The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-10-12
The BAPTIST STATE
CONVENTION HERE.
ONE OF THE MOST HARMON
IOUS MEETINGS EVER HELD
IN THE STATE
Representative Were Here From
New York, Iowa and Several
Other States
The Meeting was Voted by All the
Visitors and Others Present to
Have Been an Entire Success

Have Been an Entire Success
Baptists from every section of the
state and representatives from New
York, Iowa, Illinois and other states
have been gathered in Hays since
Monday for the annual Baptist state
convention, which closes tonight.
Meeting in conjunction with this body
are members of the Kansas Baptist
Association and the Kan
sas Baptist Women's Union.
Notable among the events of the
week was the entertainment of dis
tinguished visitors by the Chamber
of Commerce at the forum luncheon
on Tuesday. The OCCASION honored
several members of the Baptist state
board, number of whom addressed
those present at the luncheon.
Among the guests at the Chamber
Of Commerce luncheon were DR.. S.
E. Price, president of Ottawa Uni
.versity; Rev. Frank Jennings, of
Lawrence, president of the Ministerial
association; DR.. w. H. Rogers, of
Muscatine, Iowa; DR.. w. A. Elliott, of
Ottawa; DR.. Bunyan Smith, of Wich-
ita; DR.. J. T. Crawford, general state
secretary, and Rev. Macdonald
Thompson, pastor of the First Bap-
tist church of Hays. The visiting
speakers, without exception, were
splendid entertainers, and those who
heard them counted their presence at
the luncheon most fortunate. Dr.
Elliott, of Ottawa, surprised his list
eners with the assertion that he had
preached the first sermon of his
career in Hays more than twenty
years ago.
William A. Biby, of Topeka, state
director of Near East Relief, spoke
briefly before one assembly yester-
day. He has just completed an ex-
tended tour of the regions affected
by recent disasters at the hands of
the Turks. For several months he
studied at first hand the developments
in COnstantinople, Armenia and that
spot of most recent tragedy, Smyrna.
Mr.. Biby is perhaps the best inform
ed man in America on conditions in
the Near East, and his mission here
was one of primary Importance as in
dicated by the response he received.
Decrying the deplorable atrocities
of recent date in the Near East and
particularly in Smyrna, the conven-
ton last night adopted without a dis
senting vote resolutions to forward
by wire to Presiden Harding a vigor-
Gus protest against the massacre and
starvation of the Christian minorities
in the affected areas. The resolu-
tiOns further urged and recommended
that every member of Baptist
churches throughout the state make
a gift of not less than twenty-five
cents, to meet the emergency now
existing in Smyrna. This action will
result in the creation of a fund ex-
ceeding $4,000.
C. F. Matthews, J. n. Atkinson
and c. L. Carlson, all of Topeka,
were named by the convention as
members fo the Kansas State Citizens
Committee for Smyrna relief. The
committee presenting the resolutions
was composed of W. c. Coleman, of
Wichita;- P. o. Hegberg, of Ottawa;
c. F. Matthews, of Topeka, and Pro
fessor Arvin Olin, of Kansas Univer-
sity. So urgent was the emergency
deemed that the resolutions took pre-
cedence over regular business of the
convention sessions. The spontaneity
of the conventions action, which
comes close on the heels of a similar
move by the Disciples of Christ
churches representing $4,000 Kan
sans, evidences an aroused and grow
ing feeling among the Christian
bodies of the state to register an en-
phatic announcement of the appalling
sacrifice of Christian lives in the
lands that gave birth to their common
religion.
Action in the matter by Presbyter-
ians, now assembled at Junction City,
is expected today.
Professor H. NJ. Cutter, of Emporia
was elected president of the Kansas
Baptist Convention for the ensuing
year, at the business session yester-
day afternoon. DR.. John Bunyan
Smith, of Wichita, was named vice
president. R. L. Parker, professor
of History at the Fort Hays Normal