The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-20
INJUSTICE TO
THE BAPTISIs
Believed That They Were Placed in.
False Position.
4 PUBLIC DISCLAIMER.
Nj. Meredl,h Very Gracefully Comes Forward
aud Acknowledges That His States
men,s We're in Certain In
states Incorrect.
!, PUBLIC DISCLAIMER.

The Baptists OF this city and state nave
been greatly interested in statements
made last TUESDAY IN he Constitutional
Y,anyan,Ion ty MIR charies V. 4,iereoi.h, IN
h.s speech advocating the appropriation
~ .,ubl,c money 10 sccta:ian institutions.
The statements. as afterwards shown,
we're incorrect, and were rcgasdeu IN Sala-
aras quarters as calculated TO place inc
Baptist denomination in . false posltoh.
tt,ht. attention of Mr.. Meredith was called
TO the fact that certain portions OF ms
speech had beeG based upon a miscoicep-
ton of the fact, and he readily agreed 10
arise on the floor Of the convention atle1
set the matter Alright. This he did yes
terday.
THE STATENi---ST.
On Monday, in the convention during
The discussion of sectarian appropriations,
Judge Robertson, of Roanoke, who was
faporirg such appropriations. used the
following language, speaking OF those
who opposed these appropriations:
They arr afraid that if some old Zap
list preacher is taken care Of as under
etan0 one has been by the Little Sister.
of the Poor, IL will lead that old man
away from the faith OF his fathers and
the faith OF ais lifetime, and make a
Catholic of him before he dies.
speaking on the same side with Juus.
Robertson, said:
"Now ] come to the Little Sisters OF
the Poor. There was a statement maze
on this subject uron the floor last night
and the gentleman who undertook this
morning TO discuss this matter, deal.
most harshly, it seems to me, with the
Little Sisters of the Poor and Saint 10
seph's Orphan Asylum, but he did no.
deny the statement that by these Little
Sisters of the Poor there is now being
taken care of a Baptist preacher, man
of the sames denomination with himself.
j ask you to consider one moment, when
they are attacked. and that denomina-
lion is spoken of more harshly by the
Baptists than almost by any other de-
nomination. that they still hold out their
hand, and take up from the place of
want and need and suffering a minister
of that denomination. and bring him
where he can gel peace and comfort and
rest. And yet they are to be cut off be-
cause it is alleged that somewhere in the
air OF that institution there is spirit OF
Catholicism, that permeates 'ae whole in
stitution, which will in1ure this man.
who-is needing help and comfort, and
cannot get It elsewhere. 1t is so easy to
talk about being helped; but this man,
who could not get it elsewhere finds alone
the doors of that institution open to him,
and yet 1t is TO be said that he must not
get it, that no helping hand must be
held out for the future to that Baptist
preacher. because it is q Catholic insti-
tuition"
AROUSED DISCUSSION
These statements have created no lit
tie interest among the Baptist people
of the city and the State, and Immediate
1y upon their appearance prominent
Baptist ministers and laynen set out to
ascertain IL there was any foundation for
them. They discovered that there was
no BAPTIST preacher in the home of the
Little Sisters of the Poor, and that no
Baptist preacher had ever been a bene-
fciars IN that institution Thus, of
course, the statement is seen to have had
no foundation, in fact.
STATEMENT FROM DIR. PITT.
Dr. r. II. Pitt. who is among them
keeniy interested in this matter, said this
morning:
This alleged Baptist preacher is rep
resented as needing help and unable to
got it elsewhere. 1t is also said that
TINS man who could not get it elsewhere
finds alone the doors of The Little Sisters
open to him. This is tanta1uount 10 the
statement that the Baptists take no care
of their own ministers, but turn them
out to Craze. II goes even a little fur
Their The picture which Mr. Meredith
etches is that of a worn-out Baptist
preacher, who knocks in vain at the
doors CT his own denomination for food
and shelter. 1t goes even further than
this. for it asserts practically that the
Bapiists not only refuse to provide for
their own destitute ministers, but that.
by their support OF, the movement against
sectarian appropriations. they refuse to
let anyone else provide for them
CARE FOR THEIR PREACHER.
Now. the simple facts are these and
they ought To be printed as matters of
even-handed justice to all concerned:
There is no Baptist preacher at the
Home of the Little Sisters Of the Poor.
There never was a Baptist preacher at
the Home. The Baptists have am or
ganized agency for taking care of their
aged and decrepit ministers and their
dependent families. This agency has head
quarters in Richmond with Mr. r. H.
GGlett as presidenD and this agency has
S3efs0 as an invested fund besides a reg
ular income from the churches, Moreover
Il there Were no such organized agency,
neither the Baptist denomination al large
nor the Baptist ministers of the city
would allow one OF their worn-out preach
crs to become a pensioner on
the bounty of other denominations" and
for the obvious reasons that they ought
10 take care of their own, and not, as is in
because of harsh feeling for any
CAS- a matter of fact, intelligent Bap-
fists in their opposition to sectaran ap-
are not actuated BY denomj
naional prejudice. but by loyalty to
what they conceive to be a fundamental