VOL. LVII.
CHARLOTTE. N. C.
so- m
GIVE GOD A CHANCE M YOUR UFE
By James H. McConkey, Layman, Pittsburgh
In a great city telegraph of
fice scores of instruments were
busily clicking away. Presently,
in i he midst of the dir’, afld clat
ter, the door opened, and in
walked a young man— a strang
er. He was tall and rather awk
ward, with a linen duster reach
ing nearly to his heels. In re
sponse to his request for em
ployment he chief operator
motioned him to a chair. By and
by another instrument began to
click. The most important work
of the day was on hand. The
nress disoatches were ready at
a distant city. And by his table
in that city sat one of the swift
est writers, and most skillful op
erators in the service, waiting
to begin his rapid sending. The
chief motioned to the tall young
man to take his seat at the table
at which the press news was to
be received. He quietly did so.
The other workers lifted their
headg from their instruments to
look askance at the rustic
stranger in his attempt; to 'take’
the fastest man on the line.
They were watchng for him to
fail. But he had no notion of
doing so. Answering the call he
took up his pen and began to
write. And there for hour after
hour he sat. Without a break,
without a halt, writing a hand
like a copper plate in its clear
ness and beauty, he tossed off
sheet after sheet of copy to the
waiting messenger boy, while all
the office stared in admiration.
When the work was finished the
job was his without any fur
ther question. > Wlhen asked his
name, he replied—Edison. It
was the beginning of his world
wide fame. All he wanted was a
chance. And when he got it he
did marvels.
And is not this the homely
expression of the real thought
in the verse pf JHalachi,
'Bring ye all 'the tithes
—_Prove we now—-—if I will
not 'open the windows of heav
en.’ What i3 God saying here
but this? ‘My child, I still have
windows in heaven. They are yet
in service. The bolts slide as
easily as of old. The hinges have,
hot grown rusty. I would rather
fling them open, and pour forth,
than keep them shut and hold
back. I opened them for Moses
and the sea parted. I opened them
for Joshua—and Jordan rolled
hack. I opened them for Gid
eon, and the hosts fled. And I
I will open; them for you—if you
only will let me. On this side of
the windows heaven is the ?ame
rich storehouse as of old. The
fountains and streams still over
flow. The treasure rooms are
still bursting with gifts. The
lack is not on my side, it is on
yours. I am waiting. I am ready.
Prove me now. Fulfill the condi
tions on your part. Bring the
tithes. Give me a chance.’
By Trusting
And first, then, let us give
God a chance—by trusting.
Faith opens the soul to God.
«£/ It. is the channel down which
(trO&’s heavenly 'blessings flow
to'jigward. It i8 the bridge which
leapf1 the chasms between heav
en ana earth. It is the ladder
over which God's messengers of
help journey to us needy earth
lings. It is faith which givesi
God a chance to work in your
life soul. Turning away
from God in un-faith is putting
a pHategiass between you and
an electric current; it shuts off
the flow of life. It is stopping
your ears with cotton, so that
no note of a song can flow in
upon your soul. It is wearing a
bandage over your eyes, so that
no glint of the beauty of dawn
or sunset can come to your blind
ed vision. 'The life, the light,
the song are there. Bjut you shut
them out. You give them no
chance.
A. simple picture illustration
comes to mind here. It is that of
a human hand. In the hand is
an empty bottle. The bottle is
under a fountain. The waters j
are flowing atop, at the sides,!
all over the bottle. But there is
not a drop inside. Underneath is
the legend: ‘Why is the bottle
not filled?’ The reason is sim
ple. There is a cork in the bot
tle. It has no chance. Even so
faith is the soul’s intake.
Through it God’s life comes
in. Love is the soul’s outlet.
Through it God's life pours
forth. The clog in either is to
3tay the flow of life. You give
God no chance.
Unsaved friend, why do you
continue to live in the shadow of
death? Why has not the miracle
of the new birth been wrought
in your soul? Why do you every
moment: jftand in Jeoparaty (of
a catastrophe which all the
years of eternity can never set
right? Simply because you will
nnt fulfill God’s simnle condi
tions. You will not accept and
trusft Jesus Christ as theSaviour
of your soul. You will not give
God a chance. Suppose the del
icate mechanism of your gold
watch has a breakage. You take
it to the watchmaker and ask
if he can repair it. He says he
can if you will leave it in his
hands for a few days. At once
you trust him with it. For you
know he can do nothing unless
you give him a chance. Or you
want your portrait painted. You
g0 to an artist friend. He tells
you he will do it* Hut he says
you must come daily to him1
for so many sittings. You
straightway obey. For (you
know he cannot paint your por
trait unless you give him a
chance. Or you go to a dock and
ask the captain of a steamship
if he will land you on the oth
er side of the ocean.
He says he will if you will
buy tt ticket, step aboard the
boat, and trust him to carry you
over. This, too, you do. For you
know you never can ccpss the
ocean Unless you trust yourself
to the ship. You must needs give
it a chance. How strange, then,
that you will not give God the
same chance in eternal matters
which you give to men in tem
poral ones. There is a brea^Ji in
your soul of vastly more mo
ment that the breakage in your
watch. God will mend it if you
give Him a chance. There is a
picture—the image of Jesus
Christ to be painted upon your
inner being, as upon every oiner
life that would enter heaven.
God will paint it, if you give
Him a chance. There is a jour
ney out into the unknown abyss
of eternity, which no man can
take save by God’s way and by
God’s guidance. God will pilot
you all the way—if you give
Him a chance. Be as fair to God
in matters of eternity as you
are t0 men in the concerns of
time. Fulfill His simple condi
tions of salvation. Give yourself
to Him. Trust Him, in Christ.
He will surely save your soul—
if you give Him a chance.
Give God a Chance by Praying
There are many things too
difi- i.ll for you to do. Bur you
do noi hesitate to see\ some one
nvnv okiiful raid give him »
chance to do it for you. You
have a precious gem to re-set?
You can not do it But you are
quick to give the expert jewel- !
er a chance to do it for you. ’
There is a dangerous mountaiu
steep to climb. You do not know
how to find the pathway. But
you give the mountain guide aj
chance t0 lead you in it. There ,
is a deep ford to cross. You can |
not risk it. But you give the.
hardy ferryman a chance to pi- j
lot you across it. !
It is not otherwise with you
and God. There are many things
vou can not do. But God says:
‘If ye ask, I will do/ There are
many burdens you can not bear.
Give God a chance through
prayer, and He will bear them
for you. There are barriers too
high for you to overleap. Ask
God. They are not too high for
Him. Somehow whert there
seems no other chanc^ for us*
prayer gives God a chance. And
behold He does for us .what we
had forever despaired of doing
for ourselves.
A Christian business friend
was in sore straits. A certain
denund had been made upon
him for a large sum of money.
Every consideration' of business
honor demanded its payment.
Yet he was helpless to meet it.
The only possible way out of the
crisis seemed to be tie sale of
a piece of real estate. But the
market v as danarouusly dull.
There was scarcely a buyer for
it. In short, there was no hu
man chance of selling it. So we
determined to give God a chance.
Spreading the whole matter be
fore Him, we began to pray.
After two weeks of earnest sup
plication a man came to ask our
friend if his real estate was in
the market. In another week he
came and asked the price. A lit
tle later he made opr friend an
offer. The latter,, however,
deemed it too low. So we prayed
on that God might work His
perfect will in it all. At the end
of six weeks of prayer the sale
was made, and our friend came
to us with a check for many
thousands of dollars in his hand.
With tears in his eyes he said:
‘It seems t0 have come as di
rectly from God as though He
Himself had handed it over the
counter of a bank.’ That was
true. It was all of God. We had
simply given him a chance.
God1 Takes Time to Answer
We often fail to give God a
chance in this respect. It takes
time for God to paint a rose. It
takes time for God to grow an
oak. It takes time for God to
make bread from a wheat field.
He takes the earth. He pulveriz
es it. He softens. He enriches. He
wets it with showers and dews.
He warms it with life. He gives
the blade the stock, the amber
grain, and then at last the bread
for the hungry. All this takes
time. Therefore we sow and till,
and wait and trust, until God’s
purposefiiiave been wrought out.
We give4 God a5 chance in this
matter of time. We need to learn
this lesson in our prayer life. It
takes God time t0 answer pray
er.
A Christian worker had
reached the end of the week,
well wearied with service. The
sunshine and rippling river were
luring him to an hour’s rowing.
Boarding a passing car he was
soon on his way to the river
bank. As soon as he neared it
he remembered that it was late
in the season, and there was a
lkelihood of the boat-house be
ing closed. But the opting for
tired nerves and weary body
seemed a clear need. So he lifted
his heart quietly in prayer that
if it were the Lord’s will He
might send along the caretaker
of the boat-house to furnish the
boat. Reaching the spot he
found to his disappointment
that the house was closed. Turn
ing to leave under the impulse
of the moment, the thought
flashed in: ‘It has been only a
moment or two since you prayed
the Lord to send along the boat
man. and now you are going
away without even waiting long
enough for him to get here.
Why donft '^you give /God k
chance?' So he sat down by the
riven bank to wait. In 10 min
utes the boat-keeper came
strolling along. The house was
opened, the boat secured, and
the refreshing of an hour's out
ing enjoyed to the full. With it
came another simple lesson in
the prayer-life, that . it takes
God time to answer prayer, and
that we need, therefore, to give
God a chance. ■» \
Take the matter of- conver
sion. You have an unsaved loved
one. You have prayed for him
for months—for years. He is
still outside the kingdom. God
has not answered your prayer,
you say. But perhaps you are at
sea in your view of conversion.
Does God bring a soul into His
kingdom as you might lift ed
child over a hedge, or hurt s
stone across a stream Does
man’s choice have no place in
in this? It surely does.---^.
“Hence concerning the com
{version
member
with a W
not real!
God to <j
heart ids
may hav
God mh
come. Gk
resisting soul re
s. God is striving
an will—-Do you
e what it means for
> it ? God may have
to overthrow. God
to foil chosen {dans,
suffer afflictions to
must press in upon
the man engrossed in the tem
poral ar growing vision of the
eternal.' God must needs cher
ish, woo, disappoint, uplift*, be
impoverish, —
to bear a multitude
ices upon a resisting
it yields to Him. But
ears deaf to the voice
■to open eyes blind to
of God—to turn aside
feet to the path of
this takes time. There
God a chance.
GALVIN’S
Negro Book on Catholic List
New York—(C)—The Cardi
nal Hayes Literature Committee
included “Catholic Negro Educa
tion in the United States,” by
Margaret A. Diggs, in a list of
96 titles in a summer list of
books 'approved for Catholic
reader
'e Sun Says Senator
“Not Representative”
ore, Md. — (C) - The
re Sun said editorially
“While Senator Ellison
of South Carolina,
,.**.«*ng out of the Demo
cratic 'National Convention at
Philadelphia in protest to the
activities of Negroes in the pro
ceedings, Dr. Will W. Alexan
der, of Atlanta, in an address
before] the Institute of Regional
Development of the South at
Chapel Hill, N. C., was urging
the white and black people of the
South 'to stop talking about the
in
difficulties.’
“There has been increasing
evidence of better understand
ing between whites and Ne
groes in the South and it is re
grettable that such actions as
that of Senator Smith should
occur to arouse bad feeling
There is growing recognition, as
the speaker referred to pointed
out, that the ‘really pressing
problems involved in the busi
ness of living which affects both
Negroes and whites, can not b«
solved by one to the exclusior
of the other.’ They are mem
bers of the same communities
and their fortunes are cl se:ji
knit. There can never be sub
stantial prosperity in the South
unless the Negro shares in it,
He is a vital part of the econom
ic structure.
“Fortunately, there is every
reason to believe that the views
expressed at the Institute or
.the relationship between the
two races more nearly represenl
the spirit that animates right
thinking white people in the
South than the churlish actior
of Senator Smith.”
Negro Exaggerated in South
Chapel Hill, N. C.—(C) -
Dr. Will W. Alexander, Directoi
, of the Interracial Commissioi
rand former President of Dillarc
University, told, the Institute
for Regional Development oi
the South that the Negro is ai
exaggerated factor in the socia
problem of the section, and the
two races should get togethei
JMn the solution of their mutua
'difficulties,” in an address Tues
day; Dr. Alexander has beer
serving at Washington for i
year ad assistant administrate]
of the Resettlement Administra
’tidfi. :
New . York Times Publi&hej
J. W. Ford’s Picture
New York — (C)— The Nev
Yoric Times publishes tl*e pho
tograph of James W. Ford shak
ing, hands with Earl Rtrowdei
Thursday morning. Browder an<
Ford are candidates for Presi
dent and Vice-President on thi
*a*T*^' ■r-—■
. (Continued on page 3)
CHURCH NEWS FROM THE NORTH
By Rev. Thomas H.
JP
i, D.D.
v/u ouiiuuy, June «», we spent,
the morning hour of service
with the congregation of the Si*
loam Presbyterian church at
Elizabeth, New Jersey, Rever
end Charles Trusty, D.D., pas
tor. The occasion was the ser
vice incident to the dedication
of the new Presbyterian Hym
nals with which the church had
supplied itself in memory of Ei
der Jordan, recently deceased
after half a century of official
service in the church.
The services were beautiful
and of great solemnity. Hie
writes delivered the dedicatory
address and in his introductory
remarks related a brief account
of his visit to this church about
forty-five years ago and at
which time not a score of peo
pie greeted nun; at tne present
service, however, the congrega
tion was a capacity one. The
church was filled, notwith
standing the rain which
was falling in heavy showers.
This is one of the churches in
this area which is growing and
will soon need a larger audito
rium. There was in addition to
the fine services and large con
gregation, a response tu the
appeal for money to the amount
of almost three hundred dollars,
a sum suffici«nt to wip,. out the
expense ot hymnals and the
small indebtedness for fuel and
some incidentals.
The Siloam church has had
a struggling career for almost
seventy years hut Is now in a
healthy condition. We congrat
ulate both Dr. Trusty and the
congregation on the success they
have reached and on the pres
ent internal harmony, church
pride and local good will. The
Elder whose memory was hon
ored was ope of those Presbyte
rians jwho served God with his
' fanrifr: Most of the surviving
sons and daughters and grand
children are members of the
church and filled two long seats
in front of the altar. Though
dead this saintly elder is held
ip sacred memory because he
was faithful, patient and labo
rious from early manhood to the
end of a long and honorable life.
In the aftemon we attended a
Men’s Day > exercise at the St.
Augustine Presbyterian church,
Paterson, N. J. At this service
the sermotf was delivered by
Rev. B. C- Robeson. Mr. Robeson
is pastor of one of the local
Methodist churches. He is an
alumnus of Johnson G. Smith
University and is a descendant
on his maternal side from the
old Bustil family which figured
’ in Philadelphia in the anti-slav
ery movements: On Ids paternal
side he descended from Rev.
i W. D. Robeson, an honored
Presbyterian minister who spent
twenty years of his life as pas
; tor of the Witherspoon Presby
terian church at Princeton, New
> Jersey. After preaching a won
derful sermon Mr. Robeson
spoke beautifully of his Presby
terian background and training
from Presbyterian sources.
Following this sermon were
five minute addresses by a num
ber of Paterson men who have
made good, whose names are:
; Dr. C. P. McClendon, Dr; C. Ho
gans, Dr. T. H. Amos, Jr., Mr.
| Melvin Halsey, Mr. Frank Hail
; stock and Dr. Harold Amos.
| Closing remarks were made by
I the writer.
St. Augustine church is now
vacant. The former pastor, the
, Rev. Geo. Brabham, retired
. May 1st. As seems true of these
. last years this church is one
of four of our churches
embarrassed with an unpaid
1 minister's salary that has to be
all paid Wore calling a pastor,
r but the liberal concession which
■ Rev. Brabham made will enable
■ this congregation to meet this
* demand in the near future and
I at which time it is hoped they
• will secure an energetic pastoi
s with adaptability to social ser
vice work, as the church plant
consist^ of a community house,
cnurcn eaince and apise, and a
large number of ymtpg people
in need of a tr&injflfleadership.
There are at least %r churches
in this area without settled pas
tors: St Augustine; Bethany,
Englewood; Calvary, Asbury
Park; and Washington Street,
Reading.
The Rev. Wm, R. Lawton has
recently taken hold of the Jeth
ro church in Atlantic City and
reports encouraging progress in 7
this very difficult field. The.old
saying that colored people do );
not want to be Presbyterians is
being exploded in New York
City where St. James church
has a communicant membership
of seventeen hundred and a
Sunday school of a thousand.
And Brooks chapel at Hiflbhm,
New York, has a Sunday school
attendance of one hundred and
fifty in a community where the
colored children enrolled in the
public school are not much over
me hundred. There are about
fifty families for Brooks' chapel
to draw on for Sunday school,
and it is a fact that not a fam
ily of this community is not re
presented on the Sunday school
rolls.
New York City.
IT’S UP TO THE SUPREME
COURT AGAIN
By Frank Marshall Davis
(For A. N. P.)
Again the United States Su
preme Court will have a chance
to pass on the legality of Geor
gia's Fascism when the Angelo
Herndon case is returped to the
oation’8 highest tribunal. Once
before an appeal failed be
cause this august body held,
five to four, that Herndon had
lost bis_ right to appeal because
his lawyer was too late protest
ing against the unfairness of
the trial. As a matter of fact,
the attorney would have had to
protest before the unfairness
took place.
The Supreme court of Alabama
reversed a lower court’s decis
ion and decreed that a hoary
statute passed last century
against freedom but never en
forced was constitutional. Judge
Hugh Dorsey previously held
this aqfti-insunTection law was
not specific, denies free speech
and violates the due process of
law guaranteed by the United
States Constitution to every
citizen.
Herndon, as you know, is a
young man of communistic be
liefs who led an interracial hun
ger march in Georgia four years
ago to ask for more relief for
the starving. He had in his pos
session certain printed matter
which may be ffcund an many
white colleges both there and
elsewhere. Hut Herndon was
jailed, spent 28 months in pris
on after his arrest and pend
ing appeal, and was sentenced
to serve from 18 to 20 years on
the chaingang—which is death
by slow torture.
HAMPTON SUMMER SCHOOL
ENROLLMENT
An unusually earnest and so
ber group of teachers make up
the total enrollment of the
Hampton Institute Summer
School which began June 24.
An announcement from the
Director, Dr. Wm. A. Aery,
gives the registration figures as
565, as of date July 2. Of this
number 244 ere enrolled in the
six-week term, ending August
4 ; and 388 are registered in the
nine-week term, which closes
August 25.
Eighteen States, the District
of Columbia and the British
West Indies are represented in
tl% (Summer School. The Vir
ginia delegation is the largest,
numbering 238. North Carolina
has the next largest—153. Ma
ryland has 60, South Carolina,
40, and Florida, 18,