The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-07
The SESSION ENDED.
Scholarly Addresses
at the Baptist Con-
vention.
CHURCHES NOT BUILT RIGHT.
Report on Finances Shows
the Association is
Prosperous.
CHURCHES NOT BUILT RIGHT.

The services yesterday morning of
the Worcester Baptist Association
were opened at 9 o'clock, the praise
service being led by Rev. T. Richard
Peede of the South Baptist Church. At
10 O'Clock the regular service was
opened, and an address was delivered
in behalf of the state convention by
Rev j. K. Richardson. who presented
the needs Of the convention in a very
forcible manner and urged the different
churches Of the association to con-
tribute their quota as quickly as pos
sible. The convention is at present
very hard up for funds, and Rev. Mr.
Richardson is trying to raise $500 be-
fore Monday
The next speaker was Rev. A. e. Hy-
Ian, who spoke on the educational So
ciety of the church and the immense
amount of good it is doing in the edu-
cation of the young men for the min
istry and the help it is giving to needy
students in the seminaries who were
in need Of funds.
Rev. G. H. Spaulding gave a short
sketch of the work of the American
Baptist Publication Society In the diff
ferent parts of the country, and the
great good done by the tracts and other
circulars distributed. These tracts go
to the slums and are a great help in
preaching the gospel to those that have
1t not. The work of this society is
very remarkable, and all societies of
other denominations admire the work
and try to copy and follow in the path
the BaptiSts tread
Rev. Arthur st. James was the next
speaker, and took the place of Rev.
Frank Rector, who was down on the
program, but on account of poor train
connections, did not appear, and Mr..
st. James spoke on home missions and
the overland trip to the convention at
California In speaking of the home
missions, he said that on the trip to the
Pacific coast he noticed the work of the
home missionary people in that section
and the great good that they have ac-
complished The west is a place Of
golden opportunity to any home mis-
sionary. and we should not fail to
quickly grasp the situation and en-
brace the opportunity to help support
the missions.
The most important address of the
convention was delivered by Rev. John
L. bearing, q returned missionary from
Japan. Mr.. bearing gave an account
Of the earlier days Of the missionary
work in Japan and the need of native
students to carry on the missionary
work. His reasons for this we're that
Japan is the most advanced and civil
lied of all the missionary fields, and
preacher coming from this country or
any other civilized country will not
succeed as we'll as native preacher,
for the reason that the Japaneses peo-
pie, as rule, think the religion of a
foreigner is nothing more than the re-
ligion of Confucius or Buddas They
see American and English missionaries
come to their country, and look upon
this strange worship as something that
is to be Stunned. The Japanese as
whole are a well bredand educated race
They have the latest books written in
this country and England almost as
soon as we have them, and all the new
theories are brought to their notice by
the reading of these books. But now
that the colleges and sen1inaries for the
education of the Japanese young men
that wish to enter the ministry have
been established in Japan the tread OF
the missionary work is changing for the
best.
If a. native young man embraces the
Christian worship and becomes a min
lister, he is closely watched by his fell
low-countrymen, and as they see him
prosper in this new religion, they see
something in it, and after time are
willing to give it try. The Japanese
young men, when converted to our re-
ligion, make very successful workers of
the gospel. In the native seminaries
they are given four years course in
Bible study, and during the vacation
periods they go of to some remote part
of the country and try evangelistic
work 1t is a degradation to the rigor-
Gus Confucius worshippers to embrace
the Christian religion, and the young
men who take up this work are cut off
from their families, and If married, they
are separated from their wives and
families by the parents.
Rev. Mr.. bearing finished his talk
with a plea for the Foreign Missionary
society. The remainder of the morning
was devoted to unfinished business. The
question of the continuing Of the French
work in the different parts Of the coun-
ty was considered and it was voted to
continue the work. A committee was
appointed to make plans forAthe work
during the coming year. The meeting
was then adjourned until O'clock in
the afternoon.
The afternoon session and the clos
ing meeting of the association was held
at o'clock The first part Of the
session was devoted to praise service
and during this period Mrs. George A.
Lombard of Millbury sang two very
appropriate selections. The service
was in charge of the moderator, Mr.
Whitney
The regular service was opened at 81
o'clock. The first speaker of the af-
ternoon was Rev j. B. Robinson of
West Boylston. His subject was an
address on 1.-THE desirable field.' He
said that the most desirable field is the
one in which the people comprising the
congregation are whole Christians and
show it by their work in the church
and in the helping of the minister. And
another thing that makes a field desir-
able is the church that the congrega-
ton meets in The church in itself
is an important factor in the work of
a minister. He said he had been in
churches that were regular death traps
to Christians The church was built
on a certain plan, and wholly without
conveniepces.
A church should be built in such a
way that the minister should be in close
touch with his congregation, and there
should be no such thing as back seats.
Where there are back seatstto a
church. the congregation is sure to oc-
cupy these seats, and the result Is that
the church seems about half filled. This
should not be. There should be some
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