■gffg
VOL. LUPL
By Her. Wl L. Metz, D. D.
(Paper read at the Presbyterian Workers’ Conference.
Grammarians tell us that, as
to form, we have three sentenc
es : simple, compound, Mid com
plex. They say that a simple
sentence is one that contains
but one subject and one predi
cate, and either or both may be
compound.
They say that a compound
sentence is a sentence com
posed of two or more indepen
dent clauses; and that a com
plex sentence is composed of an
independent clause, and of one
or more dependent elauses.
In the first, the subject
and predicate or subjects
and predicates are not in
dependent of one another, but
entirely dependent upon one
another for purport: while, on
the contrary, a compound sen
tence, though it may be closely
connected in thought, makes
complete sense in each clause
expressed. But a complex sen
tence is quite different. It is a
picture of various and some
times intricate parts; but with
one part that stands out by it
self with a meaning conveyed
irrespective of any subordinate
clause for the idea it sets forth.
But, as you know, I am not
here to give any special or gen •
oral treatise on any generally
- accepted or disputed or unset
tled points in English gram
mar. My sole idea is to try to
make an analogy between the
ebuneh and the community
and an independent clause in a
complex sentence and its de
pendent clause, the ehurch be
ing the independent clause
while the community well
Notwithstanding the church
is a constituent part of the
community with which it is
connected, if it is built upon the
teaching of the Man of Galilee,
the solid Rock, it does not de
pend upon the community to
shape its divine and righteous
destiny; but the community de
pends upon the ehurch; and 1
mean by church the entire
Christian group in any com
munity ; and I mean by com
munity, any body of persons
having common rights., interests
and privileges in the same local
ity. And these claims must
needs be safeguarded by noth
ing more nor kss than moral
and religious forces, from the
very fact man seems to for
get the Creator and follow and
worship the creature in the
days of prosperity, and often
in advanced learning without
Christian training. Men often
abuse their privileges and neg
lect their interests when they
• are beneficiaries of God's show
ers of blessings, and heirs of
••wealth expressed, in inconceiva
ble figures. This is true of indi
viduals; and it is-no less true
r of a community composed of iri
d viduals whose environments
temperaments, and that coming
down through, posterity widely
differ. And those differences in
training, shaped largely by en
vironment. and which often
overbalances our temperaments
and faculties, are approaching
shadows of dissensions that, at
, times, threaten the very exist
ence of a community.
Social Existence
There have been times—and
I they seem upon us now like the
Philistines upon Samson—
when the social existence of
iommunities was threatened to
ke undermined and overthrown,
kit most fortunate for man
md, God did not create man
to be left alone as an empty
vessel; but He created him a
a superior being and breathed
into him a spark of inherent
divinity that he might find
himself and become wise unto
those godly principles that save
the community. This spark of
inherent divinity spiritually il
lumined the heart, mind and
soul of David, and he preached
the claims and power of the
chureh, the ransomed church of
God:
“The law of the Lord is per
fect ; converting the soul: s
The testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple.
“The statutes of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart :
“The commandment of the Loud
is pure, enlightening the eyes.
“The fear of the Lend is
clean, enduring forever: i
‘The judgments of the Lord
are true and righteous alto
gether.
“More to be desired are they
than gold, yea, than much fine
gold.
“Sweeter also than honey arid
the honeycomb.”
It is this small spark of Gold
in man, as it shone and spoke
from David, which brings the
church into power to save 'a
community from social disinte
gration and all that such entails
in moral and social lapse. This
matchless power of the church
causes the wandering and de
praved to evade God and aski:
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
or the one in social ascendency:
“Who is my neighbor?” It plac
es the Levite, the proud priest,
in the light of God’s counte
nance that the world may see
him passing by the helpless on
the congested, dangerous, Jeri
cho national highway.
it is tne cnurcft in tne com
munity, when> its social exist
ence is in the-balance, that ex
poses with ‘Thus saith the
Lord," or “thou shalt not” the
insidious influences eating and
destwykig the »vl£ftls.<£ ifefq*
cud life of the community.
Another hook into a Complex
Sentence
Strip the independent clause
of its subordinate clause or
clauses, be these subordinates
ever so classical and epigram
matica!, the independent claus *
makes complete sense without
them. On the other hand, cut
out the independent clause and
leave the subordinate clause or
clauses with1 all. their appropri
ate, rhetorical frills and they
convey nothing definite; Like
wise the church ; it can use the
community if the commun&tv
will be used. It can inspire a
community if a commuity suli
ordinates itself to the eh uien
whole-heartedly. But when the
community attempts to func
tion in nil its social activities
without the guidance and over
sight of the church it besom* s
a valley of suspicion with re
deemin' qualities too* far iron?
God for human reliance.
It is i. fact that the church
inspire- the community to
ideals that make- a nation out
standing among world powen.
Today America makes her
boast of her wealth, her
institutions, her natural re
sources, invincibility m aim*.
She has been made a commer
cial magnet by monetary power,
brain, safe decisions, and grim
determination. Other worlds are
looking and tending this way.
When a man or a group of men
want to get rich quick they
come to America. If men are
very desirous of rising among
men of statesmanship, they
come to America.
But who inspired this coun
try in her making? What group
inspired this country to lofty
and g edly ideals ? Surely it was
not by the common group of
the couBBtiftiMl men who
could not appreciate their inher
ent rights, and would abuse
them at the slightest opportu
nity. It is evident the ideals of
this country were not held np
and preached by mammon.
Mammon; worldly gain; greed
for riches; the Syrian - god of
riches, is self-centered, and
his ideals tend toward the
earth for self-gratification. But
the inspiration came from the
church as it functioned in men
who*, were real churchmen with
a vision, and who set the torch
to the battle field of the Revo
lutionary war from Cowpen»i
Spartanburg Go., S. C.„ to Vaik
ley Forge in Pennsylania.
. This inspiration came froni
mMi who gave lasting shape to
opinion that gripped men, arid
made sentiment that ruled the
constituents of a coming cont4
monwealth, America.
King George III recognized
this fact, I brieve, more thab
any other man under the pro*
tection of his kingdom; for he;<
said, when the Thirteen Colo
nies were discussing their in
tention and plans to remove^
Great Britain's heel, from thei$
necks and become an iwU
dent country, that the cok„
would be safe and satisfied
remain under the crown
England, “if those Presbyter!™
parsons over there would keep
quiet."
Some historians regale tl
world with the fact that
Revolutionary war was wage
and fought by the Presbyteria
Church. And; it was a righteoi
war, a glorious war; for an
people who will light for the
freedom of their bodies ani
for an environment where
tellect, sensibility, arid will may
function to the extent of capac
ity are members df the ran
somed church of God and saved
by grace to sin no more.
Dr. Witherspoon, who in*
spired and kept up the morale^,
as a signer of the Declaration
of Independence in a hall of
statesmen, was the Presbyteri
an Church in that body of
statesmen, to guide the Ameri
can community about to be the
United States of America. He
was there to guide their i&f
pressed opinions and to chal~.
lenge their questionable deeSfe
ions when the safety of their
liberty was in the balance.
When American slavery was
discussed and debated from
the cradle of juvenility to the
crutch of senility in the legis
lative halls of America by some
of the greatest statesmen this
country has hitherto pro
duced, men’s opinions varied
with their great interests al
most daily. At times it seemed
as if American slavery was to
be perpetuated. The community
subordinated the church. The
church became entirely passive
and was acted upon by the
community and accepted the
doctrine that slavery was a di
vine institution; and that the
church had neither acquired nor
inherent right to interfere with
slavery or anything that sa
vored of the body politic.
In a colonial cemetery in
Edisto Island, one fceads this
inscription chiseled in a fine,
costly granite monument erect
ed to the memory of a wealthy
slave owner: “I do hereby will
and bequeath all my slaves to
the church; or if they are sold;
or make any money as the re
sult of the;r labors, the money
is to be used to support the
church.”
The subordinate clause oi
the complex sentence has really
become the principal clause;
and the principal clause is now
trying to serve as a subordinate
clause: a clumsy arrangement
whose meaning is equally as
clumsy and is reflexive of com
plete subtraction of humanity.
This situation in America
thrived for nearly two hundred
and fifty years to the shame of
men in the South as well as to
men in the large group in the
North. Bishop Cook of the
South was mobbed in Bethel
Methodist Episcopal church,
on Calhoun Street in Charles
ton, S. C., because he was op
posed to slavery. During these
days the principal danse (the
church) was taking her right
ful place in the community m
Charleston; and the subordi
nate clause, (the community)
was fast Tailing—a house built
upon the sand—to its place
fixed according to God's eternal
verities.
In those days of piteous
cries in the rice fields of the
Atlantic Southern coast, a
passerby would ask with mat
surprise; “What meaneth this
Southern young planter by
sending his slave to a sehool in
Charleston fbr free" Negroes?”
"What meaneth the coming
young master by teaching a few
<?f4h>s» slave boys and girls to
read and write against the ircjit
will and without the knowledge
of his father? Why didifhe
community of Charleston send:
Df. John Garadeau from 2ion
Presbyterian church in Charieg
ton for Negroes to Cohnabia
Theological Seminary in Co
lumbia.” They saw this Presby
terian giant, in his day, on the
abolitionist’s road to shake
hands with Henry Ward Beech
er.
I am sure historians will ad
mit that the abolishment Of
slavery in America was largely,
if not altogether, through men
who were outstanding in the
church. And in 1861, in Augus
ta, Ga-; the Presbyterian
Church, U. S. A., settled the
matter,as * church. Other rel?
gious bodies followed; and thle
war was waged between thk
North and South. And now we
have a Northern Church and a
Southern Church.
Bat this was another glorious
war in America. And all the
wars in this country known to
historians were glorious wars,
fought by the Church in senti
ment; and sentiment rules the
world.
But the Church won because
the war was not an inglorious
war. The Church in ali the glo
rious wars shall conquer,
though it. die.
The church, as a great moral
and spir t;ujd force, in a com
munity; breathes into the ceanj
ior for mankind thdt, whfefl
cepted and applied, enriches
the community life along mam
lines of essential activities in
the making of an attractive,
substantial, desirable commm
nity. The application of the
church’s standard of behavioi
in a community, even though
the community be unable to
boast of silver and gold, makes
paradise regained; but the fail
ure to apply the standard «>*
the behavior of the church in
the community makes the com
munity paradise lost.
The church’s standard of be
havior in the community, when
applied, makes the pauper too
proud to steal and to wink at
the behavior of the wic^-di
But he elects to withstand ad
versities and plead the promise
upheld by the church: “Lo* I
-am with you atway, even unto
the end of the world.”
This high standard of the
church, when accepted and ap
plied, changes the community’s
standard of thinking about lift
as to what can be made of it.
In many communities, one can
see at first glance that tilt
church’s standard of behavior
has never found an effective en
trance into tne me oi »«*»*
munity. The people have no
vision of Christian manliness.
They are just a jolly set living
with no hope of reaching out
into the near distant future;
They are praying for their dai
ly bread for this day only.
They express the sentiment
and idea of life expressed «i
these lines:
“We just arrived in town to
night
Our story for to tell’.
We don’t care if we can not
fight,
Our razors suit as well.
“We practise on our heels and
toes,
As we dance and shout about;
We ain’t always welcome where
we goes,
We're the happiest folks
about.
“Just watch the movement of
our-skin,
As we dance and shout about;
(Continued on page 4)
From tl|e beautifully lighted
cross which gleamed out a wel
come for me as f approached
the Margaret Barber Seminary,
Anniston, Alabama, Monday
«vehing, February 16th,to the
final farewells on FVJday eve
ning, February 29th, everything
and everybody seemed to add
something of welcome to that
entire atmosphere of welcome
which permeated the whole
a/fhonl
ft was my privilege to con
duct special religious services
for five, days—-February 16th tp
29th—for the students of Bar
ber Seminary, and, as a guest of
the school, observed them go
about then daily routine. First,
I was. impressed with the family
atmosphere which pervaded the
school: I had constantly to re
mind myself that I was in a
boarding school and not a large
private family. The friendliest
.feeling ran through the student
body and faculty. Then,, if the
school seemed, to be a large
family living harmoniously to
gether, certainly it was easy to
see and feel that Christ wrs
the head of that home, the un
seen but not unobserved Guest
in the dining hail, class room,
dormitory as well as in the re
ligious meetings.
Dr. and Mrs. Mosack are sin*
cere, social-minded Christian
people who make you feel their
welcome. The faculty impressed
me as being human, helpful,
kindly people with a deep sense
of the respomtjfeflity resting
upon them. Their- attitude to
wards the student* seemed to
the
Singularly enough, the young
ladies of the Westminster
Guild back home at Shiloh
church were‘ studying “Barber
Seminary" for their National
Missions Study in “All in the
Family" the very week I was at
Barber, so this, perhaps, made
my observation of the Barber
students, more* intense.
It has been said that each
school has a personality. Bar
ber may be pictured as a moth
er absorbed in her children and
interested in their welfare.
She leaves no means untried to
the end that each child may re
ceive the best preparation in
life. Nor is this interest on the
part of the mother school in
vain. The students reflect in
their deportment all the ideals
held before them by the school.
Each Barber girl graciously
wears her marks of quiet digni
jty and self-respect which. dis
tinguish her as # Farter stu
dent anywhere.
AU of the students are identi
fraed with the church save one
who promised to unite with the
church next summer.
My last impression was one
of profound revesence as, the
mesntaBK of the entire student
body rededicated themselves tn
i^nrusv.
“THE SCRIBE.'
LEVERE YQIjNG PiJOPLE
ineaS'Ttennessbe
MEET
The second meeting of the
Young People’s League of Le
Vere- Presbytery was held Sun
day afternoon, February 22nd,
at 3:00 o’clock ^ri the East Vine
Avenue Presbyterian church,
Knoxville, Tenn. There were in
attendance one hundred elected
delegates among V the young
people* and two. hundred honor
ary delegates. Thisfis rather en
couraging when we recall the
fact that this League is just
three months, old.
The meeting opened with a
beautiful! warship service built
around thetheme: “My Church,
Built and Established by the
Martyrs,” led by Mr. Wilbur
Sims, Vice-President of the
League. The/eutire service was
Wlhe hands of the young peo
ple and they conducted it in a
very creditable way.
The worship message * * *
“Augustine’s Quest for Truth,”
was delivered by Rev. James
A. McDaniel, of Knoxville. This
was a most appropriate and in
spiring message.
At the end of the service of
worship the leader turned the
meeting over to the League
President, Miss Mabel Kirksey,
who presided at the business
session. During this time some
important matters were
brought to the attention of the
League and plans laid for the
future of the organization.
After which the President
introduced the topic for discus
sion: “Know Your Church and
How It Works.” The whole
discussion was centered around
the point: How It Works at
Home. The following young
people are to be commended
for the fine manner in which
they led in the open forum: Mr.
James Alexander, Miss Mary
Gillespie and Miss Charlotte
Peters.
—The President then introduced
Rev. A. H. George who was
scheduled to address the
young people on the subject:
“In Quest of the Best;” but
due to the lateness of the hour
Rev. George gave his time over
to Dr. A. B. McCoy, of Atlan
ta, Ga., who was the guest
speaker. Dr. McCoy, in a few
choice words and with his fine,
optimistic spirit gripped the
young people as he does all of
his audiences.
It was a rare privilege to have
along with other well wishers,
both Dr. McCoy and Rev.
George, two staunch friends of
youth. Rev. George is making a
large contribution to , the
League movement in this sec
period we, .were r led... to the
church dining room where an
attractive and delicious menu
had been carefully prepared by
the young people of East Vine
church under the direction of
Mrs. Downer and others.
After the fellowship dinner
a very brief and impressive
consecration service, conducted
by Rev. A. H. George, brought
the League meeting to an end.
We are deeply grateful to Dr.
and Mrs. Downer, their splendid
group of young people and the
members of East Vine Avenue
church for the fine spirit and
unique manner in which they
entertained the Young People’s1
League.
ETHEL E. GOINES.
CEDAR GROVE
CHURCH NOTES
By Miss Hattie A. Russell
Last Sunday, our pastor, Dr.
L. J. Melton, delivered a help
ful message from the theme,
“Jesus, the Sinners' Friend.”
His text was taken from Luke
the 7th chapter, 37-38 verses.
Our Sunday school has taken
on new zeal under the leader
ship of Mr. J. C. Lytle. The at
tendance is good each Sun
day. •
The Ladies’ Missionary So
ciety closed out a Talent Rally
on last Sunday which was quite
a success. On Friday evening!
of this week the ladies will give
a weiner roast at the home of
Mr. Jay Phifer. All are cordially
invited.
Miss Mary Sue Forney and
Mrs. Dora Brewer were the
week-end guests of Mr. and
Mrs. G. W. Forney.
Miss Louise Russell, a stu
dent of Logan High School.
Concord, spent the week-end
with her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
J. S. Russell.
Miss Anna J. Barnett, of
Barber-Scotia College, spent the
-week-end with her mother, who
has been shot in for several
weeks on account of illness.
“God's in His heaven,
All’s right with the world.”