i
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH IN AMERICA.
i Volume XXIV
Charlotte, N. C„ Thursday, August 9, 1900.
Number gpt
I UTTER A PROTEST
Against “Toting Your Own Tote”
by Dr. John N. Abbey.
BY PROF. JOHN H. M. BUTLER.
The above •subject, if translated
into pure English, would suggest
that people should carry their own
burdens and not depend upon the
help of others. “Toting” and
“tote” make it refer particularly
to the Negro. , s
In these times of caustic criti
cisms, adverse legislation and dis
crimination in various quarters no
one will deny that there is a “Black
Man’s Burden”—a burden which
the Negro is bearing in many in
stances painfully yet with a deter
mination to win. For men of the
race to try to shift their own re
sponsibility upon the shoulders of
others it is, to say the least, un
kind, and the humane will not ob
ject to those who are heavily bur
dened crying out against such ini
quitous attempts.
An instance or tnis ls.tne Jtev.
J. N. Abbey’s lecture on “Toting
your own Tote,” ud excerpt of
of which appears in the Star of
July 26th. His strictures—for
criticisms they are not—are based
neither upon fact nor figures but
expressions so warded and ar
ranged as to seduce the applause
of the thoughtless.
That there ave young people
among us who do not represent the
highest degree of endeavor to suc
ceed on lines that make for pro
gress, J do not deny. It is so with
all races. That some of these have
had superior advantages for intel
lectual training is true. It is also
true that environment—in all that
the word means in the science of
education—is not the force to be
considered in judging the result of
educational effort. He who knows
so little about the progress of
thought and its effect upon the
mass as to concludetiyit the regen
eration of a race can be accom
plished in a third of a century ex
hibits a fitness for leadership that
may well be questioned.
I utter a protest against the ad
dress referred to. It tends to cre
ate a spirit of unkindness between
the young and the old and to
weaken the cause of education. It
gives force to expressed or im
plied opinions that slavery was
better for the Negro than his free
dom. It reflects upon the good in
tention and the worth of the ef
forts made by thousands of both
races who have done their best to
promote the interest of the Negro,
and intimates that the training
which makes men and women of
the white race makes of the col
ored race monsters.
It is really amusing to read mtich
advice given by many persons as1
to what ought to be read. Truly
some of them have either not fa
miliarized themselves with books
of fiction, science, poetry or his
tory, judging by their opinion of
what ought to be read, or act upon
the theory that fine feathers make
fine words. “Trilby” “TheManx
man,” “‘Esther Waters” and
others of the realistic school are
high priced works while “In his
Steps” and many standard produc
tions can be bought for a few
cenfe. Would the lecturer have
the youths read the former rather
than the latter?
While I am not anxious to enter
into a discussion with the Doctor,
I dare assert that a closer and a
more systematic study of the con
ditions of our people, of the aspi
rations of youth, and ideal of man
hood and womanhood of those
leading in society, in church and
secular affairs generally, would
discover to him that their is dust
on his eye-glasses. The young ©r
those born since the surrender of
the Confederate force are not de
generate.
Greeneville College, Greeneville,
Tenn.
Washington People.
BY BISHOP J. B. SMALL, D. D.
Dear Dr. Smith:—I send you a
copy of The York (Pa.) Gazeette of
Saturday, July 21st, containing an
article entitled, “Capital Colored
Folk,” signed by Chas. Goodwin,
white. I lived in Washington and
know whereof the writer speaks.
The article is worthy to be reprint
ed and perused by. all persons, as
we rarely find white men candid
enough to give both sides impar
tially when colored people are
called into question. The
kind treatment of the “colored
lady” by the colored man shows
that the colored men are likely to
copy the example set before them
by their white brothers—exactly.
In his realistic article the writer
omitted to state that even white
men do not often rise to give seats
to white ladies on street cars in
Washington for the reason that the
question of “woman’s rights” is
prevalent among society people of
that city. I have seen gentleman
rising and giving their seats to
and receiving the courteous but
woman’s right replies:
‘ ‘Keep your seat, thank you. I '
rather stand.”
For this reason, Jt is no uncom- '
mon sight for gentlemen to keep 1
their seats while ladies stand.
York, Pa. '
Great Colored Fair.
The eleventh annual oriental, indus- <
trial, stock, fruit and agricultural fair 1
will be held at New Bern, N. C., from ]
August 27th to September 1st, 1900.,
and $1000 in premiums will be given 1
away for the best exhibits, Charlotte *
Quicksteps, Norfolk Red Stockings, 1
Greenvijle, Wilmington, New Berne and
other baseball clubs will do fine base £
ball playing and the best club will get ,
$150. Excursions rates cheap. Dr. J.
H. Hector and other great speakers will 1
be present. 1 1
M. P. Holley, president; W- W. Law- i
rence, secretary; C. C. Roach, treasurer. .
Edward W. Crosby, colored, is
telegraph editor of the Buffalo,
N. i., Evening Times.
THE STORY OF JOSEPH.
fo|a„
Oh
Audience to Hear Some
Experiences! “
BY JOSEPH.
ARTICLE 6.
“ Search the Scriptures * * * they
testify of me.”—Jesus Christ.
“It is hard to give away the money
you struggled to accumulate in early
life; but keep on giving until it becomes
a pleasure to give; give until it seems
there is no other use for money but to
give it away.”—George Peabody.
“How to Study the Bible,” was
long a problem with Joseph. It
did not occur to him that the es
sential thing was an appetite, a
hunger, for the word of God. That
hunger must be a love for the au
thor of the Bible; a love for the
character behind the story which
the Bible tells. No lover needs
prompting about reading a love let
ter. A novel reader takes the
plot to heart, and dreams of the
flimsy lives when asleep that she
read before bed time.
When Joseph saw Jesus stand
ihg before the curtain of Time as
the personal representative of God,
and was made to understand that
Grod sat upon- his throne behind
that curtain giving commands to
Jesus: and that Jesus was the great
play-ground for the infinite plans
3f God and man to deploy the One
who +*|»ewed the Father to man,
*«d *&fcwedmarito the Father, And,
further, that Jesus was behind ov
ary scene from Genesis to Revela
tion, then he began to search the
scriptures. A search means mov
ing chairs and bureaus, ransacking
aid trunks, lighting the lamp, get
ting down upon the knees, and
'feeling afterf Ah ! Lord; it
30st earnest effort but, it is“honey
aut of the rock”.
Joseph once adopted a method
af reading the four gospels that
anabled him to complete his read
ings every two weeks, thus read
ing the four gospels twice a month;
svith daily studies in the Epistles,
31d Testament, and Psalms, be
sides his daily family lessons. On
;he first of January, 1900, he be
?an reading Genesis, and has read
jrenesis seven times this year ;being
it the seventh chapter of Genesis
;o-day, August 2, 1900, for the
fighth consecutive reading. Exo
lus has been read six times; Levi
:icus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
ive times; Joshua, Judges and 1st
Samuel four times; and all the oth
>r books of the old Bible three
imes, excepting Psalms, which has
>een read four times. The Gos
>els are now read once each month,
ind the Acts and Epistles once in
wo months
The taste for Bible study is so
icute that no crash in human af
airs in Africa, Asia, or any other
>art of the world blunts it; that is
o say, the Bible eomes first, cur
ent events afterwards, in daily
eading. If Joseph finishes the
fospels as much as two weeks be
ore the end of the month, which
le usually does, there is a longing
for familiar forms, scenes, and ser
mons, similar to home-sickness,
with kindred delight when Mat
thew, Mark, Luke and John are
again conversed with. ■'
THE BIBLE.
Its breathings deeper than seas,
enrapture the soul. A strange
sensation came to Joseph upon a
recent occasion. He had read, for
hours, the chapters in Genesis,Ex
odus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deute
ronomy, etc , portraying the dark
grief of human sin, sorrow and
shame; then 1st Samuel and Jere
miah accentuated the painful pic
ture. At two o’clock in the morn
ing he entered the Sylvan retreat
of Matthew’s Gospel, and the first
chapters of Mark, Luke and John.
How sublime that Man of Galilee
appeared by contrast with all past
time to Joseph’s almost bewildered
brain ! It was like a storm-tossed
vessel, sailing out of turbulent
seas, into a land-locked harbor.
Oh! how restful to meet Jesus as
Joseph did. The irony of the Bi
ble seems to be red hot. Pharaoh’s
daughter had Moses pulled out of
a river; the same Moses led anoth
er Pharaoh to his death in deep sea
waves. With no Bible we should
have no Calvary; no Calvary means
no Christ; no Christ means for man
eternal death.
Jesus ! ’tis he alone who shouts
amid the swellings of humanity’s
troubled sea as. it froths, foams
and frets through Bible story; ’tis
he alone who towers grand, glori
ous and eternal in the mystic wa
ters of Jordan. For Jesus, as
seen in Bible panorama, there, is
a constant wail from the heart of
Joseph.
Doing Good.
BY REY. J. A. P. LEE.
In this little town hid away I
am tramping and working hard t©
build up Gainesville chapel. We
are having glorious union Iiere
with every church and Christian,
Everybody can tell how much
good I have done for the church
up to the present time, and I am
greatly encouraged. My good
members have accomplished a
good work. General Prosperity
is strongly intrenched all along
the line. I received a joyful wel
come back again and the people i
seem glad to have me witfr them. 1
I shall be glad to hear the sound
of the annual Conference trumpet 1
in November where I can receive ]
light from the East by the sound
of the gavel,
Clinton, Ark.
Notice.
To ministers of Kentucky Conference:
Please report msssionary cards and
money by September 1,1900, so I can
have my report ready for Conference, 1
Mrs. M. E. Washington, V P L H & F
M Society, 1189 Hildrith St., New Al- >
bany, Ind. ]
v Do You Want Work? 1
A few good industrious respectable
families of colored people can get em- ,
ployment in this city at general work,
or in cotton mills ana day's labor. Good 1
wages paid. Communicate with Rev. .
W O Cooper, P O 358, Jamestown, N. 1
Y. *
ON SIXTEEN TO ONE
Will Bring Great Distress Upon
the People.
BY BISHOP J. W. HOOD, D. D., LL. D.
Mr. Editor: I noticed in a pa
per a few days ago an account of
a fight between two white men
over 16 to 1. When asked what
16 to 1 meant, neither could tell.
The conclusion reached by the
paper was, that there was nothing
it in worth contending for,
I can agree that a fist fight is
not a good way to settle such mat
ters, and also that there are thou
sands who do not know what
all this contention is about. Yet
it is a very great mistake to get
the idea that there is nothing in it
in worth contending for.
Sixteen to one means that the
government of the United States
shall declare that sixteen ounces of
silver are equal in value to one
ounce of gold. Now every well in
formed person knows that such is
not the truth. Can a great gov
ernment representing a Christian
people afford to declare a false
hood ? Thirty-two to one would
be much nearer to* the truth, and
yet it is not at all certain that even*
that ratio could be maintained.
Sixteen to 1 means that any per
son having 50 cents worth of sil
ver may take it to the government,
mint and have a dollar stamped on
its face, and that after that he may
take it away and compel any one
to accept it as a dollar in the set
tlement of any debt. That is, in -
substance, giving the man who has
silver, a dollar for 50 cents.
What becomes of all the talk
about the evil of special privile
ges for the few at the expense of
the many? The proposition is, that
this government alone shall take
the world’s output of silver (so far
as it may be offered) and become
responsible for the maintenance of
its value at the ratio 16 ounces to
one of gold. How long could this
or any other government stand
under such a load?
No other nation would take our
half-dollar dollars. Jn dealing
with them, either government or
people would have to pay two
iollars for one; and all foreign
Toods would have to paid for at the
same rate. In fact, all our accounts
ivith foreign nations would have
;opay at least two dollars for one,
possibly mueh more.
Why should the government be
isked to take this great burden
lpon itself, and bring this great
listress upon the people ? What
•ight has silver to thia^extraordi
mry favor ? Golcflisks/ no such
avor. It has itsncwn^yalue, inde
>endent of a government stamp,
delt it into bars, Wd it will still
Lold its own in spite of what any
government may do. Why should
liver be encouraged to go around
>egging the government to give it
alue which it does not possess?
Neujbwrgh, N. Y.