The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-25
Are Represented by State Convention Now
in Session in This City.
ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED DELEGATES PRESENT
City Rev. L. D. Lamkm of the First Baptist
Church-EIection Officers-AnnuaI Report of Board
of Observation-Disclosures,

day school and colportage convention,
which is now in session at the First Bap-
list church in this city, the opening .ses-
sion of which commenced promptly yes
terday morning at $3.50 o'clock.
1t was opened with devotional exer-
cises, conducted by Rev. j. II. Stanton of
Orange.
The organization and election OF officers
followed.
The election of officers was "a follows:
Rev. j. A. French of Austin was Cbcgen
president; vice presidents, Revs II u.
Lamkln of Houston, ID. v Bagby OF Neya-
sofa and u. A. Pace OF Brennan; recnfa-
ing secretary, Rev. w. s. Howell OF Bryan.
reelected; treasurer. A. NJ. Darling OF
Houston.
This makes the seventh or eighth year
that Mr.. Howell has served at secretary
and no more courteous or accommodating
gentleman could be elected to that place.
If his retention in office were lett To the
newspaper reporters with whom bis duties
bring him in contact, he would DO kept
there for life.
The following address OF welcome was
delivered by Rev, l.. . bamSin pastor
of the First Baptist church of this city
Beloved Brethren of the Sunday School
Convention and Fellow Christian Work
ers We greet you in the name OF our
common Lord. The bamy South with its
bright and genial sunshine, It's fragrant
flowers, It's tropical beauty and luNuriance
all bid you welcome to this land OF prom
Use, whose future greatness shall surpass
the oriental splendor of history, Houston,
the metropolis of the great Southwest, the
fairest city In all this empire State, with
her busy thousands, pauses TO give you
a hearty welcome The church, with its
deepening UNCONVENTIONAL interest, ex-
tends her Christian inequalities, while
the door of our homes stands open for
you. and our hearts throb with anxious
loving interest at your coming. Knowing
the difficulties we must encounter and
overcome we invited you from Necessity
and not from choice. nevertheless the IN
vitation was cordial, generous aud loving
We believe that your coming means a
benediction to our homes aud 20 our
church aud n blessing to tho work we
represent. We gather today IN orr arnuel
sunday school convention, which stands
chiefly for the organization OF the forces
of Young life in our churches. What shall
be our rallyng cry--onr convention
watchword- motto that shall sound
our purpose2 Will ii not be htting to say
that it shall he Enthusiasm for Christ?
This strange and ohjcCtional word. which
has so many had associations. Is still the
divnest, richest word in human Ian
guage. In Its last analysis 1t Is derived
from Et Deus. which signifies God In us y
or inspired as If by divine power. DR.
Armitage. shrinking from this word because
of its near approach TO fanaticism, pre-
SCENTS the very idea it contains in his COM
pound word, complementary which he
says is of lofty birth and Is full of the
Vigor of enthusiasm without It's rashness.
That distinguished Christian scholar nr.
Schoff says; Enthusiasm is Inc quality
without which the best in any department
of life can not be reached nor The largest
amount of results achieved II 50 filed
the early Christians that dangerous iagots
and chains had no terror for them, And
unless l listen to no purpose hear on
every hand the demand for such men as
the enthusiasm will make. Some one
has significantly said; with just such a
passion as Alfred of England had for law,
as Milton had for truth, AS Noltaire had
for liberty, as Audubon had for rlturc, as
Carlisle mad for force, must zwe possess
for Chrst-enthusiasm for Christ 1t was
this spirit that moved the apostolic age
when il was said of those early messen-
gers of the cross; These that have
turned the world upside down have come
hither also" This enthusiasm means a
forward ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in Christian
activity and life with Christ. when the
sweetness OF the indwelling Christ shall
be joyful fact In our experience. In any
sphere IL IS inc spirit OF progress WA
has kept the world from standing still
There are always conservative men who
had rather stand still and see the saliva
ton OF the Lord than TO work out" theiI
own salvation They have neither time
nor money to waste fooling with missions
and the salvation OF n lost soul. They fec
sure that when God gets ready TO CONVEX
The heathon and save the world He vii
40 SO without the aid of man. They arr
Jealous and active, however. In tearing
down the good work others have built up
Their position is fatal to the last commits
sion of our risen Lord. Then there is an
other consideration, the conservative mar
stands still for the reason chiefly that II i
constitutonally difficult for some head
to contain two ideas at once. They arr
hide bound and need curry comb. Gu
times demand men of progress. These
are times In the course of human event
when men must drop old ways of thinking
and adopt new ones. Christ was progressive
and moved by holy enthusiasm. Hl
broke with the conyentionslties of Hi
time He FLASHED sharply with the ultri
conservatives. HE cut the thongs tina
bound the human mind to the ironclaC
dogma. that the old is better than tn,
new" and invited mankind to enter upoI
a career OF intellectual and spiritual free
dom. And the condition of our age de
mands progressive men. full OF enthusiasm
for Christ. Men who see not ooclectiast
ism as the supreme thing, but Jesus, III,
chieftiest among ten thousand. We wan
to magnify Jesus and the doctrine o
salvation This would be the fulfllmen
of the design of the gospel, the introduc
tion OF new era in Christian though
and life and activity. or return to tn,
spirit of the apostolic age. II would h
an era when all the forms. ceremonies and
externals of the church will be looked upor
as only the incidentals and expressions o.
Christianity, whose soul and heart Is Chris
Such an era as I am now contemplating
would be one of perfect unity; not nearl,
organic or doctrinal, nor one OF forms ant
opinions. but unity that has It's basis II
the participation OF common ifo. And
men and women will never he brought to.
eether In anything but frozen union unit
the life Of our common Lord Is in us all
THAT they all may be one; as thou Father
art In me and In Thee that they may be
one in us; that the world may behave thai
Thou hast sent me-"
II would be period OF unparalleled
Christian activity. What the world needs
Is an active Christianity. Men are asking
after the practical value OF everything
Stupid apathy 10 crushed beneath the iron
wheel OF progress, whose battle cry Ii