The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-12-11
ADDRESS OF WELCOME
Delivered BY Rev. Louis BristOw Be.
fore the State Baptist COnren-
ton

in behalf of the Christian brotherhood.
We welcome you because of what you
are and because of what you do.
Our delight in welcoming you
springs from the knowledge that you
represent the greatest body of Chris
tians in South Carolina, the member
ship of your churches being about as
numerous us the combined numbers
of all other denominations in the
State.
We welcome you because of yeu1
missionary zeal. Through the activ-
ties OF your State Board, in the last
twenty-five years, there have been es-
tablished more than 200 churches.
and 400 others have been aided and
rescued from a languid desuetude.N o
has your evangelism been confined
within the borders OF this State; oui
to earth's remotest bounds have you
gone, both in the persons of mlssion-
aries who have gone out from among
you, and ry the wise expenditure o.
the money o have entrusted to the
Home n Foreign Boards.
We welcome o because of the
splendor of the achievements of your
organized woman's work. The poet
may scornfully ask,
What highest prize hath woman won
In science or in art?
What mightiest work by woman done
Boasts city, field or mart?"
But we point to the greater attain
ment-a modest demeanor, an earnest
zeal, a redeemed life aflame with the
Spirit of her Master, giving Gospel
ministries to the world.
He is a parricide to his mothers
name,
And with impious hand murders her
fame,
That wrongs the praise of woman"
We welcome you because you en-
phasize the training of young peo.
pie. A photographer places into his
camera an unused plate, and exposes
it for the hundredth part of a second
for an imp ession. So sensitive is that
plate, that the minutest details of the
scene before it are faithfully repro
duced upon it. But extreme care mus
be used in preserving and developing
it. To the end that the negative might
be a perfect one, it cannot be exposed.
That would be to spoil it. With ex-
IRENE care does the photographer re
move it III a dark room, and develop
it. Then it may be exposed to an!
light without danger. So 1t is with a
Young soul. 1t is extremely sensitive
to receive impressions. If these be foi
good, care should be exercised to de
velop them. After they are developed,
no exposu., will spoil them. The d.
vine Word for it: Train up a Chilli
in the way he should go, and when ht
is old he will not depart from It,
Hence our JOY in welcoming you
arises also from your work for you're
people in bible schools, Sunbeam So
cieties and Baptist Young Peoples
Unions.
Our pleasure in welcoming you
springs from your greatness in build
ing Christian schools. When ther'
arose those among you who sald, i
there are deserving boys and Girls
who need education, it is the duty o.
the State to provide ample schools
for them. The \ urches now are doing
enough for the State without receiV-
ing pay therefor" you smiled. Recog-
nizing the duty and privilege n op
portunity before you, you established
Christian schools. Furman,
Anderson, Coker, Limestone, Orange
burg, Tigerville, Landruum, Slx-Mlle
though some of these are no under
this Conventions control-are every
one of them a monument OF heroh
sacrifice and devoted zeal. About the
older of them cluster sacred memo
ries and among the younger IS the
Sparkling enthusiasm OF hope.
Our happiness in welcoming you Is
derived from the consciousness OF
YOUR greatness in works Of benevo-
ience. In Connie Maxwell orphanage
Won provide a home n CHRISTIAN
training for the young who are destl-
tute, and in your Aged Ministers
board you stretch a helping hand 10
trembling and needy age. In the be-
ginning of the life of these institutions
there were those who rose up and
said, "We cannot afford it; calls Tor
money are now loud and frequent it
will cripple u existing work and
bankrupt the churches" Rising above
such a sentiment, you fulfilled your
obligation to the best of your ability
and today there is none to say you
nay.
But it is not enough that you have
done we'll in the past. No really great
life can rest upon the past; and when
one hints that such should be done,
one is reminded of the school boys
speech:
When pa was just a little boy,
Gee, how he ust to work,
He sawed the wood an built the fires
An never tried to shirk.
He always filled the reservoy
An swept the porches, too;
N I guess there wasn't many things
Pa didn't ust to do.
Now Ma gets up an builds the hres;
She says l am too small
An sweeps the porches an the walks
An doesn't mind at all.
She says she's glad to let my pa
His morning nap enjoy,
Because he's tired with all the work
He done when he's a boy.
When 1 get big I'll get a wife
Edzactly like my ma;
To do the chores an let me sleep
Just like she does my pa.
An when I've had my mornin' nap
You bet that I'll enjoy
To tell 'em how I ust to work
When Is a little boy.
No. brethren: we expect you 10
prove your past by your present. AND
in welcoming you our JOY is great
and may l emphasize the thought-be-
N, of fhIC QnC II