ORGAN OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH IN AMERICA.
Volume XXII.
Charlotte, N. C.f Thursday, December i, 1898.
1 1 ♦
Number 48.
TIMELY AND PROPER.
Negro Papers Should Discard
These Ridic ulous Ads.
BY BRUCE—GRIT.
Mr. Fighting Editor: Sir—The
‘Cannon Ball man” hurls a warm
curves right much. What he says
about ridiculous advertisements is
timely and proper. There isn’t
one-of these so-<sailed patent nos
trums for metamorphosing a
kinky, haired N egro into a straight
haired one, or changing his com
plexion from a deep black to
creamy white, that is worth the
* paper which the marvelous stories
told about them is written on. 'No
tnan living, black or white, can
produce anything in these lines
jthat can permaaently alter the
course of nature or change the
Ethiopian’s skin.
I was at a party not long since
—I won’t say where—where every
s kiark-skinned woman present had
!her hair straightened. I was
quite astonished to see so much
“molly-glascar iair,” and won
dered where they got it, because
down our way black people like
these had natural wavy locks, and
those of ginger-bread complexion
had good straight hair like In
dians. A little investigation re
vealed the fact :hat some of these
J sisteren had hair just like our
folks down home, for close to the
scalp I could see an underbrush of
genuine kinks and naps which
were! too short to be included
.when the operator applied the
quince juice and other ingredients
to take the kink out.
“He sho’co;” and I like his
The chemical properties ox
these pastes an i liquids for mak
ing Negroes’ hair straight have
the effect of destroying the roots
jof the hair and making it come
| out. I know two ladies who have
| used some of this vile stuff and their
\ caputs resemble polished billiard
j balls when their wigs are removed.
If Negroes persist in using these
nostrums, we shall soon have a
I good big crop of bald-headed Ne
| (/roes who will lay all the blame
for the absence of hair on their
craniums to the fact(?) that they
f “had typhoid lever some time in
their lives after which their hair
commenced to come out’’ gradual
ly. The initiated listener will be
apt to say, I am somewhat of a liar
myself—but you pass.
A Negro iii Brooklyn has
brought suit for damages against
a quack who promised to change
his complexion. He used some
| stuff given him by this quack to
make him white. It didn’t work
| —the Negro’s face is or was
mass of sores and splotches and
| he is said to be a bute from Bute
ville. He’ll never be white, neith
er will those Negroes who use
these liquids and eat arsenic and
do other things to change their
complexions. “What fools these
mortals be.”
On the other hand the white
people who have straight hair are
resorting to all sorts of devices to
make it curly like the Negro’s.
White brunettes soak their faces
in black coffee to get the right
shade of color to match their
worsted—more fools. And so it
goes.
I hope the “Cannon Ball man”
will fling a few balls * into the
camp of those artistic liars who
have their advertisements in such
reputable newspapers as we all
know—who profess
look into the future,
business, love, marriage; unite
separated friends, wives and hus
bands, and several other things toQ
numerous to mention. They are
all liars and they know it. There
isn’t one of them who can tell
what is going to happen ten min
utes ahead of them or who can
bring luck or fortune to any fool
who wastes his money on their
to be
mg luck ft
class oi futures.
Yet a number of reputable race
papers publish the advertisements
of these fakirs and encourage them
to bamboozle some of our weak
headed people out of good hard
money. I suppose some of these
artistic liars will try to conjure
me for calling attention to them.
But the Scriptures tell me that
they are “an abomination full of
wickedness and full of lies.”
W hen I have the time to spare
I will be pleased to reproduce
some Scriptural words—pictures
descriptive of these agents of the
devil who sail under the name of
clairvoyants, mediums, etc., and
prey upon the ignorance and cre
dulity and superstition of the
colored race.
Colored newspapers ought to be
in better business than this. A
sermon in one column and a con
jurer’s advertisement in another
may be a good wTay to lift the
race up to a higher plane of
thought, but I doubt it. None of
these conjurers, clairvoyants and
liars in ordinary, can do one sin
gle thing to influence the life of a
single human being or to thwart
human destiny.
Brother Chambers, fling a ball
or two in the camp, will you ?
Albany, N. Y.
PARKER FOR EDITOR.
BY REV. N. R. RHODES.
There has been lots of talk about
the third presiding elder district,
(mt it leads, although it is the
youngest in the Conference. We
had a grand time at our Sunday
school convention which met in
August at Bank’s chapel at Vance,
Ala. Some as fine a papers as I
ever heard were read tnere by the
Misses Eva Burke, Maggie Mat
thew and the Steele girls. Profs.
D. W. Parker and Green and Revs.
Gaines, Steele and others made
freat speeches. Collection $34.20.
Ve paid all expenses and wijl
f>rint minutes. In 1900 we feel
like Prof. D. W. Parker will be
honored with the editorship of the
Star of Zion. I make this mo
tion. Let it stand until the Gen
eral Conference.
Jasper, Ala.
WE ARE ON THE WINO.
I --
In the Interest of Our Two General
Departments.
j _
BY KEY. J. B. COLBERT, A. M.
It was our pleasure to spend a
Sabbath ii Washington, D. C.,
and to visit the V. C. E. at Union
Wesley church, Rev. A. A. Crooke,
pastor. We found a live and en
thusiastic church and V. C. E. It
"fo. indeed remarkable how Rev.
Xlrooke has succeeded at this point.
He'V^^tc; that church under very
discour^^^eircumstances. The
portentious cuh^Js have all di|ap
peared and every m^jcation points
to a glorious future fortkqUchurch
and pastor. The secret on^v.
Crooke’s success at that churcnH$
in the organization; his church is''
thoroughly organized; he identi
fies himself with every department
of his church; hence his unparal
leled success. His V. C. E. is un
doubtedly ; the largest and most
efficient, with the single exception
of the Philadelphia church, in the
Philadelphia and Baltimore Con
ference.
■
. ABINGDON, VA.
The Blue Ridge Conference con
vened at this point. While here
we were appointed to address an
inspiring Christian Endeavor mass
meeting at 7 o’clock. Many brief
and enthusiastic testimonies wTere
made. Bishop Harris and many
of the ministers were present. It
would be well for all of the Con
ferences ;o have Christian En
deavor mass meetings and appoint
some one who is adapted to the
work to conduM it at every Con
ference session.
ATHENS, TENN.
TheTen lessee annual Conference
met here. This Conference is partly
worked for the V. C. E. The in
spiring influence of Bishop G. W.
Clinton is visibly manifested
throughout the entire seventh
Episcopal district.
KT. LOUIS, MO.
During the sitting of the Mis
souri Conference we organized a V.
C. E. for Rev. Donohoo. They
ordered the entire V. C. E. outfit.
We addressed a large and enthus
iastic V. 0. E. meeting on Sunday
evening of Jtbe Conference at the
Metropolitan church, Rev. J. F.
Moreland, pastor. W e have reason
to expect renewed zeal and enthus
iasm in this society, know ing as
we do that Rev. Moreland ranks
among our foremost Christian En
deavor workers; whenever the pas
tor is alive and informed upon the
work of 'fy. C. E., its success and
general usefulness is assured; vice
versa.
iSEWICKEY, PA.
By request we addressed the
Endeavours of this Society on
Tuesday evening after the ad
journment of the Allegheny
and Ohio Conference. Rev. M. J.
Snow is pastor here, and takes in
terest in the work. There are a
large number of interesting young
people connected with this church
and a failure to perpetuate a young
people’s society would mean a
great loss to this church; they are
intelligent and keep themselves
generally supplied with V. C. E.
literature which accounts for the
very interesting and inspiring
service.
PITTSBURG, PA.
We were indeed surprised at the
almost unparalleled success of this
V. C. E.; they are alive and con
tribute yeoman service to the
chuich; great credit is due to the
zeal of the pastor, Rev. G. W.
Kincaid and Mr. W. H. Boorman,
the efficient president.
BRISTOL, TENN.
Rev. F. R. Howell is the newly
appointed pastor here. We suc
ceeded in organizing a V. C. E.
tfor these people. We found them
anxious and willing to have a V.
C. E\ and entered upon the work
enthusiastically. Rev. Howell
evinces rmach aptitude for this
work, and W’ll naturally expect
to hear of goo^work^R^by this
Society. I
KNOXVILLE, TENN.
Z ion has two strong churches at
this point; Logan Temple, Rev.
W. B. Fenderson is the efficient
pastor, and Clinton Chapel, Rev,
F. R. White, pastor. We met and
add ressed the V. C. E.’s at both of
these churches and found them to
be in good condition. It is our
purpose to present in the Endeavor
a brief sketch and the cuts of
Zion’s pastors of Knoxville. Rev.
W. B. Fenderson has been recently
appointed to the Logan Temple
church and his people seem de
lighted. Rev. Fenderson ranks
among our best young men; he is
an aonor to the Connection, and a
paragon for purity of character
and ministerial deportment. Such
young men should be encouraged
by the Church. If there is any
thing that should commend itself
to the appointing powers in a min
ister it should be that of character
anc. ability. This should be the
test of every man.
? Largely through the influence of the
Mir uett Social Club, Mr. B. C. Tucker,
president, the annual fair at our church
in Brooklyn, E. D., realized $110. Rev.
L. O. Mason is the hustling pastor.
Collector John C. Dancy has left Wil
mington and is now in New York. We
suppose things were uncomfortably
waim for him down there and he just
went North to cool off.—Maxton (N.C.)
Blaie.
The great pulpit orator and learned
theologian of the Zion A. M. E. church
in Philadelphia, Rev. Dr. J. 8. Caldwell,
has a church which is always crowded.
He is just the man for the place. It is
believed that he will be the next man
elected to the bishopric. One thing is
certain, no better man could be selected.
Atlanta (Oa ) Appeal.
Rev. H. M. Cephas, of Auburn,
New York, says he has^to fight against
wind and tide to keep Zion’s banner
floating, and that the Thompson A M.
E. Zion church has teen greatly im
proved since he has had it. He says he
wasi born in Zion in Louisville, Ken
tucky, in 1866, and without the sound of
a ti umpet he is endeavoring to do his
duty. He wants the Stab to shine on.
THE NEGROID COUNCIL
Will the Above Cognomen Satis
fy Mr. Bruce-Grit?
BY BISHOP C. It. HARRIS, D. D.
Dear Star : Would that name
satisfy Mr. Bruce-Grit and other
fastidious critics? It is wonder
ful how hard it is to find a cogno
men which will just suit the Col
ored-American-of-A f r i c a n-D e
scent.
For a long time “African” was
thought to be the correct term.
So we had in 1801 a church in
New York City incorporated as
the African Methodist Episcopal
Church. When a Connection or a
group of similar churches was or
ganized in 1816, in Philadelphia,
though not composed of the same
churches which affiliated with the
New York African Methodist
Episcopal Church, the name “Af
ricah” was still clung to in order
to show that the Church was to be
controlled by colored persons of
African descent. Within the last
'Hft^fe^years,! however, we have
grown tW^d of that name, more
or less. Hfence we had first an
“Anglo-African” newspaper in
New York, a “Colored Citizen” in
Cincinnati, a “Colored American”
in Washington.)
In 1877 or /hereabout the M.
E. Church, $cuth, set apart its
colored memjpers of African de
scent as a distinct organization, en
titled the Colored Methodist Epis
copal Church. This title, colored,
not being satisfactory to all of us
some oneij suggests “Africa
American,” jiand still another, “Af
ro-American, ”to which Mr. Bruce
Grit so strenuously objects, and
prefers the pame Negro.
Judging jby past history the last
name wilUbe equally objectionable
with its/ predecessors—for the
colored people in this country
strictly peaking are not Negroes.
That, as \ understand it, is the
title of a poSioBjoi^he people who
live in Africa, whos<\descendants.
having mixed with Anglo-Saxon
or Celto-Saxon or Anglo-Ameri
cans, otherwise calledIwhite peo
ple, may very properly be called
colored-people-^^xrican-descent.
Instead ol-tms long and cumbrous
term,/£now, with some diffidence,
propose the word Negroid/ Will
thatMo ?
Salisbury, W. C.
PREMIUMS.
A/bhance for every minister whose
conference meeCs between now and the
25th of December, 1898. To the pastor
that raises the highest amount of the 10
cepts per capita tax according to mem
bership:
First premium—your choice between
[handsome, beautifully ' bound Bible,
listory of the A. M. E. Zion Church, by
Blahop Hood, arid The Human Heart
Illustrated, by Bishop Small.
Second premium!—Your choice between
a cop^)f Bishops Jones’, Hood’s and
Small’s rJ^ok of Sermons, A. M. E.
Zion HymnaMwords and music), and
Code on Discipline, by Bishop 8mall.
A. J. WarnerVGeneral Secretary of
Church Extension.
J. B. Colbert. General Secretary of
Missions, AIM. E. Z. Church.