Newspapers / The Star of Zion … / June 16, 1898, edition 1 / Page 6
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MRS. SMALL’S CASE. BISHOP SMA ^L SPEAKS. Dear Mr. Editor: As I advance in years and settled judgment and no tice the undue ambition and selfish ness of individuals, I become some what afraid to see anything oyer my signature in newspapers. Many times things displease me greatly and I am prompt sd to show up the unreasonableness thereof, but with diffidence I refrain, though sometimes I am placed at a disadvantage there by. I made up my mind to endure a good deal for pea3e’ sake, but when any person or persons attempt to take advantage of my wife, then, I am in their hands, let come what will. When a person deals unjustly with my wife, I vrarn him to expect me. Law is common sense codified; and any individual v ho attempts to ad minister law without the use of com mon sense is a failure at the begin ning, in the midd e, and of course, at the end. Lawmus :notbe contorted to suit one’s peculiar notions nor to ac commodate fiiencs; but must be ad ministered justly—in equity, and that alone. It is a known lact that I have suf fered coijsiderabl 3 injustice for rea sons best known to Providence, but having suffered with a degree of pa tience, God brought me through. I can see no good r jason why my wife, a very inoffensive lover of her Church, should be subjected to similar uncalled for trials. A presiding elder, who has more pluck than reason, at one of his quarterly conferences at York, declared her not a member of the church nor quart srly conference, be cause she had re 3eived a missionary certificate which assigned her to no church. She joined the York church by letter and n<fver had been disci, plined, much less expelled. Not only this, but I wae informed that the presiding elder declared me, also, no member of the church. Whoever gave presiding dders power to de clare who are or who are not mem bers of the church is a mystery to all judicious persors. I hope the time never will appeur when any presid ing elder on my district will assume to do the like—to expel anybody (from the church for to declare a per son who is a member of any church, not a member, under an official re gime, is nothing less than expulsion ; and the person who commits such an act is not mersly liable to be tried f for gross maladministration, but is ; liable to an action for damage. It is well if men would use reason before acting and especially in such impor tant matters a 3 the membership of an individual. I tried to reanon with the presiding elder, and read to him the first sen tences of “Code on Discipline” which was adopted by the last General Conference, the publication of which has been delayed on account of my visit to Africa. The first sentence of the book comm jnces: “Membership is not considered the highest func tion in the Church of Christ; yet, so it appears. No person is capable of performing an]’ peculiar function in the Church, unless he or she is a member thereof: this can be seen ! at a glance.” Notwithstanding I read the sentence t > the presiding elder, and tried to persuade him that he had transcend sd his power, he held to his decision hat he had ruled that she was not a member of the church. When the cose wad referred to the Board of Bishops at its last semi-an | nual gathering, it ruled that Bishop and Mrs. Sma 1 are members of the jhurch at York; that Rev. Mary J. { Small is a member of the quarterly conference of the church; and that a presiding elder has no right to reader such decision. These things were done while I was present at the Board of Bishops at Petersburg. To my utter surprise I saw in the Stab of Zion of May 19th, the following : “While the House of Bishops decided that it was their opinion that Bishop Small and wife are members of the church at York, Pa., Secretary Wheeler failed to note in his report in the Star that they also ruled that Rev. Mrs. Small is not a member of the quarterly conference only as a supernumerary minister. These two decisions are important just now. The thing that the Stab of Zion ought to have mentioned was that bishops and ministers ought to hold their membership in the church where they reside. Of course, Bish op Hood’s article headed : Rev. Mrs. Small’s Case,” has so clearly de fined matters that no one can add nor take therefrom; but another thing has caused me to feel that my wife has been unjustly dealt with. About four year? ago she was or dained to the office of a deacon, hav ing been recommended by the quar terly conference of her church. She was then detained one year until some other lady was ordained, then it was a recognized fact that the Gen eral Conference had stricken from our discipline the word “male,” and that other things being equal, a wom an was eligible to orders as well as a man. She wore the honors of a dea con for four successive years, though our discipline makes the eligibility two years. She obtained the books called for by our discipline, Bishop Walters knows it—and studied; and at the last conference passed a cred itable examination before the com mittee. The General Conference wiped out of the book of discipline the word “male”—this moved the in eligibility of women—she served four years as a deacon instead of two, and then passed a creditable examination before the committee appointed for that purpose; yet, our gallant breth ren not merely subjected her to an excruciating discussion but prevented her from being ordained on Sunday, so that she was not ordained until one o’clock Tuesday morning, though all knew that she has been sick for some time and attended the Confer ence chiefly because she is vice-presi dent of the W. H. and F. M. Society; Under our present regime, it takes no lawyer to see that ineligibility had only two branches, according to our law; not having served two years as a deacon (one), and not being found qualified by the committee on examination (two); anything else was making law and executing it. I do not ask for favors from any one; but I ask justice rendered to my wife. Any cowardly man who strikes her I will strike back—remember this. A man who strikes a woman is a cow ard, and I think I will commit no sin if I strike a coward for striking my wife. Men ought to love justice, and do to others as they like to have others do to them. York, Pa , June 10, 1898. Bishop C. C. Pettey made no mistake when he assigned Rev. W. A. Foreman to the pastorate of the Homewood A. M. E. Zion church, East End. Rev. Foreman is one of the few men of the A. M. E. Zion church whose hustling qualities have made of him a mod el ministerial church-builder. His knowledge of the scriptures has marked him as an ideal man of the pulpit, and one deserving of far more honor than he is now receiv ing.—Ex. REFUSED PREACHERS. BISHOP hoiAidayscorchingly an swers BISHOP DERRICK. BY BISHOP JEHU HOLLIDAY, D. D. I see in the University Herald of the A. M. E Church in a Conven tion held atilt. John A. M. E. church, Pine Bluff, Ark., May 24th and 25th, where a letter from Rev. W. R. Car son, D. D , to Bishop W. B. Derrick, D: D., was read begging to be al lowed to come back to the A. M. E. Church, his home. The Bishop said he respected all Churches, but that he considered that Bishop Holliday had insulted the A. M. E. Church in taking in her refused preachers; that all Christian bodies should be one in effort and in purpose. Bishop Derrick no doubt feels him self personally insulted, for unfortu nately when his annual Conference was sitting in Argenta I went over to visit him. Unlucky for me, they had some trouble that day before I arrived wh:ich ended in a fight, and there was some blood shed. This, of course, put the Bishop in a frame of mind which was not very friendly to wards those whom he believed were the cause o;: disturbing the peace of the Conference. He was, therefore, ready to pass edicts against offenders and wanted me to join in with him regardless of what my views were of the law of die Church in reference to offenders. He tried me twice. The last time I made no answer. Of course a man that believed that he was the best expounder of the laws and usages of all Churches would feel that he wae insulted when I did not answer yea to whatever he decreed. In a speech which he made at Hot Springs, Ark., he reflected on my Christian character, and he has done so at other times, and he seems de termined to keep it up/ for now he infers that I am not as the Bishop of a great Christian body, “in harmony in effort and purpose” to carry on the great work of Christianity in the world. I am in effort and in pur pose doing what I can to advance the Redeemer’s kingdom in the world. He novf seeks to show me up in a bad light by saying that I insulted the A. M. E. Church when I took in my Church Dr. Carson and Dr. Trow er, whom he calls their “refused preachers.” First, in answer to this I will sap that they came to our Church bearing credentials from the A. M. E. Church. Secondly, after hearing of what their habits were in the A. M.* E. Church, I had Dr. Car son to pleige himself in the presence of the annual Conference that^f he was received into the Conference he would drink no more intoxicating liquors. Dr. Trower pledged him self that while he had some trouble in the A. M. E. Church he was going to, if received, walk more carefully and strive to improve his Christian life. Thirdly, under such fair prom ise the A, M. E. Church and the A. M. E. Zion Church have been receiv ing ministers ever since they have been organized. How is it then that I have insulted that Church by doing what all who are acquainted with them know that they have done and are doing up to this date ? The Bishop will further note that he is governing in the A. M. E. Church s.nd I in the A. M. E. Zion Church; and if he governs apd fills the high office of a Bishop in the A. M. E. Church with the dignity, pru dence and Christian bearing that the office demands he will have no time to manufacture unfavorable opinions of other Christian Churches. I don’t believe I,have insulted the A. M. E Church, but only one of its members. I would not have done that had I submitted to be controlled by the judgment of the Bishop, who I be lieve was contrary to the law of the Church and the gospel. Now I ask the 'Bishop to please look over the roll of ministers and see how long Dr. Trower and Dr. Carson have been with him. Dr. Trower has gone back to the A. M. E. Church. The at mosphere was so different in the A. M. E. Zion Church that he soon saw that he could not live in it. Dr. Carson, you say. wants to come back. Will you, Bishop, let him come back to h s old home and habits? I say he can go, and any other ot your “re fused preachers” can go home and live and die in their old home. Little Rock, Ark. ZION BOOK ROOM. BY REV. J. S. CALDWELL. O r taking charge of the A. M. E. Zion Book Concern, as its agent, we have made careful examination and study of the work which it has done for the years of its existence. It has beer, said by some that it existed to no end, but the following will show that it has done some work and filled a place in the Church, of great importance. It has published all the Disciplines, all.the Hymn Books, the Year Book, and the History by Bishop Hood, besides many minor publications. It has been the pub lishing house as well as the sales room for the Church up to the last General Conference. Owning no building in New York we have been necessitated to rent a place in which to do business. This and other incidental expenses have taken the most of the money coming from the general fund; hence we had to de pend on the sale of books, stationery etc., for the money with which to publish Hymn Books, Disciplines, etc. It would not be necessary for us to make an appeal for the purpose whi ch we do if the hundreds of books sent out to the members of our Church, ministerial and lay, could be coli.ected, for we have at least $600 wo:.*th ot stock in the hands of our frit nds. Times have been hard, money scarcse and it seems a matter of im possibility for our collectors to col lec;. I am compelled therefore to appeal to our ministers and churches every where for a donation to help meet the pressing demands and to tide over the forthcoming Summer. All honor to Bishop A. Walters who has done his work as Bishop and acted as agent for the Book Concern at the same lime, for the pleasing manner in which he has managed the affairs. We have come to his rescue and by the help of God, and the co“ operation of our executive board anl the Church we mean to continue to send out literature with the stamp of our own Church upon it. We have among other books the following volumes upon our 'shelves: Li yes of John and Charles Wesley, Men Who Have Risen, History of the Crusades, History of Palestine, Heroic Women, Steps Toward Heaven* Young Lad’s Own Book, Eminent MBthodist Ministers, and Children’s Bread, Church Hymnals and Discip lines. All orders must be sent to Miss Rosina Nickson, 353 Bleecker St., N. Y., who will promptly fill them if accompanied with the cash. All the ministers and churches rally to our call for help on August the 8th, and the name of every individ , uni and church will be published in the Star of Zion. BISHOP C. C. PETTEY. HIS VISIT TO THE GENERAL CONFER ENCE OF THE M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH* BY G. W. W. JENKINS, P. E. As a presiding elder of the. M. E Church of the North Baltimore dis trict allow me tc say a few words Baltimore is the Monumental City of Maryland. It ha,s the Baltimore and Philadelphia Conference of the A. M. E. Zion Church now in session here which has made itself the Mon umental Conference among the col ored Churches because of its manly and Christian attitude which it took to-day in sending a fraternal dele gate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, now in session in this city. The delegation consisted of Bishop C. C. Pettey, D. D., the Presiding Bishop of the Zion Conference, a splendid and learned Christian gentleman, of whom all Negroes may justly feel proud, and the polished gentleman, Dr. Wm. Howard Day, the colored educator of Pennsylvania, These gentlemen arrived at the Conference at fifteen minutes past eleven and were given seats upon the stage with the Bishops and officers of the Gen eral Conference. Bishop Pettey and Prof. Howard Day were introduced and were re ceived with rising acknowledgements by the Conference and were again given seats upon the stage. After some preliminary matters were at tended to the Bishop was introduced to make his speech. He was hailed with long and loud applause from the stage and floor. He appeared as a Regulus before a Roman Senate and presented a manly and uncompro mising speech which was listened to with marked attention by delegates and visitors. While the Bishop was poruiDgout his splendid eloquence and was being applauded, I was thinking that Bishop Francis Asbury had no idea when he granted James Varick, founder of the A. M. E. Zion Church,, and his friends, numbering eight souls, permission to hold separate meetings, that there ever would come a time when a Bishop C. C. Pettey would stand up in a southern Meth odist General Conference and speak for 500,000 Negroes in his Church; yet it has come. The Bishop has made for himself and Church a great name in this city as well as having wonderfully impressed the members of this General Conference with the possibility not only of the individ ual Negro but also of the conventional Negro. The Zion Church has truly ac complished a great work, but < her work, to my mind, has just begun. She has a beautiful, as well as a won derful, future before her, and ihe re ply of Bishop Morrison to Bishop Pettey would indicate that tjje Southern Methodist Episcopal Church is as well aware of that fact as we are, and I am 8,fraid a little more so. He grasped Bishop Pettey by the hand and with an impressive tone of voice said, “God bless you and your Church. I am really anxious that you, a splendid body, should make your Church all that it ought to be.’* I would add, Stab of Zion, shine on and become one of the brightest stars in the constellation of journals in the sky.[ 2029 Division St., Baltimore, Md Most preachers are eloquent with achievements of their own making. Methodist preachers look for* ward to the time when they can make their own appointments.
The Star of Zion (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 16, 1898, edition 1
6
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