The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-18
SURPRISE FOR BAPTISTS,
National Anniversaries Will Not
Be Celebrated on the
Coast.
Official Information of the Change
Made Known to the Various
Pastors.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL

LE,f
sos Broadway, Feb. IL.
Rev. w. H. Latourette. corresponding
secretary for the General Baptist Conven-
ton of California, received news to-day
from Philadelphia which will be heard by
the Baptsts of the entire coast, from Brit
lsh Columbia to Mexico and from the Pa
cific TO the Rocky Mountains, with great
surprise and regret. For years the work
in this Western territory has struggled
along as best it could under the burden of
much that has occurred to retard and him
der it, Now it is beginning to look up.
1t was this condition of affairs strongly
presented at the anniversaries held last
May in Denver by the ablest men of the
coast that led the great missionary socie-
ties, which direct all of the benevolences Of
the Baptist church, to decide to hold the
forthcoming anniversaries OF 1896 in the
city of Portland, Or. The great passen-
ger associations had fixed a rate of one
fare for the round trip from all points from
the Atlantic seaboard, the mem bers of the
denomination III Portland had raised $10,-
0O0 to be used in defraying the expenses
and many throughout the East had
planned Tor visit to the coast, when the
news is sent broadcast that it has been
decided to rescind the action and hold the
anniversaries elsewhere.
To-day the folio wing letter was received
from 1. J. Morgan, corresponding secre-
tary of the American Baptist Home Mis-
sion Society OF Philadelphia:
Reu ". H. Latourette-DEAR BROTHER: In in
close for your information the action of the
board OF managers OF the American Baptist
Home Mission Society, taken unanimously
yesterday. Fraternally yours.
The inclosed referred to are the follow
ing official proceedings:
WuEpFAs IRE W nrooor oo5 III r,
Mabie, the corresponding secretaries of the
American Baptist Missionary Union have rep
resented that the strineency of the times, the
burdensome and increasing debt Of the mis-
sionary union and the extreme difficulty of
securing quorum OF their board for the trans
acting OF the very urgent business of consid-
cradle portion of their work render it, in
their Judgment, unwise to hold the
WbePSa series Rs9 in Portland kou GF and
can Baptist duplication Society, says
that the - recent burning of their build
impracticable for him TO be away from Phila-
delphla long enough to attend the meetings in
Portland, therefore 1t is hereby voted that the
action of this board fixing Portland as the
place of holding the anniversaries in 1896 is
hereby rescinded, and the selection of a suit
able place is LETT TO the corresponding secre-
tary. after consultation with the secretaries
OF the other societies.
Said Mr.. Latourette:
This means a great local disappointment,
not only here in California but all over the
coast. We have looked forward to these ami
versaries to give the work west OF the Rocky
Mountains great impetus, and thus help US
to make a great advance this year We will
make an advance, but nothing like what we
had anticipated. We will not give up our
attempt 10 secure the anniversaries, but will
only renew our efforts.
There would have been an attendance from
ZOOO TO 5000 representative Eastern people.
Many of these would have visited Alaska
Yellowstone Park, California, and some even
n n1tl1t1 Thai- a
have resulted in much free advertising for
California. We hope now to secure it for this
State at later date.
1t is queer that such q change on behalf of
the managers should not have been noted by
the news associations, as the Baptist denomi-
nation is one OF the largest in this country and
their anniversaries attract attention the world
over. not only in our own church but that of
other Protest ant bodies.