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The Atlantic Messenger.
EDITOR:
HIGHT C. MOORE, New Bern, N. C
A monthly Baptist newspap'er start
ed in May, 1899, as the organ of the
Atlantic Association; twice enlarged
and improved within a year; in Jan
uary, 1902, its field was so extended as
to embrace the “Baptist Destituti m”
of about twenty counties in Eastern
North Carolina, the territory lying
mainly in the bounds of the Atlantic,
Neuse, Wilmington, and Tar River
Associations.
Terms of Subscription:
Single copies, each..25 cts. per year.
25 copies to one address..$3 per year.
100 copies to one address.$10 per year
Entered at New Bern, N. C., as sec
ond-class mail matter.
THE NINETEENTH SESSION OF
THE ATLANTIC ASSOCIATION.
Tlie Atlantic dissociation met in
its nineteentli annual session with
our church at BaylK)ro on Wed
nesday morning September J7th,
1902. In th(' absence of all the
former officers of the liody, a new
election was necessary. To the
■|)Osit.ions of .Moderator and Clerk
Revs. A. \V. Setzer and llight C.
Aloore were elected resjiectively,
and Jlro. M. S. Webb was elected
Treasurer.
The chui’ciies are few, feeble
and widely scattered, hut our rep
resentation was by no means what
it might and should have been.
Of twenty-two churches, two were
represented by letter alone, five
others ^vere represented only by
their ])astors, while six (think of
it!) were not represented either
by letter or messenger. And,
aside from the eigh t ordained min
isters present, only sixteen dele
gates were enrolled. We can eas
ily do much better than this, and
should never allow our annual
meeting to be again so thinly at
tended.
There are fourteen ordained
ministers either n'sident or at
work somewhere in our Associa-
:utm. T aw lo»jha
than for year’s. Our churches are
scattered over forrr counties (one
church is in ariothei’) covering an
ai'ea of 2,500 square miles and
containing a white ])02)ulation Cif
about 33,000. ’ Oui' little band of
about 1,5)00 meirdxu's has plenty
of room in which to exercise itself.
M'e have two churches less than
a year ago, Aloor’e’s Chapel hav
ing re-rrnited with the moth
er church at Alo rehead City
and Alaysville having gone
with the iTinainder of the Jones
county field to the iSTeuse Asso
ciation. At this session one new
church was admitted: Sirring
Hill in Onslow county, recently
organized 'with eight members by
brethren King and Olive.
Brethren Butler and AIcLeod
Avere the two new j^astors jrresent
at this session. Both received the
hand of hearty welcome and con
tributed much to the interest of
the session. Aluch to his own re
gret and that of the brotherhood,
Bro. Hobbs, of SwanslK>ro, was
unable to be present on account
of the critical illness of his wife.
ATsitors also Avere ‘‘foAv and far
between,” but those avIio Avere Avith
us AA'ere of real serAuce and Avere
gladly heard. Rew. W^. F. Fry,
once the popular pastor of our
Pamlico field, Avas present as the
representative of the Baptist Fe
male Hniversity of Raleigh, and
his AA’ork Avas much better done
than the financial returns Avould
indicate. Rev. J. W. Cobb spoke
for the Biblical Recorder (avIucIi
by the Avay, Avas started as such in
our Association') and placed
on his subscrijfiion list the names
of several of OAir choicest Avorkers.
Rev. John E. King, of Wilming
ton, Avho has done such good Avork '
in Jones and OnsloAV counties re
cently Avas also present and was
heard Avith pleasure.
The various re^Aorts Avere made
on the objects of our Irenevolence
and lines of Avork, and discussed
with unusual interest, aa’c should
say, considering the smallness of
the croAvds. I'he introductory
sermon by Rev. A. A. Butler on
“The Church the Pillar and
Ground of Truth,” Avas earnestly
given and Avell rciceived. The dis
cussion of State Missions, includ
ing the reports of the missionaries
in our territory, brought the ses
sion to the highest ])oint of inter
est. ddieclosing meeting witliits dis
cussion of the Orphanage by Bro.
M'dutty and of the Atlantic Insti
tute by PrineijAal Setzer, aams also
very ])rofitable. Both these sul)-
jeets lie A'ery close to the hearts Af
our ])co])le. It may be said here
that our churches ai’e most earne-)r-
ly recpiested to make a generous
contribution this month (October)
to Atlantic Institute. The funds
are needed and the brethren are
more able to giA’e just non than
th(‘y will be later.
Three collections of about fiv'e
dollars each Avere taken for the
building of Aurora church, the
Ba])tist Female Hniversity, and
the Thomasville Orphanage. T'he
churches sent to tne Association
$15.3.48 as reiAorted through the
Finance Committee.
During the jAast associational
year our churches have made a
total contribution of $6,(190.50.
Of this amount $2,765.20 is cred
ited to ])astor’s salaries. The tAvo
objects receiving the largest con
tributions Avere the (OrjihaJiage
with $302.77 and State Missions
with $283.45.
The table of Church Statistics
shoAvs that two churches are ])as-
torless and four houseless. The
]Aro})erty of f)ur churches is esti-
mat‘d at $40,365 and our houses
of AvorshijA Avill seat 5.850 people.
Last year tliere aa-n' 11 bajAtisJiis
in the Assoeiidion, the total ae-
cessift)is I inm'i'iL' up i.o CO ; \)Ui. uie
total loss amounted to 55, leaAung
a net gain in membershi]) of 25 for
the entire Association. The total
membership is 1,497.
►Sunday School statistics are not
very numerous in the Atlantic.
IJiirteen of our churches haA’e no
Sunday schools at all. The ten
Sunday Schools reporting, have
91r officers and teachers, an enrol
ment of 764, an aA’erage attendance
of 501, and they report a total
contribution of $642.22. W^e tru
ly hojAe all our churches Avill givm
more heed to the Sunday School
work.
As to our Avork as financially
outlined for the coming Associa
tional year, Ave have planned to
raise for the various beneAulences
the sum of $1,179.50. The larg
est j)ledge of any one church is
$448. The largest jAledge to any
object is for the OrjAlianage—
$348.50. W^e ought to give more—
much more than the $315 Ave haAm
pledged to State Missions; we ex-
j)ect tAvice that amount to be giv
en to our field by the State Board.
The AA’ork of Colportage Avas prw
sented and Avhile the messengers
were not instructed in regard to
this, yet $62.50 AAms jAledged; Ave
hope it Avill run much above that
figure. Let us make the pledges
Avhich Avill appear in the minutes
our minimum offerings for the A'a-
rious objects.
The recent session Avas devoted
strictly to business. There Avas
little time Avasted. Bro. Setzer
presides Avith dignity and grace
and carries fovAvard the Avork Avith
ease and dispatch. The people
of Bayboro, irrespective of de
nominational lines, accorded to
the Association a generoAis hospi
tality and an attentive hearing.
The editor og this pajAer Avith Bro.
Mliitty Avas most graciously enter
tained in the homes of brethren
CoAA’ell, Rice and SaAvyer. The
skies also smiled upon us and our
visit to our neighboring tOAvn Avas
quite agreeaAle in many Avays.
The Association changed its time
of meeting back to October—Wed-
nesday morning after the second
Sunday. And Ave are to meet
next year Avith our Piney Gi'OAm
church near SAvansboro, Rcaa
Xeedham L. Gaskins to preach the
introductory sermon. Let us be
gin noAv and make our next meet
ing the very best in all our history.
A SERMON ON SWEARING,
The habit of SAvearing is as com
mon as it is degrading. The lan
guage of the street, tlie store, the
office, the factory, the higliAvay, is
tainted Avith it and vitiated by it.
Boys and men, Avho claim to Iao
se]f-res]Aecting and Avho move in
the best society as gentlemen, are
often guilty of the very ungentle-
manly vice of SAvearing.
Profanity is the impious tise of
the name of God. In a moment
of rage or recklessness the unbri
dled tongue ejects a IxAld and bit
ter oath, sometimes in venomous
iTivocation and sometimes in blas-
])hemous irreArerence. What per
son, u]Aon a moment’s thought,
can harbor such a spirit, lAelching
forth the poisonous hate of a pol
luted heart aijaoii the head of as
sociate and felloAA’-man ? Yet it
is lamentably true that in the
make-up of many men there are
resei'A'oirs of oaths issuing in fre
quent and blighting streams.
►Lgain, there are many non-
SAvearers Avho have the fault of
repeating profane coiwersation
and emphasizing the oath used.
This is little better than original
SAvearing. Is there nothing else
to rejAeat but careless oaths and
•.ihnsiw?.. t3rofa;jjjt,^7, .. .Where are
godly meii *^-,id Avomen that Ave
should Aop Avith eyes and ears
and mouth ojAeu to catch and re
tain and nouBsh the silly yarns of
the contemjj^ble SAvearer ? MTiere
are Shaket^eare and i\Iilton and
LongfelloAv and Father Ryan—'
vohimes sjAarkling Avith gems of
golden tnith—that any man
should,})arade the streets in search
of the execrable Avretch Avho takes
the name of God in Audn ? WTiere
is the Bible, Avith truth in every
line and" Ioaxa in CA’ery verse and
(dii’ist in every page, tliat Ave
should never rejAeat its sublin.i)e
])assages, but fondle and hoard
and cherish as SAveet spices the
profane utterances of the foul-
mouthed SAvearer ?
Further, there is no valid de
fence to be made for the un-
thoughted by-Avord Avhich is pi’o-
fanity’s tAvin-brother. The Eng
lish language, Avith its rich vocab-
ularly and endless varieties of ex-
]Aression, is insufficient for some
men to give their ideas to the
Avorld in a ^Aolite manner. By-
AA’ords are called in to enhance
the value of Aveak sayings and
support flimsy assertions; but
they are defeated in their Aury
object, for, AA'hile intended for
emphasis, they indicate AAuaknes
of statements. They also lead to
unmistakable profanity. The
Aiser of by-Avords Avill after aAvhile
become the user of oaths. The
meanest thief that ever stole his
thousands began by taking pen
nies. The basest assassin that
ever dreAv a dagger began his ca
reer in trivial misdemeanors. So
the foulest blackguard and the
profanes! human briAte that ever
strode the earth began their lives
of mischief Avith jesting bv-AAurds
and petty Auilgarities. Behold
the Aucious end and beAvare of the
insidious beginnings!
MJiat then, may be said of
SAvearing ?
1. It is totally useless. Lis
ten to Herbert:
“ Lust and Avine plead pleasure, avarice,
gain ; , , , .
But the cheap swearer through his open
sluice
Lets his soul run for naught.”
2. It is shamefully indecent.
The organ of profane utterance
desei'A'es to be Avashed in concen
trated lye. Chapin has this to
say: “Profanity is a brutal vice.
He who indulges in it is no gen
tleman—I care not Avhat his
stain]) may be in society, I care
not Avhat clothes he Avears or
AAliat culture he boasts. Despite
all his refinement, the light and
habitual taking of God’s name l>e-
travs a, coarse nature and a bru-
tal'Avill.”
3. It is intensely degrading.
The oath is intimately connected
Avith the blackest ini(]uities knoAvn
to man. Hence its use loAvers
sclf-res])ect and leads to baser
vices Avhich brutalize and dehu
manize the uiiAvary victim.
4. It is flagrantly unchristian.
The SAvearer ojienly violates the
hiAvs of God, crushing afresh the
Sinaitic tablet and disobeying the
Great Teacher of the TAAmlve.
iMay the time soon be at hand
Avhen the oath shall be met Avith a
froAvn and the sin of sAvearing fall
into universal disuse!
LETTER FROM WILMINGTON.
Rev. C. B. Paul, Wilmington.
Deak Bko. Mooke :—When I
left OnsloAv I thought I slioidd
lie sure to giA’e an account of my
self and my work each month
through the Messexgee, but I
missed the first month and that
niiide it easier to miss the second
and so on until, like all other neg
lected duties, it is a hard matter
to get at it again. Well, I like
my people and I hope thejjj^b^ee
me. South Side is a country
church in a city. I mean by that
that many of her members, came
from the country and brouglfi
Avith them that loA’e and rever
ence for that “old time religion”
that is so characteristic of coun
try churches, and those of them
Avlio were brought up in the city
are firm in their determination to
stick close to the old landmarks.
M^e have no sneli thing as a church
fair or festival to raise money for
the Lord bf'cause Ave believe there
is a, better Avay. "We believe that
it is more blessed to giAm than to
receive and Ave want the blessing.
I doul>t very much AA’hether there
is another city in Korth Carolina
Avhere there is such union among
Ba]Atist churches as W'ilmington,
and this union and hannony is by
no means, as we sometimes say, an
indication that Ave are doing noth
ing. Brooklyn on the north has
just placed an order for an entir-e-
ly ncAv outfits of seats. The First
CliAirch in the centre has begun
this year’s AA’ork on a basis of sev
eral hundred dollars more than
last and South Side on the south
has just begun the erection of a
Sunday School room for the in
fant class Avhich Avill add greatly
to our equipment for Sunday
school Avork.
Besides the Avork that is being
done here in the city, Bro. J. W.
Wheeler is forging ahead at Del
gado Mills and surrounding coun
try. I am noAv helping him in
a meeting that we trust Avill result
in much good.
A feAv Aveeks ago I Avent doAvn
to my old field in OnsloAv to help
Bro. Hobbs in a meeting at Enon
Chapel. Bro. Hobbs could not be
with us during the meeting on ac
count of his sick Avife, aaFo a fcAV
days ago crossed over the river.
May our Heavenly Father comfort
him in his sad bereaAmment. We
had a gracious meeting, seven
teen additions to the church and
among them Bro. Isaac Hender
son of Hubert, Avhom Ave belieAm
Avill advance our cause in Eastern
OnsloAV county. bVhat a gracious
privilege it is to visit our old field
and mingle again Avith the brothers
and sisters Avho stood by us so no
bly Avhen our untrained hands
first unfolded the banner of Jesus.
Yes, I shall ahvays love OnsloAV
county.
I must not make my first letter
too long, so I jvill close Avith a
Avord of advice to the brethren.
Let us be sure that Ave practice our
selves Avhat Ave preach to oui
chui'ches. If a brother shoAild
trespass against ias, let us go to
him ])ersonally and tell him his
fault betAveen him and us alone
before Ave proceed to administer
a drastic dose, Avhich Avdrile it
may gratify the flesh Avill surely
injure the Ca.use.
MOREHEAD CITY.
Rev. A. W. Setzer, Morehead City.
Deak Bro. Mooke :—Perhaps
the brethren throughout the As
sociation are as much interested in
the Associational school—Atlantic
Institute—as any other depart
ment of our Avork here. It gives
me not a little pleasure to be able
to make such an encouraging re
port. As has been announced in
the Messekoer, the second session
began on the 9tli of September,
and up to this Avriting, ninety-
five piApils have been enrolled.
Were I to delay Avriting until the
beginning of the second month of
the school year, I have no di)ubt
but that I could report more than a
hundred pupils.
The teachers liaA’e entered into
their Avork Avith earnestness and
zeal, and the pupils in general
seem to be faithfAil and diligent
.j,n their Avoiffi. There are many
lAoys and girls throughout the
bounds of the Association aaJio
ought to be in school in Atlantic
Institute., It is your school,
brethren, and must live or die as
you nourish it or Avithhold from
it sustenance. AVe need your pray
ers, your money, and yoAir boys
and girls. GWe us the former
and the other two Avill quickly
folloAA’.
It is to lie hoped that the breth
ren Avill not forget to take the col-
lectiojAs and pledges for our
school AA'ork authorized by the
Association to be taken during the
month of Octolxu'. The need of
funds is A’ery pressing jAist at this
time.
We ended the Associational year
Avith all OAAi’ pledges ])aul in full.
All this is very gratifying bur not
satisfying. W^e haAm not done
ALL Ave might have done. We
haA’e not given as largely nor as
unselfishly as Ave should. Let
the prayer of every one of us be
that the Lord may lay each object
of the Convention, nearer, Amry
much nearer, oirr hearts.
The fourth Sunday m Septem-
loer ended the third year of my
pastorate here. They iiave been
busy years, but all that might
have been done has not been ac
complished. Ko doubt there have
been mistakes not a few, but, Avith
all the imperfections and mis
takes, there have been some suc
cesses in Avhich pastor and people
haAm rejoiced together. ISTo peo
ple ever stood more loyally by
their pastor. We begin the fourth
year Avith eA’ery assurance of ap
preciation a pastor could Avish.
May the fourth count for more
in building up the .Master’s King
dom than either of the three that
have preceded.