Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-10-13
NO TROUBLE IN VIRGINIA.


A. A. Calvin and the advice Of many
others, conditions now declared to be
existent In Georgia are not duplicated
in Virginia. Here any divine is per
mittcd to affiliate with either Of the
wings Of the National Baptist Con
vention, without disturbing his stand
ing or relationship In the Baptist
family Of the Old Dominion The
wisdom Of this may be seen by the
following statement, which appeared
in a recent issue OF the Atlanta, Ga.
Baptist OF which the brainy b. j.
Davis is editor:
The four hundred and twenty
thousand Baptists in our State arc
gradually dividing into two divisions:
yes, drifting into Boyd and Morris
factions. DR.. T.. Il. Carter, pastor
of Friendship Baptist Church, is the
most prominent leader among the
Boyd people, and there is Il fight to
death among the Morrisites as to who
shall he the most prominent leader
of that faction.
Now, these brethren have Il per-
feet right to differ among themselves
and choose whom they please to fol-
low on all national questions: but
our State work should not be inter
fcrrcd with, nor should our schools,
-Morchouse College, Americas In
sti,utc, Walker Baptist Institute and
Jcrucl Acadcmy--be made issues in
the strife.
The work Of the General State
Baptist Convention should not be
burdcncd with national strife. Every
Baptist preacher. member, aSsocia-
ton or organization in the State
should be permitted to choose which
ever national branch, corporated or
unincorporated it will serve; and
our schools should not lie made to
suffer because OF personal ambition
and strife.
1t is appalling to contemplate, as
you walk thro Ish the streets and see
On the doors Jt the
white churches pleading for men and
women to come to the church and be
saved, while the chief topic among
the Baptist preachers Of our state is
strife, charges and countcr-charges
all for personal gain, advertising
to the world, strife and disSension in
the body polite.
Those in charge Of tho schools
should remember that the schools
have friends on both sides; that the
Boydites love the schools and sup
port them; that the Morrisites love
the schools and support them; that
the State work is all of our work, and
let the individual and denominations
al organizations choose for them
selves and let us lose neither sleep
nor love trying to convince the other
of the righteousness or wrongfulncss
OF his cause.
This is a free country where every
man is entitled to q free and untram-
mclled expression Of his convictions,
and let us not fall out and hate one
another because we do not agree on
national issues.
Let MS leave Boyd, Morris, the
Publishing Board and everything else
out OF it, except the fostering of our
State work, the supporting of our
schools and the taking care OF our
own local institutions.
This was the advice VIC gave the
brethren in this State at the start,
and the leaders, including that prince
Of Baptist livincs, Rev. w. e. Ora
ham, d. d. took up the refrain, with
the result that we have united
Baptist brotherhood in this State and
no chickering's as to tho success Of
either the one side or the other. More
money was raised at the Lynchburg
session of the Virginia Baptist State
Convention than appears to have been
actually raised by both Of the Ma
tional Baptist Conventions combined.
In our opinion, the value Of tho
Boyd plant at Nashville, Tennessee,
Publishing Board has been greatly
overcstimated. 1t has value with
the Boyds and it has little value
without the Boyds. If we had the
choice Of purchasing the plant and
purchasing the Boyds, We would BIO
willing to pay more money for the
Boyds than we would for the plant.
Yes, double, yea, treble, yea, qua
druple the amount.
Let DR.. Morris and his friends pur-
chase a plant Of their own and save
money. 1t will be better than throw
ing money away fighting the Boyds
Of Nashville, Tennessee.
Benjamin j. Davis, Of Atlanta,
Georgia and his cotcrie OF friends
seem to have outwittcd the national
organization by securing a State
charter, behind which they are de-
flying their enemies. Money is being
expended in that State and it is UNI
fortunate that basis Of compro-
mise cannot be reached with this de,
fiant leader and his army Of devoted
followers.