

BAPTISTS. 



55 



understand the annual convention to be a delib- 

 erative body, composed of individuals voluntarily 

 named by the several churches, associations of 

 churches, and missionary societies, which co-oper- 

 ate in work, without authority extending beyond 

 its membership. It has -no body superior to it to 

 control its deliberations and proceedings, or sub- 

 ordinate to it to be bound thereby. If, then, it 

 has no supervisory power over it, exercises no dele- 

 gated powers, and is not representative, it must 

 be an independent sovereign body, under the 

 limits of its own organic law." Concerning the 

 question of jurisdiction over members, the court 

 recognized the right of selection by the bodies 

 named, but held that the presumption is that the 

 members shall be good men, and in harmony with* 

 the purposes of the organization. The method of 

 selection had as its purpose to fix membership in 

 proper limits, secure general co-operation, and ob- 

 tain the best representatives of the denomination. 

 With nothing in the constitution renouncing the 

 right of the convention to control its membership, 

 the court decided that it clearly had that right. 

 " The collective wisdom, judgment, and integrity 

 of such assemblies generally is the only safeguard 

 against the abusive exercise of such power. Such 

 bodies must be regarded as possessing the inherent 

 right and authority to protect themselves in the 

 matter of their membership, and in the exercise 

 of that right and authority they are answerable 

 alone to their own consciences and to general pub- 

 lic opinion. They are not limited to the power 

 to investigate and determine the validity of the 

 election and the regularity of the credentials of 

 one claiming membership, as is contended by the 

 appellee, but they have the power to refuse him 

 membership upon any grounds which may seem 

 good and sufficient to the body itself." The trans- 

 action was regarded by the court as coming under 

 the head of " privileged communications." The 

 right of the convention to control its own mem- 

 bership, and the submission to its authority in 

 that respect by a member when he accepts cre- 

 dentials and applies for admission, were regarded 

 as first principles of such privileged communica- 

 tions. Another condition of them is that the ac- 

 tion taken shall be under a sense of duty to the 

 body and its work, and should have reasonable 

 grounds as its basis. Mere dislike for the person 

 expelled, because of his actions and their effect 

 upon the common work, were regarded as not con- 

 stituting the malice necessary to make a case of 

 libel. The decision was regarded by the parties 

 supporting the action of the convention as con- 

 stituting a legal vindication of the Baptist princi- 

 ples of the freedom and independence of the 

 churches. 



The Baptist Congress. The eighteenth an- 

 nual Baptist Congress was held in Richmond, Va., 

 Nov. 20 to 22. The Rev. A. P. Montague, D. D., 

 president of Furman University, presided. The 

 subjects of The Ritschlian Theology: its Meaning 

 and Value, Is the Trust Beneficial or Injurious to 

 Society? Where lies the Efficiency of Jesus's Work 

 in the Reconciliation? Romanist Survivals in Prot- 

 estantism, Weak Points in the Baptist Position, 

 and Child Nurture in Baptist Polity were dis- 

 cussed, each by two designated writers, two desig- 

 nated speakers, and volunteer speakers, representa- 

 tion of the different sides of the several questions 

 being sought in the selection of the writers and 

 speakers. The congress is a voluntary body, " not 

 representative, deliberative, legislative, or mission- 

 ary," but a free arena for the expression of opinion, 

 and no one but the individual speakers is com- 

 mitted by the declarations and expressions made 

 in it. 



Baptists in Canada. The 18 Baptist associa- 

 tions in Ontario and Quebec return 404 churches, 

 with 43,345 members, and 2,160 baptisms during 

 the year, 5,000 teachers and 37,000 pupils in Sun- 

 day schools, and an average attendance there of 

 24,144. 



The twelfth annual convention of these churches 

 met at Woodstock, Ontario, Oct. 15 to 19. The 

 address of the president, Mr. John Stark, on Con- 

 ditions of Baptist Success, Past and Present, bore 

 upon the denominational history, and papers were 

 read in the convention dealing with the history 

 of the Baptist churches of the two provinces with 

 their mission and educational work, and their 

 growth during the nineteenth century. The Rev. 

 S. S. Bates was chosen president of the conven- 

 tion for the ensuing year. The Church Edifice 

 Society, founded in 1868, had received $1,729 and 

 expended $1,164 during the year, and was now 

 aiding 28 churches. Eighty-four churches in all 

 had been aided; and though the permanent fund 

 had never exceeded $8,500, the loans granted had 

 aggregated more than $40,000. The home mis- 

 sion work of the denomination began in 1836 with 

 the organization of the Canada Baptist Missionary 

 Society at Montreal; but the present Home Mis- 

 sion Society sprung from the Regular Baptist 

 Missionary Society of Canada, which was formed 

 at Brantford in 1851. Its present work was car- 

 ried on in a region extending 1,600 miles from 

 east to west, and 400 miles from Lake Erie north- 

 ward. During the year 9 churches had been or- 

 ganized, 5 chapels built, 3 buildings enlarged, 6 

 parsonages erected, and 1,052 persons baptized. 

 During the past twenty years $343,111 had been 

 contributed to the home mission work, 172 chapels 

 built, 153 churches organized, 64 churches become 

 self-sustaining, and 12,653 persons baptized. Fifty- 

 five thousand dollars had been contributed during 

 the year for foreign missions, and all the expenses 

 of the work had been met. The mission fields 

 among the Telugus in India and in Bolivia re- 

 turned 33 churches, 491 baptisms during the year, 

 4,000 members', 10 ordained and 63 unordained 

 native helpers, 81 teachers, 7 colporteurs, 15 Bible 

 women, 136 Sunday schools, with 3,387 pupils; 

 70 day schools, with 961 scholars; 7 boarding 

 schools, with 182 students; and $1,380 contributed 

 by the native churches. Seven missionaries had 

 been appointed to Bolivia, 3 of whom w r ere already 

 on the field, and 4 missionaries had been secure! 

 for India. The present capital of the Superan- 

 nuation fund was $20,737, and the income for the 

 past year had been sufficient for the payment of 

 all claims in full. The accounts of the book room, 

 presented by the Board of Publication, showed a 

 loss of $604 on six months' business. Reports 

 were made of English, German, and Galician work 

 in Manitoba and the Northwest. The convention 

 of Manitoba included 69 churches, with 3.692 

 members in 58 of them, while services were main- 

 tained in 175 places, in 40 of which there were 

 none but Baptist meetings. In British Columbia 

 regular meetings were held in 9 districts. Two 

 churches in Victoria were maintaining Japanese 

 work. The educational report showed a surplus 

 of funds, for the first time since 1892. The French 

 Baptist churches had raised more than $2,000 for 

 their own support. Report was made of work in 

 connection with the Grande Ligne Mission at 

 Feller Institute, where 3.500 young people had 

 been taught since the beginning; of the mission 

 in Montreal ; the St. Roch Mission, Quebec ; the 

 Ottawa Valley, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and five 

 single stations. 



The reports made to the Baptist Convention of 

 the Maritime Provinces indicated considerable 



