The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-03
Southern Convention to Meet,
in Savannah This Week.
GOODREPO PORTSTOBE
The Year One Of the Most Prosperous
il the Denominations History-A
Very Large Attendance ~ ss3j
3 Expected.
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I (speeisl e Tne T11me..pispalte teh 4 !, J.

Especial to Tho T1mes-D -Dispatch) ii53SI#i
SAVANNAH G, IA, \, May The Bap-s
fists all over the Southland are right
now packing their grips and otherwise 1
making ready to invade this beautiful and
pitable city. that IS to # say N q bout n
twelve or fifteen hundred Of them are.B
Some #of them will be here earl n ri ext
week, and by the middle OF the week
they will 5be arriving In carload LOTS
They will come from oil parts Of fourteen
States two Territories, and the District 4
Of Columbia. and Savannah h IS lrea dyl3 for
them with the lot OH han gilg Son the out;
sid do5 Of every door .sSS
This city Is to entertain next week sttse.
southern Baptist ntion ii on d Of tlle8
largest and most y influential III eltgio,lss
bodies In the country, and Sayag II Isl
going to mako the IN ost of tho opnortu-a
nifty to show. to the world Swha "A hosp ta--$
5blef town It, Is Everything IS In readin diness.4
and a warm and mos u cordial Welcome
awaits tho Baptist hos ts Ss, Ess5s S
BATsHOTElLS AND BOARDINGHo SEES IN
s5@ he First Baptist Church q t this city. q
Is tho entertaining church, and the pass
tor. Rev. John D. Jordan p, D. !, his boar
Of !deacons ana his mum erous committees \
have been busy for a. mo y tn or mo GET
ting everything In readiness for the biz Y
meeting. sz Tho mem bersA of Il the #conven-Ss
ton will not be entertained In the private
HON es Of the people, az Is the custom
with other denominations IS and Il MS ii has 4
been with the Bnptsts Funt I'll recently, but v
they will enjoy greatly RED uced rates
4 at the hotels and boarding shouses Many 4!
private houses have been converted into Il
boarding houses for the time being In orr
der that none may be turned away. and Z
the boarding rates range from 81 to \ 50
per day. { ..,.s slss n !55 .Ss
HEADQUARTERS. 4.
f4S The magnificent De Soto Fl Hotel. one OF "a
the best land finest Establishments In the IL
country. has been made convention head -Ss
quarters. All the officers and the heads "
of the mission boards have sec tired rooms 81
there. and about 600 other m embers I'd III
the convention will be guests OF he De "
Soto The beautiful pawilons at Tybee,S$
the Virginia Beach Of Georgia. 4 will alsoN*
be thrown open, and II IS probable that W
quite number OF the members wi take y
quarters there as trains will be run with
the regularity and frequency OF street Y
cars. and all can attend the etings OF
the body and spend the balance OF their
time on salt water. VI q % Z. .5gf
TILE MEETING sPIAC CEs.
u The day sessions Of the conven tion will Y
be held In the auditorium of tho First \
Church. while the night sessions will be u
n6lQ III lllGy
Ing which la being erected, but Is not
vet entirely completed, The First Bap:$f
tistS Church, the host OF the convention,
Is one Of the Oldest churches in Georgia..
having been erected In the year 1890. III
Among the distinguished ministers who i
have served this church as pastors were 2i
Rev. DIR, i. u. II Holmes md Rev.. DIR, f,
s, "A. Goodwin. both OF whom were once
Virginia pastors and the former was 4.
a native Of Virginia. Both Of these well q
known men OF God have passed over tho 4
river, Us
II The convention will be called to order
In It's forty-eghth annual session by
tho praslden Rev. James Philip Eagle.
Of little Rock. Ark, mt 10 o'clock next
Friday morning, May Sth, and WILL hold 8
morning, afternoon and night sessions q
until its business Is completed, which Will
be about the following Monday.
PURELY MISSIONARY 4 4 Il
The conventions business Is purely
missionary and benevolent. Tt has Moth
ing whatever to do With the government
of the denomination or OF the churches
which send delegates. There is no de-
nomInational government IN the BAPTIST fft
church beyond the individual church.
zach Baptist church In the land settles
Its own affairs and acknowledges the
OF no higher body and that 81
OF no officer beyond the man who pre-
sides over church meeting for the time ii
being, and who Is called q moderator.
Hence this convention. composed OF :
about 1900 delegates from the Baptist
churches Of fourteen states. one Dis
trict and two TERRITORIES, has no aushor-
Ity over any OF those churches and does
not claim any, The convention Is, Y.
fact nothing moro than A grea I missions
ary society and a kind OF Haptist mlsrlss
sionary mass meeting, but an institution
nevertheless that Is loved and tfbnoreN
by ono and threer0uarter millions OF 4
Southern Baptist. They love Y because @ 83s
they look upon Il ms "a feast OF Fellow
shin and spiritual power. a banqust Of VI
missionary information and enthusiasm 8
and a place ta get lnew visions of The Az
" ~ 4 Cart inuaa, Aa Third Ra+~A vi y