New-York tribune., 1901-05-20
WORK OF THE BAPTISTS.
THE ORGANIZATIONS DIRECTING IT ARE
TO MEET IN ANNUAL SESSION AT
SPRINGFIELD, MASS, MAY 20.

The national anniversaries of the Northern Bap-
| lists will this year be held Springfield Mass.
| May 20 2S. AS this will be the first general
gathering of the century. there will be some
special features In the meetings commemorative OF
! this fact There will also be important report
| from special joint committee appointed year
ago looking the unifying OF some of the agencies
of the societies and the further consOlda-
| tion Of their work.
The Baptists OF the country stand second in
point of numbers. of the Protestant bodies. being
exceeded only by the Methodlsts. The latest sta
tistcs report 1883 Baptist churches In the United
States with membership of +.235 226. and 29. $40
ordained ministers. The baptisms for the last year
1925. and the gain 5i.5j0, which is about
one and ouc-fourth per over the total member
ship OF year ago. a conservative estimate would
put the Baptist adherents of the country at not
less than eleven millions about one-seventh Of
the total population. The church property is
valued at SSs 1886 the church expenses aggregate
SO 7S55SG a year and the benevolent contributions
a little over $3 The seating capacity of the
houses OF worship would accommodate only one
half the membership. There L794s2o scholars
I'm the Sunday schools. In It's educational work,
stu speaking for the whole country, the denOmina-
tion has seven theological seminaries. one hundred
and five universities and colleges. and ninety
schools of academic grade. These institutions have
property valued at $lS5l2,00J9 in addition en-
dowments amounting to Sl7,561,0oo. The instruc-
tors number 2463. and the students 1858. of
whom 2.496 are studying for the ministry.
Before the Revolutionary War the Baptists made
slow and painful progress In the American colonies
They suffered from all of civil disabilities
the hand of political and ecclesiastical persecu-
ton heavy upon them. Their struggles and
sunerngs in Massachusetts, Rhode Island. Virginia
and elsewhere are part of the history Of civil
and religious freedom. When that war came their
conspicuous patriotism and their heroic insstence
upon absolute liberty of conscience for all. in
of religion. drew to them the attention of all
parties and ELECTED remarkable letter from Cen
eral Washington. The prosperity of the Baptists.
therefore. dates from the War of the Revolution,
though they had previously made Il strong impress
sion upon the country North and South. Es-
pecially In the Southern States DID the denomina-
tion rapidly increase. and that particularly in
tie rural districts This is partly in the con-
diton OF things to-day OF the nearly four and
quarter millions of Baptists In the United States
more than two-thirds are In the South, and of
these than half coored people In round
megro Baptists in the South and hfteen h8ndred
thousand white Baptists in the same section.
nine hundred thousand.
In 1915 the dssensions and discussions which
sprang out Of the subject OF slavery divided the
BaptistS, they did other religious bodies. Since
been organized for home and foreign mission OPP
erations in what is known as the Southern Baptist
ferent parts of the work. Since the Civil War the
for their own activities but they are themselves
largely in need of educational and evangelistic
ehey H i1I rhoso Gto of the @ North f e' ""s
While the majority of the BaptiStS in the
themselves, according TO their means-the greater
part of the wealth and of the equipment which
wealth directly and indirectly brings, IS in the
North Here are the great institutions of learning
Chicago. Providence, Newton Centre, Mass;
Rochester. Hamilton, y. Y: Chester and Lewis
burg Penn; M Granville Ohio FTanklin, Ia Ind; nd
great societies for missions publications. education.
etc with headquarters in New-fork. Philadel-
phia. Boston and Chicago raising millions of dol
lars every and sending their agencies through
out the nation and the world.
II is these societies of Northern Baptists that
will begin their annual meetings at Springfield on
MAY 90 There will he nothing ecclesiastical about
these gatherings. There will be no heresy trials,
the inroads of the higher criticism and scientific
evolution. The Baptsts extremists in the mat
and state voluntarism In the support of religion
and the complete Independence of the local Church.
For them there is no ecclesiastical authority
perior to the local Church All other religious bod
les among them purely voluntary, organized
for missionary philanthropc activity. and their
action be binding only on those who freely ac-
The societies represented at the anniversaries will
! be the American Baptist Missionary Union for For
American Baptist Publication Society (Philadel-
phia) the American Baptist Home Mission So
Society (PhiIadelphial and the American Baptist
I Education Society (New-Yorlt). There several
women's societies; offcered and managed by them,
home and abroad, auxiliary TO the general so
eieties.
From one point of view these societies great
business corporations, receiving and dSbursing
many hundreds of thousands OF dollars every year.
having large assets in fixed property and invested
business men IN tho several cities where their Of
fees are situated. They more especially great
Christianity and its associated influences into all
parts OF the earth. There are we'll equipped mis-
helpers. Bible women. schools. medical dspensares.