The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-05-15
bAP1ISTS To WORK 4
FOR DRY NATION
RESOLUTIONS ENDORSING MA
TIoN-WiDE PROHIBITION
ADOPTED At NASHVILLE.
DECLARE STATE LEGISLATION
Insufficient FOR TRAFFIC
Mrs. Ben W. Hooper, Wife of Tennes-
see Governor, Addresses Delegates
To Women's Missionary Union
Drastic Changes in Sunday School
Lesson Noted.
(By Associated Press.)

10y ASSOCtutcu 1TeSS.)
Nashville, May 15.-The Southern
Baptist convention has put itself on
record as favoring national prohibition |
and authorized the employment Of an
agent to do educational work in the in
terest of the movement. The action
on the question was taken by the adop-
tion of the report of the Temperance
committee submitted by DR.. A. ]. Bar
ton, Of Waco, Texas.
Denominational control over the
Sunday school lesson courses also was
decided upon by the convention which
adopted the report of the Sunday
school lesson committee.
Routine committee reports and an
address of welcome by Mrs. Ben W.
Hooper, wife Of the Governor of Ten
nessee, occupied the greater part of
the session Of the Woman's Mission
ary Union which is meeting simultan-
eously with the convention. The Union
also authorized the sale of the Marga-
ret Home for Children of Missionaries
located at Greenville, s. c., which has
been maintained by the organization
for ten years.
Review Temperance Legislation.
In the report of the committee on
Temperance, National and State legis-
lation accomplished in the current
year was reviewed in detail. The re-
port also included the joint resolution
Of Congressman Richmond Pearson
Hobson and Senator Morris Sheppard
providing for an amendment to the
Federal Constitution forbidding the
sale, manufacture, expectation or i'm
portation Of intoxicating liquors except
for medical and other necessary pur-
poses. Endorsement of the resolution
was recommended by the committee
and the members of the convention
were urged to "use every righteous
and proper influence for an enactment
of this legislation"
The committee also recommended
the employment of field workers "who
shall devote all of his time to the pro-
motion of our cause"
In conclusion, the report quotes the
declaration of principles adopted at
the last national convention of the Anti
Saloon League of America, which, in
part, is as follows.
1--WE declare our settled conviction
that license and religious regulation
are inadequate to exterminate the traf-
fic in liquor. The traffic is a federal
evil, national menace, too powerful
for state authority, requiring national
jurisdiction and treatment. 1t COM
mercializes vice and capitalizes human
weakness. We therefore declare for
its national humiliation by an amend
ment to the Federal Constitution"
Change In Sunday Schools.
A great change in the Sunday school
lesson situation among all denomina-
tions was said to have taken place in
the report of the special committee on
that subject which was presented by
DR.. l. J. Van Ness, of Nashville. At
tention was called to the fact that an
agreement was recently reached in a
conference at Philadelphia by which
the international lesson committee is
to be adopted by the International Sun
day school lesson committee, the Sun
day school council, an organization of
! denominational publishers and by the
denominations direct.
In view of the changed conditions
the committee asked that the conven-
ton assume full responsibility for the
Sunday school courses Of the denomi-
nation. BY the adoption Of the report
the committee was given this power.
While the committee will probably
work in cooperation with the newly
formed international lesson committee
II will be free to accept or reject the
international lessons. Today's action
was an echo of the controversy which
featured the convention at st. Louis
last year.