Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-05-16
Hot Springs Convention Votes Overwhelming in
 Favor of Equality.
ANY CHURCH OFFICE
 NOW OPEN TO WOMEN
President Gambrell and All Officers Reelected by AcclamatiOn-Re- ports Show Great Work in Mis-.
 sion and Sunday School Fields

Hot Springs, May 15.-Women of the Southern Baptist churches today were granted full and equal rights with by an overwhelming vote, at the 63rd session of the Southern Baptist con vention. By the action taken, which consisted of an amendement to the convention constitution, women now are entitled not only to represent the church in the convention. but also to hold any office in the convention, which is the highest administration or ganization in the denomination.
 The vote was taken after three hours of strenuous debate. The large taber- nacle in which the convention is be- ing held was crowded to it's capacity. and large part of the audience was composed of women who are here to attend the Women's Missionary Union of the church. After the vote was an- nounced division or roll call was de- manded by some of the opponents to the amendment, but soon after was withdrawn and the constitution was declared officially to have been amended so that women may partici- pate in any and all matters of church government. Then the delegates and women visitors rose to sing Blessed be the Tie That Binds"
 Because of the length of the debate on the amendment other business was restricted and the days session clos ed with the reports of the home and foreign mission boards and the Sun day school board.
 Officers Reelected.
 Without dissenting vote, the gen eral officers of the Southern Baptist convention were reelected at this mornings session. The following were chosen:
 President, James E. Gambrell, Dal- las, Texas; vice presidents (new off, cers), Gov. Charles H. Brough, Little Rock, Ark; George Moss, Shreveport. La: John D. el!, Athens, Ga.; pr. Liv- ,, ingston Johnston, Raleigh, N. G.: secretaries. o r. Gregory, Baltimore. Md; Ill. c. Moore, Raleigh, N. G.; treasurer, George w. Norton, Louis vile, Ky; auditor, William P. liar Hey, HaTodsburg. Ky.
 l The night session of the convention was given over to devotional exer- cises. the convention sermon being ! preached by W. II. Geistweit of St. Louis, Mo.
 Wants Million for Missions. 1 D. D. Gray. corresponding secretary of the home mission board. in making his report requested a contribution or apportionment by the churches of $1,- 000,O0O to advance the work of the church next year among the army cantonments, where, he declared, eX- cellent results were being obtained. The board reported the purchase for $100OOO of the Sophie Newcomb college property in New Orleans for the use of the training school author izcd last year by the convention. Rec onlmcndatiOn was made that no steps be taken toward establishing a negro seminary until the split among the negro Baptists had been settled. l It was also recommended that steps 1 be taken at once to open a tubercu- losis sanitarium in Albuquerque, N. M.. an advantageous proposition hay ing been made by that city.
 1 The enlistment apartment reached 240 churches. developed 92 pastoral fields, induced ten churches to in- crease their days of worship. added $1O, ,50O to the salaries of country pas tors and added $30,0O0 to the mission offerings of the churches visited.
 Sunday School Grows
 Cash receipts of $537 ,695, an in crease of $21,S74 over the proceeding year, were revealed in the twenty seventh annual report of the Sunday School Board of the Suothern Baptist convention, made here today.
 \ The resources of the board over adn above all liabilities were report ed as about $60O,000, From its earn ings more than $12O,OOO was expended || in benevolent work, including an ap propriation of $10,000 to the Home Mission Beard for the purchase of the school property in New Orleans for the new Bible Training School; $l0,000 to the Foreign Mission board and $1, ,5O0 to the Southwestern Theo
 logical Seminary for it's department of Religious Education.
 The report indicated that new lines of work have been opened up and ole lines enlarged. Especial interest was taken in the camp work where Testa
 ments, special Quarterly, tracts anc
 other supplies have been furnished
 not only to Baptist workers but to Y
 M. C. A.. men and chaplains. This work cost about $1S,0O0 The boards field word absorbed S33,0 ,000 and $9, ,425
 was spent in cooperation with tho
 States Mission Boards in the uSnda! school work. $20,000 was contributed to Armenian and Syrian Relief.
 Many new lines of endeavor were ! proposed for the ensuing year, ont
 being a campaign for rural Sunda!
 school extension. The beard also vii
 take over the statistical work whicl
 for many years has been done by Dr Lansing Burrows, and is preparing { \ history of the Baptists of the South.