The Baptist Worker.
Published monthly, in the interest of the
churches of the South Fork Association.
REV. W. F. WATSON Editor.
W. F. MARSHALL Business Manager.
Subscription Price 25 Cents a Year,
Enlered at the post office at Gastonia,
N. C., as second-class matter, Mav 5,1899.
THE STATE CONVENTION.
The seventieth annual session of
the Baptist State convention of North
Carolina passed into history Sunday
night, Dec. 9.
It was in many respects a remark
able meeting, characterized largely
by a beautiful spirit of harmony and
brotherly love and a convention
which planned largely and, in the
main we believe, wisely for the work
in the future.
The retirement of secretary White,
after a term of service covering a
period of five years, in which he
abundantly demonstrated his pecu
liar fitness for the position, and, by
the faithful assistance of the pastor
and churches, succeeded in greatly
enlarging our .State mission work,
made the election of a new secretary
necessary. The religious and secu
lar papers had already announced the
probable candidate before the meet
ing of the convention and in keeping
with their prophecy the pastor of our
Greensboro church. Rev. I.ivingston
Johnson was chosen.
iiVe trust that he may find himself
possessed of the hearty sympathy of
the people and be able to do a great
er work than his predecessor.
It was also decided to raise one
hundred thousand dollars for our ed
ucational institutions—$50,000 for
the Baptist Female University, and
$30,000 for Wake Forest College,
and the remainder for the other
schools of the State owned and con
trolled by us. The F'eniale Uni
versity needs the money; her debt is
something like $45,000, and president
Vann is authority for the statement,
that all that' the financial agent,
John White, and Will Bailey, were
able to do, did not pay the financial
secretary’s salary and interest on the
debt; so unless the denomination
comes to the rescue the University
will find itself in a most serious way.
In the opinion of this scribe the
wisest thing the convention did was
to defeat the proposition of the com
mittee on periodicals to purchase
the Recorder at $16,000. If the con
vention must own and control its pa
per it can do so at a much less fig
ure, and with all other work pressing
we have no right to vote away the
people’s money to no purpose.
The consolidation of the Recorder
and N. C. Jlaplisi is now a near
probability. They ought to get to
gether; but then the paper man at the
Associations will be embarrassed ex
plaining away former speeches about
cheap papers, et eetera.
We are in receipt of a little pamph
let written by Bro. W. A. Graham,
in memory of his lamented daughter,
J''lorrie Lane.
No higher eulogies could be pro
nounced upon anyone than those
contained in the pamphlet, and the
beauty about it all is that too much
could not be said of the useful life of
this nohle woman.
From Baptist Female University.
Christmas is all the talk among the
girls.
Prof. Sledd, of Wake Forest will
lecture in the University Chapel on
the evening of the 15th. We are ex
pecting something good.
School work was suspended for the
convention. The girls were faithful
in attendance and enjoyed it very
much.
We enjoyed the talks of visitors at
Chapel service during the week, and
especially the lecture Saturdaymorn-
ing by Dr. Willingham on "Cultured
Christian Womanhood.”
A reception and recital by the
faculty was given Friday afternoon
for the benefit of the delegates to the
convention.
We were glad to see so many fami
liar faces from our association and
Mr. J. D. Moore from our own home
church.
Miss Fannie Hicks has recentlj’^
furnished the parlor of one of the
last purchased buildings.
At the University on the afternoon
of Thanksgiving a recital and recep
tion was given the Wake Forest and
Trinity and faculty and students. In
the evening the Academy of Music
was filled to overflowing to witness
the Inter-Collegiate Debate between
Wake Forest and Trinity. As you
all know, the cup was given to Trini
ty. But we were never prouder
of our Wake Forest representatives.
A Noble Tribute.
United States Minister Conger,
after the forces of the Powers released
him and the others at Pekin, gave
this expression, a noble tribute to
our missionaries and the Chinese
Christians;
"Blessed American missionaries,
one and all of you, so providentially
saved from certain massacres, I de
sire in this hour of deliverance to
express what 1 know to "be the uni
versal sentiment of our diplomatic
corps, sincere appreciation of, and
profound gratitude for inestimable
help w'hich the native Christians
under you have rendered toward our
preservation. Without your intel
ligent and successful planning and
the uncomplaining" execution of the
Cliinese, I believe our salvation
would have been impo.ssible. By
your courteous consideration of me
and your continued patience under
most trying occasions, I have been
most deeply touched, and for it all I
thank you most heartily. I hope
and believe that in God’s unerring
plan your sacrifices and danger will
bear rich fruits in a material and
spiritual welfare of people to whom
you have so nobly devoted 3^our lives
and work. Assuring you of my per
sonal respect and gratitude, verj’
sincerelj" yours,
"E. H. Conger.”
The Report of the Treasurer.
At the time of going to press, Mon
day afternoon at four o’clock, the
receipts of the Treasurer stand about
as follow’s:
Foreign Missions $ 9,784.93
Home Missions 6,858.60
Ministerial Relief 1,029.30
Ministerial Education 2,267.39
Students’ Aid Fund, Louis
ville 472.99
Sunday Schools 612.04
State Missions 18,571.07
Financial Clerk Watson reports
$6,744 in cash collected this year for
the Baptist Female University.
Treasurer Briggs reports $2,201.83
collected for Wake P'orest College,
being designated for the Royall
Chair.
The Orphanage year closes July
1st. The receipts for the year amount
to about y^SXfy.—Biblical Recorder.
‘When the Sun Was Setting.’
Moody’s Power.
If a committee of one hundred
Christian leaders had been appoint
ed forty years ago to search the
wliole world and select a young man
who had the best material to qualify
him for a great evangelists career,
we presume Dwight L. Moody would
have been the last boy whom they
would have cliosen. Clunisj-, awk
ward, hashful, untaught, unimagina
tive, unemotional, lacking in every
gift but one for the making of a
great man, a great leader and
especially a great evangelist. He
had zeal. What God has done
through Dwight L. Moody, He
stands ready—anxious to do through
every man who invokes His power,
and who is worthy to use it.—Ratn’s
hot It.
The Baptists of Hickory called on
their pastor the night before Thank.s-
giving and expressed to him their
kindness in a very substantial way.
Both pastor and people are thankful
and happy.
"That was a wonderful scene at
Capernaum some nineteen centuries
ago—Christ with the halo about his
head; the sun just set, and the
waves softly lapping the shores of
Galilee; the camels and their beard
ed riders; the soft breezes of the
Sabbath rustling the aromatic herbs;
and blue skies hanging over the
barely fields and olive groves; the
diseased and their friends looking
up with white and anxious faces to
the great Healer. Now when the
sun lAs setting, all they that had
any sick with divers diseases,
brought them unto him, and he laid
his hands on every one of them and
healed them.’ No painter has ever
Tendered the proper tribute to that
scene; no poet has sung it in num
bers sufficiently touching and sub
lime. What He through His vi;ord
has done for mankind in the nine
teenth century is alone approached
by the miracle He performed at
Capernaum ‘when the sun was set
ting.’”— Will T. Hale.
The Religious Paper.
1. A good religious paper makes
Christians more intelligent.
2. As knowledge is power it makes
them more useful.
3. It leads to a better understand-
iug of the Scriptures.
4. It increases interest- . in the
spread of the gospel.j L.. j
5. It places weapons in the,hand
of all to defend the truth.
6. It affords a channel, of commun
ication between brethren.
7. It throws light upon obscure
questions of practical interest.
8. It cultivates among children
and parents a taste for reading.
9. It awakens interest for the sal
vation of souls.
10. It gives the more important
current news of general interest.
11. All this is furnished at a very
small cost compared with its value.—-
Selected.
Take Time.
Take time to breathe a morning
prayer, asking God to keep you from
evil and use you for His glory dur
ing the day.
Take time to read a few verses
from God’s Word each day.
Take time to be pleasant. A
bright smile or a pleasant word falls
like sunbeams upon the hearts of
those around us.
Take time to be polite. A gentle
"I thank you,” "If you please,” "E-x-
cuse me,” etc., even to an inferior, is
no compromise of dignity, and, you
know.
True politene.ss is to do or say
Tlie kindest thiiiRS in the kindest way.
Take time to be patient with child
ren. Patience and kindness will
open a way for good influence over
almost any child. Take time to
be thonghtful about the aged. Res
pect gray hairs, even if they crown the
head of a beggar—Christiatt Obset~H’r.
Charles S. Dale,
...Silaker of...
.s.^ine S^ortraits...
Studio Opposite S^ostoffiee.
Sastonia, DC. C.
Books! Books!
Books!
When thinking over what to buj'
for Christmas, be sure to put some of
your money in a good book, and
WHY?
Because the book will last. It will
be with you to instruct and enteHain
when Cliristmas is past and gone.
At IMarshall and Company’s Gas
tonia Book Store, you will find the
best of all books,
THE BIBLE
In man>’ bindings and many prices.
The Teachers’ Bible, the Old Folks
Bible and Family Bibles.
OTHER GOOD BOOKS,
are: A Man’s Value to Societj-, Life
of Moody by his son. Throne of
David, In His Steps, Robert Hard\-’s
Seven Davs, Philip Strong, Gr^at
Books as Life Teachers, etc.
FICTION, NEW AND OLD.
Flben Holden, David Hamm, David
Harum illustrated. To Have and To
Hold, Bob, Son of Battle, Circular
Study, An Eagle Flight, Alice of Old
Vincennes. The Master Christian,
Via Crucis, etc.
FOR OLD AND YOUNG.
The Uncle Remus Books. The
Ernest Seton-Tliompson Books.
Ami these are not all.
A cheeiy welcome awaits j'ou at
the
Gastonia Book Store^
See! See! See!
The biggest display of Christmas
if if FRUIT if if
in Gastonia at the
TAFFY TENT.
Home made Candles
also for Christmas.
C. W. HOPKINS.