The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-17
FOR CLOSER TIES
Significant Action by
Southern Baptists.
The Conventions Officers to Represent
it in the Northern Baptist COnVen-
tion. Adjournment of the
Southern Body.
lRv the Assoeiated Press.l

Kansas City, Mo-, May 15.-One of
| the last acts of the fiftieth annual
gathering of the Southern Baptist
Convention, which adjourned sine die
tonight was the adoption of resolu-
ton instructing it's officers to repre-
| sent it in the convention of Northern
Baptists at st. Louis with view of
closer fellowship"
The convention, which will begin
at St. Louis tomorrow, will be the first
| Joint gathering of these two bodies,
representing the Baptist churches of
! the North and the South ever held.
| Besides deciding not to change its
name and selecting men to manage
| its mission boards for the ensuing
year, the convention today listened to
several reports on home missions.
| One report which aroused much dis
cussion was that presented by DIR. G.
| y. Stakely, Alabama, chairman of a
| special committee, which had investi-
gated the negro question as it relates
to the church. In the report DIR.
Stakely criticised the Baptists for
meagre work in behalf of the negro.
DIR. ID. w. Keyes, South Carolina,
read report founded on the annual
report of the home mission board and
| its influence in mountain missions and
mountain schools. Education, he
said, was the strong force in the plan
of salvation. Modern intellectualism
and industrialism DR.. Keyes said,
were driving out doubt and darkness
and destroying ignorance. "Since the
good is often the enemy of the best,
| he continued, 1--WE should not be too
easily satisfied
One of the most impassfoned
| speeches of the convention was made
| by NJ. r. Hunt, one of the secretaries
connected with the home mission
board. He pleaded for religious con-
quest of the Southwest.
G. ID. Daniels, superintendent OF
| mission work in Cuba, told of the
| island.
Cuba is one of the greatest mis-
sionary fields we have said Mr.
Daniels. when you consider that
one-half of the population of Cuba
! had been born out of wedlock at the
time of the American occupation OF
| the island, you can readily under
stand what the moral condition of
these people was At the close of the
one Baptist church. At present we
have twenty-five and the number is
rapidly increasing"
| The convention after a lively de-
| bate decided to vote against change
| in the name. DR.. w. J. Hilyar, OF
| Georgia, chairman of the committee
| appointed at the Nashville convention
! last year to bring the matter up, pre-
scented a report against a modifica-
! ton of the name of the convention
and after much discussion the report
| finally was adopted and the commit
| tee was discharged.
A committee on Sabbath OBJ
servances reported. deploring the
| popular tendency increasing, it is said
toward open disregard for Sunday and
| Sunday laws. The report, which
was adopted Immediately and with
out comment recommended the APP
| pointment of a special committee to
report to the convention one year
hence with suggestions for closer and
| better Sabbath observance. The re-
port of the committee on nominations
announcing changes in the officers of
the mission and Sunday school zoards
was read. The report as adopted
made the following changes among
others: Foreign Mission Board, Rich
mond. Va; j. b. Hutson, Virginia,
president
Home Mission Board Atlanta, Ga,
w. w. Landrum, Georgia, president.
Sunday School Board, Nashville.
Tenn, Il. e. Folks, president.
Among the vice-presidents named
on the foreign mission board is
Joshua lowering, of Baltimore.