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CHAPTER X.
NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION AUXILIARIES.
The Woman's National Convention, Auxiliary to the National Baptist Convention, was organized in September, 1900, at Richmond, Va., with the following officers: Mrs. S. W. Layton, President, Pennsylvania; Mrs. P. J. Bryant, Vice-President, Atlanta, Ga.; Miss N. H. Burroughs, A. M., Corresponding Secretary, Washington, D. C., Mrs. V. W. Broughton, A. B., Memphis, Tenn.; Miss S. C. V. Foster, Treasurer, Montgomery, Ala. With the exception of Miss Foster, the same officers are serving in the several capacities, Mrs. C. H. Parrish, of Louisville, Ky., is now Treasurer, Mrs. M. E. Goins, of Jefferson City, Mo., is Assistant Secretary, and Mrs. E. A. Wilson, Kansas City, Kans., is Statistician.
The Preamble of the Constitution is as follows:
"We, the women of the churches connected with the National Baptist Convention, desirous of stimulating and transmitting a missionary spirit and grace of giving among the women and children of the churches and aiding in collecting funds for missions to be disbursed as ordered by the Convention, organize and adopt the following constitution."
Management of Women's Convention
"The object of the Convention is to organize the women and children for the
purpose of collecting and raising money for education and missions at home and
abroad." The work of the Convention is directed by an Executive Committee
of twelve members. As in the men's Convention, the Corresponding Secretary is
the representative of the Executive Committee in carrying out the plans. The
woman's Board has its headquarters at Louisville, Ky. Miss Nannie H. Burroughs,
A. M. is a woman of splendid ability and an untiring worker. It is due largely
to her wisdom, energy and ability as a public speaker, with the splendid support
given her by President Layton, that the Convention has had such a great success.
In 1901 Miss Burroughs recommended the establishment of the Woman's Training
School, which recommendation the Convention adopted. In October, 1909, the
school was opened in Washington, D. C., with Miss Burroughs as president. The
object of the institution is given as follows:
Woman's Training School
First?"To train women to do mission work in this and other lands."
Second?"To prepare women as teachers of the word of God in our Sunday-schools."
Third?"To train women to give better domestic service."
The school is located in the suburbs of Washington, on a "six-acre tract of land, with buildings and equipment to the value of $13,000."
Result of the Auxiliary's activities
The Convention employs three field and two district missionaries, who reported
for the year closing September, 1909, 2,209 homes visited, 454 churches and
associations visited and $2,758.79 collected. A glance at the "general
summary" for the year shows $6,742.95, general receipts; $3,627.32 for the
Training School; $1,145.50 raised for Foreign Missions and education. Thus are
the Negro Baptist women of America, like the little band of faithful women on
Calvary, "standing by the Cross."
In 1896, at St. Louis, Mo., The Western States and Territorial Convention, which had grown to be a strong organization in the West, represented in, and became an auxiliary of the National Baptist Convention.
The New England Convention
The following year (1897) in Boston, The New England Convention, the first of
its character organized, became an auxiliary to the National Baptist Convention
and therefore, adding to the great strength, influence and usefulness of the
National organization. Rev. Wm. A. Creditt, D. D., of Philadelphia, a former
Chairman of the Educational Board of the National Convention, is now the honored
president of the New England Convention.
The Lott-Carey Convention
The same year, 1897, at Washington, D. C., the Lott Carey Convention was
organized with Rev. Dr. C. S. Brown, president, by strong men who had been
leaders in the old Foreign Mission Convention, for the purpose of doing mission
work in Africa, independent of all other existing organizations. In 1905, at
Chicago, it became an auxiliary to the National Baptist Convention. For a long
period this organization has supported missionaries on the African field. It is
doing much toward the diffusion of missionary information, and is therefore
helping to create among Negro Baptists a strong, healthy missionary sentiment.
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