The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1917-03-29
THE LAYBiAN's MISSIONARY
MOVEMENT CONVENTION

my visit, as one of the representatives.
of the First Presbyterian church OF
Covington, to the Layman's Mission
airy Movement convention, held IN the
First Presbyterian church Of New Or
leans, La, on March 1915, 1917.
The convention was presided over
from the beginning to the end by Mr.
Ghas. Al. Rowlands, a layman from
Athens, Ca, who was on the job all
the time and never was at loss to
know Just when and where and how to
control the vast number Of men IN
attendance upon this convention,
there being more than one thousand
Delegates. The convention was held
III the First Presbyterian church Of
New Orleans, La, which is widely
known throughout the Southern states
from the fact that the celebrated DR..
Palmer was pastor of this church for
nearly fifty years and ministered to
hts congregation and the city of New
Orleans during the yellow fever cpl
demic, which is known to all as being
one Of the most deplorable things that
could have happened to any state OF
city.
The welcome addresses were made
by the Hons. Rufin G. Pleasant, gov
ernor Of Louisiana, and Martin Berh-
man, mayor Of New Orleans. The re-
Spouse was made by Mr.. R. B. Clinton,
Of Memphis.
The entire program was interest
ing, instructive, and on live topics, but
time and space forbid only brief
mention. One subject discussed is so
universal in its application that a
notice is given of it, viz: what God
Has Right To Expect Of a Layman
III the Matter of Consecrated Means"
This subject was discussed by a lay
man by the name Of H. 2. Duke, Of
Dallas, Tex, who is known through
out the South, and particularly in
Texas, as "A Partner With God. He
il deacon in the First Baptist
church Of Dallas, of which the cele-
brated DR.. Truett is pastor. This
man, Duke, started out twenty-three
years ago on a capital of $500 and
told the Lord that he was going to
give Him tenth of his net profits of
the business and he said the first year
he gave his Master $40 and the next
year $50 and in The first sixteen
years Of his business, after max ne
this decision, that he handle the Lord
s27 500, and after the sixteen years
mad passed he told us that he prom
ised the Lord that if he would let him
make 100000 that he would not ask
for any more wealth, and that all he
made after that time he would give it
to Him, and he said that he made that
year enough to make him worth
$4,000 and that the devil tried
mighty hard to make him take the
extra $4,000, but he didn't do it, and
in the last six years he had made
over and above his living expenses
100000 and turned it all over to the
cause of Christ and besides had gone
up and down the state and country
trying to bring others to the Lord,
and had spent at least two-thirds of
his time at such woSk. He said he
was a merchant and has twenty-three
stores in Texas, and had his business
so well systematized that he only had
To have one bookkeeper for the whole
chain of stores. This man, Duke,
would not impress you as being a
strong business man, but to use the
language of Mr.. Grant Reid, one of
our party in attendance upon this con-
vention, II believe that he is the only
one Of that kind in captivity. Really
too much can not be said of this man,
Duke, for certainly if more of us
would give the tenth Of our income to
the causes of the church, we who are
deacons would not have to walk our
legs off running after the fellow who
.subscribes for pastors salary and be-
nevolent causes. Therefore Let US sit
up and take notice of these things
and we will all feel better for having
made the effort.
Ex-Governor Patterson's speech on
2'The Mind of 4 Nation" was consid-
cred the masterpiece of the conven-
ton, as well as the splendid address
of the Rev. P. James Bryant, negro,
who is pastor of a colored church in
Atlanta Ca, who has membership
Of 5,700 people. This negroes subject
was, what the White Churches of
the South Can Do for the Negro
Churches of the South.
Brother r. P. Walker, pastor of the
First Presbyterian church of Coving-
ton, who was with us on this trip, said
that the convention at New Orleans
was one of the grandest functions of
its kind that he has ever attended,
and Mr.. j. G. Conan, also of our
church, said that certainly he got a
great deal out of the convention and
particularly gathered some great
thoughts from the speakers with re-
gard to handling men, women and
children as he daily has perplexing
problems that confront him in the
management of the labor for the cor
poration which he represents.
Now having given you echoes from
the convention, l feel at this point
that it viii not be amiss to digress
from the subject and speak of two of
Upton county's favored sons who are
in New Orleans, one of them perma-
nently, and refer to the Hon. Samuel
A. Montgomery who is fast becoming
one of the leading lawyers of the city
and who has done as much or more
TO break down sin etc. in the city than
any man in the great city of New
ORLEANS This is said of him by the
press, by churchmen and laymen alike
in that city. The other to whom /
refer is our beloved Richard Owen,
son of Col. and Mrs. w. A. Owen, OF
this city, who is student Of Tulane
university of New Orleans, and who
has won recently two medals offered
for orat0ry, and when | left New Or
leans Thursday night Richard went to