The Detroit times., 1910-10-25
PASTOR COOPER
G|vEhA|s CHANCE
Paper Landing "Progressives,"
Squelched in Convention, Il Read
In Daptist Ministers Meeting.

The importance of the paper ON
sAfichigan Baptists and Baptist edu-
cational interests In Michigan" which
the Rev. ID. II. Cooper, pastor OF the
>Grand River-ave. Baptist church, was
cut short In reading In the state con-
vention last week, was considered
worthy OF an entire and careful read
Ing by the Detroit Baptist Ministers
conference, and was given place on
the weekly program of that body,
Monday morning. in the Woodward
ave. Baptist church lecture room. A
considerable portion of Mr. Cooper's
address was given publicity In the
press last week, especially that part
In which he claimed the right OF free
investigation of the scriptures" by
Baptists. and declared that any mug
fling OF mans expressed ideas on
theology to be against true Baptist
ethics.
This Ia not the age Of the stage
coach and the canal boat and minis
tiers who bring the gospel to their
people over those routes must expect
TO be run down by the progressive
evangelist In the automobile and the
express train" said Mr.. Cooper. I'VE
cannot be fossilized and forceful at
one and the same time. Man has
arisen to be what he Is today on the
hook of the, interrogation mark.
Truth and facts must be sought for
+. and we must be progressive In search
ing the scriptures. Ignorance IL the
cause of all our woes. There ID
lamentable lack of biblical knowledge
In the average student entering our
schools and colleges. What We need
everywhere IL teaching ministry.
How often we hear When is q school
not a SCHOOL, And the answer
sWhen II IL a Sunday School, There
n great, crying need OF the trained
teacher In the Sunday school"
Mr.. Cooper reviewed the Baptist
schools OF Michigan and urged that
Baptists make 1t point to send their
children to Baptist institutions OF
learning.
In the discussion which followed.
the Rev. J. G. Calder declared that he
would rather bury his son or daugh-
ter than send them to the Baptist
schools OF today to learn fol-de-rols In
the matter OF religious belief and
nothing whatever OF real Baptist doc
trine. On the whole, however. Mr..
Cooper's paper, considering all sides
OF the subject fairly and squarely.
met with the approval Of those pres
ent, and a unanimous vote OF the
conference expressed the hope that
the paper would be printed In full
and given wide circulation among the
Baptist denomination In Detroit and
Michigan.
The Rev. ID. II. White, OF New
York, formerly president of Colgate
university and now assistant cores
ponding secretary OF the Baptist
Home Mission society. en- route to
Iowa, spent few minutes In the con-
ference. Monday morning. and spoke
to the brethren upon the necessity Of
spreading the gospel In the cities OF
the country. f"s
"T do not know conditions In De-
troit, but do know those in many
other cities, and dare say one place
IL not very different from another"
said he. "In New York where only
rs per cent of the population is
American born or Of American par
entage, there is tremendous work
to be done. In Pittsburg, with it's
great trust Industries, it's socialism,
its corrupt political rings, its decad-
ent society. one IL impressed with the
feeling that the city and It's people
live on the thin edge OF a crater that
may at any moment engulf them"