The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-22
ATTENDANCE LARGE
 AT BAPTIST MEETING
Many Important Questions Already Settled by South
 ern Convention

1 Asheville, N. C.. May 21.-The 1916 South ern Baptist convention, which will close l tomorrow, had the largest attendance in its history, according to figures given out here tonight b> it's secretary, showing that 2125 delegates have registered since the sessions opened last Wednesday. The largest previous attendance was 193O. ] Religious services occupied the time of the convention today and tonight. Mem bers of the convention occupied the pull pits of virtually every Protestant church in the city, both white and black, and many preached at country churches nearby.
 The Woman's Missionary union, an auxiliary, held special exercises late today in honor of Miss Fannie E. S. Heck of Raleigh, who, for 15 years was president of the union.
 The woman's organization will give to- morrow morning over to a council of deld workers at which leacers Tn the society will outline methods of work and discuss plans for the coming year The convention itself is expected to wind up it's meeting Monday afternoon having before it consideration of the past years work of the laymens movement, and of the activities of the Baptist Young Peo- ple's union. A number of other matters are expected to be brought up under the head of miscellaneous business.
 The convention already has determined many of the more important questions on this years programme. Action taken
 included:
 Consolidation of the monthly publica- tions of the home mission board and of the foreign board
 DpciSin1 m tn 1nit afh Ia nominations in maintaining a school in Shanghai, China, for missionaries chil- dren.
 Retention for another year of an educa- tional commission to further the cause of education in general and Christian edu- cation in particular" instead of estab- fishing for this purpose board similar to the foreign and home boards
 Discontinued the two field secretaries of the foreign mission board and recom- lnended that the foreign board retain it's corresponding secretary and one other off, flee secretary, instead of two, as at present.
 Postponed until next year the question of consolidating the home and foreign mission boards.
 Broke precedent by allowing women to address the convention, and heard the statement by the Rev. Dr. J. B. Gambrell a retired preacher of Dallas, Tex, that some day women will be members of this convention.
 The addresses by women were made by Miss Kathleen Mallory of Montgomery Ala, corresponding president of the Woman's Missionary union. who spoke briefly on the work of the womans train ing school at Louisville, Ky, and intro duced Mrs. Maud McLure principal of the school, who went into greater detail about the work
 bo leans, May Is to 2l 1917. The Woman's Missionary union, according to custom, will meet at the same time and place.
 Minneapolis, Minn., May 21.-Young peo- pie were urged to heed the call of home and foreign missions, and to take their places as leaders in the church by John Y. Aitchison, joint secretary of the Ameri- can Baptist Home and the American Bap- tist Foreign Mission societies, who today addressed the Northern Baptist conven- ton here
 Rev. Dr. Cornelius Woelfkin of New York delivered the annual convention sermon, preaching doctrinal matters
 The delegates tomorrow will elect the general convention officers and the of ficers of the various societies, to whom will fall the task of working out the de- nominatonal problems that have come up at the present meeting.
 It became known tonight that sub committee of the resolutions committee after a prolonged discussion at secret session, agreed on a compromise resolu- tion on the question of national prepared ness
 c. A. Cook of Helena, Mont, chairman of the subcommittee, said that the pro- gramme which will go before the con- vention will include a resolution favor ing national prohibition by legislative amendment.
 Another resolution would place the con- vention on record as condemning the weak divorce laws. The committee dis cussed proposed resolutions to condemn dancing, cigarette smoking and card playing, but decided to leave the ques- tions to the individual Baptists and the