of
AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL
ZION CHURCH.
THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE
Vol XXVI
Charlotte, N. C., Thursday, February 5, 1903.
No. 7
FACTS VERSUS FICTIONj
The Elimination of the Mission
ary Secretary and Its Effect.
by bishop j. w. hood. d. d. , I.L.D.
I.ETTEU KO. 4.
Id my last letter. I referred to
what had been accomplished in the
disbursements of the funds sent to
the general missionary treasury.
1 now want to give some faint idea
of what has been accomplished by
the $4000 which was retained for
local purposes. I shall only men
tion two Conferences as samples.
In New England, we have been
maintaining six missions; viz.,
Portland, Me; WiSliamantic, New
Britain, Torrington, Wjnsted and
Danbury, Conn , and four or five
more have been added this year.
These are mainly dependent upon
the Women’s Missionary effort.
Thes missions have shown better
promise within the Iasi two years
than ever before, as the result of
the increased aid.
In the Central N. Carolina Con
ference we have seven well built
comfortable churches where we
only had struggling missions three
years ago. A few of these will
need aid a little while longer; but
most of them are now self support
ing. Besides ‘these, we have a
church nearly enclosed at Franklin
ton, the county seat of Franklin
county. We have but few mem
bers there now, but there is no
other Methodist church near it, and
under such circumstances, o u r
church always grows rapidly.
When it is completed, it will be
come the head of a circuit extend
ing into the surrounding country.
We also have a mission started at
Benson, in Johnson county, and a
church in an unfinished state, which
promises much for the future.
The s i x thousand dollars, of
which I have spoken, was the
work of two years ending last June.
We are now on the third year of
the quadrennium, which promise©
much more than any former year
The C. N. Conference shows
about $1400, or $500 more than
her portion of the $10,000 we started
out to raise this year. If the oth
er Conefrences do any thing like
as well, we shall have a splendid
showing for this year.
Is this not infinitely better than
having a Missionary Secretary
mess ng with it, and accomplishing
nothing but a waste of time and
money ?
Jayeiteville, N. C, /(
Bishop Clinton in Norfolk.
Bishop G, W. Clinton spent last
Sabbath week at Norfolk, Va ,
with Dr. J. W. Wood, pastor of
our Metropolitan A. M. E, Zion
church which was dedicated Jan
uary 1902. The occasion which
carried the Bishop to that city was
the grand rally designed to raise
$1,000 to make the first annual
payment on the debt.
Despite the gloominess of the
day, good congregations attended
morning and afternoon services,
and an overflowing crowd was pres
ent at night. The Bishop preached
both morning and night and ad
dress d the Y: M. C. A , at 5 p. m.
and the people were wonderfully
pleased with his rich gospel ser
mons and address which stamped
him as an orator of the first rank.
He will always have a crowd to
greet him when he visits that city.
Dr. Wood, the pastor, has prov
en himself the man for the place
since taking charge. He is an
ah e divine, a zealous and faithful
pastor, a financier that deserves to
rank among Zion's eminently suc
cessful men, and a man who loves
his ehuich and leaves no stone un
turned to advance its interests
The membership has greatly in
creased under his leadership.
He is carrying forward with in
creasing zeal and more marked
significance the good work ‘begun
by Elder C. B. Hogans. Long
live the hustling and successful
Hogans and the eloquent Wood for
placing Zion in the very forefront
of Norfork. L,
rioviiTg Along Nicely.
BY C. D. HAZEL, D. D.
Dear Doctor Smith:—We are
moving along nicely in our church
work here We have bad a desperate
fight to save our church from dis
tressingcalamities. Through God
we have reached a satisfactory
stage. Although the Winter sea
son at this point is extremely dull,
and ihe present considered to be
the dullest in the past 20 years,
God has enabled us to meet de
mands of $355 during December
and the present month, thus clear
ing the way for a home stretch for
all Cotinectional claims from now
to April. This is a great victory.
We are forging ahead.
May the Star continue to shine,
and the Editor and Manager re
ceive from the great Connection of
. ours the proper recognition at the
p oper time.
Atlantic City, N. J.
Another Good Tree
BY EEV. S. fi. BLAKE,
I wish to congratulate Rev. E M.
Argyle on the article which he
wrote in the Star of January 8,
1903, beaded ‘'Let us return unto
the Lord.” Mr. Editor, ministers,
member and to all it may concern,
there has been a great deal said
about the good plums which fell
from the tree shaken by Dr. E. D.
W. Jones. Now let us see if this
is not another good plum tree
shaken by Rev. Argyle I don’t
believe that flesh and blood revealed
that truth unto you, but some
of the messengers whi<h are in
heaven. You have spoken my
sentiment. 1 will nut ask you
to shake this tree any more just
now, but stand by your tree and
see what will become of the fruit.
May the Lord help us to take in
this truth and change our stress
from dollars and cents to purity,
virtue and salvation.
Sedaia, 8. C.
/loving Zion’s Wheel.
BY F. J. JACOBS.
We Arkansas men are moving
Zion’s wheel as never before. At
Morrilton we have a beautiful
church and we are greatly in debt,
but under our great A. A. W. Hill,
presiding elder, we anticipate
great results to meet our famous
Bishop with a round report. Broth
ers look for our rally on the first
Sunday in April.
Morrilton, Ark.
Let there be an en ire ab«tiDencefrom
intoxicating brinks throughout this
country daring the period < f a single
generation, and a mob would be as un
possible as combustion without oxygen.
—iiotce Mann.
FACTS A|ND FIGURES.
THE OTHER SIDE.
by rev. ,7 b. Colbert, a m., d d.
Mr. Ed tor: lily atten'iun w-as called
to au art cle wh:ch appeared in the Star
of Jtnuiry 25th under the caption
“Fac 8 Vercui Fiction” in which the de
funct office of the Missionary Secretary
was br jUiti.it into prominence. My no
| tice of said ar ic!e is not due to any de
sire on my pare to rebut or deprecate
anything contained therein only I re
fer to an inoi lent to which the writer
has so repeatedly referred and which he
se ms to take a great delight in so do
ing
The incident in question is simply
thisc A few years ago when I wig very
remotely connect'd with the Mission
ary Department as i?6 General Secre
tary (an office which only existed in
name,) I received a letter from the
B 'ard of Sca istics of the World Wide
Mission, requesting me tigive fh-m
the statist cs and otkar valuable infor
mation concerning missionary work of
the A. M E. Z on Church N” »t being
in possession of any recorded facts or
figures concerning the same, though
having made several attempts to famil
iarize myself with the operations of the
Missionary Department as it then exis
ted, and after Consulting wi hinv pred
ecesssor Dr. A J Warner whom I knew
ought to be the proper authority on
such matters by virtue of the office
which he hell as General Secretary of
missions in the A. M^£jlifej*in«-Ohmraf:r'
aud failing to get t ie d .'sired infunna
tion from him, for he plainly expres-ed
his in obi. i tv to impart the information
desired, and in the absence of any re
corded facts, for there was none to be
found, kno wing it would refl-ct discred
itably upon the Church had I expressed
what was my personal knowledge in re
gard to the matter. I thought perhaps
there were who were in possession of
such facts as would have been a credit
totheOhu-ch Hence, I forwarde 1 the
letter to the person who is at the head
of all the Missionary interests of our
Church, viz , Mrs. K. P. Hood. Ialsi
knew that she was in close touch wi k
Bishop Hood, who is regirded as the
Oonnectional Encyclopedia on all mat
ters aff icting the Cnurch. Especially is
this irje w ien it comes to the citati >n
of unrecorded facts But strange to say,
h iwever, and to my very g-eat surprise,
tne good Bishcp failed in hie attempt to
give the d 'sired information, for I pus
itively affirm that he did not give it.
And to my personal kaowIe1gi the in
formation has never been given. P,ea<e
d > not understand me to say that the
Biship did not know concerning the
Gets which they desired to obtain, but
lie studiously evaded the questions at
issue, and very adrohlv imported that
fur which they did not a-k.
The writer of the ar icle in qnesUon
concludes by say, “I hop ; by the time
we realiy need a Missionary Secreiary,
some one can be frund who really
knows something about the duties of
such a i offi ;e.’'
I wo a fferent construction?) can be
very readily placed upon the wording
of the above quotation First, we do not
need a General Missionary Secretary at
the present time; second. The persons
who have filled the office of Genera)
Se retary of Missions were ignorant of
the duties of the office. It is upon the
above quotation 1 desire to remark.
Hav ng had some opportunities to care
f illy study the needs and methods < f
the Missionary Departments, not only
of my own denomination hut of other
denominations as well, I modestly
claim to have some defined t»f«>*con
C( ruing theMissionary interests as they
are carried on at the present time,and I
h g to advise further that the despica
ble failures which have characterized
every attempt of our Church to success
fully man the office of General Sc ere
tai y has rot been cue so much to a lack
of knowledge, as to the Dutits < f the of
fice of General Secretary, as it hag been
a lack of knowledge as to the Doings of
the Missionary Depariment Ivemure
to say farther that unless the modus
opzrandi of the wh< Is Missionary sys
tem of the Church is changed, there
will be very little more satisfactory re
mits in the future than what we have
had in the past. It miy not begtoer
sl y known but it is a fact, nevei toeless
hat the Zion Church is the only Church 1
in this country that makes any claim- 1
;o a respectable showing among the gal 1
axy cl the many great denominations
both wlfte and colored that has not a
well regulated, systematized Missionary
Deja tment operated and condacted
by a General Missionary Secretary. I
venture to Fay mors, that ours it the
only Cnurch that does n it give t ae pub
lic publi>hed slatemrnts giving a full
account of money received a d dit
bu sad from time to time as well as an
i emizad satement of the facts and fig
ures of our Mis nonary eperati m3 both
at horn s and abroad.
Tne writer of ’‘Facts Vers is Fiction”
was nevermore in error when he insin
uates that perso s who have been un
fortunately connected with the Mission
ary Department of General Secretary
did n >t know the duties of the office.
Tuey would have been spared from the
distressing humi liations, endless c >nfu
sionsand vi emisrapresenta ions which
they exp rienced while in possession o'
ilia p »rtfo!io of Missionary Secretary
had luey kno vn hss of the duties of the
office. It is indeed an unfoitunate cou
rt tion that c mfrouts us rather than a
theory in the matter of our m ssionary
operations. It is a painful refi *ctio i for
one who has given the subject of mis
sions any thought whatever as to how it
is c inducted in the Zion Cnu'ch when
t iey institute comparison- of our
Church with that of other Churches
along this particular line. While sever
al of our sister d )-omimtions (I f *r- j
bear calling names) arc raising annual
ly from fif&y t > sixty thousanis of dol
lars, we r >ise f om twro to three thou
sand, and if that is below or aliove the
correc am iunt our system for more ac
curate account it so iir .-gnla? and com
pl cated t.iat it will be difficult iorany
one to stare it and at the same time
maintain the fu'l assurihce that his
c lances for escape from the fa'ejif An
anias andjS.ap.pUiras’w exSee’dingly nar
row."
What, is it that makes the great Meth
odist Episcopal (Inurchoue of the great
est and most powerful and useful ngen
cies in the world to-day? Tue cause is
not so much in her numbers or polity,
but her strength an 1 effL-iency are the
inevitab e results < f a well regulated
and wis ly directed Missionary Depart
m~mt. Any one win is at all familiar
with the successful operatio is of that
Cnurch will iell you that the Church
derives its greatest revenus from her
Missionary Department. This Ourch
employs tae services of two efficient
ana competent General Missionary Sec
retaries, (men who know the duties of
the office) and are not checkmated by
unwarrantable interfere ice and conven
tional mandates in the execution of
their du ies. It is indeed a strange as
well as a remarkable f tet that the forces
and agencies that cons itu.e the pride
and g ory of other denomna iom are
the ve y things which our Church is
most deficient and ill-devised.
In speaking of the lameless and inef
ficiency of the Missionary Department I
do not wish to be uod-r.stooi aa refl-ct
ing upon the woik of tne Woman’s
Hume and Foreign Missionary Society,
for really they have done practically all
tnat has been done along the line of
missions and deserve commendation. I
am discussing measures, and not men,
nr r women ;couduions and not theories ;
‘‘facts and n.^t fiction.” Every Churcu
ot any note in this country has a feat
ure which includes the work of the
women as a part of its missionary ma
cbinery, but no Cnurch < f any conse
quence has concealra1 ed all of its Mis
sionary Euienvor from the standpoint
of business t) this feat ire of the Depar.
me t. I understand the sphere of the
Women’s Home and Foreign Mission
ary .Society to be simply a part of the
Missionary Department, and not the
* who’e.” And it is diametrically oo
pos d to the science of all mathematical
deduction for a part to include the
whole, hut to the reverse.
The fact, of the matter is we are en
deavoring to opera’ean institution that
calls f >r improved methods and modern
ideas upon an antiquatei basis that was
in vogue and served its purpose a half
centuiy ago, consequently renders it
entirely inad-qnate and wholly unequal
to the demands of tie times, Tnis can :
never be done; it is co itrary to every
impulse of this enlightened and pro
gressive age. There is no legitimate
reason why we ought not raise at least
from twenty five to thirty thousand
dollars per annum through our Mission
ary Department. Wt have the people
and am,..le r*siurces, and men who
know the duties of their office, if they
were left unhagipared and uutrsmpleJ
by 8ueh;abate'"and fossilized influences
which can not bo overcome in a day,
rhey have been domineered and often
crushed by such foices that claim 'heir
•ights to rule and reign on the princi
ple of priority regardksi of consequen
ts,
Recapitulation.
For fear that sniiie may get the im*
prtssion that what I have saH in the '
-I (
CoDtiuued on Fifth Faije.
DOING NOTHING.
8-8 j’s to'Ni s i) yis'i ta vr ir
IS A SIN.
BY E P MARVIN
Nam. 32.23:—This sin surely re
ports in due time for retribution.
J a iges 5.23:—Meroz was 4 4bit
terly cursed'5 for doing nothing
Prov. 14 20 30: “The sluggard”
is condemned and warned.
Isa. 58 l: — The prophets are
commanded to cry aloud and snare
not.”*
Isa, 56 10:—Those who do not
thus “warn the wicked” are them
selves doomed to this penalty,
Amos. 61:—4'Woe” rests upon
all who are “at ease in Zion ”
Ezek. 9.4:-When judgment
comes, only those are spared who
sigh and cry fu* prevailing abomi
nations.
Mai. 3.8:—Misers and idlers
“rob God. ”
Matt. 21.28: — Idlers deliberate
ly disobey God’s first command to
a new born soul.
James 4-17:—“Knowing” duty
and “not doing” it is a ‘‘sin.”
Acts 1.8:—A “witness” must
speak.
Rom. 10.10:—Asinnercan hard
ly be saved without “mouth con
fession.”
Heb 2.3:—Certainly if he does
nothing he is lost.
Matt. 2 L. 19:—The fruitless fi»
tree is “cursed.”
Luke 13 7:—Another “barren
fig-tree” is commanded to be “cut
down.”
The man with the idle talent in
Matt. 25, and the man with the
idle pound in Luke 19, were both
judged and punished.
In the judgment of nations,Matt.
2d, those who neglected to do
ttieii duty are sent away into ever
lasting punishment. ”
Laodicea is spewed out as “the
wietched, the miserable, the poor,
the blind, and the naked one” of
all the seven churches, because she
was “lukewarm” and idle.
May God preserve us from the
?reat siu of saying and doing noth
ing in times like these!
*‘/n the world’s broad fiaid of battle,
la ttie bivouic of life;
Be not like dumb driven cattle, ”
Be a hero in the strife.”
A Strong Pastor.
BY REV. N. M. FELTON.
Rev. R. F. Butler has proved
himself a wonderful character1 in
the pulpit. He has the same in
fluence over the Baptist people in
this section as he has over his own
people. He has plunged into the
mysteries of the Bible and has
come forth with new thing to that
extent that the people have cried
out and said, what manner of man
is this for he speaketh as never
mail spake. He has every thing
coming his way. He has only
been in charge two months during
which he has made an addition of
16 members His people have
paid him $66.25 on salary, and he
has raised on general fund$18.60,
and whoever has the goid badge
respecting general fund can just
prepare to give it up at the next
annual Conference. Bishop Wal»
ters did not make any mistaken .i
send ng this man here.
Hertford, N. C.
‘‘You asked her f ither for her hand?
Y*s.” ‘ And he rt fa^ed you?” ‘ No. he
lidn’c. He said I could have both o