Vol XXVI
Charlotte, N. C., Thursday, flarch 26, 1903.
No 14
FACTS VERSUS FICTION
What fanner o! Ian a Bishop Mast Be.
by bishop j. w. hood, d. d., ll. d.
LETTER NO. 11.
We have considered twelve vir
tues which the Apostle says tbe
Bishop must possess: and now we
have to consider eight disqualify
i ing evils.
(1) “Not given to wine.”’
I have the opinion that the Apos
tle starts off with this, because it
is among the greatest of all evils.
Since in this same letter Paul told
Timothy to take a little wine in
stead of water, it must be evident
to any thoughtful mind that there
wras more than one kind of wine.
It does not seem reasonable that
Paul in one breath would tell Tim
otby that a Bishop must not drink
wine, aDd in the next, so to speak,
tell him to take exactly the same
thing as a beverage, instead of
water.
The fact is, they had the art of
preserving the grape juice in its
fruit state, that is,without fermen
tation; and in this form it made a
drink which was not only pleasant
to the taste, but also wholesome.
If Timothy was in poor health, it
would be natural for Paul to sug
gest this wholesome drink for a
time, instead of water. Strong
wine is as much a mocker now, as
when the wise man first sounded
his warning against it. And yet it
is to be regretted that men high
up in authority in the church
which make the highest claim to
orthodoxy and ecclesiastic il author
ity, are advocating, by precept
and example, the moderate use of
this dangerous evil.
Of this forbidden wine, the Apos
tle in another place thus speaks:
“Be not drunken with wine where
in is excess.” If I understand the
Apostle, he means that the excess
is in the wine. As soon as you be
gin to drink it, you pass the limit
and go to excess
Xt is said that Jesus turned water
to wine. That is literal ly true, and
it supports my position
Since the days of Noah, they bad
departed from the original drink,
water, which God gave them, and
had drank wine at weddings. At
the first wedding that Jesus attend
ed, he took occasion to bring them
back to the original drink. I think
it is somewhere intimated that all
things were to be restored as at the
beginning. At least, it providen
tially happened at the first wed
ding he attended that the wine
gave out, and he was called upon
to supply what was needed; and he
told them to fill up the pots with
water, and when they asked him
what next, ho said, draw it off and
bear it to the guests, and they said
it was the best wine. But it was
not made of grape or any other
vegetable from which alcohol
comes; but water, which does not
produce alcohol. He thus shows
us that our best drink is water, or
drink produced from water.
It is said that Jesus gave his dis
ciples wine at the last supper. Je~
sus.did not call it wine, he called
it the fruit of the vine. It was
the grape juice in the fruit state;
that is, unfermented grape juice.
When fermentation, that is de
composition or rottenness takes
place, it is no longer fruit. Alco
hol follows. Jesus would not
have called alcohol the fruit of the
vine. It therefore must be evi
dent that the cup he gave them
had not passed into that state.
Since wine is the milder of strong
drinks, of course all others are in
cluded in the prohibition.
As the various forms of tobacco
are manufactured with rum, a man
who uses tobacco in any from, is
not up to the Apostle’s standard
for the bishopric.
(2) “No striker.”
Both in the letter to Timothy
and the letter to Titus, this comes
immediately after the evil of wine
drinking. Possibly this is to re
mind us that striking is :requent
l.y the result of wiue-drinking.
There are men who are quite
peaceable when sober, but as soon
as they begin to feel the effects of
strong drink, they are ready for
a fight.
A Bishop should never become
so intoxicated with wine or with
anything else as to strike. The
weapons of his warfare should not
be carnal. His weapon is the
sword of the Spirit, the Word of
God, which has two edges. It
cuts going and coming, and is
mighty, through God, to tear
down wickedness and build up
righteousness.
Fayetteville, N. C.
Here and There.
BY REV. J. H. SLIGER.
My wife Ella lies critically ill at
our home at No. 1611 Illinois St.,
Jacksonville, Fla. She has been
suffering for five weeks from a
complication of diseases such as
kidney trouble, indigestion, consti
pation, etc. Having had an attack
of congestion of the brain last
Monday night she is very much re
lieved and resting easy. Ye scribe
has heen indisposed greatly this
Winter but is recuperating. Our
friends who know the worth of
prayer, may remember us to the
Giver of all good and perfect gifts,
Rt. Rev. O. R. Harris tendered
his episcopal visit to St. Luke A.
M. E Zion church, this city,
Thursday night the 5th inst, and
preached a spirited and much
needed sermon.
Our church work this year has
been mingled with disappoint
ments and afflictions, but when
dying, sufficeth it to say it was
good for us. We areclosingup our
work preparatory to the conven
ing of the South Florida confer
ence at High Springs April 8,D.V.
Success to my comrades, Rev.
Wm. Anderson, S. M. Charles, M.
D. Smith, F.R. White, L V. Wat
son, J. B. Miller, Dr,Stinson, J. S.
Henderson and others known to
me very dearly.
Jax, F la.
Smith-Douglass.
Miss Willie Odessa Smith, old
est daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jos
eph W. Smith Qf 638 Locust St.,
were united in holy wedlock to Mr.
Charles Douglass, Wednesday ev
ening, March 4th , Rev. Dr. Black
well officiating. The wedding was
unpretentious but very beautiful
and impressive . Concord, N, C.,
is the home of the family, but re
cently they njoved to Camden.
Miss Odessa received her educa
tion at Scotia Seminary and is a
model young woman. Mr. Doug
lass, the bridegroom, is as bright
as a dollar and presents the ap
pearance of steady and thrifty hab
its.' The couple will reside at 2821
Mitchell St., East Camden. Only
a few friends were present, among
them Mr. R. Sensemon a white
gentleman, a friend of the groom.
Camden, N, J.
DR. S. L. (MROTHERS.
A Successful Financier and Church Builder.
BY BRUCE GRIT.
Reports from Washington indi
cate that this able and conscien
tious divine has proven himself a
tower of strength among the local
clergy of the capitol city, and has
developed a talent for leadership
which commands admiration and
respect. Dr. Corrothers’ fame as
a successful church-builder and
financier preceded him to Wash
ington.
The splendid Douglass Memorial
church at Elmira, N. Y., is a mon
ument to his genius, industry, un
tiring energy and zeal In the
fourteen years of his ministry he
has added more than a thousand
persons to Zion, built one of the
finest and costliest churches in the
Connection, remodeled and placed
in the front ranks the first church
he served at Little Rock, Ark.,
and has just cancelled a mortgage
of six thousand dollars on his
Dr. * L. Corrothers.
present charge, Galbraith church,
6th St. N. W., Washington, D*. C.
Dr. Corrothers is a man of
unique personality, quiet, unas
suming and very much in earnest.
He is, I believe, a Virginian and
he has all the thrift, push and
energy which is characteristic of
the men of that State who amount
to anythipg. He has been singu
larly fortunate in his friendships
during his ministerial career and
he sustains pleasant and cordial re
lations with such men as President
Roosevelt, Hon. Jas. S Clarkson,
ex Lt. Governor Woodruff, Jude
John T. McDonough recently ap
pointed Chief Justice of the Su,
preme Court of the Philippines
the Rev. Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman
and with the leading and most
prominent men of his own race.
He has twice refused- an appoint
pointment offered him by Presi
dent Roosevelt who holds him in
high esteem, feeling that he could
serve his race better in the minisj
try. >
When Mr. Roosevelt was gov
ernor of New York the writer ar
ranged a meeting with him for Do*
Corrothers who was at that time
holding a series of monster meet
ings in his church at Elmira to
raise funds to pay off its indebted
ness. He came down to Albany
by appointment and went over to
the State capitol with me where we
were ushered into the presence of "
the hero of San Juan through the
courtesy of Col. W. j. Young,
Private Secretary, now United
States District Attorney at Brook
lyn, N Y. The Governor received 1
us most cordially; he was so im
pressed with Dr.Corrother’s earn- '
estness that he yielded to his re- (
quest to speak at his meeting. <
Jude McDonough who was then
! Seci etary of State, and on whom
j we subsequently called, told me at
j terwards that the Governor was
! very much pleased with Dr. Cor
rothers and with his modest de
meanor. The Doctor’s Elmira
meeting was a hummer. Judge
McDonough, who is a Catholic,
made a speech there that caused a
sensation because of its frankness
and directness on the question of
Southern representation in Con
gress. Like Archbishop Ireland,
Judge McDonough knows no color
line and acknowledges none.
Dr. Corrothers has since last
Juue raised nearly 17.000 in his
new charge ana has added seven
ty two to the membership of Gal
braith church. His popularity in
Washington attests his worth and
value to Zion in which he has few
superiors as a worker in his spe
cial line. He is a bundle of news
and his uppermost thought is the
promotion of the interests of Zion.
If Zion should take a notion to
promote him (and it is likely)
there will ’oe added to the govern
ing branch of the Church a man
who will bring honor to its fair
name and to his own by intelligent
and conscientious work for the up
building of one of the greatest
branches of the Christian Church.
He is singularly fortunate in his
present charge in having the bene
fit of the experience and counsel
of our brilliant and able and elo
quent phrase-maker Hon. John C.
Dancy, Recorder of.Deeds,and the
cooperation in church work of
such good women as Miss Sarah
Janifer and others who are loyally
1 holding up his hands. My wish
is that he and Dr. Smith of the
Star will be elevated to the bish
opric. They are both young, vig
orous, able and worthy;(neither of
them, however, are as young as
myself or as good looking) still
they’ll pass in a crowd. If Dr.
Corrothers isn’t watched carefully
he’ll tear down that old ram
shackle church in Sixth Street,
where as a boy I used to attend
Sunday-school, and erect one that
will be the envy of Washington
church-goers. More power to his
persuasive tongue and his magnet
ic influences. When a man shuts
his eyes when he talks hes looking
into the future and seeing things.
Dr. Corrothers is the right man in
the right place and he will give a
good account of his stewardship at
roll-call.
Yonkers, iV. Y.
A Positive Denial.
BY BISHOP C. S. SMITH, D. D.
To the Editor of the Christian
RecordW\ —You have certainly
written a new chapter in editorial
assumption and arrogance when,
in your issue of the 5th instant,
you proclaim me to be guilty of
maladministration without addu
cing a single fact in support there
of. The statement that, at the
last session of the Louisiana A n
nual Conference, I left A M.
Green, Hayne and C. E. Brooks
without appointments simply be
cause they objected to that part of
the committee on Finance, having
! reference to the traveling ex
penses of the bishop, is an abso
lute and unqualified falsehood.
Not one of the above named
brethren has yet presented any
grievance and, until he does so, I j
do dot feel called upon to hunt <
down fugitive rumors. 1
Detroit, Mich , March 7, 'OS. \
HIS GREAT SERMON.
Praised By the College and Members.
BY J. E. KWEGYIK AGGREY.
Last Sabbatb, March 15, was a
typical Spring day. The trees were
budding, violets blooming, and O
the melodious strains that flowed
like liquid honey from the velvety
throats of the feathered songsters!
We easily dreamed ourselves into
the middle of April. The whole
atmosphere was balmy; nature,
beautiful
But not more glorious was phy
sical nature around than spiritual
nature within. In the Soldiers’
Memorial A. M. E. Zion church of
Salisbury, N. C., pastored by El
der D. 0. Covington, it was a
high day in Zion—a day of sweet
refreshing from the presence of
the Lord. Dr. E. D. W. Jones, on
his way back to St. Louis whence
he had been to the Board of Bish
ops at Greensboro, stopped here
after persuasion and “preached
with power” in the morning. The
church was filled full. He took for
his text 1 John 1:7, his theme—
“Christian Fellowship.” He stuck
to his text as he walked about.
The sermon was a sweet soul-stir
ring one, rightly divided, ably
prepared, forcefully delivered and
proved to be a sermon good, great,
grand and glorious.
All the members of Livingstone
College Faculty who were present
speak of it in highest terms The
students, still discussing it, say
“Re cleaned up.” “He swept
things” comes from the youth of
the church. “I couldn’t help but
shout,” “My soul felt happy,” “I
was sorry wheru he stopped,”—
echo from those in the attentive
audience among whom are soma
who—Christian travellers are now*
on the shady side of the mountain^
of life.
W ith polished Livingstonian
gestures, Dr. Jones did'preach. As;
a pastor, Elder Jones is succeeding
remarkably. As a preacher, he is
sweeping on. As a writer, he is;
winning by scores. As editor of
the Star of Zion—Hush! the ora
cles forbid me speak ex cathedra.
“To the victor belong the spoils,’*
/Saliehiryi N. Qx
Thanks.
Many thanks to Dr.W.J.Moore,
Presiding Elder of the Washing
ton District in the North Carolina
Conference and Dr. F. K. Bird, in
the Central North Carolina Con
ference for the long list of annual
subscribers to the “Star of Zion”
sent in this week. God bless you
both on your different districts. I
am listening and expecting to hear
from all of you wide awake and
energetic Presiding Elders and
pastors. We* ought to have not
less than ten thousand annual sub
scribers on our mailing list by the
setting of the next General Confer
ence in 1904, and if each pastor and
presiding elder will act as agents
for the paper, I feel quite sure
that we will by the General Con
ference have an enrollment of ten
thousand subscribers. Let us act
a faithful part, as lovers of our
great Publication -House, etc.
J. M. Hill, Manager.
No pure and simple life, true to itself,
true to its Maker, was ever lived on this
earth that was not a voice on God’s be
half. however still and small, and that
did not, in its sincere and humble, wav,
declare a hope and reveal a faith Which
might well be the evidence of things
unseen.—Alexander Gordon.