The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-09

today. And then began period or
depression for the council which at
various times threatened its existence.
In recent months, however. there
has been a revival of interest in the
work Of the council--a revival most
pleasing to behold, and now it seems
as II the day of the councils nactiv-
ity is over--that the day of its activity
has begun. 1t seems now that the
council is in a fair way to realize the
hopes and ideals of its founders.
Here l want to say two things, and
the first is that too much cannot be
said in praise of the few noble lay
men who have stood by the council
through all these long. discouraging
years. Their allegiance to it has
never faltered. Without them the
council. 1t seems to me. could not
| have survived And when the coun-
! Gil shall have become an important
factor in the Baptist life of Richmond
and this appears to be It's destiny
/ great praise will be due such laymen
| as w. ID. Duke and William Ellyson.
A. W. Patterson, Il. S. Crump and c,
! O. Alley.
! The other thing I want to say is
! this: So often a man is the solution
! of a difficult situation. What's every
| body's business is nobody's business.
One reason why the council has ac
! complished little is that since the
/ resignation of DR.. Buchanan years
I ago there has been no one who has.
I save for a limited time. given all his
| energies to the work of the council.
No Head for Ten Years.
For more than ten years the coun-
| Gil has been q kind of acephalous
| organization. 1t has had no head to
! it. But now it has a head and a
good one. too. Some months ago Rev.
| G. Il. Arendall. of Portsmouth, Va,
| became the executive secretary of the
/ council. and the spirit with which he
| has entered upon his work. the ap-
probation and mastery OF the situa-
| ton which he has already acquired
! are evidence that he is admira bly,
| adapted to the work and Furthermore
! a rare forerunner of success. He has
the knack of bringing things to pass
and unless all indications deceive us
we feel sure that with his coming
new and brighter day has dawned
! for the Baptist Council.
Executive Secretary's Work
But to be more explicit-what does
! the executive secretary do? In the
/ first place, he sees that religious SER
vices are conducted each Sunday at
ternoon in our Baptist Home for
Aged Women. In the second place,
/ he looks after religious exercises on
Baptist day in the many public in
/ stitutions in and around Richmond
the State prison and the State farm.
the city prison. and let us hope that
soon there will be a city farm, the
/ Laurel Reformatory. the Home for
| InCura bles, the Soldiers Home and
4 the city aims house. All these in
| situations have those in them that are
| Baptist in faith or tendency and they
must not be ignored even though they
are unfortunate. afflicted and poor.
! Another work that our secretary
does Is to establish Sunday Schools
and organize churches in those parts
of the city where we have none. and
where we should have one or the
other and perhaps both. Richmond.
! as we know, is growing by leaps and
bounds. Like the arms of the tabled
| Briareus, it reaches out in every d.
rection and wherever a new section
| Is opened up or a new suburb created
or taken in-right there our council
wants to have a Baptist Sunday
! School and church, into which to well
come the people as they move in.
Rural Sections Baptist.
Let us remember that Richmond is
| largely made up OF people from the
rural sections OF Virginia and that
| these rural sections are predominant
ly Baptist. Also let us remem Der. as
a competent authority has recently
stated, that the three railroads en-
tering Richmond from the South. the
Southern, Seaboard and Coast Line.
come through States one-half OF
whose population is Baptist
Now OF the vast mum bers pouring
into the capacious folds of Richmond
every year from Virginia and States
10 the south of us, 1t is fair to con-
clude that a good If not a large pro-
portion of them are Baptists In senti-
| ment. if not regular members of Bap-
fist Churches.
Our duty to them is plain. It is
to see that they are cared for spirit
ually when they come. 1t is to see
that the moral, the spiritual develop
ment of Richmond keeps step with
her material progress
Object of the Campaign.
Now the object of the $4,000 cam
paign OF the Baptist Council, which
is now in the making. and which will
be carried through next week, is TO
meet the needs of Baptist interests in
Richmond created by the expansion of
the city. Let us notice some of these
needs
First. Over in SCOTS Addition, In
the northern part of the city. we have
a. fiourishing Sunday School and
| church. worshipping under a tent.
What will they do. what can they do.
when cold weather comes on?
1 Second. Over at Oakwooi, in the
eastern part OF the city. we have an
unusually young hut vigorous churc h
and Sunday School. which. under the
leadership of its fine young pastor. a
l.colege student, is making a remark
| able record. That church Is worship
ping in the public school building.
/ hi Nh % I.x -
growing congregations. and in
adequate. as can be readily inferred,
to the demands of thorough-going
church and Sunday School work.
Third. Randolph-Street Baptis,
Church, a few blocks to the south OF
US. has a splendid lot both in size
and In location, but the building upon
1t IL so inferior in it's construction ond
appearance. defective in its arrange
ment, and entirely inadequate In its
size.
Yzt- l.