The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1916-09-20
Spencer 3. King.

n
and their records are rich with the
stories of good deeds and great gilts
| for the salvation and betterment OF
the people of our State.
BIG Meetings Now On
The annual meetings of the District
| Associations are perhaps the most in
teresting meetings of the year with
Georgia Baptists. To these Assocla-
tions the churches of each district
send messengers with reports OF the
years work and to these meetings
come the representatives of the many
Baptist interests, missionary, educa-
tional and eleemosynary, preachers
and speakers of renown and ability,
who add much to the interest OF the
occasion.
The people come from all the coun-
try round about, in wagons, buggles,
automobiles and Fords. Solemn mes
sengerS bearing with dignity their
commissions from their churches /;
eager, bHght-eyed men and women,
who anticipate the annual pleasure
of meeting their kinsfolk and friends,
for these Associations are great So
cial as we'll as religious occasions,
and not few boys and girls "a'court-
ing bent" for the destiny tof many a
Baptist couple has dated from the
meeting of the Baptist Association.
0eorgia's Debt To Baptists.
The State of Georgia owes the Bap-
fist people great debt because of
their consistent championship of the
elemental principles of democracy
and religious liberty They are the
original Democrats, spiritual Demo-
Gratis, and they have ever stood unwa-
veringly for religious liberty, the in
tegrity of the individual, the freedom
Of the soul, the sovereignty of God,
the separation of Church and State.
and the education and uplift of our
people In the early days Baptist
men and women suffered sore per-
secution and some of them even laid
down their lives in defense of the
fundamental principles and privileges
OF humanity
They have contributed millions in
men and money to the religious prog
ress of Georgia by their aggressive
missionary propaganda. In the pio-
neer days the itineTant Baptist
preacher with his horse, his saddle
bags and his Bible pushed his way in
to every nook and corner of this great
State, proclaiming his message OF
salvation and Righteousness. In the
last fifty years since the Baptists
have been more definitely organized
they have maintained missionaries
evangelists and teachers, who have
preached and taught, bMilt church
houses in needy sections where the
cause was weak. planted and. developed
churches and advanced every good
cause that would bring men to q
knowledge of God and establish right
eousness within the State. This is
what they term Estate Missions" and
during the months of Sept and Oct
the Baptist churches of Georgia are
called on to make devoted and gener
Gus contributions to State Missions
A worthy investment where religion
duu JUN
Our State is also much indebted tt
the Baptists for great educational ad
vantages. These people have always
stood for an open book and an un
| fettered mind. Their educational prop
erty today is worth more than two
million dollars. Belonging immedi
ately to the Baptist organization are
Mercer University ait Macon, Bessie
| Tiff College for women at Forsyth
eight secondary or high schools, anC
the Mary p Willihgham training
school for mountain Ygirls at Blue
Ridge. In addition to these there
are number of n1sOuntain schools
supported by their Home Mission
Board and a number of other strong
Independent Baptist institutions, such
as Shorter College at Rome, Cox Col
lege at College Park and the La
Grange Female College, at LAGRANGE
In benevolent work these Baptists
are not tagging. They support more
than $50 orphans in a home at Hape
| vile and have an efficient Hospital in
Atlanta.
A Good Man Gone
In their various meetings Georgia
Baptists will sadly miss the familiar
form and voice of DR.. H. r. Der
nard, who passed away on August
18th For nearly half a century he
had been active in the work of this
great denomination, having :participat
ed in many of their most effective ad
vance movements
He was a man OF varied talents anG
experience--a teacher, a merchant
railroad manager, a preacher anC
an editor, but the crown Of his life
work was the service he rendered as
an official of his denomination. He
was recognized by BaptEsts as an au
thority on law and order and efficien
cy in denominational affairs and he
was the originator of the Schedule
by which the Baptist churches make
their offerings to all causes today
For nine years he haG been auditor
Of the Georgia. Baptist mission Board
AS "a Christian his sytmpathies were
as bread as the multitude Of Gods
children AS a Baptist he was un
swervingIy' true to the principles OF