The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-12-05
NEXT CONFERENCE,
ELIZABETH CITY
(continued from second page.)
THE EVENING SESSION.


night i'm spite of the misty rain.
The services were conducted by Rev.
T. e. Underwood of Washington, Kew.
r. A. Willis, of Wilmington, being
president of the Board of Missions, the
consideration of whose work was to
constitute the programme of the even
ing.
DIR. Underwood read the 10th chapter
Of Romans, bearing upon the subject
of missionary work.
Hymn No. go was sung:
1.-The nations call,
From sea to sea, extend the thrilling
cry"
Among the visiting clergymen were
noticed Rev. DR.. Eugene Daniel, pastor
of the Presbyterian church, and kew.
DIR, J. w. Garter, of the First Baptist
church.
Prayer was offered by Rev. DIR. I'm
derwood.
The report of the board was read by
the secretary, Rev. n. ii. ID. Wilson,
Of Chapel Hill.
The treasurers report, though suf-
ficiently full, was not complete, ON ac
count of absence enforced by the seri-
Gus illness of his father.
DIR. Swindell read the report of the
Womns Foreign Missionary Society.
Rev. DR.. w. l.. Cunninggim read the
report of the Woman's Parsonage and
Home Mission Society.
All these reports were very gratifying.
DR.. Willis gracefully introduced Rev.
Dr.. Atkins, Of Nashville, secretary of
the Sunday School Board OF the N. +.
Church, South.
Address OF DR. ATKINS.
With due apology for his i1dispositfon,
Dr.. Atkins feared that the great work
# missions might be underestimate
The work could not be effectively for
warded until it's magnitude was pro
3erly appreciated Yet he feared the sub
iect was sometimes fiippantly treated,
even by the preachers. II this is gone
INTO as a dress-parade movement against
the powers of darkners-=those so going
will be hurled back. But il the magni-
tude of the work were Justly ESTIMATED,
there would be no ground for dlscouI
agement The N Ssionary has been the
nan whose mind could not be ehange
the face Of whatever disconragementg
r we have not in our church the spirit
\ # such men as Gary and, Morrison and
hudson we have not the missionary
.pirit. He was glad that the report of
the secretary showed that the need was
not altogether money but the lntelll-
gence with which that money was used.
He would rather have a dollar In the
hands of a man who felt the magnitude
If the work, than any amount IN the
hands of a man of another heart. tie
believed that infidelity was at the bot
tom of much of our lndatfer-
ence. Because of the very super
fetal work in many fields, men
have felt Encouragement, and the
church has been depressed by it. VIVA
was the measure of our confidence? God
has planted in every man the measure
of his power to save the heathen-he
wished that point emphasized.
We are scarcely able to conceive how
low a man can fall through transgres-
sion Darwin went to the island OF
Formosa and found men naked, sitting
in the forks of the trees, making noise
by the side of. which the noise of our
animals was Ineligible. The mission
aries went there. and 25 years afterward.
on second visit, Darwin exclaimed AT
the change and improvement of the peo-
pie. Darwin, thereupon, sent check to
the London Missionary Society to be-
come a member, in recognition of this
experience which SO startled him. As
it has been with the island of Formosa,
so it has been with other islands, also,as
for example, the island of Samoa. These
islands are as yard-stfrks by which may
be measured the work that may be done
in larger countries.
DIR. Atkins looked upon such transfer
nations as in the nature Of miracles. lie
believed in the supernatural: if he did
ha wit Jrax 10 mi
work. The miracles were reviewed from
the red sea to the river Jordan, and
the falling of the walls of Jericho. That
is the view we should take of missions,
and the man who took that view would
always have courage.
He would say a word to the preachers.
A great trouble was that in many in
stances the preachers did not preach the
gospel of missions, they preached the
gospel of collections; not the gospel OF
missions.
Rev. NJ. G. Thomas, of Leasburg, in
terrupted: "How do they do in Nash
ville?" Uaughter.)
DR.. Atkins said he didn't know, as
they kept him so busy elsewhere that he
didn't have time to keep up perfectly
with the methods. Uaughter) They
were spiritual company Of men there,
but he had been asked so often to come
to preach for collection. He didu't
like that, let us preach the gospel OF
missions as contradistinguished from
the gospel of collections.
Now, even when the church
was seeing the hardest times
it had ever seen, two men
give more than could be raised years
ago even by the genius of VIM. e. Mum
sey. It showed the difference of spirit
towards the missionary work. He asked
the prayers of the brethren for missions,
prayer every day. Preach the gospel Of
missions, and let collections follow. We
should begin early in the year and keep