The Washington herald., 1911-05-20
BAPTIST CHURCHES
AND WORLD SERVICE

lists will hold sessions from about June
Is to consider missionary work at home
and abroad as Conducted by them, and
from June 10 to . representative Bap-
tist leaders from Europe. Asia. South
Africa, and Australia will confer. There
will be reports of Baptist struggles and
successes, but the emphasis of the gath
ering will not be Baptist, but Baptist
service. This service reported on will be
to missions, to dependent races, to edu-
cation, to arbitration, TO labor. and to
Christian unity.
The president of the Baptist World
Alliance. who will be present and preside
until a new president is chosen, is the
Rev. DR.. John Clifford, Of England, one
of the foremost men Of Great Britain,
not alone as a Baptist, but as Chris
tian and publicist His history is also
that of the late free church development
in England. There comes also from Eng
land Sir George w. McAlpine, president
CT the Baptist Union of Great Britain,
chairman of the Baptist Missionary So
ciety, and one of the most influential and
generous laymen Of the North of Eng
land.
Exceptional interest centers in the dele
gates who come to Philadelphia from
Russia and Southeastern Europe. Against
almost medieval prosecutions Baptist
ministers have won their way in Greek
and Russian Catholic lands. The Rev.
w. Fetler who will be at the alliance,
is one of the best-known men in St
Petersburg, where he is the champion Of
religious freedom. He is pastor of the
largest Baptist church in the Russian
capital and the founder of eleven other
churches in the same city, chiefly wor-
Shipping in halls On several occasions he
has been granted the use of the hall of
the city douma for his services.
Other pioneers of Baptist work in East
ern Europe who are to be in the alliance
are the Rev. Peter Doycheff. prominent
religious leader in the Balkans; the Rev.
V. Pouloff. a Russian, who has been ex-
lied to Siberia, and Mr.. Norbert F. Ca
pek, a descendant of the followers Of
John Huss and a Czech leader of Bo-
hemia. American Baptists have done the
generous thing of subscribing $4,000 with
which the travelling expenses of these
European pioneers is paid that they may
visit the alliance and come into touch
with other Baptists of the world.
American and Canadian Baptists who
will be heard at Philadelphia include the
Rev. Dr. r. S Macarthur, OF New York;
the Rev. DR.. r. J. Willingham, of Rich
mond, and the Rev. DIR. E. Y. Mullins, of
Louisville. Concerning a proposed Euro
London, will speak, and other English
Baptist leaders will be the Rev. J. H.
Shakespear. who is secretary Of the Bap-
tist Missionary Society of London, and
the Rev. ]. E. Roberts, who is pastor Of
the most important Baptist Church of
Scotland. The last named has been ac-
cused of socialistic leanings. and he has
great influence among the working men
of Glasgow.
At Philadelphia will be considered the
great missionary and publication inter-
ests Of Baptists. These run into the mill
lions of dollars each year. The foreign
societies, one with headquarters in Bos-
ton and another with the same in Lon
don, have work in Burma, China, Japan,
and India that requires outlays of $500.
900 a year. The development of the far
East on modern lines-not Christian only,
but educational as well-oWes a very
great debt to Baptists. In home mission
work. chiefly American, the influence OF
Baptists is second to hardly any other,
while Baptist leadership and achieve
ment in work for the negro race out
ranks almost everybody and everything
else. Baptists and Methodists make larg-
est use of the printing press in Christian
propaganda, and this interest will be
considered at Philadelphia in its rela-
ton to world advancement.
Emphasis is to be laid in the alliance
and in the meetings which precede it
upon social service, missions. and unity.
The whole alliance programme bristles
with service along all lines Missions
will take note of the centennial of Jud-
son and his wonderful pioneer work, out
Of which grew all Baptist missionary ef-
fort. while the subject of unity will prob
ably be acted upon to the extent Of NAM
ing members of a world conference on
faith and order.
The date Of the alliance. in late June.
could not be avoided, it is explained,
owing TO the convenience of the Euro
pean delegates. Philadelphia Baptists
will remain in town later and do what
they can on social lines. There will be
an excursion to Washington and preach
ers from Europe, here to attend the al
lance, are to be heard In many other
cities and also at Lake Mohonk and half
a dozen of the summer conferences.
This Baptist world alliance meeting
for the second time only since it's or
ganization represents about 6,50o,ooo ac-
tual members at a conservative esti- |
mate, 200o0.000 people These large reli- |
gious bodies, having gotten under way, !
are growing in numbers to an extent |
that few realize. For example, in the |
United States within the last twenty |
years Baptist Church membership, ac-
tuaI count, has increased by 90 per cent |
or considerably faster than the popula- |
ton.
There are 10000 Baptists in Europe |
OF course, the largest number are in /
Great Britain, but in Italy, Sweden, Ger |
many. and especially in Russia and the |
Balkan States they are spreading rapid. |
ly through missionary efforts largely /
backed by Baptists Of the United States /
and Canada While there are in the
United States several small Baptist bod
les, they are. for all practical purposes /
OF enumeration, divided into three large |
bodies. These are the Baptists North, /
the Baptists South, and the Baptists col
ored. The largest single body is the first |
named.
Within the last three or four years /
Baptists have become better organized. /
That Is, without sacrificing any of the in
dependence of the individual church, they /
have centralized their common work,
such as missions, and are now rapidly 1
approaching the centralized stage COM
mon among Presbytertans. There has
not been set up the ecclesiastical ma
chinery that obtains among Presbyteri-
ans, Of course, and nobody expects such
machinery to follow. but there II a COM
mon plan, q common agreement. such as /
has not heretofore obtained.
tist leaders In America and Europe ex-
pect 70 zee Q closer bond established be-
tween Baptists. but at the same time
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