Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-10-21

Some seven or eight hundred dele
gates are in attendance and the pro-
ceedings of the sessions have been
interesting throughout.
Mr.. E. W. Stephens, editor OF the
Columbia Herald, was elected modera-
tor, Rev. W. Pope Yeaman retiring
after holding the position for twenty
years.
Those desiring a full and authentic
account of the proceedings a find
them in the Daily LEDGER each day
during the Association meeting.
Prior to the year 1884 the Baptists
of Missouri had no general organiza-
ton for the purpose Of general Chris
tan enterprise for the whole state. Up
to that time, however, there were
Baptist churches and local associations
in the central and southeastern sec
lions of the state. The religious his
tory of the state indicates pretty
clearly that Baptists were the pioneer
non Roman Catholics west Of the
Mississippi river, and that they were
the organizers of the first church and
builders of the first house of worship,
not Catholic, in this state.
In 1888 a number of Baptist minis.
tiers were impressed with the necessi-
ty for more vigorous and general ef-
forts for the organization Of the rap
idly-increasing population. Promi-
nent among those were Anderson
Woods, W. H. Mansfield, Fielding
White, Ebenezer Rogers and Thomas
Fristoe. The three last named met at
the house of John jackson, in How
ard county, in 1888 to deliberate meas
ures for preaching the gospel in re-
gions destitute of holy ministrations.
All of these were unpretentious and
earnest preachers, whose names are
greatly honored by Baptists In Mis-
souri,.
They did much voluntary missionary
work at their W charges. They
traversed the country on horseback
to great distances from their respect
i've homes, preached in private resi-
dences, barns and in the shades Of
the forest.
The present generation of Baptist
preachers modestly acknowledge
themselves reapers where these pion-
eeps have sown and that the Christian
zeal and wise counsel of these fathers
laid the foundation tor the present
great General Association.
In August, 1884, at the call of the
Howard county conference, a meeting
was held at Providence (now called
Brick P~rovidence) church in Galloway
county for the purpose of further and
more general consultation. At this
meeting there were such distinguished
ministers as jeremiah Vardeman.
James Suggett, Robert 8. Thomas
Noah Flood, Thomas Fristoe, Ebe-
nezer Rogers, Fielding White, An
derson Woods and others. These
effected a provisional organization
with jeremiah Vardeman as modera'
tor and Robert 8. Thomas as clerk.
This primary meeting devoutly ano
diligently considered the religious
restitution of the state and concluded
that the interests of Christianity de-
manded a permanent organization
But for prudential reasons, perma'
nent organization was postponed
to a later day that more general pub
lication might be made.
In June, 1885, another meeting wa
held at Little Bonnie. Femme church
in Boone county. This meeting wa
largely attended and permanent or
~ganization was effected and callet
the "Baptist Central Convention o
Missouri" The movement from tn
start met with opposition somewha
fierce and ugly from those Baptist
known as anti Missionary or "Hard
Shells" This opposition was led b!
men whose names are familiar t.
many readers of the LEDGER, Elder
Boulware and T. Peyton Stephens
Boulware issued an open letter II
Baptists warning them against tn
movement and denouncing the con
vention as a "~serpentine brood mar
ring The peace of Gods children, ant
bringing scandal on the cause O
Christ" Notwithstanding the in
fluence of this prominent opposition
the Convention" prospered and wa
the instrument of much good from th'
start. 3D.. - .ss.
In 1889, when the convention me
with the Big Lick church in Coopel
county, the name was changed t.
'The General Association Of Unitet
Baptists in Missouri" The tern
"General Association" obtains to thi
day, but the term "United" has beef
dropped, as it was purely technical.
The Missouri Baptist General Asso
citation is not an ecclesiastical organi
cation in the sense Of having juris
diction over or supervision of tn
churches and the ministry; nor is an!
church, association or minister neces
sarily a member of Ii. Its offices ar
not invested with any function
other than such as relate to tn
conduct of the business o
the body while In session. The asso'
citation is purely @ voluntary mission
airy organization and takes cognizanc'
only Of its own work, and its statistic
Of money collections and disburse
ments do not include the work of tn
churches.
The association has grown to be
large and influential body, having II
its annual membership In u~nusuall,
fine personnel and talent of high order
It ranks with the foremost bodies o
its kind in the United States, 1t haI
failed but once in sixty-three years h
hold q regular annual meeting, ant
that was during and because Of thu
war of the states. In these man,
years it has promoted the preaching
of the gospel In all parts of the stat
and about Ioo, 1000 persons have been
added to the church through the Ia
bors Of its missionaries and missionar.
pastors. For the last dfteen or twent,
years it has expended for missionar.
work in the state an average Of some
thing over $4,000 . year. Many o