BAPTISTS. 



69 



since the society began active work $12,000,000 

 hail been added to toe funds of Baptist institu- 

 tions. Chicago University had now $7,<MM),<KM), 

 <>r nearly one fourth of the educational money of 

 Aincricaii l'.aptist>. 'I'lie institution had changed 

 a- i: had enlarged, till college instruction had 

 heroine only an appendage, and stress was laid 

 upon graduate rather than undergraduate work. 



The Southern Baptist Educational Society met 

 in Nashville, Tenn., May il. when papers were 

 read on " Higher Education in Texas, by Prof. A. 

 J. Emerson, and " Examinations and Degrees," 

 by Dr. II. II. Harris. 



' Southern Baptist Conyentlon. The South- 

 ern Baptist Convention held its forty-eighth 

 meeting in Nashville, Tenn., May 12. Judge 

 Jonathan 1 laralson, of Alabama, was re-elected 

 president. The opening of the sessions was made 

 notable by the presence of Bishop O. P. Fitzger- 

 ald, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 

 who was invited to the platform and to address 

 the convention an innovation in the practices 

 of this body, which has not been accustomed to 

 receiving visiting delegates from other Churches. 

 The Foreign Board (of Missions) reported that it 

 had received $154,686, of which $21,346 were 

 contributed as for " Permanent Centennial 

 Work." A debt was reported of $10,464. Re- 

 ports were received from the missions in Italy 

 347 members, 75 additions by baptism during 

 the year; Brazil, 15 missionaries and their wives, 

 453 members, and 96 baptisms, with a new mis- 

 sion begun in the capital of the State of Espirito 

 Santo ; Mexico, 1,014 members and 94 baptisms ; 

 Japan, 27 members and 26 baptisms ; Africa, 144 

 members and 20 baptisms ; and China, 938 mem- 

 bers and 75 baptisms. 



The receipts of the Home Board had been 

 $242,396, of which $26.284 had been raised 

 through the Woman's Missionary Union, and 

 $52,980 as centennial contributions. For the 

 first time in several years the board was free 

 from debt. Three hundred and sixty-eight mis- 

 sionaries had been employed, through whom 

 5,111 persons had been baptized, 9,604 members 

 received into the churches, 155 churches con- 

 stituted, and 92 houses of worship built. The 

 Cuban mission returned 2,261 members, with 169 

 baptisms. Hitherto only native Cubans had 

 been employed in this mission, but as the work 

 had enlarged it had become necessary to appoint 

 also a missionary from the United States. Mis- 

 sions were sustained among the Germans in Texas, 

 Missouri, Kansas, and Maryland, and among the 

 Mexicans in Texas. Labors among the colored 

 people had been given mostly to the work of 

 training their preachers. In the Indian Terri- 

 tory, in a total population of 130,000, the South- 

 ern Baptists had 15 associations, 189 ordained 

 preachers, 267 churches, and 12,961 baptized be- 

 lievers. 



The report of the Sunday-school Board for its 

 second.year showed its work to be prosperous 

 in every department. 



The Centennial Committee had raised $133.- 

 000 during the year, besides which $18,000 had 

 been received by the Foreign Board in the pre- 

 vious year. As many of the collections had been 

 taken too late to be included in the report, the 

 time for closing the account was extended to 

 November. 



The Southern Baptist Missionary Union (Wom- 

 an's) raised during the year for all purposes, in- 

 cluding the, centennial, W2,W>. Attention was 

 directed, when the report of the society was pre- 

 sented in the convention, to the fact that it did 

 not represent all that was done by the women 

 for missions. The sisters who give money but 

 do not raise it through a society, who contribute 

 directly to the Church collections, it was insisted, 

 should not be forgotten. 



American Baptist Publication Society. 

 The sixtv-ninth annual meeting of the American 

 Baptist Publication Society was held in Denver, 

 Col., May 23. The society had received during 

 the vear, in its book department, $534,530 ; in the 

 Bible department, $21,336 ; and in the mission- 

 ary department, $127,217; making, in all, $683,- 

 083. The assets of the society were $984,384, 

 and its invested funds amounted to $493,372. 

 Another branch house had been opened in Dal- 

 las, Texas, making the sixth belonging to the so- 

 ciety. Instead of waiting for voluntary offers 

 of manuscripts for publication, the publication 

 committee had determined to secure the prepa- 

 ration of such works as were decided to be most 

 needed for the denomination. Several commis- 

 sions had been allotted. Prizes of $500 each 

 had been offered for the best stories on certain 

 topics of Christian character and conduct. The 

 preparation of an inductive series of Sunday- 

 school lessons as alternative to the International 

 series was promised. Seventy-four new publica- 

 tions had been issued. Final contracts had been 

 awarded for the completion of the unfinished re- 

 vision of the Old Testament. The Bible depart- 

 ment had distributed 33,426 copies of the Scrip- 

 tures. The missionary department had employed 

 140 agents in all, and aided several State con- 

 ventions in the support of colporteurs. Under 

 the labors of these agents 642 persons had been 

 baptized, 49 churches constituted, 330 Sunday 

 schools organized, 537 institutes held and ad- 

 dressed, 296 Sunday schools aided by gifts of 

 Bibles, books, periodicals, etc., and 332 pastors 

 and ministerial students aided with grants for 

 their libraries. The chapel car Evangel had been 

 in constant service, and with it 88 places had been 

 visited, at which 8 churches had been organized 

 and provided with pastors, 4 Sunday schools 

 formed, 25 persons baptized, and 400 converts 

 enrolled. Another car had been built and paid 

 for by friends of the society, and a third had 

 been offered provided the building of a fourth 

 could be assured. The opening of the exposition 

 at Chicago on Sunday was condemned by reso- 

 lution, and the course of the Baptists of Chicago 

 in withdrawing the denominational acceptance 

 of the invitation to take part in the auxiliary 

 religious congress was approved. 



American Baptist Missionary Union. 

 The annual meeting of the American Baptist 

 Missionary Union was held in Denver, Col.,May 

 24, the Rev. A. H. Strong, D. D., presiding. The 

 total receipts of the society for the year had 

 been $865,752, of which $757,305, or '$396,915 

 more than in the previous year, were in the form 

 of contributions from the churches, including 

 those of the women's societies. In addition to 

 this amount, $37,950 had been received in condi- 

 tional trust funds subject to annuities, and the 

 women's societies had received $74,139 available 



