The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-05-17

LITY STORE
, ing. In the rear of the building, be-
You'd the tier Of seats reserved for
delegates, and in the galleries, there
was throng of vistors--men, women
and chidren--and some of them kept
up such Il chatter Of conversation 1t
was impossible for them to hear
, word of what was going on upon the
5 rostrum.
The acoustic properties Of the build
ing are all right. Had the peoplc kept
quiet they could have heard.
EARLY Seated.
, The seats reserved for the delegates,
who wore the little red badges. Wero
, filed moro promptly than usual. Dr.
, Gregory, one Of the veteran secre-
, taries, says never before in the history
of the convention has there been so
many delegates In their seats at the
], opening session. While every possible
!, effort was made by the secretaries to
have all the delegates registered by
card as they came In, 1t was impossi-
Bile up to last night to make a complete
4 list of them. However, 1t is quite GER
tain that as many as 1900 regularly
elected delegates were present at the
organization session when President
Stephens's gavel fell
| Spirited Singing.
/ The convention choir, which num-
bered hundred singers and has been
j Tor week or more under the training
+ OF Professor HARDWOOD, occupied seats
: Lon the rostrum, and as a preliminary
4 service led in the singing of two of
f the grand old hymns
:. Rev. Dr. S, M. Province Of Alabama.
: led the vast body in prayer In his
: prayer Dr.. Province uttered the heart
:. ielt thanks of the Southern Baptist
d brotherhood for the SUCCESS which has
; attended their efforts in spreading the
: gospel during the convention year Just
e closed. He rendered thanks for the
: great work done in foreign fields. aud
), especially rejoiced that the contribu-
! tons by the churches enabled the for
a elSn mission board to announce to the
q whole world by wire the clad tidinGs
g that it owed no debts.
n After these brief devotional cxer-
n claes President Stephens called for the
!. tirst business, that of enrolment Of Gel :
- egates.
= After explaining fully the system OF
enrolling by card, which he and his as
sociate had adopted, DR.. Burrows, sec
rotary, moved that the calling of the
roll be dispensed with. and that the
cards already received and those vet to
come In be admitted to record and
constitute tho official roll or tho CON
Vcntion. The motion was adopted and
m the long calling Of the roll, which
has heretofore taken up much Bile
time, was quickly put out Of the way.
Election of Omcrrs.
The next business in order was the
I: election of officers. and this business
also uuIc1fly ,1iEn or
- Rev. DR.. Truett, OF Texas, in a bric1
but eloquent speech nominated Hon
~ Il. w. Stephens, of Missouri for prcsi.
- dent. He spoke Of him as man in
r whom arc combined all tho qualitiet
ne which so to make the ideal presid-
"a Ing officer q man who gives himself
Us earnestly to the cause Of missions. thu
st cause Of education and al! the othe,
enterprises OF tho Reorganization, n mar
n wEo has the been vice. president o,
NJ several large national ana Information
en- al BAPTIST bodies, a deacon in hi
nd church and in all respects IAN all
ry round Baptist worker"
ID; AT this time Vice President RI. II
ed Pollard was In the chair. On motion O
d. Mr.. r. IT. Elicit, the secretary was in
- structed to cast the ballot for d,
= stephens. the motion was adopted tn
- ballot was cast, and then Dr. Truett
! | who had been appointed so to do. pre-
| scented tho@prcsident
3I|1 DR. stephens made n brief spcecf
/ In which lie said he doomed 1t a Erea
| honor to DO made for the third tim
the presiding officer OF "the creates
religious body in tho world" Ito con
/ gratnlntcd tho brethren on tho great
ness of tho body, which he declared /
| the largest gathering of Southern BaD
list hosts In tho history of tho cor,
vontion. 1t Is fitting. he said, thu
thlsSEroot convention, which held whn
4 was practically It's first session in thi
city siXty-one years ago, should lol
this years session In Richmond /
celebration of the biggest yenrs wor
IN Its history. He congratulated III
body that unity and harmony cXi.
among all tho Southern Bnpti.
churches and that tho donomlnntio
Is heartily united In tho great wor
ut has In hand.
The president took occasion to ca
attention to tho law of the conventlo
which forbds all kinds OF applnus
declaring It TO be dlsordcrly, He In
81 noticed disposition to ignore tn
law, but as far as he can he propos
to enforce It,
The following Vice presidents we
elected II. r, Pollard, of ylrgini
Joshua lowering. of Baltimore; DR.,
b. Marvin. OF Louisville, and I1r. S.
Jan!son, OF Georgia,
u DIR. j. Lansing Burrows OF Tenne
-- see' and DIR. o. +. Gregory, OF Virgin