The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-04

lean Baptist Education Society meets one
year in conjunction with the Southern
BAPTIST Convention and the next year
with the Northern Baptist Anniversaries.
This year the society holds its session at
Asheville. 1t is through this society that
most Of Mr.. John D. Rockefeller's splen-
did gift to the cause Of education. as
carried on by Baptists here, come. This
is true of his great gift a few years ago
of over a million dollars, which set the
University of Chicago on its feet. Through
this channel also came last Christmas
$4,000 for Richmond College. Almost
every Baptist college in the South has
been helped by Mr. Rockefeller through
this society: naturally the society is at
home in the South
The constituency of the Southern Bap-
fist Convention is u large one. There are
In the South 752 district associations and
13.55S churches with a membership OF
1,G57,996. These are the figures for last
year for the white Baptists. The colored
Eaptists OF the South are estimated to
number 1,593,1 JOG. The colcred people have
their own missionary organizations.
which, while on friendly and fraternal
terms with the Southern Baptist ConvcE-
ticn, have no official connection with it.
Of all the Southern States. Georgia has
the largest number of white Baptists, the
figures being 19O.S49; Texas is close upon
Georgia's heels, having 190,09S and Ken
tricky, with 1928, is not far behind
Virginia, while far from first in numbers
is among the first in contributions. The
delegation from Virginia to Asheville
promises to be large. Virginia will be en-
titled to about $50 delegates; so far i07
have indicated their purpose to attend.
Should all of these attend Virginia will
lave the largest delegation she has had
Except 1898, when the meeting was in
NorfolO since 1897, when the meeting was
in Wilmington, n. c., and there were 1l2
Virginia delegates Con the money basis)
pre- sent.
The General Conference of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, South. the legis-
lative body of the denomination. will be-
gin its annual meeting in Dallas, Texas,
next Wednesday. The sessions will be
held in the auditorium at the Fair
Grounds, where the Confederate Reunion
was recently held.
Judging from the calibre Of the dele
gates this year and the important ques-
tons which will be up for settlement the
conference will be a distinguished one.
The session will consume from three
weeks to a month, and will be fraught
with the greatest interest to Southern
Methodsm. Each conference will send
one clerical delegate for each fifty
preachers it has within its bound; and
one lay delegate for each clerical Be-
sides these, however, large numbers of
ministers ard laymen will attend as visi-
tors. This will be the case in Richmond
and Virginia, and it is expected that the
number OF those who will leave to-
morrow morning for the Southern city
will be quite large. The regularly elect
ed delegates from Virginia are as fol-
lows: Rev. B. +. Lipscomb, OF Peters
burg; James Cannon, Jr., of Blackstone;
J. c. Reed, of Danville; A. Coke Smith,
D. D.. of Norfolk; Paul Whitehead, D.
D., Of Lynchburg; and J. Powell Gar
land D. D.. of this city; and NIessrs. E.
G. Moseley. of Danville; w. w. Vicar,
of Norfolk; G. I. Hunt, of Richmond;
Frank West Of Louisa; r. B. Davis,
of Petersburg; and w. w. Smith OF
Lynchburg. The expenses of all dele
gates will be betrayed by the Conference.
WHAT IT DOES.
The sessions Of the Conference are
presided over by the bishops. The first
day. the senior Bishop, who this time is