The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956 Page: 129

Book Reviews

Baptist history in New Mexico the missionaries labored mainly
among Spanish-Americans and Indians.
With the coming of the railroads Baptist work in New Mexico
was revived in 1880. In this second period Baptist leaders gave
much more attention to the Anglo-American population, and
consequently Anglo-Americans form "the basis of Baptist strength
in New Mexico today." Although a Baptist convention for the
Territory was organized in 90oo, the Baptist cause was not yet
on solid ground in New Mexico. There was a serious shortage of
pastors and of meeting houses, and few churches were self-support-
ing. Between 1910 and 1912 a division among Baptists of the
Territory threatened to cripple denominational work. The divi-
sion, evidenced by the existence of two territorial conventions
representing affiliations with Northern and Southern Baptist
groups, ended in 1912 by fusion into one body affiliated with
the Southern Baptist Convention.
Although the third period, which began in 1912, has not been
one of uninterrupted progress and prosperity, it has seen Baptist
work in New Mexico grow in church membership and in ex-
panded church activities. New Mexico Baptists numbered 5,321
in 1912, and by 1950 their membership had grown to 45,704-
The denomination has a Children's Home at Portales, student
center buildings at Las Cruces, Portales, and Albuquerque, and
a Youth Camp in the mountains, and has persuaded the Southern
Baptists to maintain a western summer assembly at Glorieta.
The author has done a thorough and competent piece of re-
search. The work is well documented, and its value is enhanced
by a map, statistical tables, and a bibliography. The volume will
be of interest to scholars and should find favor with Southern
Baptists who want to know of the denomination's past problems
and future responsibilities.
JEFFERSON DAVIS BRAGG
Baylor University
2z Texas Short Stories. Edited by William Peery. Austin (Univer-
sity of Texas Press), 1954. Pp. xii+276. $3.50.
A regional collection of short stories can serve two purposes:
it can point up the unique aspects of the writing being done in
a geographic area, or it can reveal that stories of some note are

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