appeal to me at all. If a
thing is right it is right, and I do not believe we will gain anything
by putting that aside just to come together. If I believe that the
Disciples' baptism is not the Bible baptism I do not know of any better
way I could say that to them than by not joining with them in their
communion. I should think that such loyalty to conviction would do no
harm and ofttimes might do good."

"Is it not a fact, Mr. Garland, that the different denominations very
rarely commune with each other?" asked Mr. Walton.

"You are correct," said Mr. Garland. "Although we practice open
communion, it is the rarest thing in the world for a member of another
denomination to commune with us or for any of our members to commune in
the church of any other denomination."

"I can respect a person who differs from me," said Dorothy, "but a
person who seems to be so anxious to appear on good terms with me as to
be willing to smooth over or minimize his convictions--oh, I want none
of that. If we differ in our views and think the other is not keeping
the Scripture requirement, then let us differ and not pretend that we
are together or that our differences do not amount to anything."

"I think that their doctrine of close communion has greatly hurt the
Baptists and kept from them many who would otherwise have joined them,"
said Mr. Garland.

"I must differ with you," said Mr. Walton. "If the Baptists abandon
their position on the communion question they could not hold their
position on immersion. You know that in England, where the Baptists are
not gaining, many of the open communion Baptist churches also have open
church membership, thus admitting people to the church who have not been
immersed. Do you know why the Baptists of the South have grown so much
more rapidly than the Baptists in all other parts of the world?"

"No, I do not," answered Mr. Garland.

"It is because they are strict in their views and stand loyally by their
denominational convictions."

"What is another doctrine of your denomination, Mr. Walton?" asked
Dorothy.

"Another doctrine is the 'independence of the local church'."

"Independent of what?" asked Dorothy.

"I mean that no pope, priest, presbytery nor bishop, nor any
ecclesiastical power has any authority over any local church, but that
the church in the conduct of its affairs is entirely independent."

"That sounds like pretty good democracy," said Mr. Page.

"It is democracy, pure an