Newspapers / The Star of Zion … / July 2, 1896, edition 1 / Page 1
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p |VOL oFto-Aisr of rrscE African methq] LUME XX. NO. 27. COMPASSION. f Could we but sound the depths of oth er hearts, id from their mirrored hopes and as pirations crushed I'each to ourselves the painful lessons they have learned, links the cross of life would lighter be . .And pathways smoothed, through strongknit bonds of human sympathy. But-mincing Custom with its fawning -.train Of sapling brains and ill-concealed dis trust, Frowns down the rising smile, the out stretched hand— Sweeps off the trembling tear, de thrones the heart, Pride upon its feet, and with one vengeful thrust The murder is complete. —Selected. Ohio Conference Proceedings. REV. T. H. TIPTON, REPORTER. The Ohio annual conference con vened in its sixth session at Cincin nati, Ohio, Wednesday. June 10th, at 12 m., ig St. John’s A. M. E. JSion church, Rev. R. E. Wilson, D. tor, , i opening and devotional ser were conducted by Bishop J. B. assisted by Dr. Wilson and Residing Elder M, S. Kell, then the following officers were elected: Rev. J. A. M. Cypress, secretary; Rev. T. L Slater, recording secretary ; Rev. A. H. Pringle, statistical secre tary ; Rev. T. H. Tipton, reporter; Mr. R. Winn, post-office messenger; Rev. Holmes, marshal. Bishop Small •stated that Bishop Pettey was con fined at home by illness and had re quested him to come and fill his ap lent by holding the Ohio con ference. He said that as it was his irst time since his election that he ^had had the honor of presiding, he hoped that all would be well and that he would be able to make a good re port to Bishop Pettey. He ended by giving some valuable advice to the brethren which was heartily received. The conference roll was then called md corrected. Conference adjourned meet at 3 p. ni. luc cumcxcucc xv m., Bishop Small presiding, -who an •dTounced the usual committees and f asked the committee on rules to make its report, which was done. The Report was adopted after some amend ments. Rev. White, of the M. E. lurch, and Dr. Bowen, of Gammon Theological Seminary, were then in Ijkiwjfluced and accorded the usual rights of visitors. Dr. Bowen’s re marks were filled with good thihgs. Dr. Wilson was selected to respond to |he remarks. All who know “the non of the Ohio conference” can rest tured that he left no stone unturn in making Zion’s reply. At this ineture a letter was received from lop Pettey saying how sorry he iras that he could not be with the conference, but hoped that the breth ren would treat Bishop Small with all Christian love and honor. Bishop Small asked the conference to sing ia hymn .and have a prayer offered in behalf of Bishop Pettey. Conference then adjourned to meet at 10 a. m., Thursday morning. Second dxy-|-thuesday. Conference convened at 10 o’clock a. m. Bishop Small presiding. After | devotional exercises, Rev. Prond of the Baptist church and Rev.-, of the A. M. E. church of Cincinnati, .were introduced and made speeches filled with sentiments of love and fra ternity. Ttev. Sprinkle responded in well chosen words. • The Bishop ur ged the committees to make their re ports. The 30 cents assessments was passed by the conference with little opposition. Bishop Small remarked that Friday was set apart for Centen nial exercises. Conference adjourned .until 2:30 p. m. At 2:30 o’clock p. m. the confer ence re-assembled, Bishop Small pre siding. Rev. l^. R. Franklin was se lected to preach the annual sermon at o’clock p. m. The report of the 'residing Elder was called for. It lowed that the Elder had truly been ip and about his duty and that Zion’s ritchmen had -all taken the alarm, lere .seemed to be love and unity jroughout the district. The Bishop pjimented the Elder by nom»n&t* iim to succeed himself for the two years which was carried t a murmer. Rev. Franklin his report Dr. most excel Rev. Franklin asked for a transfer to the New York conference which was grante 1 by the conference with much regret as he was dearly.* beloved by one and all. Ohio conference has lost a good man. • May success at tend his labors. Bishop Small then read the transfer of Rev. W. B. Fen derson from the New England to the to the Ohio conference which was re ceived with much cheering. ( Truly God is good to Israel: the loss of one is the gain of another. Conference adjourned to meet at 8’clock p. m. to hea r the annual address. All who know Rev. Franklin can imagine what a grand treat the good people of Cincinnati had in hearing his ai nual sermon. He announced as bis text the 9th verse of the 28rd chaptsr of Numbers—“From the tops of the rocks I see Him.” Rev. Frank lin proved himself master of I he situ ation at once. He held the audience spell- round for forty minutes. Wilson’s choir rendered lent music for the occasion. We would be pr Mid if Zion had such sweet sing ers 'a 1 over the connection. If the committee on Centennial Jubilee singe’s fails to secure this noble choir to as net them in New York, they will ) egret it. TltlED DAY—CENTENNIAL DAY. Th 9 devotional services were con duct* d by Bishop Small, then the minutes were read and approved. The conference was graced and highly hono :ed by the presence of Bishop G. W. Clinton, who was introduced by Bishop Small, who said it afforded him *reat pleasure in introducing to the Ohio conference the youngest Bish >p in the world. Bishop Clinton addr 3ssed the conference as he only can lo. We are all proud of our dear Bishop G. W. IsSlnton and pray that he may live long and do much for (lod and Zion. A ; 11 a. m. the Centennial celebra tion sermon began. Bishops Small and Clinton and Rev. J. H. McMul len occupied the pulpits and conduct ed levotional exercises. The Gen tenrial sermon by Rev. McMullen, of Lou sville, Ky., was one long to be re men bered by all who beard it. Truly Rev McMullen is one of Zions’ strong and coming young men. May God bles j him. ' J At 2:30 Bishop Stiiall, assisted by Bishop Clinton, presided. Conference was lead in the Lord’s prayer, then muf ic was furnished by the St. John cho r. Bishop Clinton ably discussed the “Origion and progress of the A. M. E. Zion chnreh.” Dr. Wilson in bis masterly way discussed "The A. M. E. Zion church as ap educator of the Negro in the past one hundred years.” He convinced all who lis ten id to him that our Zion is second to none. Rev. Springle spoke .on “Our Literature” with much warmth sho iving that we make quite a mis tak 2 by not using th# thoughts writ ten from the brains of our Zionites. He closed by saying that the Star of Zicn should be in every house owned by a Zion member and that no minis ter should be without Bishop Small’s gr£ nd book of sermons. ! n the evening the Centennial Cele bri ,tion was held at the Zion Baptist church. A beautiful cantata—Sing-, in|; Flowers—was rendered with great success to .a crowded house. The committee deserves great credit for its labors. Afterward a grand recep ticn was tendered the conference. We ta :e these means to thank the com mitteefor its kindness tons on Fri day evening, June 12. Mrs. R. E. Wilson, chairman; Mrs. M. E. Carter, se sretary ; Mrs. E. Williams, organist; M r. H. T. Jackson, director. FOURTH DAY—SATURDAY. Conference convened at 10 a, m., B shop G. W. Clinton in the chair. A Pter devotional services the minutes w is read and approved. The Bishop ci lied for the reports of pastors anp tl e passage of characters. The reports oi the different churches showed an ir crease over last year. Reports from the various committees were made a id approved. The appointments were read Sunday evening. Conference adjourned Monday n orning to meet at Salem, Ohio, June |.th, 1897. hjay God bless the hind P eopl« who opened their hearts and help entertain the oonfer hncinnati. We hope that Jennie REV. JOHN H. HECTOR. ONE OF NATURE’S ORATORS, CALLED THE “BLACK KNIGHT,” AND ONE OF TIE MOST WITTY AND HUMOROUS OF HIS RACE. Since the above named Christian gentleman is about* to cross the At lantic the Star wishes the world to know what manner of man he is. The following are some of his lec tures : (1) “America and American people”; (2) “The slavery that was and the slavery that is" ; (3) “The devil dressed in white”; (4) “The slory of my early life” ; (5) “Person al reminiscences of the late war’ ; (6) “The great needs of the human fami ly”; (Ti “A Bible wife and how to I get her” ; (18) “The duty of the hour I in Canada. Mobile, Ala., May 23,1890. To the Honorable Wesleyan Con ference. London, England. Dear Fathers and Brethren: Grace, mercy and peace, through the Lord Je-1 sus Christ our common Saviour. This is to certify that the General Con ference of the African Methodist Episco pal Zion Church of America, with adher ents in Canada, the West Indies and Af rica, numbering in all about five hun dred thousand souls, has deputed our worthy and reverend brother, John H. Hector, to visit your august body, and present to your Conference and to the’ Wesleyan Church which it represents,, our fraternal Christian greeting. We cordially and most respectfully commend logic and eloquence ''—Tray Daily Timet. “The most original and acceptable col jored temperance speaker of the day— New York Herald. “Held his audiei.ce spell-bound, while he painted in vivid colors the battle-fields that he had witnessed."—WiUivmtport Gazette. “Seldom has so-large a congregation— somewhere about two thousand—attend ed a morning, service in St. James Church as yesterday greeted the Rev. J. H. Hector, the Black Knight- The ser mon was an extraordinary pulpit effort and greatly affected the large assem blage which listened, was inspired, amus ed, thrilled and almost caused to weep in unison.”—Monk-eal Wttnett. “Rev. J H. Hectog, the colored orator of the South, ma<la-» ‘powerful impres sion. The gifted i ipeoker told the story of his life in a most delightful manner and fairly convulsed his audience with his sallies of wit, and instructed them with his words it wisdom."— Victoria (B. C.j Colonitt “For an hour and a half he held hit. hearers spell-bour.d, now eliciting bursts of laughter and again bringing them al most to tears with his pathetic incidents. He is full of fun and wit and his portray al of ludicrous scenes was so real that one could almost imagine being present with the narrator”’— Valley Echo. “The speaker’s power and logic were unanswerable, and at times his flights of eloquence were beyond the power of pen to describe. In our opin ion Mr. Hector has but few equals as a convincing oral or. Besides all the praise wre have for him, we know him to be a grand Christian gentleman of the highest type.”—11;gerrford Bulletin. i “It is srife to say that the Tabernacle REV. JOHN H. HECTOR. him to you as our representative. The A. M. E. Ziou Church, or Con nection, was established in the year 1796. with the good will of Bishop Asbury, whom our common Methodist father, (now sainted) John Wesley, authorized in the work of organization and estab lishment of Methodism on this Conti nent. As a matter ot history we present just a few figures. From a few hundred members we have increased, according to the figures of, our Statistical Board, to 498,000. We have nine Bishops and seventeen educational institutions. Our representative will add such other facts as in his judgement may be neccessary. May Almighty God give His blessing^ to your deliberations, and may the united efforts of the great Methodist family be factors in helping to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus, as the rightful Ruler of the kingdoms and other governments of this world, when there shall be neith er bond nor free, neither black nor white, neither Jew nor Gentile, but all one in Christ Jesus. Very respectfully, J. W. Hood, Senior Bishop. Wm. Howard Day, General Secretary A. M. E. Zion church. Wesleyan Mission House, Bishopgate Street Within, London, Eng., May 29,1890. Rev, John H. Hector. My Dear Sir: I duly received your cable message announcing your election by the General Conference of the Afri can Methodist Episcopal Zion Church to convey its greetings to our forthcoming Conference in Liverpool, and I have since received your letter of the 16th inst., confirming that message. I am heartily glad to hear of your ap pointment, and can assure you of a warm welcome from our Conference in due course. We assemble in Liverpool on Tuesday, July 21st, so that if you come by the “Mongolian” from Quebec, you will just arrive in port in time for the gathering of the Conference, when I shall hope to see you face to face. I am, Yours faithfully, M494hall Hartley. PRESS NOTICES, '-The -following are a few of the many etfmraentajtf the press concern never held a more delighted audience than the one that last evening heard the colored orator, Rev. J. H. Hector- Mr. Hector possesses thatready wit and hu mor that always please. The incidents of his life were presented in a manner that led his audience from one round of laughter to another until, as one gentle* man said, his sides fairly ached.”—Port land Oregonum. “The Hall of the Y. M. C. A.. was crowded last night to its utmost capaci ty, and long tefore eight o’clock seat8 had ceased to l« obtainable. Rev. J. H Hector gave ar intensely interesting his tory of his own life. The pathos of the story at times :ouched the hearts of- the audicnce with madness, but the inimitable and original h imor which marked most of the lecture, kept them in a constant ripple of mirtli and the flash of native wit which ever and anon illuminated ‘the dark picter’fairly convulsed the listen ers with laughter.”—Tacoma ledger. “Mr. Hector’s lecture sparkled with the most genuine humor, interspersed with pathetic descriptions of scenes in the iife of his parents, their escape from slavery by the ‘underground railroad’ and his own experience as a boy after the death of his father and mother on the same day of cholera. The dramatic action of the speaker, and the naivete with which he detailed his own experi ences up to the time when he blackened one of Bhcrms n’s boots and left the oth er ‘unshined,’ before the battle of Shiloh, were irresistible.”—Sun Franeitco Ex “The lecture delivered yesterday after noon by Rev. J. H. Hector, the celebrat ed colored prohibition orator from Cali fornia, was a masterly, eloquent and con vincing-arraignment of the liquor traffic. The audience, the largest of the season, was at one time thrilled by the flow of language wh: ch fell from the lips of the speaker, and at others convulsed with | laughter by h ^epigrams, sallies and wit. ! ticisms. He is a splendid specimen of | the race to wliich he belongs, being pow < erfully built and showing to great ad i vantage a cu tured mien and deportment j while thnndf ring forth invective against 1 what he terns worse slavery than that which prevailed in tty South.”—Toron to Mail. asliitSi at’thc court house, was a decided suc cess. For nearly two hours he interest ed his listeners to such a degree that they were loath to hare him stop.”— York Daily. I “Rev. Mr. Hector is a natural orator, simple in style and unaffected, yet com manding the closest attention. His is not a put-on, studied style of oratory, but natural, welling right up from the fountains of his nature, and so attractive that one is cdmpelled to listen to him.” — York Evening Dispatch. “One of the most entertaining and in teresting lectures ever delivered in this city, was that given by Rev. J. H. Hec tor in Irving Hall last night, in aid of the Starring Monument fund. The audi ence roared with laughter, or tried to still jtjyar quivering lips as the speaker swayed them with his humor or pathos Mr. Hector is a natural orator, full of native wit although unassuming in ap pearance, and having no resource to the many theatrical effects of public speakers, held the attention of his audience from the opening words until its close. It it no exaggeration to say that Irving Hall never held a more delighted audience than that which occupied it last night, for the lecture was excellent in all its de tails.”—San Fra ncisco Chronicle. “Mr. Hector held his audience spel 11 bound while he painted in^vivid colorsjthe battle-fields that he had witnessed. What is remarkable in the history of the dis tinguished majj is, that he had only three week’s schooling in his life, and has just gleaned here and there what knowledge he possesses. To sit under the sound of his voice, and hear the burst of eloquence from his lips, forgetting every error, one would surely think that this man is a pupil sent from God, for no man could do these things that he does except God be with him. The audience at times was convulsed in laughter, and at others brought to tears.”— Williamsburg Ga zette and Bulletin. “Rev. Jo^n H. Hector entertained a large audiehcc last evening, in the hall of Post 5, |G. A. R. Mr. Hector’s par ents were born in slavery. His lecture comprised the story of his father’s and mother’s toilsome journey from Har per’s Ferry to Canada, when they gained their freedom, and an account of his own life, his adventures as a drummer boy in a colored regiment, and struggles in gaining an education; all told with a lively wit and touches of pathos which frequently moved the audience to warm applause-”— Philadelphia: Timer. “The Rev. John H. Hector will make an audience laugh and cry more in one hour than any man we know. You may expect a shower of eloquence when you hear tjie thunder of his voice and see the dark cloud. He is the colored John B. Gough.”—Patterson, (Y. J.,) Daily Pres*. The Centenulal. THE WO^K OF THE A. M. E. ZION CHURCH EULOGIZED BY BISHOP AND PASTORS—ITS FUTURE POSSIBILITIES. Yesterday was observed as Centen nial Day at the session of the Gene see conference of the A. M. E. Zion church. Appropriate exercises com memorative of the founding of the church were held, and the delegates united in doing honor to those who have helped in the upbuilding of the present structure. After the routine business of the morning session had been disposed of, the delegates listened to a forceful sermon preached by Bish op A. Walters, D. D., from the text, “Walk about Zion and go ’round about her.” He sketched the early history of the church and briefly'eu logized its founders and early pio neers. In the afternoon after devo tional exercises had oeen participated in, an original poem by Rev. G. 0. Carter, which has been set to music, was read. This was followed by an address by Rev. M. H. Ross on the “Origin, progress and achievements of the A. M. E. Zion Church.” Among other thing the said : - “The African Methodut Episcopal Zion church' was organized in New York City in 1796 by James Varick. Asso ciated with him were Abraham Thomp son and William Miller. These were the great pioneers of this wonderful move ment which is doing more to develop the African race than all other agencies combined.” ■ The next address was delivered by Rev. J. J. Adams. He took for his subject “The A. M. E. Zion Church as an educator during her 100 years of exigence." He spoke as follows: “The idea of education was recognized as a part of its mission by the founders of the A. M. E. Zion church and tradition tells ns that the spelling book was a close companion of the Bible in the hands of the early founders of the ohurch. Since then it has gone bn trailing, inspiring and pious, and becoming a member of the church was given a preachers’ li cense. That man was Frederick Doug* lass’and bis'name is to-day honored and revered in two hemispheres. In his last public speech before his deathjhe said that he owed any success that be may have attained or any honors that may have been conferred upon him to the teaching he.had'received from the A. M. £. Zion church at New Bedford, Mass-, when a young man. “The A. M. E. Zion church has the credit of giving to this country a teacher whose noble deeds and gifted intelli gence is an example to every young man. As an educator we point with pride to the late Prof. J. C. Price, D. D, Through his teaching this church has given to the Nation'some of the most pious endTaw-" abiding citizens of the country.” "The future of the African Method ist Episcopal Zion church," was the subject of a very entertaining and in structive address by Rev. W. A- Eley. He predicted great things for the church in the time to cbme and ex horted his hearers to still greater ef forts in the cause of Zion. “Our literature” waa the subject of a scholarly address delivered by Rev. B. W. Swain. The subject was treat ed in a most exhaustive manner and showed deep research on the part of its author. Rev. J. R. Danger field was the next speaker. His subject was “Our boys and their opportunities.” Edu cation was the keynote of his address and he strongly advocated the acquir ing of a good common school educa cation, no matter what sacrifice be came necessary to accomplish this end. He urged ministers, teachers and parents to encourage the boy in home study. Reading circles, Chau tauqua societies and. other similar ed ucational means were recommended as helps in this direction. Miss Flor ence Sprague, of Rochester, a - very bright and vivacious young lady, was the closing speaker at the 'afternoon's session. Her subject “Our girls and their possibilities,” was treated in a very entertaining manner. She also advocated education as overcoming one of the barriers to t he'progress of girls in this country. The evening session of the confer ence was largely attended by lay peo ple. After a short musical program had been rendered the opening ad dress of the evening was delivered by Rev. J. H. Anderson on “Our Num erical, intellectual and religious strength” a9 follows: •vine numDer or coiorea persons who severed their connection with the old John-st. Methodist church in New York City 100 years ago is not known, but conservative estimates place the number at 80. Tbis was the starting point of the A. M. £. Zion.church. Its organization, however, was not completed until six years later. In 1840 the church had at tained a membership of 3,000. From thhrtime up to 1862 the annual increase in membership was about 127. In 1870 had reached a membership of 125,000 and to-day it has in its connection 437,930 people." He sketched rapidly the growth of the church and related incidents showing the character of the early founders. Rev. J. E. Mison, the silver tongued orator, then delivered a stir ring address on the inequalities which exist to-day between the white man and the Negro. He also took a vigorous stand on the injustice done the Negro by the coarts ot justice. He said that the treatment' accorded the Negro was not in accord with the principles o f liberty vouch-safed every American citizen in the United States under the Constitution. Rev. S. L. Corrothers, of Elmira, was the next speaker. He delivered an eloquent and forceful address on “How we may best secure the loyalty of our children tee the church.” His address was replete with good sug gestions to pastors and teaohers. He Btrongly disavowed the practice of holding cake walks aghn attraction to bring the young people to the church. He also condemned the praotioe of holding dance entertain ments, claiming that these were not of a nature calculated to inspire the children with the right sort of feeling toward the churoh. “Woman’s place in the church,” was the subject of an interesting pa per read by Mrs. J. T. Matthews. She is a lady of pleasing address, and com pletely won over her i womanlf' ' 4s her frail make-up will allow. If jrc want to find woman’s position in the chtirclr, let her absent'herself from the pews, from the church fairs, sociables,' entertainment and other church duties. Tiet her remain at home and depend upon .> ' her hr sband for information in regard to the church. Then I think that you will' truly find woman’s position in the church to be of greater importance than sup posed.” Addresses were also delivered by Mrs. G. S. Loguen of this city and" Rev. G. C. Carter. f • • After the transaction of minor bus-' iness a resolution was adopted unani mously naming Bath, K. Y.. as the place of bolding the next Genesee conference. Bishop Walteis then read his appointments for the ensu ing conference year. • APPOINTMENTS. Presiding elder, J. E. Mason, D. D., of Rochester; Elmira, N. Y.. S. L. Corro Ihers; Ithaca, B. P. Wheeler; Auburn, W, A. Eley; Syracuse, M. H. Ross ; Ro chester, ,J. H. Anderson; Saratoga Springs,. C. A. Smith; Binghamton, J. R. t angerfield; Schoharie, I. Watkins; Little Palls, Frederick Gibbs; Johns- ^ towti, B. W. Swain; Gloversville, R.M. Turner; Wilkesbanre, Pa., G. C^Carter-’^ Warwick, N. Y., B J.Bntler; Montrose,' Pa-, J. E. Nichol4; Watertown, N. Y., Mason Jones; Oneida, J. T. Matthews; Towanda, Pa., H. R.Phoenix; Leroy, N. Y., Wm. L. Thomas ; Amsterdam, J. G. Clifl ; Canandaigua, N. Y., I. Stewart; Utica, J. A. Temple; Rome, F. E. Owens; Schenectady, W. O. Cooper; and Delphi, E. B. Briggs-. Toose transferred were: to Virgil con ference, J. J. Adams; to Jersey ference, P H. WiUiam%; to Philac__ >hin and Baltimore conference ,~i>T ’‘FT' General missionary outside of this conference i9 Rev. J. W. Lacy.—Syra* cum (N. T.) Standard. Meridian District Notes. BY REV. W. E. STANTON". liev. S. 0. Harris, Presiding Eider of fhe Meridian district of the South Mississippi conference-, held his. sec ond quarterly conference ,at Salem and St. Luke June 13, 1896. wa 5 never seen in better spirit at that time and the brethi all pleased. The reports read showed a general increase in the church work. The conference was one of quietness. Sunday was a great day. ,The people came from far and near to heir the Presiding Elder preach. He handled his subject with skill and* ability. Rev. Harris presides and preaches well. He carries in his gospel train both pastor .and people With such men as leaders Zion ever succeed. We had the misfortune of loai or r church by fire last December, wj have been able to~ build irM larger house of worship. Tbis in&k two new churches we have built ing our-two years’pastorate. Sure ty the Lord is with us. 4* Our first district conference will convene at Free Union the.:first Wednesday in August on Rev, A. F; Chapman's work, and pysfcecond one the third Wednesday August at this place. , The Presiding Elder is crying Can ton nial ! all along the pastor is asked to pay> $5.00 and each member not $1.00. We ask each pastor and her to bestir himself at once. ' * Pastor’s Reception. A welcome reception was ten Re,v. M. A. Bradley by the and congregation of the A. . M. 2iior. church, Jersey City, on evening, June 12. The opened with singing; were read by Miss Theresa Mrs. Florenoe Randolph, the Ring’s Daughters,'and Degruder which were heartily a cdand ordered to be church reoord. Mrs. die, wife of our former wd a beautiful solo in a idicited hearty applause., were delivered by Mr. Ed urs, of Port Chester church, '^tev. T. H. Johnson, D. D., of seepeie, N. Y., Prof. Crews, | er Industrial Academy, C., and the president of 1 Trustees, Mr; J. C. vr a
The Star of Zion (Charlotte, N.C.)
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July 2, 1896, edition 1
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