ORGAN OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH IN AMERICA.
I Volume XXIII.
Charlotte, N. C., Thursday, October 12,
— _:_._
I899.
Number 38
>OME CRITICISMS
' And Suggestions—This Week on
Reckless Writing.
J, V T.I SHOP J. W. HOOD, D. D., LL. D.
LETTER NO. 4.
We see much in print, which
indicates that the writers do not
take time to think seriously of the
.-"lidl>leness or propriety of writ
ing n-hcn and what they write.
for instance, wnen a young
n an is transferred from one Epis
copal district to another, is highly
recommended by the Bishop who
transfers him, is received and
given a good appointment on his
new held, it seems to me, his first
great effort should be to make a
record for himself as a successful
pastor. He owes this much to the
Bishop who transfers him and rec
ommended him. The Bishop who
receives him and gives him an op
portunity to develop, has a right
to expect this much of him. He
is given a place which some other
preacher who was there before
him wants. If he fails, or exhib
its a lack of discretion, or any
other qualification for the minis
try, he makes the opportunity
(which some are looking for) to
complain that the Bishop is taking
new men, net equal to those he
has, and giving them the best
places.
11, instead ot displaying his
ability by breaking all records in
his reports to the annual Confer
ence, he goes to work to advertise
bn self, and show his great wis
dom by writing on Connectional
>nlejects with which he has but
little acquaintance, he is more
likely to exhibit his lack of wis
lom. Wisdom suggests that a
writer should know his subject,
his time and place, and try to
■ ink of all the consequences of his
iting. To disregard these things
reckless.
Another instance of reckless
priting is seen in the proposed
move to put the whole of Alabama
into one Episcopal District. No
one who had considered the sub
ject from every standpoint would
-uggest such an arrangement. The
! ;w now provides for nine Bish
ips, and the supposition is, that
this number will be continued.^
We have in Alabama about one
"■fth of all the churches and of all
die members in the Connection.
A ould it be wise to give one
ifishop one-fifth, and divide the
other four-fifths between the re
maining eight, giving each one
tenth, or just one-half what the
Alabama Bishop would have?
A ould a man who knew the facts,
-ad thought the matter over care
fully, make such a suggestion?
i besides this, the four Conferences
H desire to meet within a period
>f about four weeks. Would it
e well to compel one Bishop to
bold one large Conference each
week for four successive weeks?
The forming of Episcopal Dis
tricts is a very important matter;
and should be the subject of much
care. The present districts are
not at all satisfactory, for the rea
son that the Committee appointed
on Districts, did not know the map
of the Connection. They attempt
their report, when made, very
late in the session, was so unsatis
factory that it was re-committed
and the Bishops were added to the
Committee. But it was too late
then to take time to properly ad
just them. The First District is
in good shape, and some others
were put into fairly good shape;
but it was very hard work to make
nine satisfactory Districts. All
the calculations and plans which
the Bishops had made before the
sitting of the General Conference
were for eight districts; and being
called upon suddenly t o make
nine, it was impossible for them to
do it in a satisfactory way.
Two of the Districts were so
poor that it is hard to see how the
Bishops managed to travel over
them. If Bishop Holliday had
not been able to secure funds
from other sources, he would not
haye been able to travel at all.
He was greatly hindered on that
account. The amount raised on
the District was not sufficient to
pay his travelling expense. When
we consider the long distance to
California, and the amount of
travelling expense involved,
Bishop Clinton’s District was not
ed to make
changes, and
much better. He is capable of
doing a work which would greatly
enhance our financial interests, if
he had a field large enough. But
instead of making one good-sized
district, two missionary districts
were determined upon, and we
have had them with the results we
have seen.
We shall notice just one more
instance of reckless writing. In
this case the writer is very far re
moved from beardless youth. He
proposes to make twelve Bishops,
and send them out to raise $72,000.
We are told that experience teaches
wisdom. And experience teaches
us, that an increase of Bishops has
never been followed by a corre
sponding increase of general fund.
Building castles in the air will do
very well for people who are sat
isfied with pleasing, but vain im
aginations; but the men whose ad
vice can be 6afely followed in mat
ters pertaining to the great and
glorious work of building up the
Kingdom of Christ on earth, are
those who get down to facts as
they are. As Beter said to Simon,
those who are influenced by the
desire for personal gain, have
neither lot nor part in this matter.
And the same is true of those who
trifle with holy things. Let us
see the facts.
From 1884 to 1888 we had five
Bishops, and the increase of gen
eral fund during that period, was
about seventy-five per cent; which
is the largest increase we have ever
had in that length of time. In
[continued on fifth page.]
Rev. J. S. JACKSON, P. E.
Scholar, Educator, Great Worker
for his Church.
HE IS RISING.
John Simpson Jackson, the son
of John and Lizzie Jackson, was
born near Forkland, Ala., October
8th, 1864. He learned his A, B,
C, before he was five years old,
and early displayed an aptitude for
acquiring knowledge, and was
SI
"
Rev. J. S. JACKSON, P. E.
noted in his boyhood as a fluent
'and ready speaker. His ability
was soon recognized by his teach
er, who often emj loyed him as
teacher in the school room during
his absence.
August 28lh, 1880, he entered
the State University, and pursued
his studies to completion in the
normal course. In the summer of
1881—’85 he studied Geometry and
higher Algebra, through corre
spondence, from his alma mater *
Prof. W. B. Paterson. He taught
a large and successful school in
Greene county for ten years, and
no one ever dared to put in appli
cation for his school for the ten
years he taught. His popularity
as a teacher made the people loath
to give him up.
He was three times nominated
by the Republicans of Greene
county for representative of his
county, and in 1888 he came in 139
votes of being elected. The Dem
ocratic counties said if a fair count
could have been had, he would
have been elected each time by
more than 1000 majority. He was
chairman of the Republican Exec
utive committee for three years of
Greene county; chairman of the
6th Congressional committee for
two years ; member of the Repub
lican Executive committee of the
State for two years. For the
eight years that he was active in
politics, there was no colored Re
publican in West Alabama whose
advice was taken more than his.
His opponent always dreaded him
on a joint debate. In the Spring
of 1889, he joined the C. F. N.
Alliance and became the first pres
ident of the Sub-Alliance at his
home. He was elected in the Fall
of 1889, as a delegate to the Na
tional Alliance which met in St.
Louis, Mo., December, 1889. The
National White Alliance met in
the same city. Rev. Jackson was
the choice of the Colored Alliance
to bear the greetings of the Color
ed Alliance to the White Alliance.
His speech was such an eloquent
one that it elected him National
President. He then went to trav
eling in the interest of the organi
zation through fourteen States,
organizing and setting up lodges,
and was very successful. He was
never willing for the Alliance to
enter into politics ; and as soon as
il went into politics Rev. Jackson
resigned.
He professed religion July lJth,
1880, and joined Birdeye A. M. E.
Zion church. He filled every
office in the church but one. He
was considered the standing dele
gate to the district and annual
Conference. For ten years he
missed only one quarterly confer
ence, one district conference and
one annual conference. He was
twice elected lay delegate to the
General Conferences, which met at
Newberne, N. C., and Pittsburg,
Pa.
He felt called to the ministry
for years before he would consent
to go, and ran from the Lord for
nine years into politics, the school
room and other business. Finally
he entered the ministry and wa3
licensed to preach April 27, 1894,
and was appointed pastor of
Cook’s circuit July 19, 1894,
where, in two months, he had held
revival services at both churches ;
at one church 49, at the other 27
converts ; 7 joined Zion church ;
collected twice as much general
tax as was collected the year be
fore, and paid the Presiding Elder
up for all the year.
He was ordained a deacon at
Scranton, Miss., December, 1894,
and was sent back to the same
work, and during his second year
his success was greater than the
first. This year he saved the
church, which was on the eve of
being sold (Cook’s,) secured deeds
for the property and commenced
to build at St. James. He floored,
finished and seated Hasville
church. This year he doubled the
general tax again, and made a
splendid report at the annual Con
ference in Demopolis.
He was ordained an elder at De
mopolis in 1895. Dr. Jehu Holli
day, who was afterwards elected
bishop, was chairman of the com
mittee on elder’s orders. He was
sent from Demopolis to Hawkins
circuit, near Livingston, Ala.
Here his work was w.onderfully
blessed, spiritually and financially.
He built one of the best frame
parsonages on the district at a cost
of $235 ; raised more general tax
than had ever been raised on the
circuit, notwithstanding some of
the best ministers of the Confer
ence had pastored the same work.
He has always been able to raise
more money than any pastor who
[continued on fifth page.]
ZION ON THE ALERT.
In Behalf of Chicago—Ho! for
Next Thanksgiving Day.
BY BISHOP GEO. W. CLINTON, D. D.
Opce more I desire to call the
attention of the ministry and
membership of our great Zion to
our Connectional interest and
prospects in the great Western
metropolis, Chicago, 111.
I hardly think that the readers $
of the Star have forgotten an ap
peal made early in the Spring in
which we described a very valua
ble and beautifully located piece
of property on the corner 38th
and Dearborn streets. This prop
erty was built at a cost of 142,000.
The lot is now valued at $8,000.
Tbe pipe organ within cost $4,700,
and it has all the conveniences for
an institutional church with a
seating capacity of 1,800 persons
when fully opened up. The prop
erty is now offered to us for
$30,00o on most favorable terms.
Three times the owners of this
property have postponed the time
limit of sale in our favor.
I have just had a letter from
our agent in Chicago bringing me
the news that the owners have ex
tended the time to December 1st.
Anumberof prominent citizens of
Chicago have agreed to lend us
their influence and aid to assist us
in securing this valuable property.
A few of this number have formed
themselves into a committee of
active workers ancj one of Chica
go’s multi-millionaireshas consent
ed to act as treasurer fjqr the funds,
and says when we have done some
thing substantial towards raising
money for the purchase of this
property, he will make us a liberal
donation. Three thousand dol
lars must be raised before Decem
ber 1st, or Zion will lose the best
opportunity that may come to her
for many years. Quite eleven
hundred dollars of the three thou
sand have been subscribed by some
of Zion’s foremost and most relia
ble men, our Senior Bishop and
the president of Livingstone Col
lege leading off with $100.each.
Will our other General Officers,
pastors and substantial laymen
join with us in this effort to place-,
Zion in the forefront of church
organizations in Chicago ?
In a few days a circular which is-,
being prepared by a committee
appointed by the Board of Bish
ops, will be sent to our pastors,
laying before them our plan, and
calling for their assistance in thi$.
laudable undertaking.
ANOTHER THANKSGIVING EFFORT.
It was at the suggestion of the
President of the Church Extension
society that Dr. Warner asked the
pastors and churches to make a
donation in behalf of Church Ex
tension money last year. We are
thankful to acknowledge the re
ceipt of a comparatively good
colleclion for our first effort in
this direction. We are sufficient
ly encouraged by what was accom
plished last vear to once more ask
the pastors to double their energy
and make a herculean effort od the
approaching Thanksgiving in the
name and for the benefit of the
church at Chicago; See our appeal
in the future issue of the Star.