The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-03-25
BAPTIST LAYMEN
At MISSIONARY
BANQUET
WeII-Attended Gathering at
Local Church
SPECIAL SPEAKERS PRESENT
Leading Address by Rev. w. T. Stack
house, Secretary of the Mission
airy Movement

The meeting at the Baptist church
Saturday evening was rather re-
markable gathering in its character
of force and inspiration. 1t was a
mems meeting and designed to pro-
mote the layman's forward move
ment. There were about, a hundred
men present while few women
came in after the supper to hear the
address.
The chief speaker was Rev. DR.. w.
T. Stackhouse, Canadian clergyman
and orator of great power, who is
now serving as general secretary OF
the Laymans Missionary Movement.
Mr.. Stackhouse is a man of the Lin
coin type, six feet, four in height and
as thin as a rail, and like Lincoln, he
speaks with an almost provincial ma
sal twang. The nearer, however. ar
ter a moment, forgets everything but
the message that the speaker brings.
He carries his audience with mar
velous ease and power and brings
home point after point so brilliantly
and forcibly that the force Of his per-
sonality remains with his hearers.
With DR.. Stackhouse, came Rev w.
A. Dawson of Burlington. state Bap-
list missionary and Henry Bond OF
Brattleboro vice president of the
mems movement. Both are speakers
Of interest and vigor, but they made
their remarks brief in order to give
more time to Dr. StackhOuse, The
three men have been holding a series
Of six meetings for men in Vermont.
beginning at Burlington Monday night
and including Burlington, Barre, New
port, Brattleboro, Rutland and Ben
nington.
The meeting opened at o'clock
with a supper, served by the Baptist
Ladies' Aid society. The supper vas
a good one and well served During
the supper, music was furnished by
an orchestra Of young people.
Rev. w. A. Dawson spoke briefly,
telling of the work done in this and
other states, and introducing Mr..
Bond, who spoke FOR 10 minutes. Mr..
Bond was a business man in Chicago
for many years and recently retired
in order TO give all his time to work
for religious AID cial improvement.
DR. Stlckhouse's address lasted iOr
almost two hours, but ,he held the
closest attertion and interest Of his
audience every moment, while he
discussed the problems that confront
humanity and the Christian church
and the fight that is being made
against evil and vice, as well AZ
against paganism.
There are. said DR.. Stackhouse,
more than thousand millions OF peo-
pie on the face OF the earth who have
never heard the message of Christ,
and who have never felt the power
of the word OF God Great Is the
darkness and depths OF evil and des-
pair, but all can be met and overcome
by the earnest united efforts Of those
who confess the religion OF Jesus.
We have no right to say that the
world is a failure. We haven't half
tried out Christianity. We need II in
business In commerce, In politics, and
in the social world. We need 1t to
put a new face on the world and new
heart into II.
The pagan world, said the speaker.
had been divided among the different
denominations and the Baptists had
taken as their portion a population OF
61,200,000. These millions and the
still greater number apportioned to
other denominations Il was proposed
to reach with the gospel of Jesus
Christ in the course OF single gen.
Grafton. This is the task that must
derive the greater part of it's support
from the laymen's movement.
The men interested In the mission.
airy movement, asserted DR.. Stack.
house, have every confidence that the
pledge made by the Baptist denomina.
ton can be fulfilled through the plan
OF regular weekly Offering for mis-.
slons He told of instance after in
stance. which had come under his
own personal observation. in which
the Inauguration of the weekly oifer.
ing system for missions had been the
impetus for increased offerings for
current expenses and In some instan-
ces had converted struggling parish.
es into prosperous and active church.
es. There was no comparison be.
tween a regular system and spas.
motto one so far as results we're con.
cerned.
In closing the meeting. DIR. Dawson
stated that he was pleased to an.
nounce that he had succeeded in Sc.
curing the services Of Or. Stackhouse
as the speaker for the Baptist state
convention In September at St
| JohnghurV