The Little Baptist: Postcript

I am posting here a little more detail about my reasoning and how I came to the conclusion that the novel The Little Baptist by James M. Martin was written sometime between May 22, 1869 and May 27, 1871. I have interpreted the information that I have in light of the sequence of events that M. P. Lowrey lays out in The Baptist on March 18, 1876. He starts in the present, then moves backwards, relating prior events. The events surrounding J. M. Martin writing The Little Baptist unfold in the following chronological order.

References from The Baptist periodical[i]

1869, May

J. R. Graves: “Glancing over the book that lay upon the center table in the parlor of Bro. S., one small nicely bound one attracted our eye. We looked at the title page. ‘The Little Episcopalian’…There should be a prize of $100 offered for the best book written under this title: ‘The Little Baptist.’ Is there not a brother, or a church that will do it?” “Editorial Hurrygraphs,” The Baptist, Saturday, May 22, 1869, page 4.

1869, June

J. R. Graves: “Sunday-school Books wanted on the following subjects… ‘The Little Baptist’—(Engaged)…Now, who will write and give one of these books to the Board, as a contribution to the Sunday-school cause?...And the Board will offer a prize of $200 for the best MSS. on ‘The Little Baptist,’ we are confident. If it will not, we will ourself. Who will write?” “Items,” The Baptist, Saturday, June 19, 1869, page 5.[ii]

1869, July

J. R. Graves: “Miss Mary Lane, Tenn.—It will be for the S. S. Board to decide on the MSS. offered for ‘Little Baptist.’ 100 pages MS. will be quite enough matter. Let all who feel like it try, and forward MS. to S. C. Rogers, Dep. Agent.” “Letter Box,” The Baptist, Saturday, July 24, 1869, page 5

1871, May

T. C. Teasdale: “Sunday School Report…In the Publications Department considerable advance had been made over any previous year…Several books designed for Sunday-school libraries had been stereotyped and others were ready. Among those ready for the publication rooms were…’The Little Baptist,’ by Eld. J. M. Martin, of Rienzi, Miss…” “Annual Session of the Southern Baptist Convention,” The Baptist, Saturday, May 27, 1871, page 4. [This is probably a summary of the report rather than the exact words written in the report.]

1876, March

M. P. Lowrey: “Years ago Bro. Graves, in his travels, saw a little book entitled ‘The Little Episcopalian.’ He was impressed with the ingenuity and simplicity of the book, and made a call at once for some one to write a book to be entitled ‘The Little Baptist.’” “More About Our Recent Visit To Memphis,” in “Mississippi Department,” The Baptist, March 18, 1876, page 264.

1876, April

M. P. Lowrey: “Our readers will be interested in extracts from a letter just received from an able minister and valued friend of our youthful days: … “Am glad to hear that Bro. Martin’s ‘Little Baptist’ will be published. Hope he will write something else as good. God bless him. (This brother has read a part of the manuscript of Bro. Martin’s book.) “Notes,” in “Mississippi Department,” The Baptist, April 22, 1876, page 344.

1876, June

W. D. Mayfield: “’The Apostolic Church’… ‘History of Sunday Schools’ … And these splendid works will be followed by ‘Little Baptist,’ a charming story by Bro. Martin and Dr. Lowrey.” “Great Debate,” The Baptist, Saturday, June 3, 1876, page 436.

1876, June

W. D. Mayfield: “We want all agents to canvass also for ‘History of Sunday-schools,’ ‘Apostolic Church,’ and ‘Little Baptist.’ These books are all going into type now. They will have a large sale.” “The Great Debate and Other Books,” The Baptist, Saturday, June 10, 1876, page 453. [iii]

1877, April

Southern Baptist Publication Society: “Little Baptist, by J. M. Martin. Revised and corrected by M. P. Lowrey, D.D., price in cloth 1.00 Morocco 2.00.” “Condensed List of Our New and Popular Publications,” The Baptist, Saturday, April 7, 1877, page 287.

 

M. P. Lowery, “More About Our Recent Visit To Memphis,” in “Mississippi Department,” The Baptist, March 18, 1876, page 264.

Order of events

• 1. In his travels, J. R. Graves saw the book The Little Episcopalian and called at once for someone to write The Little Baptist. This is what Graves relates in The Baptist, May 22, 1869 concerning his travel to Georgia.
• 2. J. M. Martin went to work and soon offered the manuscript to the Sunday-school Board. This was done while T. C. Teasdale was Corresponding Secretary of the Board, which is September 1869-Sept 1871. The Little Baptist by Martin was “ready for the publication rooms” in May 1871.
• 3. According to Lowrey, a few copies of Martin’s material was published in The Baptist. I am not sure what to make of this – either what or when. Is it possible it was published separately as a sort of newspaper serial, and not in the regular issues of The Baptist? Or is Lowrey mistaken? Did he mean “by” rather than “in”? I have not found material from this novel published in The Baptist.[iv]
• 4. The Sunday School Board “went down” and the (rights to) the manuscript went back to J. M. Martin. Lowrey seems to imply the book was never published. According to J. M. Frost’s book, The Sunday School Board: Its History and Work (p. 8), the first Sunday School Board was discontinued by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1873.
• 5. M. P. Lowrey, acting for J. M. Martin, and sold the rights to the book to W. D. Mayfield on behalf of the Southern Baptist Publication Society.
• 6. After revision by Lowrey and Martin, the book is going to print by the Southern Baptist Publication Society in the Spring of 1876.
• 7. The book The Little Baptist is available for purchase from the Southern Baptist Publication Society at least by April 1877.

If M. P. Lowrey’s comments are accurate, and considering other information found in issues of The Baptist, then J. M. Martin wrote The Little Baptist after Graves called for it in May 1869, and before May 1871 when it is described as ready for the publication rooms.”

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[i] I have not had access to other Baptist periodicals of this time period.
[ii] It is not clear to me how to understand “(Engaged)” beside the titles in the June 19, 1869 article. Does that just mean that the Board has agreed I was confused by that as well, but thought the best possible interpretation might be that someone had already engaged in writing it.
[iii] Around this same time, 1876. the SBPS started or attempted to start a periodical called The Little Baptist. It should not be confused with the novel The Little Baptist.
[iv] However, M. P. Lowrey is closely associated with the publication of The Baptist in this period, so should be a reliable witness.