The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-09-26

81, is Luther Rice Memorial
Day." and the event will be OBJ
served by Baptists throughout the
entire world. Rev. Yancy Tillman
Shehane will touch on this subject
at the services tomorrow at the
First Baptist Church.
The following in connection
with the event is contributed by
Rev. Shehane:
''In the joint session of the
Northern and Southern Baptist
Conventions, in their annual gath
erings in St. Louis, Missouri, last
May, the two convent. ons agreed
to ask Baptists throughout the
United States to observe the Cen
tennial of the death of Luther
Rice, Sunday, September 27.
1886. Immediately following the
decision of these two conventions,
the Baptist World Alliance decid-
ed to make the observance world
wide. Following the Alliances
decision, the National (Colored)
Baptist Convention joined in with
the program. Therefore, Baptists
of every name over the entire
world will hold appropriate Mem
orial Church Services this coming
Sunday tomorrow, September
.27. Luther Rice died one hundred
years ago yesterday, September
25, near Columbia, South Caro-
lima, and was buried one hundred
years ago (tomorow), September
27, near Saluda, South Carolina.
A Memorial service of Nation and
Worldwide interest was held in
the City Auditorium in Columbia,
South Carolina, yesterday morn
ing. Baptist leaders from all
parts of the world were there,
when DR.. Geo. ". Truett, Presi-
dent of the Baptist Worl DALI
ance, delivered the Memorial Ad-
dress. His message was broad
cast over the Columbia Broadcast
ing Company of America with con-
nections to other countries.
Luther Rice, about whom lit
tie is known so far as general his
tory goes, lived nearly a century
and half ago, and as leader in
the Baptist Denomination, he did
more in creating organizations, in
situations and uniting Baptist
forces in America into cooperative
and progressive work than any 9th.
er man the denomination has haC
in the past nineteen centuries. A
direct descendant of William the
Conquerer. and a near kinsmar
of the sixth President of the Unit
ed States, John Quincy Adams
Luther Rice was born in North
borough, Massachusetts,, Marcel
25 1888. In 1902 he went as a
missionary to India, returning tt
America for a visit with relative.
in May of 1913. While here OF
his visit from India. he felt a deer
conviction that God wanted hin
as a leader of Baptist forces here
in his own country. After decid
ing to stay and undertake tht
task, he found 175,000 Baptist:
unorganized and scattered all the
way from Maine to Georgia anC
from the Atlantic Coast to the
frontiers beyond the Alleghanies
They had no method of communi
cation other than an occasional
circular pamphlet gotten up by
some individual and passed around
from time to time. 1t contained
very little information and bu
little inspiration. The mode OF
| travel was completely primitive
! the cost of correspondence ex
tremely expensive, and the mean:
of communication exceedingly re
stricted.
''As he stood face to face Will
these conditions. he visualized /;
Baptist Organized Program Ma
tion-wide, End decided to give him
self unrelentingly to its accom-
plishment. There we're at tina