"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;
and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever."
©if 3uimgtt flissimt .imtntal.
Kutered at the Post-Office at Itlcbmond, V»., as Second-Class Matter
Vol.
ЫХ.
MARCH, 1909. No. 9.
OUR C. Q. D. MESSAGES TO THE CHURCHES.
WILL HELP COME?
In the recent tragedy of the sea,
when the “Florida" collided with the
“Republic," endangering the lives of
thousands of passengers, and In which
event wireless telegraphy played such an
Important part, Jack Blnns, the heroic
operator of the wireless telegraph on the
“Republic," continued hour after hour at
his post, amidst all the danger and confu¬
sion, sending out the calls for help. In
a moment after the flrst C. Q. D. signal
was sent out over the dark fog-covered
sea, the wireless operators on a number
of ships within the radius of a hundred
miles had caught the signal of distress,
and soon they were hastening to the res¬
cue. It Is said that tho signal means,
"Come quick, danger.” For several weeks
the Foreign Mission Board has been send¬
ing out messages of a similar nature to
our churches.
Judging from the responses which come
In answer to these urgent calls, or the
lack of responses, we feel that the brother¬
hood at large does not realize the true
condition of the Board. We do not de¬
sire to be alarmists, nor do we ourselves
wish to be unduly alarmed, but it Is ex¬
ceedingly Important that our people see
things as they are. While the receipts up
to date have been a few thousand dollars
more than at this time last year, the in¬
debtedness of the Board Is $73,000 greater
than It was one year ago. The present
indebtedness is tho largest the Board has
ever had at this time of the year. This
is because the urgent demands of the work
have been much greater and many things
had to be done which could not wait with¬
out great Injury to the cause. We must
raise far more money during the months
of March and April than we have ever
raised during these months In the past.
Shall we do It? The indications are not
altogether cheering. The only bore that
we have is our faith In God and our con¬
fidence In His people. But God will be
inquired of by His people. Are we pray¬
ing with the earnestness and faith which
the conditions demand? Are we so plan¬
ning that our people may be aroused to
grasp the situation and understand what
is required of them.
There Is danger, very grave danger that
we may fall short of the great demand
that Is upon us. Are there those who will
hear the call and who will respond quick¬
ly? What we do must be done speedily.
Will our pastors, occupying, as they do, a
position resembling that of the wireless
operators In the ships near the sinking
“Republic/’ hear the call of the Board,
and pass it on to the people? We believe
that the Baptists of the South, notwith¬
standing the many and various demands
that arc upon them, are unwilling to see
the cause of foreign missions suffer. Let
every one realize the situation and hasten
to help. If this is done that which to
some may seem. impossible can be accom¬
plished between now and the close of the
year.
— b—
Men Who Encourage the People.
In any great enterprise it is always nec¬
essary to have some men who have strong
faith and stout hearts to lead the people.
This is true in God’s work as well as In
any other. Our readers will well remem¬
ber why Israel was turned away from the
