The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-05-20
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Officers Elected, Reports Received. Etc


At the Southern Baptist Convention
at jacksonville, Fla, DR.. r. {. Dargan,
of Macon, Ga. was elected president
over Joshua lowering, who had been
proposed for reelection.
Other officers chosen were. Wee presl-
dents. Rev. John ID. Nell. Georgia; IL.
5. ID. Mallory, Alabama; &. A. Carson,
Florida. W. NJ. Whettington. Mississi-
ppi.
Ga, aud DR. Oliver f.. Gregory, Of
stanton. Va, were ~ elected secre-
taries. Geo. W. Norton. of Louisville,
Ky. treasurer. and VIM. H. Harvey,
Louisville, auditor.
All the profits made by the Sunday
school board of The South IA Baptist
Convention go into the mission work of
the denomination. The annual report of
the board shows that during the past
year It has given IN cash To- the dlfier-
ent departments so, 81. and IN gifts of
periodicals and books s.. 81 additional
+ uf this amount s.. 900 was given to the
home mission board. $500 10 the
foreign mission board, and SO. OOu TO
ward the endowment fund for a South
eln Baptist theological Seminary.
The growth Of the WORK IS shown by
the statement that the total receipts
IN 1892 were but $1,000. During the
past year they were SIS. 4i6 Since
1892 the board has owen away 10 va
rlous departments Of TIE convention,
421 co.
Italy offers g rich field for Baptist
missionaries. according o. the annual
report of the Foreign Mission Board.
first. because the Roman church Is de
clared to be- in great disiavor among
many classes everywhere On Europe,
especially IN Italy, It's hone. ami
second. because OF the spread Of the
"mOdernist movement The prrph-
esy j. made that the Roman church
viii BE- unable g. resist tins inilIcnce,
and that the Baptists viii gain 90 the
struggle between the Pope and his
subprllnates
Missionary work in foreign lands was
begun b. southern Bapu-t IN $50
Now there are 2,7 Baptist chui chcs Oh
alien soil. Connected with them are
500 out stations where preaching Is reg
ulariy carried on.
"ln China there are eleven churches
which are self-supporting. IN Africa
one and in Brazil seven. There are
today S.Gi5 Cinnamon who are members
Of Baptist churches, go Africans. SIS
japanese, l,Ol7 Italians. 2.0i3 MeXl-
cans. 81, 1872 Brazilians and 2iS natives
of Argentina. During the past -yeaE
there have been l.5l2 baptisms IN the
Chinese churches. 6S in Africa, 63 in
japan, 100 in Italy, 300 in Mexico, IA
in Brazil and g in Argentina II total
of 3.6lS. This is the largest number Of
: baptisms ever reported from the for
eign fields in single year.
''ln these foreign countries there are
27S missionaries, il9 men and l54 wO-
men. Five Of those who are in the for
eign field have given total Of 1870
years service TO the Lords work.
There are l26 ordained native preach
ers and 405 unordained native helpers.
There are eleven boarding schools for
boys, in which there are GA scholars;
there are eighteen for girls, with 95S
scholars.
"In China, Africa, Japan, Italy,
Mexico and Brazil there are nine theo-
logical schools, in which PIT young for
eign Baptist preachers are being pre-
pared to preach the gospel to their peo-
pie.
Amount given for the work last year
was $50, 008. Georgia led all States,
with a contribution of $74, $40. Virginia
came next, with SOL. 7O3 Texas third.
with $50, 7O5.
The Woman's Missionary Union raised
for foreign missions from May /, 1910,
to May l, 1911, 1927. 800, Of which
Georgia gave S23, 725, Virginia SlS, 463,
and North Carolina $l3, 100.
There are twelve male medical mis-
sonaries in the field and during the
past year they treated 40.7 patients.
Through legacy left by j. c. Bush. Of
Mobile, Ala, $40, 900 has been added to
the endowment Of the board.
Texas leads in the number Of Bap-
lists in the Southern States. In the
Lone Star State 299, 7l8 are affiliated
with this denomination.
Texas also led last year in the num-
Der of baptisms-23, l65. She also has
the largest amount of money invested
in church property s., Az, 904, and has
contributed to the church work ST.,
8l2, go, the largest amount of any
State in the South.
Within the bounds Of the convention
there are 23,2i8 churches and $50 as
sociatiOns.
The number received by>baptism into
/ these churches last year was l34, 440;by
letter 100, 1853, by restoration 1866 and
/ by statement 4,4S3. From these
churches 95, 555 were dismissed by let
ter. "a, S4S were excluded, the names of
s. 1922 were erased and 10. 1913 died. The
/ total membership at the end of the
year was 1882. 464.
These churches gave for missions
81, 5O3, s44 and for all purposes, which
includes pastors salaries and home ex-
penses, $40, 424, 1856.
The value of.the church property is
S43, 393, 1893. There are Ii, 522 Sunday
schools, IN which there ia, ll6 pupils
being taught the Word of God.
Work has been done among the ne
eroes in Alabama, Georgia. Maryland,
Virginia and Missouri In Missouri the
board is aided in the support of one
general missionary, who baptized l2S
converts and received II by letter into
the churches. He held twenty Bible
conferences, at which 2,97l pastors and
others received instruction.
In Virginia three missionaries have
been assisted, and they report go bap-
tisms and 80 Bible conferences, attend
ed by 526 preachers and deacons.
The board of trustees Of the Theo-
logical Seminary met. Great progress
in raising the proposed million dollar
endowment was shown. DR.. Mullins
report showed that in the four years
since the movement was started $75O,-
600 had been obtained.