W THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OFTHE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH
Charlotte, N. C., Thursday, November 19, 1903.
Vol XXVI
No* 48.
SHAKING THE PLUM TREE,
JTore Money.
REV. E. D. W. JONES, D. D.
Bishop 0 R Harris in the issue of Oc
tober 11th strikts the keynote when he
says “more money;” and I believe in
the Bishop’s sincerity because being
a great thinker and ready writer he
has not thus far used the Star to attack
any candidate.
Poverty is the curse of our great
Church. Poverty among the Bishops
in the ranks of the Elders, and with our
departments are things to be seriously
considered. “More money" i9 really
what we need. The question is, how
ever will we get this increase of reve
nue by not electing Bishops, or will we
oet it by adding strong men to our epis
copacy, and fully equipping all other
Church departments. The latter of
course.
There are two reasons why we are
ever lacking in funds to run our Con
nection. 1. We raise the howl of pov
erty too often and, therefore, impress
the people that we are a poor Church,
and are expected to provide poorly for
the Church out of scant means. 2. Be
cause we have not developed all of our
Connectional departments, and make
entirely too many draws on our only
permanent treasury, the General Fund.
If the mission field lacks—we take it
from the General Fund. If the Church
Extension hasn’t money to loan on a
church—we get it from the General
Fund . If there are any emergencies to
meet—we get it from the General Fund.
And then there is a constant drain on
our financial exchequer. It is the only
momentary source we have in the
Church. Everything and everybody is
to be paid out of General Fund. This
keeps the Bishops in poverty, for in
obeying the law to pay them at the end
of every year, the General Steward does
it; and because they have no fund from
which to draw to meet necessary obliga
tions which are continually presented
to them, they pay out of their own
pockets to needy interests of our Zion.
It is bad financiering fior a great Church
to be run on personal bank account of its
individual members, i'he Bishops are
kept poor because of this policy, and
others institutions go lacking because
they are not able to support them out
of their individual accounts.
I agree with Bishop Harris “that the
General Fund has enough ou its bands
to provide lor,” because, however, it
provides for things that it should not,
and would not have to so do, if the Con
nection were properly organized and fi
nanciered. In this connection the Mis
sionary has'no right ro address the
Bishop for funds to support his wife
■•and children on a field that the Church
has given him to plant Z’.on, but be
cause it has been our training to expect
everything of the episcopacy, since it is
the only well developed department of
the Church, we wriLe him for our every
need. If he does not send or lend it,
lie is put down as stingy. This man
should send his requests to a Mission
ary Secretary elected for the purpose
of providing for sacrificing missionaries
auo to keep money on hand to supply
their needs.
Interest money on bonds is ordered
to be paid out of the General Fund
where if the Church Extension Depart
ment had received the same support
from Bishops primarily and men second
arily under other Secretaries as it is
now1 under Dr. Coffey, we would have
had means sufficient not only to pay
interests, but to take up principals.
The Publication' House officers should
not be paid any longer out of the Gen
eral Fund, but now that it has a hand
some balance on hard, has also the
Easter money and a revenue from liter
ature and peiiodical, we could give the
Easter Day money to some other strug
gling Department as, Manager Hill has
admitted, pay him out of his self-sus
taining institution $1,000 per year. This
would at 'once take a thousand dollars
from the General Fund that could be
easily appropriated on one of our new
bishops salary.
If you elect an Educational Secretary
and give him something to do besides
printing Children's Day programmes
once a year, you could even take the
■f 1.000 off the General Fund now appro
priated for Livingstone College and raise
h from the people by a direct educa
tional effort, aside from Children’s
Day, and give the entire Connection a
chance to aid our chief institution of
learning once a year,the balance then in
equal proportion to be distributed to
our other struggling schools. To ad*
mit that six hundred thousand mem
bers could not raise six thousand aol
larston a Price Memorial or endow
....
ment day, would be indeed an admis
sion of shamefal weakness. Let the
Educational Secretary assess the
churches to an amount of $10,000,
which could indeed be easily raised
now that our educational system is so
well advanced,and here you would have
Livingstone’s money and $4,000 to be
divided amorg the others. We direct
ly raise no educational money only in
directly though what is unfortunately
called Special Assessment,which means
absolutely nothing; and the Church is
to a place where it must adopt some
plan to give the Negro what he most
needs in connection with his religion—
education. I know that there will be a
few that will raise a howl of protests
against this, because thev have so long
depended upon General Fund for main
tenance, but if something like this
would prevail, ,:My Livingstone” would
get more, other schools would be cared
for, and the General Fund enriched.
Look out Brother Goler.
Si Louis, Mo.
Our C. E. Society.
BY REV. A. M’CALLUM,
On November 8th at 2 o’clock, the
Christian Endeavor Society of our
church raised $50. The society is in
better condition now than ever before
in its history. Its president is Brother
Wm. Thomas, a strong, progressive
young man in C. E. work; Mrs. A, Eg
gleston, secretary; Rev. A. Hoffler,
chairman of prayer meeting committee;
G, Gatling, chairman lookout commit
tee, D. Hunter, treasurer. George
Hopewell and Rev. Blake are both ac
tive workers in the society.
Mrs Turner and Miss Phipps raised
$19 of the $50. These two young ladies
are hustlers in church work. Miss Julia
Johnson and Miss Julia J. Mills are
among our leading Christian Endeavor
workers They are now arranging for
a Christian Eudeavor revival to discuss
the pledge for a week. They have sup
plied themseives with C. E. literature,
and have greatly assisted the stewards
May God b'ess them and their wide
awake president.
IVaterbury, Conn.
As We See it.
BY REV. E. D. WOOD.
We sit musing over the condi
tion of things appertaining to the
the South Florida Conference and
see no reason why its next ses>ion
should not be one of the greatest
for good in its history. We be
lieve the sunlight of brotherly love
and affection has already begun to
rise, the reflection of its rays and
the warmth of its enthusiastic
spirit are already seen and felt,
and many good results will be the
outgrowth of such a spirit which
is so essential to the success.
This Conference has some as
great a ministers as there are in
Zion, all things being considered
We have two presiding elders,
Revs. L. A. Patrick and A. Jack
son* who are worthy to grace the
P. E. chair anywhere in Zion.
There are scores of others in the
conference equally as worthy.
One feature of the condition of
things as we see it is the wide area
of iand to travel over where Zion
is not. The vast territory that this
Conference covers almost two
thirds of the State, with islands
of the sea, a field much too large
to be covered and successfully op
erated we believe by one Confer
ence. We believe the time is that
the third annual conference should
be organized to operate along the
Atlantic "coast and . the central
parte of the State. More work
would be accomplished if a new
Conference was set off than can
possibly be done as it now is How
about it, brother ministers of the
South Florida Conference? Hur
rah! once, twice, three times, for
the new Conference.
Bennington, Bla.
I OFFER A PROTOCOL.
For Peace—A Proposition For
Consideration.
BY REV. R S. RIVES, D. D.
Why not let us have peace? For
the past months several articles in
the Star have exhibited a scene of
relentless hostility. There is Evi
dently bad blood, ill will, if jtjot
real enmity, brewing up ambng
those from whom the world should
expect the opposite.
It is to be regretted that the Senior
Bishop and some of the younger
men should be forced to expose a
trend of thought and feeling from
which no good can come. How
ever, if we sow to the wind, we
may expect to reap the whirlwind.
Our Church maintains an aspect in
its policy of dealing with and rec
ognizing its men widely different
from any other Church I know of.
I am not surprised when L scan
the history of our Church for the
past few years. Every willful
wrong committed must have a just
recompense of reward. The young
men are being criticised for their
aggressiveness. They should not
be blamed; they are only doing
what they feel is their duty. They
have been given the field, and now
they are trying to mann it.
Our Church is a church -of
young: men. At Mobile, Ala., sev
eral of our most brilliant men were
elected delegates to the General
Conference before they had trav
eled four years, as the law requires
they should. And some of these
very kids were put on and allowed
to dominate some of the most im
portant committees. Since which
time they have been in evidence,
aDd some of those father Bishops
who were party to the maladmin
istration of the very law they had
sworn for conscience sake to keep.
I don’t pretend to say I understand
it, but the fact is there is not a
pronounced leader in Zion Church
to day who is over fifty years of
agfe. Dr. Warner may be the
exception. One of two things
may exist and either would be a
condition that does not exist in
any other Church in the world. (I
do not mean to include the Bish
ops.) If the older men are all un
fit for Counsel and leadership,
shame on us. If the young men
of our Church are so much supe
rior to the old men of their own
and that of other Churches when
we compare the strength of the
seniors aud the juniors, then Zion
has outstripped not only other
Churches, but herself in develop
ing voung men.
Dr. Junes has the courage to
speak out and I have no reason
to disbelieve him He declares
that he was piomised Mother Zion
four years ago. Who ever heard
of such biusttr? I saw aqd heard
a Bishop stand up before a Confer
ence last Spring and say that we
promised Drs. Caldwell and Smith
if ihev would give way for Dr.
Alstork at the last General Con
ference, that they should be elec
ted bishops at the eusuing General
Conference. I have made special
inquiry to find ont who “we” were
that made such a promise. I found
one young man who sat sit is true:
the old men know nothing of it.
At the death of Solomon the
counsel of the old men was com
pletely ignored, if the Bishops
of our Church have and mean to
ignore the old men, they need not
be surprised to find themselves
rather busy when they undertake
to check the ambition to which
they have given unlimited free
dom. This freedom and domina
tion so fully accorded has devel
oped a degree of aspiration for
office, the subject of which over
shadows everything else.
Let me uSer this protoe d of
peace: Suppose the Genera! Con
ference select eight good men and
appropriate the salarv of two Bish
ops,giving each five ($500) hundred
dollars a year, and send them out
as missionaries to such pieces as
Trinity mission, Washington, D C,
Mt Olive mission, Baltimore, Md.,
Philadelphia, etc. These eight
men, with a salary of $500 each,
could go into any of these mission
fields and in four years build up
eight first-class stations. This is
more work of the kind than any
two men could do as bishops if
i.ves depended upon it.
Bishops not missionaries, nor
Should they be expected to do mis
sionary work.
Then in 1908, those whom “we”
promised at the last General Con
ference would not be too old, but
would have more experience, that
of which I am sure they have not
too much of to-day. By that time,
perhaps, more of the good quali
ties in Dr. Smith referred to by
Bishop Hood, may be so well de
veloped that the present objections
could be waived. As I see it, we
;ieed pastors, not more bishops.
► Washington, J). C.
Gladden’s Grove Church.
BY J. B. WHITE.
Tho a long ways from any rail
road, we felt much discouraged
when the Conference moved Rev.
D. D. Moore from us, he being
a young man, good preacher, good
singer, and knowing how to hold
his congregation and raise money.
But the Lord will provide.
We had one of the nicest camp
meeting at Campwellfair as ever
was at that spot of ground, with
Rev. A. J. Williams, the pastor,
Rev. S. T. Meaks, presiding el
der, and our captain Rev. D. S,
Miller and others to help. The
time was grand Eyery body seems
to have had self control and be
haved well.
We were sorry to mourn the
death of Rev. J. R. Cohen, but the
Lord will take his own at his own
appointed time.
We have painted Gladden’s
Grove church in bright colors
which adds much to the church.
By the help of the Lord we do not
expect to be behind with our Con=
nectional claims. Shine on, bright
Star, we cannot do without you.
Mitford, S. C.
church Items.
The John Wesley church ten
dered a public reception to its pas
tor, Rev. L. W. Kyle Tuesday
night. Rev. Lo^an Johnson was
master ot ceremonies. There were
several addresses including speech
es by Revs. Rives, J. Anderson
Taylor, 0. J. W. Scott, Randall
Bowie, Dr. Daniels, .Lawyer
Clinkscales and Mr. J. W. Crom
well, Dr. Kyle made the closing
address. The Stewardesses had
prepared a most sumptuous feast
to which all were welcomed.—
Washington Record.
Brother Allea Brown, one of
our active members of Gold Mine
mission, died Obtober 2, the writ
er preaching his funeral assisted
by J. B. Stevenson and S, L. Ros
borough,from Job 1:19. He leaves
a wife and one child.—D. Mc
Collousrh, White Oak, S. C.
CHIPS FROM THE WOOD-PILE.
Bishop J. W. Alstork was not a
Compromise Candidate.
BY REV. J S. JACKSON.
When oar dear Dr. Goler in his arti
cle last wt-ek said Bishop J. W, Alstork
was a “compromise candidate,” all Ala
bama felt not complimented, but that
he had drawn upon his imagination
instead of fac s. The statement is a
grievous and bluudering one and not a
vote catcher for Dr, Goler. If Alabama,
like other Conferences, with her able
men does not merit honors, then she
wants nothing as a favor, not a compro
mise.
For several months before the con
vening of the last General C inference
the eight Bishops and leaders sent the
word bounding through the veins and
arteries of the general Church that Dr.
Alstork must be elected because he was
able, worthy and the logical man, be
cause another bishop was needed, and
because Alabama by reason of her great
financial, spiritual, numerical worth,
patience and loyalty under two defeats
was entitled to a bishop. If these reas
ons did not show that Alabama won on
her merit, then .the General Conference
by acclamation did violence to its con
science and assasinated truth and jus
tice in the election, Alabama believes
it did neither. Had the general Church
listened seriously to the songs and
speeches that Dr, Goler made in several
annual conferences four yea s ago, there
would have been no bishops made in
1900, ani no Bishop Alstork to-day; and
if they heed him now, there will be no
bishops made next year. Dr. Goler says
the Church is yet suffering from the
poor legislation of 1896 If the election
of Bishops G. W, Clinton, J. B. Small
and Jehu Holiday, whose great labors
show that God was in it, was poor leg
islation, I, for one, am willing to go
down for poor legislation then, and the
same in 1904, One Bishop elected then
has told many of us in Alabama that
God brought him to the episcopal
throne. No doubt the other Bishop
living feels the same
The Ohurch needs more bishops, and
is going to have them She is familiar
with that old alarming political cry
every four years from some of the high
celebrities in the Church, N > more
bishops; and if any more, only one, be
cause the present set of bishops can
do the work, and the Church is top
heavy.” When a thing is top heavy,
the top not only hangs down but, to a
certain proportion, the body is inclined
also. If Zion had 12 or 13 bishops like
some other Negro churches, she would
be top heavy. If other Negro Method
ists with 45,000 members to the bishop
can pay their bishops $2,000 anuually
and traveling expenses, and run their
schools and departments, why cannot
Zion whose members live in the same
towns and get the same wages ? I have
been in Zion 24 years, and if Zion
Church expects to expand, spread out,
capture and house her thousands of
members who are leaving the South for
the West and Northwest, she must, like
other aggressive Negro Churches, fol
low them. There are thousands of Ne
groes across the Mississippi river who
have seen Bethel and C. M'. E. bishops
and preachers, but to Zion bishops and
clergy. Some of those brethren who
are surrounded wirh bishops and can
see them every one or two months may
not see the need of any more bishops,
but we in the far South and Southwest,
who only see a bishop once a vear, see
the need. It is an irrefutable fact that
wherever the Episcopal head abounds,
the glory and advancement or our Zion
much more abounds.
Birmingham, Ala.
Congratulations.
The Negro State Fair held in
Raleigh last week was a eredit to
the race and to the management.
The exhibits showed that the Ne
gro is making progress in agricul
ture, industry and education. The
attendance was the largest in the
history of the fair. Hundreds of
Negroes were attracted to Ral
eigh to attend it, and they con
ducted themselves in such a way
as to receive the commendation of
the people of Raleigh. President
Middleton, Secretary Dudley and
all those who had part in conduct
ing the fair are to be congratu
lated upon their success. — News
and Observer, November 1.