist work among the Germans in Bal
timcre, was called to the platform, and
said that great deal of good missionary
work may be done among those people. He
is a native German. and speaks with
slight accent Bismarck, he remarked once
said that the German people were afraid
of nothing but God. He feared that this is
rot wholly true, and that there are many
Germans in their native land who do not
fear God, and are afraid of great deal
going people. and if they can be interested
in anything go to the end with it. He
spoke with enthusiasm of the conversion of
beer brewer of Cincinnati, who was
recently converted into Baptist, and i'm
mediately sold his brewery. He wished the
brewers of Baltimore would do as much
The Germans are liberal people, he said,
and give well to their church work when
they become interested. The averages show
that the German Baptists give an average
of sixty-eight cents each per year for home
mission work and more than ten dollars
for general expenses.
Mr.. Richmond spoke of the work in Bal
timore. and produced a list he has had
printed there for the instruction and aid
of German immigrants. Each incoming
steamer is boarded and the head of each
German family is furnished with copy Of
this document. 1t contains on one side
railroad map of the country, and the
other a list of all the German Baptist
churches in the United States. When the
family moves along the father is told to
look up the nearest of these churches when
he locates and make himself known. Some
times note Is sent on to the pastor. There
is also an immigration fund, mainly sup
piled by contributions from the pastors
income as agent Of steamship line. This
fund goes to give to each family little
stock of supplies and some money. Many
of them said Mr. Richmond, come to this
country with nothing in their pockets but
lHelT Clothes on tnelT DdChS III
he besousht the Southern Baptisss to give
encouragement to the work Of getting the
Germans into the church.
Work I'm Cuba.
Rev. Mr.. Diaz, who is in charge of The
Baptist work in Cuba, made an interesting
informal report of the progress that is be-
ing made down there, where there are now
five Baptist churches established. Last
year 119 people were baptized, and now the
total membership is 2,69S There are seven
Sunday schools, with LOCO children in a.
tendance. There is also daily school in
connection with the Sunday school There
has been some persecution of the other
Protestant churches said Mr.. piaz, but
the Baptist churches have not been
the Baptists, and it has been the means of
getting number of women into the church.
Mr. DiaZ said that the women have so lit
tie spare time that they cannot easily be
reached, and SO while they are at the
hospital as patients they are approached
by the missionaries, and numbers of them
have been converted.
The speaker brought tears to the eyes of
his hearers by his description of how he
and his sisters converted their father. a
physician, by inveigling him on one pre-
tense or another to read the Bible, until
he became interested and was baptized.
Mr.. Diaz told of the organization of a
Red Cross Society in Cuba during the rev.
olution that is in progress there, and ex-
pressed his fear that the ten men whom he
put into the field would not be enough to
cope with the emergency presented by the
latest battle that ne has noted from the
newspapers
Shortly after o'clock the convention adj
journed until this evening