New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-25
THE BAPTIST ANNIVERSARIES
A LIVELY DISCUSSION ON INFRINGEMENT
IN MISSIONARY EXPENDITURES.

Pittsburg May A-After devotional exercises,
conducted by the Rev. Emory W. Hunt. OF Ohio
the eighty-third anniversary Of the American Bap-
tist Missionary Union began in the Fourth
Avenue Baptist Church at 10 o'clock this morning
The Union organized May IS. 1914. has charge Of all
the foreign mission work, and also has number OF
institutions for higher education established under
its control in foreign lands as follows: The Bap-
list Theological Seminary, lnsein, near Rangoon.
Burmah; Rangoon Baptist College, Burmah; the
Brownson Telugu Theological Seminary, Ramapa-
tam, india: the American Baptist Mission College
Ongole India: the Biblical School, Shaching.
China; the Baptist Theological Seminary, Yoko-
hama, Japan; Bethel Theological Seminary, Stock
holm Sweden, and the Baptist Theological School
Hamburg. Germany.
The convention called to order by the Rev.
Henry +. Colby. of Ohio, the president. after which
the report Of the Executive Committee pre-
sented The report gave an interesting account OF
the work done during the last The treasurers
report showed that he received s467lOl &c. The ex-
pendtures $59.S23, leaving the debt April J.
1897, 1922 721.
The foreign work" the report says "has been
faithfully prosecuted. though at a great disadvan-
tage resulting from reduced appropriations and the
failure 10 provide reinforcements at points where
additions to the staff of workers were sorey need
cd. The most prominent feature in the years work
is the awakening in China, where a marvellous
change has occurred in the disposition and attitude
OF the stolid and conservative Chinese The most
important question has been the financial problem
La
was increased during the year, there would be no
alternative but to close some OF our missions Now
should every dollar of the present debt be raised
to attempt to continue work on the present scale
would simply result in mourning another unless
the offerings greatly increased. 1t is the con-
viction of the Executive Committee that the APP
propriatiorS for the coming year be made on a
scale 10000 below the present year, and in the
years the average receipts from all sources
from the five preceding years should be adopted as
the basis OF missionary appropriations lor any
single year To effect this will, in heather lands
compel the actual abandonment of stations upon
some of the mission fields, with the recall or mis-
sionary families and serious reduction in the
force of native workers upon others, besides such
curtament in the furnishing of missionary equip
ment cannot fail TO prove a serious embarrass-
ment 10 workers in the field, and, for a time at
least, restrict progress From several or our Euro
pean missions II will involve the withholding or
nearly one-half the present appropriation, ana a
the possible withdrawal altogether from Spain
Any line of action less drastic Will fail TO secure
the relief demanded"
After the reading of the report the Rev. w. H.
Cossum, a missionary from China, arose and SAID
he opposed to retrenchment. you sent me to
China to work." said he "and you can't retrench
You cant retard the work by retrenchment
/ say to John ID. Rockefeller or to any man who
offers money: First consecrate yourself TO God;
make your gift clean and Will accept II. Other-
wise should not touch it. don't say this about
John D. Rockefeller particularly or alone, but 10 all
who make such offers" trhs statement caused a
sensation. and for moment there was a painful
silence, followed by scattering applause.
A number OF delegates followed Mr. CosSum IN
opposition TO his remarks. but the chairman finally
has been longer in this country and becomes better
ACQUAINTED he will modify his views"
The meeting tier adjourned without taking ac-
tion on the report under consideration.