The Washington herald., 1911-03-12
NEWS OF THE CHURCHES
AND ALLIED ORGANIZATIONS
DIR. Akcd and Baptism Forms

! Church. New York, officials and unoffi-
cials alike. were invited by the Rev. DR..
| Charles F. Aked. the pastor for the last
| four years, to tell him what he ought to
! do, go to San Francisco or stop in New
! York. The decision. he said, must be
I made by March Is determining his
| course. 1t is known that few are going
! to him because it Is regarded, so il can
| be stated on authority. as impossible for
! him to remain in New York after MAX
! inC the statement at the time he gave
| the invitation. Not a few. especially
! among the Stanch Baptists. Criticise the
! Rev. DIR. Aked's church, and ask if he
will insist upon immersion for admission
! to membership in San Francisco II he
! does not say they, what sort Of Baptist
| * he? If he does. what will CCnEreEa-
| tionalistS say? The Rev. F. z. Meyer, Of
London. well known in this country. a
! Baptist. went to Christ Congregational
I Church. in Westminster Bridge road,
succeeding the Rev. DR.. Newman Hall.
! He had a baptistery built in the chapel,
which he used. and allowed an assistant
| 10 sprinkle CongreSa tiOnaliStS who were
! satisfied with that form. Ii is said the
! Rev. DIR. Aked might follow the same
! J.lan. But New York Ba?tiSts do not like
It, they say
Where Aked and Church Break.
Upon authority both of trustees OF the
| Fifth Avenue Church AID of the Rev.
! Dr. Aked himself it can he said that the
change from New York is necessary
holly because of the radically different
conceptions OF Il place of public work
and worship. The Rev. Dr. Aked desires
! a great preaching place, after the pat
tC m of City Temple and the Baptist
Tabernacle, London; the Fifth Avenue
Presbyterian Church, New York. to which
the Rev. DR.. Jowett is soon to come. and
the Tabernacle in Brooklyn long filed by
the elder TalnndSe. The trustees in
New York oppose such plan partly
because of its ineffeCtivenesS when com
pared with a smaller auditorium and
1rsOnal work during the week among
| Sunday wOrshipers. but chiefly because
OF the uncertainty Of the Rev. DR.. Aked $
pan were he, for any reason out of it.
| The tendency is wholly toward the small
working church. In the latter view Mr..
John D. Rockefeller. ir.. whose judg-
ment is valued highly by the Fifth Ave
nue. trustees, is known fully to agree.
Niggardliness in money matters does
not exist. Neither is the serious personal
differences. These facts are known. The
Rev. DR.. Aked wants to preach to 300 a
Sunday and make that his life work.
The Fifth Avenue trustees are known
not to favor such venture. Hence the
departure from New York. where people
arc just now wondering whether San
Francisco Congregationaiists either will
or can erect the big auditorium.
Mission Work at StandstiII.
Mail advices have just reached the
missionary societies in this country from
the bubonic plague districts in North
China. These relate in detail some Of
the awful phases of the plague that have
been cabled, but add that religious serv-
ices. schools, and all other work of the
missionaries have been stopped. Ameri-
cans who are in the plague provinces re-
port themselves with nothing further to
dc than to keep their servants off the
streets. so as to avoid contagion as far
as possible. Some have sent their fami-
lies to Wei-hai-wei. a resort at a safe
distance but American physicians are
staying at their posts and doing all in
their power. These physicians report il
to be impossible, in the present standard
Of intelligence of the Chinese public. to
enforce sanitary laws or to end the all
ment save as ii runs its course. The
winter being severe. Chinese insist upon
sleeping three TO FIVE on bed, with
small rooms wholly closed to fresh air
Sumo report that no treatment is possible
save with military force, and that force
in some districts japanese and Germans
arc employing. Reports continue favor
able concerning conditions of mission
aries themselves.
JudsOn Centennial Celebration.
There will be held in Rochester next
week a conference of Baptist leaders,
there to inaugurate plans for the Judson
centennial. This centennial will figure
in some measure in the Baptist world
alliance to be held in Philadelphia next
June, but the celebration is to continue
for three years at least, under the aus
Tlces OF the Judson centennial commits
sion. 1t was the Rev. DR.. Adoniram Jud-
son, hailing from Massachusetts Congre-
Gationalism and bringing up unexpected
l. to him in the Baptist fellowship and
in Burma, farther India, that gave start
to the great work now in charge of the
American Baptist Foreign Mission So
Citey. The achievements Of the century
ny Baptists of Amerira in behalf of
world missions are to be fittingly record
ed and emphasized, and Baptists every
where, in Europe and India, as well as
in America, are aroused over plans
\ oung Judson. a student at Brown Uni
versity, in Providence. then Providence
College, came into personal acquaintance
with the five Williams College enthusi-
asts headed by Samuel j. Mills, jr. and
with them drew up a petition which vir-
tually brought into being the American
Board, the oldest of American missionary
societies.
Baptist Foreign Beginnings.
Starting for India to work as a Con-
gregational missionary, young Judson
while aboard ship changed his destina-
ton. He reached Rangoon, Burma, a
Baptist in doctrine. and so great was his
genius that from that distance he
aroused all America CongregationaIists
were stirred by his change of belief
about baptism, and Baptists aroused by
the missionary opportunity opened to
them. The times were stirring. In poll
tics 1t was the war of 1872 and it's settle
ment- In religion many theological points
were aimed at each other. In missions
it was a period when promoters of many
societies, now grown great. made early
PANS. Earlier than some others, Bap-
lists organized and supported Judson
and his work. To-day Burma is their
oldest and largest foreign work The
dates TO be observed by the forthcoming
celebrations are 1913. when work was be-
gun by Judson in Burma and 1914, when
american Baptist foreign work had its