Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-04-19

slye committse 81 The international or
- nlxs Son Ara have 8 voice IN sucn mat
Sers - relate "a the general organise
sion. The department, like the btate
convpn.ions. can institute and support
arch arencies e Il may zee NJ Witnout
interference with the larger organisa-
sson ii which IT. churches are Also mem
bere. II win therefore b seen snat py
: sen.rats southern union nothing WIN
:. resrs,s IN the way OF autonomy; but.
~ sna other hand. the only result VIII
10 that we lose our voice In matters
that pertain to the international orsan'-
cation"
.Tt has been stated In the press. mo-
fabIy IN letter from Rev. T. H. Pntcn-
ard. ID. D.. published In the Bipiicas
Recorder. OF March Is 1896" the COM
uittee continues, that we refused to
confer with DR.. r. d. Gray. chairman OF
the Committee Of Ten Of the Atlanta
convention. and treated their commit
tee dIscourteousiy. Our brother Is mis-
informed. and his statement is mislead-
ing In the extreme. The truth - mat
such was our anxiety TO confer with Dr.
Gray, that we paid his expenses from
baltimore (where he was at the ume'
TO Richmond. received him cour,eousiy'
and after asking God to bless our meet
,nr together. we conferred with him
foe about Eve hours. The Interview was
pleasant throughout, and our frienoiy
feeljng FOR the COMMITTEE or Ten was
shown by the offer. then and there maoe'
40 resign our position as Executive Son-
,nittee OF thes department, and recon-
,,,srd n, sts next meeting that the Com
,,ittea Of Ten be substituted IN our
49, rrbis offer we made In all sim
certify. and 1t Is now renewed.
1--WE have heard 1t argued that the
ami,ation OF the Baptist Young People
~ the south with those OF the Nortn'
and OF Canada will endanger inc per
petuity OF the Southern Baptlst Con-
vention. We do not believe tnat 'n,S
il true. because they are pledged 10 ,.s
work by their constitution. as aiso W
their membership in the local cnurSn'
and In some States by strong lesv.s
lions nassed In convention assempieu
Nv This threefold pledge are tney
ho,rd "a the denomina tional enterprises
of the Southern Baptists.
THE NEGRO QUESTION.
Discussing this question. the committee
says: 49,, a.
NEGRO Baptists have always oeen ac-
corded religious equality In the South.
paissioua equality never implies social
equality. During. the days OF slavery
negroes attended the same worship
with their masters. Though they sat
anart. they sang the same hymns.
heard the same sermons. were baptized
by the same pastor In the same bap-
tistry. and partook Of the same ceie-
bratjon of the Lords Supper. Many
~ her foremost ministers. like the
venerable Robert Ryland. served as
nastors negro churches. Really, the
most successful missionary work ever
done since the days OF the apostles
was accomplished among the colored
pecpls OF the South before the civil
war. Thousands upon thousands Of
negroes were converted. and associated
with the whites In the New Testament
churches. Separation Of the races after
the war was due in most cases to
the voluntarily withdrawal of our negro
brethren to form churches Of their own.
Since the war negroes have over and
over again been received as fraternal
delegates on the floor of the Southern
Baptist Convention, and allowed to speak
from its platform. This did not mean
social equality. Fraternal delegates from
the South TO the northern anniversaries
have often spoken on the same platform
with negro brethren. No one at the
North supposed such action to involve
social equality. On all our missionary
fields where negroes live, they are well
coined to church fellowship on terms OF
equality with their Caucasian brethren
Diaz has many negroes In his church
In Habana; Powell baptizes them In
Mexico; Taylor does the same In Brazil.
a.. hn
contain negroes; our missionaries in
Africa serve churches composed almost
exclusively of negroes. II the negroes
should appear at the Milwaukee conven-
ton they will excite no surprise
Negroes. as a matter OF fact. show little
disposition to attend our meetings. There
were fewer in Baltimore than the negroes
who regularly attend worship In
the First Baptist church (white)
of Richmond, Va. The question, then. IL
not a practical one Since the war the
negro has shown a disposition to have
his own separate religious organizations
and we believe that they will never at
tend our conventions In appreciable mum
bers. Religious equality-we beg to re
peat and erhphasize-like political equal
| ity, is never COMPOUNDED In the minds Of
the Southern Baptists with social equal.
| ity. Social equality always regulate:
itself"
THE WOMAN QUESTION.
1.-THE woman question should not Gauss
southern Baptists to withdraw from TIT
| Baptist Young Peoples Union Associa
| ton. Southern churches, almost withou
| exception, are opposed on Scripture
grounds to speaking by women In mixet
assemblies. This position Is known ant
read of all men, Some northern churches
| however. agree with US on the subject
| We and those at the North agreeing witt
US can meet in convention those brethren
not OF the same mind. and yet make NJ
compromise OF principle"
The question Of heresy Ia next gone into
The statement says:
"Some fear has been expressed that I
our young people affiliate with the Bap
| list Young Peoples Union Association
and attend its conventions their ortbo
doxy will be corrupted. We believe thi
fear to be unfounded. Under the in
fiuence Of the Christian culture courses
prepared by some OF our most conser
vative writers, and embracing studies q
the Bible and In Baptist doctrines an
history, there Is rising up at the Mort
a new generation OF Baptists. who rlva
us OF the South IN loyalty to the Script
ures and answering adherence to dc
nominational tenets. Our southern youn
people VIII never suffer by occasions
contact with the other Baptist youn
people OF the Continent On the othe
hand. our young men and women wi
dispense blessings where they go. 1t
error and ignorance that need to sta
at home"
AS TO SECTIONAL FEELING.
! After discussing the contention that m
l L. ft.. await 10 "a Al