The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1919-05-08
Southern Baptist Con
vention Held May IA
To 19 Inclusive.
MISSOURI MAY
UNITE WITH SOUTH
War Speakers VIII Be
Present At The
Meeting.
Associated Press

ATLANTA, Ga, May Sat the an
nual Southern Baptist Convention,
meeting here May Ia to 19, women for
the first time will be admitted as q i
egates on an equality with men and
busy sessions are indicated.
Southern Baptists were greatly dis
pleased at the ruling of the War De
uartment at Washington in connec-
ton with camp pastors, feeling with
other evangelical denominations that
they were Disseminated against an5
it is expected the convention will
make known it's attitude toward the
policy of the War Department.
Much interest is being manifested
by the denomination as to the out
come of the drive for missions under
taken after the convention at Hot
Springs, Ark, last year authorized its
boards to plan work on a basis Of $2,-
SOC, ,Oe0 for the present year-$1, co.,
OOO for home missions and 81 1,50O,OOO
for foreign missions. This is IS pc"
cent greater than the sum raised last
year. Leading ministers and layI.2e9
throughout the South have been az
tive, and the outlook l. that the nlol
ey will have been raised when tne
convention meets.
L. ~1v Of X
gates app an equality with men IS be-
ing watched with interest. For moro.
than7 years the convention has main
tanned the policy that women should
be silent in the churches when men
were present Last years convention
adopted a resolution allowed the wom
en- to be admitted. Many women
oppose the change believing their
work should be confined to the in
dividual churches. Many men oppose
their admission on the ground thai
the membership of the convention al
ready is too large and should be div
ided
A call for an all-American Baptist
convention at an early date probably
will be advocated by the Southern
Baptists in view of the widesprea
agitation on the question of uniting
the various denominations and feder-
ating the churches. The opinion
among some Southern Baptists is that
they cannot conscienciously enter in! o
any such movement and that some
authoritative body of all branches o.
the denomination should be constitut~
ed to pass upon the question and sc
forth the Baptist view.
Final steps toward the establish
ment of a negro Baptist theological
seminary, undertaken by joint COM
mission from Southern, Northern and
Negro Baptist conventions, are ex-
pected to be taken at the coming ses-
sions. Memphis, Tenn, in all prab :
biiity, will be the location of the pro-
posed seminary and the initial cost
probably will be not less than $780,
600.
Indications are that large num-
ber of churches of Missouri will with
draw from the Northern convention
and unite with the Southern at the
coming sessions. There has been a
division among the Baptists of Ms
souri, where some churches belong to
the Northern and some to the South
ern convention. A movement has
been on foot for some time with {
view to having all belong to one con
vention and the trend of the move
ment has been toward the Southern
convention, with which, it is claimed
most of the churches have been il
closer touch.
The interests of the country church
es will be given careful considerably
this year.
Among the speakers will be me-
who have served in the great wa
Dr.. George w. Truett, of Dallas Tex.
Dr.. Henry A. Porter, of Atlanta; D1
II. E. Dodd, Of Shreveport, La. 2
well - = large number of men VIII
have been in service in the trenche
and with the Young Mems Christia
Associati0n, win be present. Betwee
5000 Ard on pfepls are expecte
ette,.d 1 ms.
s.. 71 80, Of Fort Wort
= ni .] ~ ~ will Is re-elect&