The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1902-05-08
NATIONAL BAPTISTS
Southern Convention Meets atlAshe-
vile N. C. Tomorrow for Week
MANY Prominent Men and Women are
Gathering for the Big Meetng-lmpor-
tant Reports.
A PRESIDENT TO Be ELECTED

Asheville, N. O., May s-Outward
and visible signs are abundant that q
great enominational gathering is on
the tapis. Page after page Of the ho-
tel registers lie filled with distinguish
ed names and on the streets men OF
ministerial garb and countenance are
to be encountered at every turn. These
are the delegates to the forty-seventh
session of the Southern Baptist con-
vention, which convenes tomorrow for
q week or more.
It will be the largest gathering OF
representatives Of this great denomi-
nation ever held in the south. Be-
tween /, 200 and 1900 delegates have
received credentials and these will rep
resent a constituency of 1889, SAC
members. Within the bounds Of the
convention are 1890 churches, 76s
associations and 10, 473 preachers. As
many preachers as can possibly do so
attend the annual meetings and there
are great many lay delegates and
visitors. Among those already on the
field are large delegations from Texas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, vir-
ginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Ken
lucky, Alabama and Georgia. About
half the delegates are guests Of hos
pitable residents of Asheville and vi
cinity, while the remainder are quar-
tered in the leading hotels.
The present officers of the conven-
ton, all of whom are here or have
sent word they will arrive before to-
morrow morning, are as follows:
President. the Hon. William ]. Nor
then, ex governor of Georgia: vice
presidents, Hon. Jones Philip Eagle of
Little Rock, the Hon. ". Nv. Heard of
Baton Rouge, the Hon. Andrew II.
Longino of jackson. Miss, and the
Hon. Joshua lowering of Baltimore
secretaries, Rev. Lansing Burrows,
DID,, of Nashville, and Rev. Oliver
Fuller Gregory of Baltimore; treasur-
or, Mr.. George W. Norton of Louis
vile, and auditor, Rev. William Pat
rick Harvey, DID,, of Louisville.
The work of the convention is d.
vided into three great depa rtments:
Foreign missions, home missions and
Sunday schools. Each of these de-
partments is represented by a board
and the reception of reports from these
boards will consume most of the time
Of the convention. OF the Sunday
school board, which is located in
Nashville, DR.. E. f. Folk is president
and DR.. J. NJ. Frost secretary. DIR.
W. W. Landrum.is president of the
home mission board, which has its
headquarters in Atlanta, and which
has for its secretary DR.. f. @. Nc
ConnelL The headquarters of the for
eign mission board are in Richmond.
Prof @. II. Winston is the president
and DR.. r. J. Willingham the secre-
tary.
The members of the various boards
are hard at work today putting the
final touches 60 their reports prepare
tory to presenting them to the con-
vention. All of these reports show
gratifying progress during the past
twelve months in the various depart.
ments of denominational work. The
outlook for foreign missions, in par.
ticular, was never SO bright. Here
tofore Virginia has been the banner
state in regard to the amount of con.
tributions for the foreign mission
field, but this year Kentucky is in
the lead with Georgia and Texas close
seconds. The reports show also that
the year has been one Of unusual &C.
tivity in the Sunday school depart
ment.
Although the program will be con.
fined largely to action on the reports
Of these three organizations of the
church, an important feature of the
convention will be the election of .
president to succeed Ex-Governor
Northen, who has declined to al