Evening star., 1897-03-08
Annual Meeting to Be Held in VIII
mington Next May.
TEE MATTER OF FOREIGN MISSIONS
Three Problems Confront the
Association.
A CHI NGE OF POLICY

The annaul meeting of the Southern Bap-
tist convention, with which the churches
of that denomination in the District OF
Columbia are connected. will begin at Will
mington, N. c., May and continue for
week.
The itinerary for the trip far as the
delegates from the District and Baltimore
are concerned was arranged Saturday.
All those who may wish to attend the con-
vention from this section will be provided
with special train of Pullman cars, which
will convey the passengers from Ports
mouth, Va. to Wilmington. From Wash
ington and Baltimore to Portsmouth the
journey will be made by steamer. those
going from Washington using the Norfolk
and Washington line, and those from Bal
timore the Old Bay line.
1t is expected that the sessions of the
convention will be of more than usual in
terest. There will be at least loo dele
gates. who will represent the Baptist de-
nomination in the states of Maryland, Vir-
ginia, West Virginia. Alabama, Arkansas.
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana.
Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas. the District
of Columbia and the Indian Territory. and
in addition, it is estimated there will be
not less than l 300 visitors. Wilmington
was selected as the place of meeting for
1897 at the meeting held last year in Chat
tanOOSa, because IL was IlOt uHIS tHe Ue-
sire of the Baptists of Wilmington, but
because their invitation was indorsed by
the most prominent residents of the city.
Foreign Missions.
The most important matter to come be-
fore the convention will be the considera-
ton of the report Of the committee on
.tcurtailment of the work of the foreign
mission board
This committee is headed by Rev. DR.. F.
H. Kerfoot, professor in the Theological
Seminary at Louisville. KY, and the report
will. it is understood, be follows:
Three grave problems confront the for
eign mission board and the convention in
reference to finance, viz, the problems as
to curtailment of expenses change of poll
cy on the part of the churches and provi-
sion for our debt.
rs it wise in view of the experience cf
the last three years for the board to
tinue its present list of expenses? Unless
the times change very decidedly for the
better. there is little reason to hope that
very much more money can be raised dur
ing the coming year than was raised dur
ing the year just closed
"A burdensome debt now rests upon us.
which is very depressing, both to the board
and the denomination. We are informed
that it will not be practicable to borrow
much more money. What shall we do?
The board comes to us for instruction. 1t
asks whether the missionaries who now
at home shall be retained, and still others
| recalled. Your committee Is OF the OPINION
that no missionaries who are now on the
field and able to do really efficient work
ought to be recalled, except as a very last
and inevitable resort. The recall of good
missionary from a foreign field is too ex-
pensiNe to be even thought of, unless abso
lutely necessary.
"If, however, there are any missionaries
in the field for whose usefulness there is
no good outlook or any who can be spared
from the field, your committee is of the
opinion that the recall of all such is de-
manded.
1--WE think also that the missionaries
now at nome might be detained for
while, if this can be done without very
serious detriment to their fields. IT, how
ever, they are greatly needed on their
fields and are able to do good work there
without delay. we think that the strin-
gency of the times is not a sufficient rea-
son for keeping them at home.
We venture to suggest that it might be
possible for the board to use some Of the
missionaries at home to induce the
churches which they can reach to come
to the help of the board in pledging en-
larged contributions for the support of
these particular missionaries until the
pressure upon the board shall be some
what relieved. If Carey said. Brethren
we will go down into the well if you will
hold the rope it should not be very try
ing to a missionary now to say this to
some of the churches where they are best
known, and the singleness of their pur-
pose is best understood.
mere seeIHS now 10 De urgent need for
our missionaries to render what help they
can in this way. In some or all of these
ways we hope that the board may be able
to pass through this crisis in our mission
work without being driven to any serious
curtailment.
A Change of Policy.
TT is very evident from the report of the
board that there is absolute need for a
change of policy on the part of many of
churches tn he iroa of tol tb.;,
collections. That is a startling statement
in the report of our board that our
churo hes have allowed the board to strug-
gle through eleven months of the year for
only about one-half of the sum needed, and
compelled them to wait until the very last
month of the year for more than one third
of the whole amount contributed for for
eign missions.
This policy on the part of the churches
has not only sadly hampered the board in
its work, but it has compelled the board to
pay out the very large amount of over
$1,000 for interest, which amount ought to
have gone directly to missions.
Our brethren are very sensitive as to the
slightest approach to waste or excessive
waste of so much money for interest for
which they themselves are alone respon-
sible. 1t is useless, however, to complain
about this unfortunate state of affairs.
THE problem that confronts US is, how
can we effect change of policy on the
part of our churches in this regard? Your
change carEot be brought about either by
fault-finding or by strong resolutions on the
part of this committee. Some direct and
positive steps must be taken to elicit, COM
bine and direct the energies of a definite
| number of our most liberal churches and
largest individual contributors. We recon-
mend as to this:
Il. That the board take all necessary
steps for al, immediate enrolment of every
church within our bounds which contrib
| utes as much 500 year to foreign mis-
sions, and that as far as possible similar
enrolment be made of every individual
who contributes as much as $50 a year to
foreign missions.
'2. That the board enter into special
negotiations with these churches and these
individuals and persistently endeavor to
induce as many as possible of them to
make these contributions in the first quar-
| ter of the year, and If possible Immediate
! ly after the session of the convention.
In making these recommendations we
are not unmindful of the fact that the in
terests of our home board and of our state
boards are also involved, and that in press
| Ing for these early contributions special
care will have to be taken by the foreign
mission board to avoid unfortunate col
| lisions with these other interests The
board will also be confronted with the fact