SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 5, 1876

SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS.

By James White

VISIT TO THEIR GENERAL CONFERENCE.

In company with Prof. C. W. Whitford, of Milton (Wis.) College, we left the Lansing (Mich.) Camp-ground, Monday P. M., the 25th ult., to attend the Seventh-day Baptist General Conference, at Walworth, Wis., and reached the place of meeting the 26th. Here we found open doors, and kind friends to give us a hearty welcome, and every attention and comfort grateful to our worn and weary condition. The labors of the season had been severe; but those of the last meeting, at which were held the sessions of the General Conference, the Michigan State Conference, the Publishing Association, Battle Creek College, and the Health Reform Institute, were almost beyond measure. And it seems really selfish to give our brethren of the S. D. Baptists only a few days in which to rest, and poorly represent our people.

On the 27th, the seventy-second annual meeting of the General Conference of the S. D. Baptists opened with Vice-President James Bailey in the chair, President Jonathan Allen, of Alfred (N. Y.) University, not arriving until the afternoon session. Our reception as delegate from the Seventh-day Adventists to that body was very cordial, and we were by vote invited to take part in the deliberations of their Conference.

Addresses were given during the three days we were with this people from Prof. A. R. Cornwall, of Albion (Wis.) Academy, Eld. O. U. Whitford, of Farina, Ill., and Eld. L. A. Platts, of Westerly, R. I. Several hours each day were devoted to business of the Conference and their missionary work, and the discussion of topics of interest. By request, we spoke at length upon the relation of the two bodies of Sabbath-keepers to each other, which met with hearty responses of endorsement by most of the ministers present individually and personally in social interviews with them. Our position as to the relation of the two bodies will be definitely stated next week.

The 28th we left the S. D. Baptist Conference reluctantly to hasten to our camp-meeting at Waldron, Ill., which had been in session two days before we reached the ground. We found the attendance of our people large. But the weather was so very cold that our congregations did not reach quite a thousand on Sunday. We left the ground Monday, at 4 A. M., and reached this Office at 3 P. M., where we find the REVIEW waiting for these few, hasty statements. Much more next week. J. W.