The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-13
heBaptist Convention Passes
This Resolution.
A SPIRITED DISCUSSION
This Follows the Report on General Education
Messrs. Bailey, Hufham and Blackwell
are the Leaders s---Report on
Home Missions.
Especial to News and Observer.)

Especial to News and Observer)
Durham, N. c.. Dec. 12.-The meeting
of the Baptist State Convention was a
genuine love feast last night but today
it resolved itself into very warm meet
ing, and several of the prominent mem
bers Of the convention were drawn into
contest that was not expected up to a
few minutes before it was participated
in.
The main fight was between Or. Calvin
S. Blackwell, of Wilmington, DR.. J. D.
Hufham, of Henderson, and Mr.. j. w
Bailey, editor of the Biblical Recorder.
The report of the Committee on Cen
eral Education, which was presented by
Mr.. j. w. Bailey, recommended, among
other things, that the Legislature be pc
titioned to so increase the appropriations
for public schools that all schools may be
run four months in each school district.
Mr.. Bailey made talk on the report
and said that the forces of the State,
both political and religious, were pledged
to primary education of the masses, and
the consolidation Of the school districts
means that the secondary UNCONVENTIONAL
schools will retrograde and finally die
out Communism in education is driv-
ing out denominationalism in secondary
schools, he declared. He referred to the
fight of the brethren in Great Britain
against contributing to the Episcopal
schools, and commended them for such
action. He believed that the church was
called upon today, as never before in
the annals of Christianity, to educate and
he expressed the hope tblt the Baptists
would patronize their own schools, of all
, grades, 'for we are today facing a crisis
in this matter"
Mr.. J. ID. Hufham, of Henderson, also
made very earnest talk and regret
ted to see Mr.. Bailey disposed to take
a gloomy view of the situation He said
that he did not believe there existed ny
crisis Instead he would call 1t / great
opportunity. North Carolina. he said, has
too broaI a spirit of catholicity to allow
the dangers Mr.. Bailey feared to befall
us. He who laid the foundation of Wake
Forest College,, he said, was a graduate
of the State University which great in
stitution has a faculty with six of the
members Baptists. James Hall and 9TH
ers, who helped to lay the foundation
of our Baptist empire were educated at
the University. The spirit of catholicism
is i'll our State and no one will trv to
throttle the spirit of education, such as
we desire to see fostered" He believed
that Wake Forest, the Baptist Female
| University, che excellent schools at Ok
ford, Murfreesboro, Mars Hill, Buies
Creek, Bethel Hill and others would con-
tinue to flourish and accomplish a great
and good work..
At the conclusion of DR.. Hufham's talk
Mr.. Bailey was on his feet in a moment.
The fight was on and the State aid to
| the University was really the bone of
contention. He expressed surprise at
some things DR.. Hufham has said in his
plea for State education. DR.. Hufham
expressed the opinion that there was a
field for ALL he said, but, he, for one,
wished it understood that we are not to
depend on State institutions for the
sources of our inspiration and power.
At this point DR.. Calvin s. Blackwell,
of Wilmington, came into the fight with
flying colors He deprecated the aid
certain schools regarded as denomina-
tional were receiving from the State He
declared, with emphasis. that it was un
wise, un- -Bapti5tic, and fraught with
grave complications. The position of
Paptists has been known for generations,
he declared as unalterably in favor of
separation of church and State land here
we are" he said, furnishing the Roman
Catholic with ammunition to hurl at us
when they begin their aggressive cam
paign in the near future for a division
of the school fund. He was in favor
of washing the hands of the denomi-
nation of State aid absolutely"
Mr.. Bailey engaged in d colloquy with
Or. Blackwell and called on him to desist
in his talk Dr. Blackwell said that he
would not and continued his talk. Finally
Mr.. Bailey brought the matter to a head
by introducing a resolution reaffirming
the purpose of the convention to discour-
age State aid for Baptist schools, and
expressed regret for the necessity of such
action. The resolution was passed by the
convention.
Rev. DR.. Thomas Hume, of the Uni
versity, was recognized and expressed ap-
prOval of the position taken by DR.. HUFF
ham. He said that what we need above
all things is Christian men in our schools.
He believed in the correlation OF the
schools as proposed in the report of the
committee. The report was then adopted
The fight was warm one and during
the time that il was on there was much
interest in what was going on. Several
times during the colloquy between DR..
Blackwell and Mr.. Bailey President
Marsh called upon them to desist and
said lone at time. one at time"
The convention opened this morning
with devotional exercises and the min