Held with the Mount Canaan Church, Talladega, November 15-20, 1876.
Officers: Rev. M. Tyler, president; Rev. B. J. Burke, vice-president;
Rev. I. Smith, treasurer; Rev. G. C. Casby, Montgomery, corresponding
secretary, and Rev. C. O. Boothe, at this time pastor in Talladega,
was continued as clerk.
This session of the body may be denominated “The Eventful Session.”
Here the sainted Woodsmall was met for the first time, and bore the
Convention the following:
“Indianapolis, Ind., November 11, 1876.
“_Dear Brethren of the Convention_: On behalf of the Indiana Baptist
State Convention, I greet you with this epistle, bearing their
congratulations and sympathy. We are engaged in a common cause with
you--the cause of our blessed Lord and Master. * * * So we strike glad
hands with you for a renewal and continuance of the gospel warfare
till Jesus comes.”
This bore the signature of Dr. Wyeth, editor of the _Journal and
Messenger_, and the Secretary of the Indiana Convention. This was
_good_ tidings, and the information that Brother Woodsmall had come
to hold Ministers’ Institutes among us was still _better_ tidings.
Thenceforward we were to drink from a very high type of manhood.
Revs. W. J. White, F. Quarles, and Bryan, of Georgia, came with
propositions from the Georgia Convention that Alabama should give up
her school project and join Georgia in building a school at Atlanta.
A letter received from Dr. S. S. Cutting, corresponding secretary of
the Home Mission Society, to the clerk, informed the Convention that
his board had no help for our school enterprise in Alabama, and favored
our union with Georgia.
A communication from the white Baptist Convention containing the
following, was read before the body:
“_Resolved_, That we deem this a suitable occasion to express to our
colored brethren an abiding interest in their welfare, both temporal
and spiritual.
“John Haralson, President.”
Brother McAlpine turned over $1,000, which he had raised for the
proposed school, and again took the field.
The clerk, as committee on location of the proposed school, reported
that if the school should be located at Marion, Ala., our students
could obtain scientific and literary training in the State school at
that point, in which case, the Convention would only be obliged to
furnish theological instruction. The Convention did not decide as to
the course it would be best to pursue. Brothers Pettiford and Barton
joined the work in this session, and the former took a prominent
position at once.