The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-30

- ~ AgAAE eNAAN ~
so addresses, attended so prayer meet
ings, made AS religious visits, collect
e ed for the Home Mission society s3O3.7 Il.
] assisted in defeating five houses OF
worship. written $50 letters and postal
cards. and have travelled 1858 miles q"
Rev. J. +. Noftsinger made a verbal
repor for the on state mis-
sions. He said hat the board had held
meeting during the year and that
! most of the business Of the board had
been ~duc through correspondence,
although there had been two special
meetings of minor Importance. He took
occasion TO thank the churches of the
state for their contributions to a fund
raised for the purpose OF sending State
MISSIONARY l.. G.. Clark TO the East. In
this connection Mr.. Noftsinger referred
TO the general idea the average far east
erner entertains of the Montana peo-
pie. Some OF them nourish the belief
that men don't grow i'm Montana, that
citizens of this state are not much at
the best. But this idea is being dis
PEELED as the age advances, and now
some of the down-east folks are Begin
ming TO understand that in comparison.
Montana stands in about a ratio of is
to ! for an average down east state.
Mr. Noftsinger highly commended the
excellent work of Mr.. Clark as mis-
sionary and sprang a little surprise
when he stated hat the plan OF the
general assembly was to call Mr.. Clark
to another field ard supplant him here
by a missionary whose field would be
the entire Northwest. He hoped that
the plans would not prevail. The Bap-
lists OF Montana love Mr.. Clark and
value his services. He moved to sus-
pend the rules for the purpose of adopt
ing a resolution providing for the es-
Enlistment of a fund to be used in
sending the state missionary to the MAY
meeting of the assembly to express the
views of the state church on the sub
ject as well as other matters pertain
ing directly to the church in Montana.
The resolution was referred 10 q COM
mittee, who will report to-day or to-
morrow.
The report OF the committee on state
OF religion and churches in Montana
was read by Rev. F. J. Salsman of
Missoula in the absence of Rev. T. G.
Attebury, who had been assigned TO
follows:
Hamilton-small increase; outlook
hopeful.
Butte-Very prosperous: 40 new MEM
bers added; financial condition good.
kalispell-Small increase; hopeful flu
ture.
MISUNDERSTANDING toward pro-
gress.
Observation-Disclosures and hope
full future.
Pageville-Lost 10 members; better
spiritual condition than one year ago.
Bozeman-Better spiritual condition
than last year.
Boulder-Woe and disbursement
The report concludes: 'Th Boulder
church seems to be a thing of the
past. No services here for a month.
Members are scattered and there is no
sunday school. We worship with the
Methodists."
A ringing answer was made by Mr..
SALESMAN to the remarks of the writer
OF the Boulder letter, whose name was
not mentioned, but whose words were:
Il will stay with the Methodists."
Il have only contempt for such a
Baptist said Mr.. Salsman. There is
no room for swapping jack knives i'm
such a matter. no excuse for changing
church relationship just because we
are unable To maintain a church. 1t
shows a lack OF sincerity in our faith
and n woeful wav of backbone.
would not join any other denomination
II | had to live for the rest of my life
in a community where no Baptist
church existed" .
MISUNDERSTANDING progress; increase
all along the line. !
Corvallis-Weak but hopeful.
Belgrade-Prosperous. a.,
Missionary Clark said that Boulder
was not large enough to maintain three !
or four churches. The Baptists formed
but a small part OF the population, and
he advised the members to cherish the
hope that some day they may have an .
enthusiastic congregation. Messrs. SAILS
and Noftsinger considered the re- :
port as a whole very encouraging. I
During the year "A large number of
earnest workers had been called away, :
to other fields of labor and some :
TO their Maker. Considering. they said. !
church hould be grateful over the u
outlook. There were many remarks by
visiting delegates on the superior ex-
c~ellence of the work of the state mis- I
sionary, Rev. /. q. Clark. Ii was ar !
gued that such a functionary was in {
dispensable, especially in the western (
1t was also pointed out tina
Itinerant "eVangelists" should be well
coined into the church only after the 4
most careful inquiry as to their charac- ;
1mpostors. while not so numerous {
now as in earlier days. were still i'm the /
land and should be dealt with i'm a
strict manner Here was an instance a
where the state miSsionary's services '
GOULD with profit be called into requisi- g.,
ion. He is the proper person to whom 4
70 submit the proposals of evangelists. !
is in a better position to pass judg- =
nent on the travelling, unknown. I'M =
,redentialed and uncertain element. I
The debates We're logical and inter- '
asting and a large congregation list :
aned with attention to the words of ,
learned diVines. :
Ex-Governor Leslie offered a few val !.
liable suggestions following the report :,
II the committee on state of religion +
churches in Montana. He spoke of .
he persecution of the Baptists in many
parts of the world and also gave out
few statistics, which are i'm the nature
" news to many persons i'm this coun- T
ry. IL is found by careful compilation {
md research hat there are 4.799. 12f a
Baptist men and women in the world. 7
N the United States there are 4.055.- {
which number deducted from the 5
shows that outside Of the I
United States there are only 94l. 977. r
Then he dwelt upon the growth of the n
'hurch, taking these figures as the bas-
: of his argument. since the day of
he Declaration of Indenendnnce of the