Newspapers / The Star of Zion … / Oct. 9, 1885, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOL. IX. ¥ - ''i/p w *1. 1 'I ' V . I SVfeM* H , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1885. -—*4 NUMBER 33 • ! 1 * •, - ■ OF OFFICIOUSLY MEDDLING WITH AND A TOTAL DISRE GARD OF THE AFFAIRS OF OTHERS—“AM I MY BROTH ER’S KEEPER.” *■ -- ' / i V by bey. j. w. smith. ^ Society has been infested in all ages of the world, with persons prone to intrude themselves into the concerns of their neighbors; with tattlers and busy-bodies. Indeed^some of this sort ,*re quite ingenious in their way; their, minds resembling a fertile soil, which tfor want of proper culture, bears noth ing but weeds and poisonous plants. Not but that, an officious intermed dler or even a tale-bearer, may mean no harm; the one‘being actuated by an undue opinion of his own impor tance, and the other from the Vanity of appearing to know the charcters ana the concerns of all about, them. But intentional sowers of discord, who from • envy, malice or the love of mischief^ employ themselves in breeding dissen sions in families and neighborhoods are as pestilent as thieves mid robbers} and. the less they are punishedhy civ il law, the more should they ^be made to feel the species of punishment which public opinion inflicts. They who, from habit or from tern-, per, make it their business and delight to pry into and publish the failings of others, be it'remembered that, “at that day when the failings of all shall be made manifest, the attention of each individual will be fixed only on bis own.” There is a fault, however, directly opposite to that of officiously meddling with the concerns of our neighbors: I mean the absence of all heartfelt concern for any but ourselves and our near relations. This fault, however artfully it may be covered, , springs, for the most part, from mean selfishness, or from apathy of heart. Selfishness, which is the love of self and everything else lor the sake of self, has the power of keeping some persons at a vast distance from inter fering with their neighbor’s affairs, for which they care not a whit any farther than such extraneous affairs have a bearing upon their own personal inter ests. „ So also is the cold-hearted, in whose bosoms is the perpetual, calm of apathy, trouble not their neighbors as ,4 busy-bodies in their matters; because they have not enough energy of soul either to love or hate in good earnest. Now it is often the case, that some be ' longing to each of these two classes value themselves highly upon their practical abstraction from all concerns ijSpafe but their own, and boast of it as a shining virtue. “We are not meddlers, not we. It is our manner to mind oar own business, and to let all other folks alone.” Nevertheless, if they would open the folds of their own hearts and observe fairly what is going on there, they will find that not being meddlers is owing to anything else, rather than 'a principle of virtue. “Am I my brother’s keeper.”—We know who said it. And so in numer ous instances, when one is ruining himself and family by mismanagement of affairs, or when one betrays the symptoms of an inceptive vice, which, growing into a habit, would land him into perdition, his neighbors coolly look on, saying in their heartland to oaSMOther: ‘tth.li. own i0Ua» Not employing a single effort to save hTLi^thetold^ rak.^P^ba^it is a youth, that is supposed to have all the same. Everybody is sorry, distressingly sorry Indeed 1 but nobody moves the tongue or lifts a finger, fbr the purpose of rescue or prevention. It is not so that we act in other re spects. We struggle hard to save a fellow being that is drowning before our eyes. Should we see a man stand upon the brink of a frightful precipice and unconscious of his danger, doubt less we would instantly giye him warn ing. Hardly , would- we neglect to snatch either the empoisoned boWl from the lips of one that mistook the poison for a. wholesome beverage, or the knife or razor from the throat of a man or woman in the act of commit ting suicide. Common humanity im pels us to acts of this sort. And yet, when we see in scarcely less jeopardy of another kind, a neighbor, and. ; ac quaintance—one whom the offioes of discreet and faithful friendship might perhaps rescue and restore—w dr® listless—we let him alone—we’ll not meddle—“ ’tis his own affairs! - Such is the way of the world. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”— How covetous and calumniating some are! In their ambition to be “dish-rag and bottle-washer” of everything of importance and outrun their contest ant in the race of life, they will stqop to one of the most scandalous sins, (in order to injure his neighbor’s influence &r good)—that of lying, Which is the concealing of all other crimes, the sheep’s clothing upon the wolf’s back, the Pharisee’s prayer, the harlot’s blush the hypocrite’s paint, the murders smile, thief’s cloak, Judas’ kiss, man kind’s darling sin and the devil’s dis tinguished characteristic. There is no mud-hole in creation like the modth. Shakespeare Bays “Be ye as chaste i as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt hot escape calumny.” It is pleasurable to know that slanderers meet no regird from noble minds,* only the base be lieve what the base may utter. It is only swine that will uproot a grader yard. If calumny will hot stop while you are livihg, common decency de mands that it shall stop when against its hard visage slams the iron gate ol the tomb. It will be time enough for us to cast 'the first stone of slander when we ate without sin. ‘ Both in the Church and State there is a class oi self-constituted bosses who think they are the sun, xhoon dad stars of the world, trying to shackle and hand cuff other men in their work for God and the race. As long as they assume an air of superiority, and strut around and get the loaves and fishes, all u well; and if thesua shines brilliantly or their side of the istreei, it makes nc difference how haad the rain my bed on the pathway of others. I do not like mud-flinging, for I believ» it to be an invention of a weak mmd Which-, although designed to dislodge an enemy, In facttends to frrtriy hin the more in his position. Only- tin burning and penetrating sun-light o just critipiam is productive of good and not the freakish passion and repe tition of a wrongly governed spin bent op the intent if inuring. Qn^ persons of the low and tOOgh elemen and viilifying them ill public without a just cause? BoesismJ be put down at once. An ind^ and injured people are fixing d°£Ji on you. ; In regards , the time,has fully the annual and the general o es to put an end to this da;, procedure of minieters villifyin another, by passing stringent | that effect, for unless it is soon ed, there will be knocking down and dragging out, even if it has to be done physically. True and tried sonB of the connection trill not be slandered by those who have once been expelled from it. The day Is past and gone by for Negro domineering; gone,- wba* the thumb-screw and the gibbet shall be fastened around men’s honest con victions. The Negro Has heird|~" crack of the slaVe-driver* whip for last time, and tiie sooner the mei. Church and State learn this lesson better. It seems to me that onlya-ci thing suffering from bydraphol virus of a malignant type, and cowardly , and vindictive disj Would publish, a libelous artic damage his neighbor. They, can open the sewers of their pei indignation, and spit forth yitupe tion gathered from the vaults of in' no’s stygian darkness, where the slij ooze of in&my, drips from skeletons of lost, and perjured There is no elevation to whi<jb I o attain, that would make me fo that every one, whether poor or rich, has rights that I am bound to respect. I consider no one my superior or my inferior, only officially. I envy no one who knows more than I and I pity the one who knows less. I would rather be a beggar, blind like Bairti meus, begging alms at the door of public charity, if such condition was nectary to the freedom and happi ness of my fellows, than to be a tyrant trying to oppress and crush suffering humanity. Says one, “why don’t you sue them for damages when th6y print libelous articles?” What is the use? Why, some of them haven’t anything but some old clothes that nobody wants. Hem! I wish it thoroughly understood that I am not speaking particularly ‘of any one person in this article, hut generally of a growing evil that must he checked at once; hence, I hope no one will ge( on the fence and retaliate unless I could he allowed to wipe at them with my pen as I would like. In conclusion, I am called to preach the gospel, not to he editor of a paper. Since that assertion has been made, I decided to write no more for the "Star” and it is only through the request of two of our Bishops, the President of our college, together with brethren north, east, south and west, that I have commenced again. The editor of’ the "New York Enterprise” has written ( to me to write for his paper. I don’t ’' ’ he will slur me. Want any* FROM MONTGOMERY, ALA. Mr. Editor: I beg space in the “Star” to let the mmfa' k“ow * #li# ' • " - ; -1® 'JiL LECTURE ON THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF f;''': JERUSALEM. BY BISHOP J. J. MOOBE. The holy appendages of the temple have afl their mystical bearing. The ark of covenant—the incarnation of Christ, its 12 loaves of shew bread, the heavenly food for x the soul given to the world by the 12 apostles; the golden candlesticks, the light of reve lation reflected by the church of God; fiarcerdotal attire, worn by its the priests, the holy miteron, his head a pure mind, in its ministers of truth. The breast-plate on their hearts bear ing the 12 tribes of Israel, bearing iheb religious well-being on, their heads, and the Divine articles in the urim and thumim—the mystery of Godliness. The brazen sea on the 12 oxens backs; the 12 apostles repre senting the work of regeneration ef fected through the patience and per severance of the gospel ministry. The cherubims over the ark representing the two angelic agents, Michael and Gabriel that attended Christ during his incarnation on earth. , The third great peculiarity in the history of Jerusalem, was its preserve tion for so many hundred year of bitter heather all the sui? nations beset it witl lyrians, Per lopians, * v* sians, Greeks and Boimans. Yet Qw preserved it as the Jew’s national cap ital until the Saviour came i and they rejected the Messiah; then, then its fate was sealed. The fourth marvelous peculiarity in the history of'Jerusalem, was the su pernatural omens of its pending de struction. These, well attested histo ry establishes. These omens are the wonderful attestations of God’s desire tp save the Jews and their sacred city. Among those supernatural signs oi Jerusalem’s impending destruction when her fate was about to be sealed, was the appearance of a star in the the heavens every evening hanging over the city, in the shape of a sword, This occurred for the space of a whole year. The second warning sign given them was the appearance of chariots and armies fighting in the heavens, every evening, fi>r a long period, seen over the whole country, at the setting of the sun. The third warning signal given by the Almighty, was while the people werfe assembled t0 celebrate the feast of Unleavened ^read. At the 9th hour in the night, suddenly there blazed up a light about the altai as bright as noon day, and lasted jfoi some hours and the priest had to cease to officiate. ; * W V«UVAWVV|v . . 1 ‘ 4 The fourth token of warning calling them in awfol tones to repent and su« for mercy at God’js hands, was at th< •“*** » W fcow* W *> «* * The^h <mw God "&* to tang them^mthm the reach of hu thegreat breaei gate that refused 20 men to open and shut, when bolted ;and fostened, :w* seen,night after night to. open an shu1 of its own accord, for xnany month vine mercy. Finally" its cup filled, and God prepared the Roman army with its fearful legions and battering rams, and in the 6th month seige, the most fearful extremities ever known in human sufferings, sealed the fate of Jerusalem. During the six months seige, nearly two millions of its inhab itants perished by famine, pestilence and the sword. The fifth peculiar feature in the his tory of ancient Jerusalem, is the Di vine interdiction to its being rebuilt again until the fulness of the Gentile shall come in, in receiving the gospel. How, remarkable, that during the pe riod of 300 years, two millions of fa natical Christians, infidel Jews and superstitious Fagans have in vam tried to control the destiny of that ill fated city, and have perished in their folly, as in the case of the holy wars or crusades. During the third century, Julian, the Emperor of Rome,, named the apostate, tried to reposess the Jews of Jerusalem. He said he would defeat prophecy, and to that end he employ ed 200,000 men to rebuild it. But the interposition of the Almighty soon convinced him of his folly. As his men were engaged in attempting to dear away the rubbish for to build, balls of fire Would burst up through the ground, so that they had to aban don it, leaving Jerusalem to this day, trOdefi ^Pder the foot 6f {he Gentile, as God had declared it should be. At present where once rested the sacred base of its holy temple, upon Mount Moriah, beautiful for situation, joy of the whole earth, reposing as it did upon bosom divinity, throwing the shadows of its holy spires on the val leys that lay couched a thousand feet beneath, while from its watch-towers that mingled with the clouds, divini ties, angels with eternal vigilance, looked out upon Arabia’s plains and ancient Gallilee for approaching foes. Now stands on this once hallowed spot, the Pagan’s desecrating Mosque, guarded by the haughty Turk. Jerusalem, physically,; was the em* bodiment of wealth, architectural skill and beauy. The cost of its magnificent temples erected was $3,827,420,364, moulded into silver coin, would be 105,000 tons ; sufficient to load 50,000 wagons with two tons or 4,000 poupds each, forming a line of Wagons 671 miles long, 60 feet apart, jyith four horses. In its splendid ana sublime attitude it sat, unconscious of its mag nitude, reposing upon the bosom of gorgeous terraces. A splendid archi tectural pile, clustered upon the sacred mountain slopes In an area encircled by a line of nine miles, where alone the visions of holiness brooded for centu ries. This city of God, encompassed by a trinity of walls 500 feet high with a host of towers of polished stone lifting their crest where the heavenly vapors with airy footsteps tread. As its princely temple, the taberna cle of God, clad in habiliments of in spiration and Gloria excelces, wrapped inifaj mantle of solid adamant, reflect ing in, every ray of its divine cintella tions from its towering' terraces o1 guild splendor only consciousness oi its divine authority. No earthly objecl was eyer more imposing to humar sight and attractive to human obser vation than this- divinely stamped ‘ hr ruin^'.dnd w4rc:«heai nth, FROM SOUTH EATONTOWN N J BY INGOMAB. Elder Abraham Anderson is to be here next week. ^ The bazaar held here sometime ago by a committee'of ladies realized $63. The second quarterly conference of our church will convene on Thursday October 7th. • * -The Richardson Bros., pork butch ers, are making rapid preparations for thqir fall business. Our church, through the exertions of the pastor, Rev E Hammett, has liquidated its debt to the small amount of $25. , The “Modern Fool” is the title of a deeture to be delivered at the old qhurch, Pine Brook, by Prof Green on the 8th, for the benefit of the church The Pine Brook A M E Z church will pay this week $100 more on its church indebtedness, which will make $825 paid since its erection. Still due $1075. M J * The model church in this county is the A M E Zion church at Reveytown It is free from debt, has a large Sun day school attached with a new assort ed library, all accomplished in two years. , ■ _ / PHILADELPHIA AND BALTI MORE S.S, CONVENTION. The fourth annual session of the Sunday school convention of the Phila. and Balt, conference district, will con vene in Zion Wesley A M E church, Lombard street, between 5th and 6th streets, Philadelphia, Pa., on Wednes day Oct. 21st, at 10 a m. The, convention will hold three days. There will be two sessions each day— morning and afternoon. Each school will be represented by one delegate. All schools are requested to send a lull report to the convention and also a donation in aid of the convention. We need help to print the minutes, etc., and “many hands make light work.” At the close of the conven tion, the Sunday school will give an entertainment for the benefit of the ) - convention. Programme—First Evening:—• Beading essays and delivering address* es by eminent divines and singing. Second evening—Beading the prize essays, addresses and singing. All members and delegates to the convention will be provided for. Bev. J. P. Thompson, Bev. G. W. Offiey, Preside at. Secretary. THE CHABLOTTE N CDISTBICT Mr Editor: Please allow me space in Zion’s bright “Star” to inform its many read ers that the Charlotte District is all awake. The most of the pastors are building, rebuilding or beautifying the churches in their charge. Even in the mountains where the bogus bishop and his blind cabinet have done aU in their power to blot out the name of old Zion, but every stroke they have made has only made her shine bright er, for there we have one new church nearly finished. Therefore you can see.we are>not sleeping although we have not said much. I wanted to get around the district before writing. As I have made two rounds on the work, I am fully pefsuaded that in the next two months we will regain all impor tant points. Yours for God and Zion. E. L. Campbell, P. E. .. When ill news a to your Ipipi late tq
The Star of Zion (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 9, 1885, edition 1
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