nineteen hundred and forty-six - Amazon Web Services

682 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Dr. F. M. Ellis of Baltimore conducted the devotional and called upon the
women to proceed with their organization. Said he, "If you know what, to do, go
ahead and do it."
They went ahead. A vote was taken, ten states approved the organization:
Miss M. E. Mcintosh of South Carolina was chosen president; Miss Annie W.
Armstrong of Baltimore was chosen corresponding secretary.
The motto adopteoT was "Go forward," the watchword was "provoke one
another to love and good works."
The preamble of the constitution declared: "We the women of the churches
connected with the Southern Baptist Convention desirous of stimulating the
missionary spirit and the grace of giving among the women and children of
the churches and aiding in collecting funds for missionary purposes to be disbursed
by the boards of the Southern Baptist Convention and disclaiming all
intention of independent action organize and adopt the following constitution.''
The organization so modestly begun has grown until now it has some forty
thousand organizations and contributes approximately $6,000,000 annually to missions.
Hitherto hath the Lord blessed us, and henceforth we go on to greater
efforts in his name.
Chorus:
O ZION, HASTE
CHORUS
Publish glad tidings,
O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling,
To tell to all the world that God is Light;
That He who made all nations is not willing
One soul should perish, lost in shades of night.
Tidings of peace;
Tidings of Jesus,
Redemption and release.
THE ROMANCE OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
The matter of providing literature and promoting Sunday schools was a
serious and formidable one. For years the literature was provided by the
American Baptist Publication Society—and a good literature it was Much of
it was prepared by Southern Baptist scholars.
But it was keenly felt that we should do this work ourselves. Several effo
were made but they were not successful.
Then a great pastor had a vision. He saw the establishment of a new board
on a par with the mission boards. This new board was to provide literature
and promote the Sunday schools in the South. He prepared resolutions to this
effect and published them.
The result was a divided sentiment and a debate wide, lengthy, and at times
heated. At the Convention in Birmingham in 1891 the resolutions were referred
to a committee of one from each state.
T i? h r S ^T^f ask ?. d Dr - J - M Frost, the writer of the resolution, and Dr.
J - B - Gambrell, the leading opponent, to get together and try to bring in a report
that would be satisfactory to all. ^
These brethren spent many hours in conference in a hotel room. Finally Gam-
^'tS'lit^rS?.^ Y0U WHte ^^^ y ° U Pl6aSe if ^ «
Frost^replied, "All right, I will agree to that if you will let me add one
"Agreed; shake."
h S °l F ros ^ rewrote the substance of h is original resolution calling for a Sunday
Gambrell wrote as follows: "The fullest freedom of choice shall be accorde
to everyone as to what literature he will use or.support." Frost added this final