The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-12-08

| dread terror-yelloW fever-came; in
| the centre of the State another Pritch-
ard was found whose matchicSs ora
| tory Swayed the multitude; in South
Carolina it found the sweet-spirited
Wingate the mellowness of whose life
was poured into the entire ministry
In Duplin was found the keen-witted
Huffman who became The Old Man
Eloquent" There is Yates and his
missionaries, Dixon and the evangel-
list, and n host of others. How the
names come trooping home at the
slightest summons. 1t is like the roll
call of saints" For every strong min
lister i'm any other denomination the
Baptists can place one by his side.
Not only have they been strong men,
but there have been many of them.
When Arkansas was divided and the
denominations work was dragging,
they came to North Carolina and took
Love from Wadesboro. Atlanta, the
queen city of the South. has summoned
White, Broughton anC Willard to help
save that city.
A few months ago when represcn-
tativeS from all parts Of the United
States met to form a National Baptist
Convention. of the seven mon who
took part in those opening exercises
five of them were Wake Forest men
Has there been a better place III
America for a young minister to be
trained than at Wake Forest? In this
direction her influence has not stop
ped in North Carolina. Men say that
the societies of Southern Theological
Seminary are modelled in some re-
spects after those at Wake Forest. At
that Seminary stands A. T. Rob-
ertson, who still carries the stamp of
Wake Forest on him. and places it
on many a young man from the dis
tant West.
There is a cry going up from many
of the colleges of the land that no
young men are entering the ministry
There are some great colleges in this
land whose graduating classes number
more than 100 with not minister in
the class A class of one hundred
spending four years in college and not
one cOnSenting to preach the gospel of
Jesus Christ. This is not true at Wake
Forest and has never been. Many a
young man has gone there wild and
reckless, a Scorner of religion, and
gone out to preach the religion he
scorned There are some institutions
that make it hard for the young Sam
uel to hear the voice of his God. With
such an institution the Baptists in
North Carolina have not been cursed.
Activity of Its Laymen.
however strong u minister may De
his work is hamoered without the
I help of laymen. After all it is the
laymen who make up the bulk of q
denomination and they form the cor
rect standard by which to measure an
institution There is something pro-
fessional about a minister; to be re-
ligious is a part of his profession. This
is not true of the layman. The re-
Iigion of the laymen is the religion of
the people. The grandest contribution
that Wake Forest has given the de-
nomination is active laymen. They are
not so conspicuous as minister's for
they do not come forward on public
occasions SO often, but they are tow
ers of strength in real church work. as
every minister will testify. The most
progressive and aggressive persons in
some associations in North Carolina
today are these laymen. These lay
men are the pillars in many of the
churches. The statement has been
made that if every minister at the
State Convention was called home
the business of the body could be
| carried on without interruption so rich
| is the denomination in active laymen.
They have edited our papers, been
our missionary secretaries, cared for
our orphans, manned our schools,
served on all kinds of boards, and