HI6 OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH
Vol XXVI
Charlotte, N. C., Thursday, January 29, 1903.
No. 6
FACTS VERSUS FI CT10N
The Elimination of The Mission
ary Secretary and Its Effect.
BY BLSHOr J w HOOD, D O., IX. D.
I.F.TTER NO 3,
Oar women having realized how
-reatly their work bad been hin
dered by the presence of a Mis
sionary Secretary in the field, came
up to the last Genera! Conference
with a sIron2f petition for the
elimination of tbat officer, and
promised tbat the Connection
should see good results if their
prayer was granted. The Gener
a! Conference granted their re
quest, and gave them the held.
At the end of two years, some
thing over $2,000 had been sent
to the general treasury; $2,000
more bad been disbursed by the an
nual Conferences, and something
like the same amount had been
spent for local purposes, as a re
sult of their efforts, making in all,
about six thousand ($6000) dollars.
As to the good accomplished bv
the amount sent to the general
treasury, the following, I think,
will sufficiently indicate. A little
less than two years ago, while sick
n bed, I received a letter from our
missionary at Durham informing
me that he needed fifty dollars, at
once, to save the mission there. I
remembered, that some years ago,
by reason of our failing to raise
$70 we lost a piece of property
there which could not be bought
to-day for $10,000. I thought we
could not stand a second failure
there. I remembered that the
Central Conference had sent $200
missionary money to the treasury,
and 1 believed that the Board
would agree to help this strug
gling mission when it met. 1 bad
only strength to sit up to sign a
check for $50; with this and $100
given to the preacher from the
portion of the mission fuud re
maining in the Conference, Dur
ham has ceased to be a mission. It
!s now a station, supporting a min
ister, with a good church nearly
out of debt. When I presented
the case to the Board, it paid the
$50.
On mv way to that meeting, I
visited Yorkville, S. C-, (Bishop
Petty having died, that work fell
into my hands) and on arriving
there, I found a condition which
made it necessary for me to ad
vance $125 to save the church.
And to have lost the church, with
the people feeling as they then
were, meant the end of Zion church
in Yorkville. 1 paid the $125
and presented the case to the Board,
and they voted $50, and agreed to
see that I should get the other $75
later.
About a. year ago, an appeal;
came to me lrom a young minister
at High Point, N. C., who went
there about three years ago, and
found three Zion members. He
commenced fo preach in a school
house. With what little aid we
on Id give him from the Confer
ence mission fund, he stayed there,
leathered a congregation, and built
a church which will hold about 400
people.
A little while before the meet
iig of the Board of Bishops last
spring at Little Rock, he wrote
me that his family was sick, that
<e owed some bills which he need
d to pay to maintain his credit. I
>as not surprised, for, how he had
anaged to support his family and
■mild a church with the small nmo
l' of members, was a mystery to
' verybody. The ministers of old
established churches were com
plaining of hard times, and yet
Kev. J. H. Paschal, a missionary,
was going along making no com
plaint. I felt that he deserved all
the help I could get for him, and
so I asked the Board for $50 and it
was granted.
I think this is sufficient to indi
cate what has been accomplished
by the $2,000 which went to the
general treasury. It has all been
appropriated on just such pleas
coming from the several Bishops
for aid to the mission work in their
respective districts. Of course a
much larger amount has gone to
Bishop Small’s district than any
other, because it includes the Af
rican work; and the policy of the
Board has been to give as liberally
to that work as the funds will pos
sibly permit. On one occasion I
gave $20 to save a mission point in
my district, in order that all the
money then in hand might go to
Bishop Small’s work.
Fayetteville, JS. C.
X
Organic Union.
FROM C. M. E. CHURCH.
Tae following resolutions were
adopted by the three Georgia Confer
ences of ih“ C M. E. Church respect
ing the union of the C. M. E. Church
and the A M E. Zion Church:
Whereas, Our Lord and Saviour Je
sus Christ in His last inter-cessory
prayer interceded for the Church,
“That they may be one as we are one,’'
and,
Whereas, We believe that the move
ment for Organic Uaion between the
C. M. E, Church ant the A. M. E. Zion
Church originated through the self
same spirit that actuated that prayer;
and,
Whereas, We believe that the union
of these two great Negro Methodist
Churches would make easier the union
of all Negro Methodism in this country,
which, is a thing devoutly tobe wisheo;
and,
Whereas, The spirit of the age is one
of consolidation of forces and energies so
as to destroy hurtful competition, bet
ter to advance and further the common
good of all concerned; and,
Whereas, the union of these two
Churches would serve to do away with
the unseemly and unholy rivalry which
now weakens, divides, and brings into
disrepute Nigro Methodism in many
towns, villages, and rural places in this
land; and,
Whereas, The singular and beautiful
harmony of the sentiments on the sub
ject of the commissioners from the two
Churches, who recently met in Wash
ington, D, C., to arrange for such an
union evidences that the hand of Goi
is surely in this movement.
Therefore, Be it resolved,
1. That we hereby heartily endorse
the Articles of Agreement and Modus
Vivendi entered into by the joint com
mission from the two churches.
2. That we enthusiastically urge Or
ganic Union between the C. M, E.
Churches and the A. M. E. Zion Church.
3, i'tiat we hereby petition our
bishops to call a session of our General
Conference to meet in 1904 during the
meeting of the General Conference of
the A, M, E, Zion Church to deliberate
upon whatever it may du looking tow
ard Organic Union.
4, That a copy of these resolutions
be sent for publication to the Christian
Indea and to the Star ofZijn,
Respectfully submitted.
Notice.
To the ministers of Central N. C Con
ference: Ton will note ths lact that in
the General Steward’s report of Broth
erhood money, your Conference is
blank. That djes not speak well. The
treasurer informs me that several min
isters asked for time, which he granted,
and for that reason has held back his
report. He proposes now to make his
report to the Steward when the Bidi
ops meet at Tlrreensboro. i therefore
urge t hat each one who has not paid his
one per cent.send it to RewW.H. Grah
am, 511 E. Go nail Street, Greensboro
before the 1st of March. Presiding El
ders will please call the attention of
the pastors to this matter,
J, VV, Hoot, Presiding Bi-hop,
Fayetteville, N, C. Jan. 22d,. 1903,
SPECIAL NOTES.
F,-om the West Alabama
Conference.
BY BISHOP J B. SMALL, A. M., D D.
Newspaper notices are becoming
somewhat cheap, and he who
makes too much of an effort in
seeking them, exhibits, in minatnre,
a failure which becomes the mis
take of his life, and he will tind
it so in the long run.
The saving is going the rounds:
“If you do not toot your own
horn, nobody will toot it for you,”
probably so; but there is an ad
verse side to that question, though
the saying about the wagging dog,
may render some assistance to the
expression.
It is true, if I met and slew a lion,
I could have no objection of hear
ing some one say: "Bishop Small
slew a lion;” but persons are so
apt to omit the Jast two letters of
the word lion, and for effect and
euphony of sound and adroitness
of the present age, add the final
“e.” lam not really anxious to
hear of mv achievements, be they
many or few. Yet, I, like other
men, enjoy encouragement; so do
the ministers under my supervis
ion, hence the following.
I do not think there is an iota
of exaggeration to say, the four
conferences over which I presided
in the United States, during the
past four conference years, were
exceedingly pleasant and profitable,
and the ministers in general Jiave
been successful, and gave more
than ordinary evidence of being
easily governed, thoughtful and
ready to assist in carrying out any
reasonable suggestion. This was
exhibited in the Western New
York Conference wt h i c h met
at Ithaca just before I left the
United States for Africa. The
same spirit, to a larger degree, was
exhibited at the Alleghony-Ohio
Conference, which met at .John
Wesley, Pittsburg, Pa , in Octobei
last. Toe ministers seemed more
than anxious for every good word
or work, and their preaching and
deportment clearly manifested this
spirit, though I seldom, and very
seldom favor them with what may
be termed writing up. This is
not because I do not appreciate
their efforts to make things pleas
ant for me and all concerned. I am
not opposed to the writing up bus
iness, but it is a small part of my
make-up. I like to hear a bugle,
when its sound is to the point and
it expresses something that is
worthy of note; I am not so fond
of roaring bombast, such as is the
product uf the present age—-going
to see a camel and behold a mouse.
I think the following information
ought to be given to the Connection:
The West Alabama and South Mis
sissippi Conferences are surely
making excellent and commend
able history. There has been a
wonderful change in the ministers
of these conferences. The appear
ance,* deportment, and spiritual
growth has not been merely seen,
but felt and spoken of by visitors
and the ministers themselves. One
who had seen the ministers of South
Mississippi Conference years back,
would scarcely believe his own
eyes in noticing the wonderful
advancement.
The climax was reached at the
West Alabama Conference, when
I called upon the ministers to stand
up for right and purity, and every
minister rf that conference pledged
himself a total abstainer from
strong drink as a beverage, and
from the use of tobacco in any
shape or form. S > rejoiced was I,
hir L managed to keep quiet with
difficulty.
During the session a noted phy
sician of Mobile who keeps a drug
s*ore in that city, Mobile, called
at my room and related a circum
stance which noted the deportment,
character, and candor of the min
isters of that conference. The doc
tor said ministers of the conference
were at his drugstore, and he said
to them: “Brethren, will you have
something to drink?”—meaning
soda water, as he had an excellent
fountain in his drug store; but the
offer had scarcely escaped his lips
when one of the men exclaimed,
■‘No sir 1 We use no strong drink—
none at all; and if I used it, I would
not touch a drop—no indeed—Bish- I
op Small would smell it on me i
anyhow. No indeed, we do not !
drink.” The doctor then explained
he meant soda water, and they
said that made a difference.
When the doctor gave the infor
mation my heart rejoiced within
me, and to say that session of the
West Alabama Couference gave me
more pleasure than any other con
ference over which I have presided
has not the shadow of exaggeration.
It was pleasant—it was sweet.
A couple of ministers who were
not present when the decision was
reached that the entire conference
pledged itself to be abstainers from
strong drink and tobacco, on reach
ing the conference room found
every man anxious that they too
should take a hand in Being ab
Stainers an they did so readily.
Three cheers for the West Alabama
Conference, Presiding Elders Al
stork and Saunders, Rev. Morrisey
and wife, Revs. Davenport, T. H.
Jones, and others leading.
York, Pa.
Brotherhood Fund.
The folljwing is the amount re
ceived for the Ministerial Brother
hood fund by the Conferences since
last report:
Blue Ridge Conference $35.06
South Florida “ 84.25
New Jersey “ 10814
New York “ 56 3o
New England 24.05
Fhila. Balto. “ 130.00
South Carolina “ 7.92
North Carolina “ 32 83
Western N. York “ 84.65
Missouri “ 19 00
Kentucky , “ 54 80
Blue Ridge “ 103.59
Central Ala. “ 36 00
Tennessee u 37 00
Allegheny-Ohio “ 78.00
Oklahoma “ 7.00
N. Louisiana “ 19.08
Louisiana “ 34.00
North Arkansas 15.00
Georgia “ 15.58
Texas “ 7.20
Virginia “ 100.00
North Carolina “ 108 00
C. Alabama “ 86 89
Arkansas ‘k 40.28
N. Alabama “ 112.34
West Alabama “ 56 94
S. Mississippi 10.68
Total $1450.59
Philadelphia, Pa.
Take Notice.
Rev. J, W. Keets, alias, ‘‘Rev. J. W.
Heath, I), D.” late of Bath, N, Y.f from
the African Methodist Episcopal Church,
purporting to be a West Indian and
irom the Protestant Episcopal Church,
is all wrong, and ought no. to be allowed
toexercise ministerial functions in or
with any society of the Africm Metho
dist Episcopal Zion Church.
J. B. SMAI/I,
York, Pa.
P. 8. —For further information inquire
of the above.
THAT RECEPTION.
Social Equality at The White House—Ne
groes Present.
(\
SOUTHENERS HOT.
'The Negroes who are accorded
social equality by Roosevelt were
Judson Lvons and his wife, of
Augusta, Ga ; John C. Dancy, his
wife, and another Negro woman
who came as Dancy’s truest. The
resentment which arose over the
Booker Washington dinner is but
a ripple compared to that which
rages in Washington as a result of
the incident last night at the din
ner party.It is the first time
in the history of the White House
that a Negro woman has accepted
an invitation as a guest
The Negroes were among the
first to reach the President’s re
ceiving party after the members
of the judiciary had shaken his
hand. In the receiving party were
Mrs. Roosevelt and the President's
daughter, Miss Alice Roosevelt.
Dancy was the first of the Ne
groes to grasp Roosevelt’s hand.
The two bowed as they clasped
hands and the President extended
his usual greetings: “1 am delight
ed to meet you to-night, Mr. Dan
cy.”
Then came the Negro women
who got the same greeting, aud
after them came Lyons who paused
for a moment or two and carried
on a conversation with Roosevelt.
In the meantime the Negroes ahead
of him had passed on down the re
ceiving line and were bowing and
smiling at the ladies in line. Sev
eral ladies, it must be said, turned
aside and would not notice the Ne
groes. Lyons soon followed and
joined his party in the East Room,
where nearly a thousand guests
were assembled. The Negroes be
took themselves to a conspicuous
corner and remained to themselves
for the remainder of the evening.
Among the other guests the storm
was brewing as the Negroes were
marching down the line toward the
President. One Southern Con
gressman, who had his wife and
daughter with him, saw the blacks
ahead of him- He left the line with
the ladies,hurried tothe cloak room
and after securing their wraps, left
the place. Others followed them
rapidly until two score or more
had withdrawn. To those who
stayed, the presence of the Negroes
seemed to act as a damper and the
reception was noticeably flat and
devoid of the usual animation and
pleasurable excitement.—Atlanta
Journal.
Notice.
To the Pastors in the Blue Ridgs An
nual Conference; You remember that
at the last session of the Annual Confer
ence many of you subscrib d to the
‘ Bishops Fund” of the Caurch Exten
sion Apportionment and promised
to raise the appointment on your
charges by the first or last of December.
I hope that those who have not sent in
their collection on Church Extension
will do so soon, as the General Church
Extensioa Secretary has many urgent
calls for help. A few of you have not
yet sent in your Varick Memorial mon
ey for last year. Please do so.
O. R HARRIS.
Presiding Bishop 4th Episcopal Dlst
BISHOPS’ MEETING.
The Board of Bishops of the A.
M. E. Zion Chinch will meet in
the A. M. E. Zion church at
Greensboro, N. C-, the second
Wednesday in March (11th) at 12
M. ‘
J. W. Alstork, Chairman,
A. Walters, Secretary.