The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-16
LARGE ATTENDING
AT OPENING SESSION
The Work Of the General Asso-i
ciatim Auspiciously Inaugu-
rated Last Evening in the
First Baptist Church.
The Annual Ser #
mon.
Especial from a staff Correspondents,

stgfI
PETERSBURG, VA, November 15.-
The eghty-first annual session of this Il
Baptist General Association Of Virginia
commenced Its work at the First Bap-
list Church, in this city. tonight, and
will hold meetings In the mornings, af-s
ternoons and at might Until Friday next
during which time the Baptist hosts Will t5
discuss matters pertaining to the Mas
ter's kingdom in a general and Informal 4
way. Tho words .'inforrnal way ars
used advisedly for Baptists pride them
selves on the purity Of their democracy 81
and their intensely democratic way OF &
doing things, as well as! their practice OF
the essence OF the States nights doctrine
in the matter of their church government.
The association, while It IS O. general
body Of Virginia, and Is made up of dele-ssB
gates from some zoo or more churches &
from all over the State, has no auth ority# n
whatever over its. consutuen cy. and cam
make no laws binding upon the Individual v
churches. sS57 a 81 sssS5
1t is, therefore, not a. law making con-SSs
vention. but simply an advisory body and n
tho work OF Its sessions is merel that OF
sending out tho wholesome advice IA + the II
digested wisdom Of the denomination.
Government by Consent.
BY taclt consent various enterprises Of 4
the denomination have been placed to q
certain extent under the 8 control ~ and NJ
guidance Of committees or boards q ap-t8
pointed by this a.sso citation. Ss5. sSS5&
Il The reports OF these boards. togetherS
with reports Of progress from the boa ards VI
of the Southern Baptist Convention; from
tho educational institutions under Bap-
;tist watch care; /; from the orphana ges and
from the mission boards "a nd mission SO
cieries OF Bar list churches make up the i
subjects to te considered by the Gem
eral Associa uoll. In this way these en-5g
:terprises for the advancement Of tho \
work Of tho Master are brought to the
attention OF the Baptists OF Virginia and !.
In this, their peculiar way and under lie q
advice of the body, they carry on q Won Z
derful work. raise and expend for good
works an Immense & amount Of money!
and with 1t carry the Gospel & to- every
part of tho State. and send 1T to the ut
termost parts Of the earth, and do #it al
by what they boastingly refer, to as their
free will Offering methods. There y Is Ii
nothing compulsory; there a arc no law
binding assessments, mo taxes leviod \ n @ II
permanent bishops or other officers OF 81
castlron authority elected: and. in IA ct.
nothing done from the opening hour to-
the closing from one year to another 3Ss
that DIS binding or compulsory upon tho Il
churches or that they need respect or
obey. But all the same they do respect
the work OF tho General Association. do
accept its advice do act upon 1t, and
generally speaSinS. tho informal q ls-3
,cussions of the association. It's recon1-&s n
mendations. It's requests and Its sugges- 4
hons are regarded as implicitly and car
ted out with as much faithfulness by i
the faithful OF the denomination as any
T., t1xa<7AE
by any legislative body clothed With 4
boundless and incon testable power.
"Unorganized Government
1 1t Is some times said by those who
know no better, that the Baptists are y
an unorgenzed people without a church 4
government, without head and all that =
sort OF thing. The fact Is they arc the Il
best organized the most homogeneous
and tho hardest working i folks In the
world The reports Of work done In 3Yir- z
glnla for the past year that will come
up and be considered at thus annual meet
ing Will prove this statement to be some
where mighty close to the fact.
Invading Petersburg. ss
The trains coming into Petersburg from Il
early morning until late tonight were
fairly we'll crowded with Baptists ticketed 81
to this good old Virginia city, and bear
ing credentials as delegates to the Gen q
eral Association.
4 The city has thrown wide open its doors Il
to entertain the association, and there are
hut few homes In town tonight that SIS
are not entertaining delegates,
y The First Baptist Church. located On &
washington Street. is the seat OF the
association. This ohurcht. which Tor the
past year has been under the pastoral
care OF the Rev DR.. w. G. Taylor Is one
- IL Nck. In a
of the largest ana most .lniuehtt'al -
churches In Virginia, It's membership is
something over five hundred, and Its
capa city FOR Christian work is wonderful.
"A VA Model Church.
The congregation has Just completed
,yorl, OF repairs and remodelng, at Al cost
OF about $4,000 which make 1t one OF the
most commodious. comfortable and con-
yenient church cdihces IN the STATE IN
mnlSlng the recent improvements the rs
large pipe organ was movea 70 me nun
auditorium floor to q position IN the 8rea
of the pulpit, and the pulpit renrransed
and modernized. a new bapistry was n
nut ,n and arranged with an upner front
Of glass, thereby BRINGING the bantismtu
scene IN view Of every person IN the large 4
auditorium, and 1t is regarded as q per-
feet model OF Its kind {9'
handsome parlor on ono side or the
pulpit and n PASTORS study on the olher
are among tho improvements made, N
Sunday school annex. q robins ROOM q
storage room and an uprto-date hea tln9 Il.
ara nm electric light plant are
among the additions in the basement.
This church during the past year was 81
tba largest contributor In money 70 the
mission boards and other entcrprtsfs OF s5s
the denomination of any church in the
potomac Association. OF which district
body 1t is at present anemher,
Preliminary Meetings
During the afternoon number of Pre-
lim,nary meetings were held by commits
tees, boards of trustees. etc. which meet
Ings mapped out work Tor the generat