The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-06
THE BAPTIST CONVENTION,
Some of the Intervening Features of Gath
ering at Houlton.
ESPECIAL TC THE PREss.I

Houlton, October 5.-The liveliest ses
Rev. Mr.. Mason of Dexter made his
proposition that the services of the record
ing secretary should be dispensed with
until the financial outlook improved. The
recording secretary is emp Dyed by the
board of trustees and on him devolves
much of the WORK of the board. Besides
his large work through the medium Of
correspondence he pays many visits to
the churches in all parts of the state and
in all ways in his power promotes the
missionary work in Maine. For num-
her of years the post has been filled by the
Rev. DR.. A. T. Dunn Of Waterville. Mr..
Mason suggestion came in the midst of
a conference on the state work, when the
minds of the brethren were fixed on the
fact that the annual reports to which they
had just listened revealed a deficit of some
$500 and described how the appropriation
had Of necessity been curtailed during the
past year.
At the beginning of the discussion. Rev.
MIR. Flanders Of Biddeford interested the
convention by an account Of the way in
which the Biddefnrd church reduced it's
need OF aid SO that this year it asks for
only half the aid which it received last
year. 1t was done by an appeal to the
mem bers to adds to their contributions
enc cent day. There were enough mem
hers ready TO enter into this arrangement
to bring about the result stated MIR.
Flanders thought that should this plan
be uried in other churches and in the con-
vention itself there would be no further
necessity for the discussion of deficit.
Rev. MIR. Wilson of the Maine Bible
society was introduced and told of the
great number Of Maine families who pos
sess no copy of the Bible, and have no re
ligious privileges. Mr.. Wilson described
the efforts of the society to meet this state
Of things, illustrating his remarks with
stories of many cases in the society s work
Last year more than 5000 was spent in
the work but with this amount 10000
families were reached. MIR. Wilson ap-
pealed for continuation of the generous
support the churches have given the Bible
society.
Rev. J. ii. Wynan of Augusta, then
resumed the discussion Of the annual re-
ports. The convention did not want this
occasion to pass without showing that
they
WE'RE NOT INDIFFERENT
to the situation revealed in the reports.
Now as to the deficit 1t is not as large
It's it was last year and a part of it is due
to the past Indebtedness The convention
uight meet the case By retrenchmeDt in
eafious ways, but in so doing tho work
would be likely to become demoralized.
Int # the church in Biddeford can secure
mo cooperation of thirty persons to give
each an additional cent day, does 1t
seem that we should lie back, close the
loaks and do nothing? Why, if the plan
SO ably presented by the brethren from
Liadeford should be tried by an average
of only five persons in each Of the churches
it would add $4,000 year to the receipts
Raw. Mr.. Ford of PASSPORT said that he
was not a pessimist or the son of a
pessimist, but he must say that in his
opinion it was not an encouraging out
look for state work, specially in the rural
distriets4ef Msins do knew that this