The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-11
MEN, WOFfEN
 AND THINGS

This is the day of young people Never before in the history of the world has so much attention been paid to their educa- ton, both secular and religious.
 while back I had a story in this column about the Christian Endeavorers who were here in their state convention, and in it I gave some facts about the growth of young peoples societies in the various churches.
 l It is undenominational. or rather inter denominational, as Christian Endeavor so- cieties are to be found in several of the leading evangelical churches. It has cir cled the world. and Dr. Francis E. Clark, it's founder, is one of the greatest globe- trotters in religious history.
 But l sat down to write about the B. Y. P. U., these initials standing for the Bap- tist Young Peoples Union., The state con vention, which came to a close last night, was the largest in it's history, and set new records in other ways. It was a meet ing full of power, and the delegates went l back to their homes filled with larger visions for Christian work
 | It seems strange, but every religious movement born in or out of the church has had to make it's way through oppo- sition. The story of the Sunday school was no exception, and even to this day there are some denominations who still refuse to have anything to do with it; and they are made up of mighty good folk who cannot see their way to give place | to it.
 | The Baptist Young Peoples Union was no exception. I can well remember that in my first pastorate the association to which the church I served belonged was la unit against what they called an unscrp- tural and useless innovation. I believed in it, but being a young preacher, had hard fight to get the movement indorsed, and only did so by showing step by step how it had been indorsed by churches, associations, state conventions and even the Southern Baptist Convention. 1 I reckon if I hadn't recently come out | of the law, where I was used to fight | ing for rnl clients and what believed, | that I would not have had the nerve to go up against my elders. Another thing, | however, was in my favor, as I hadn't the least idea of just how strong the op- position was against 1t It frequently means half of the battle to sail in with out stopping to think about the strength of ones adversaries. I suppose it was just the reckless spirit of young man which gave me courage to face religious prejudice without a tremor
 But don't think all the honors were with me, for it takes an old-time mountain. preacher to dress down a young fellow fresh from the seminary, in the pride of his youth and with the ignorance of his book learning still clinging to him.
 A diploma is weak thing to lean on in debate with a man who has fought his way up in the school of life I'll not string it out, but just give the blow which sent me to the mat. Pointing his long, lean finger at me with fire in his eye, lip curled, nostrils dilated, and voice 1
 things come to a pretty pass when sich
 as he is comes amongst us to impose on his betters with new-fangled alpha l betical societies?" | l think it was sympathy pure and sim pie which made the association, when | the test vote was made, line up with me.
 l feel, therefore that I have right to count myself a friend of the movement,
 for to this day my blood tingles at the | thought of the old pioneer saint who im- paled me before his brethren as city
 upstart who was seeking to introduce
 into the Baptist denomination something
 to bring it into disrepute. He was so
 wrought up as the defender of the faith
 that to be he really became a heroic fig 1 ure handed down from old covenanter days. I much prefer his type to the spineless clerical misfits who are blown
 about by every wind of doctrine" and have no opinions of their own, but are
 willing to preach the round or flat" sys- tenn, so long as they can hold their jobs. l have given the above to show the re- | ception which the B. Y P. U got out in the rural districts, but it had just as nara tune in the city, and for long 1 time was football kicked back and forth by the leaders both, north and south. It was organized in Chicago in 1890, coming into life because of the widespread move- I ment of the Christian Endeavor societies l It was an effort on the part of the lead CTS to keep Baptist young people identi- fled with the work of Baptsts and under l Baptist influences. The Epworth League
 also came into existence for similar | reasons.
 1 The first B. Y. P. U. convention was held in Chicago in 1891, and about all re- member of it is that Baptist layman, John A. Chapman, became it's president.
 No, one save Baptists and few of them, ! would now be interested in all of it's ups and downs, both in the north and the
 south, and the causes which finally led i to each section taking over the work after having failed to make it satisfac- tory to both sides of the Mason ana | Dixon line. I kept in touch with it through it's conventions and organ, 'The Baptist Union." but remember it with lit- tie interest save that Dr. Walter Galley, who at one time was it's secretary, was a man of charming manners and conse- crated spirit.
 It's strange how a person will forget the really great addresses of public man and yet carry in his memory Some incident which at the time seemed trfling and went unmarked. Dr. Galley was at the Southern Baptist Convention when it
 met in Savannah some years sgo with a handsome ten-year-old son We went for a walk and the lad wantei to go one way and the father another It was a