The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-19
ORGANS SPLIT
 DIXIE CHURCH Cannot Mix Music and
 Religion. PRIMITIVE BAPTIST TALKS Elder Bussey of Columbus Starts
 Trouble. Tells opponents It h, Nobody EIses Busi.ess Whether Musical In-
 struments Are Used in
 Church Services.
POPULAR WITH CITY MEN PRIMITIVE


 Standing firm in its position as ex- pressed by its pastor. Elder H. Bussey, We believe in the salvation by grace and in the power of God and the salva- ton of the believer, regardless of the fact whether they have organs in their churches or not" the Columbus church of the Primitive Baptists in- ststs on not recognizing the installa- ton of Q church organ as one of the essentials of religion, and the breach among the churches of that faith in this section is perhaps wider than 1t was before the recent Baptist meeting in Phenix City. Ala. In which a mum. Der of the churches did not participate. The meeting that styled itself the 73rd annual session of the Upatoie Primitive Baptist Association, held at Elder Bullard's church in Phenix City, was well attended. and when the con- troversy regarding the legality of the gathering assumed such proportfona that both sides gave astatements to the local press. public interest became l aroused to the extent that fully 1000 people attended some of the services. Start of the ContrOvermy.
 The first the general public knew of the differences existing among the Primitive Baptists, the results of the Columbus church installing an organ, was when Elder H. Bussey, of Colum. bus, one of the most prominent elders in the State. declared that the gather ing that had assembled was not of l the 'Upatoie Association 'as repre- sented. but was made up of representa- lives of "discordant churches. This l very promptly drew a reply in which it was stated that the meeting then in session represented 9s per cent Of | the Primitive Baptists in this session. Due which he set forth the position of him. self and his church quite clearly. He said that 1t was true, primarily that the use of musical instruments in churches was the cause of the split. and declared: T. as an elder in that church. esteem 1t a personal liberty to have such instruments and that no other man nor church has any right and certainly no scriptural authority for condemning their use for the in- nocent purpose of using them in sons service to aid in singing. The people l with whom, 1t is said, the Upatoie as- sociation met. dictated to by theiE pastor, waited on us and requested us to move the organ and when we ,de- ciined to do so they further proceeded to declaEsl 9apsasl lsWsaap for U. and ing us with not only this but with oth- ar things of which we were no nowiss
 Continuing. Colonel Bussey says. "Some of the churches of the Upatoie association repudiated the authority of this church to demand of other l churches to follow their example whereupon the division took place and confusion followed, not only in these | churches but elsewhere"
 Nobody Else's Business.
 ''So far as the use of musical instru- ments Is concerned" Elder Bussey states. "our church stands where they have ever stood, that 1t Is @ per- sonal privilege and that 1t is nobody else's business but the churches using such instruments and such churches proper Now, when they recede from this position, when they well know that the confusion in the Primitive | Baptist. ranks was caused from an ef- fort on the part of this church and others who agree with them to dictate to us against the great principle oi liberty. they suffered themselves ex- cluded and applied to our church and other churches who believed with us for membership, and our church anc | other churches received them"
 Thirteen churches were represented fin the Primitive Baptist meeting just held in PhenIx City. Elder J. M. Mur. ray, of Ellaville, Ga. presided over the meeting as moderator. and J. l. Rustin. of Charing, Ga.. was clerk. Ell der Murray was reelected moderator and Parah church. in Chattahoochee county, Georgia. was selected as the place for the next meeting. in Sep tember. 1910 Visiting ministers In at- tendance upon this meeting were as follows: Elders B. c. Caldwell. Bull lochville. Ga: R. o. Ralston. Chatta- nooga, Tenn; J. s. Newman, Genrose Texas; s. W. Pruitt. Ashland Ala; J A. Nix, Electric. Ala; M. Cook, Ar riton, Ala; W. T. Everett, Dawson Ga: w. J. Heard. Walden, Ga.; J. B. Wilson. Summit, Ga; Lee Hanks, Ma con. Ga; J. A. Moness, Macon. Ga.; D M. Jenkins, Kellyton, Ala; and A F. Tucker. Moultrie. Ga.
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