North Carolina Newspapers

Vol XXVII Charlotte, N. C., Thursday, May 12, ‘1904. No. 18. QUADRENNIAL ADDRESS. Oi The Bishops Of The A. M, E; Zion Church. at general conference. Before the 'General Conference, held in "Washington Metropolitan A- M. E. -rZion Church,St- loins, Mo., May, 1904. To the Ministers and Lay Delegates of the Twenty-second Quadrennial Session of the 4. M- E- lion Church. Greeting: Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ,and the Holy Ghost,our comforter and guide,be and remain with you forever. Weare filled with.a sense of profound gratitude to Almighty God for permitting us to assemble in another quadrennial session, after many vicissitudes of life- Truly, God has been good to his Israel- He has wonderfully pre served our lives, provided most bountifully for all our wants, and •sustained1 us in the midst of our sad afflictions, deep sorrows and severe trials He has been our spiritual Rock from whence we have drawn cooling draughts, when weary and thirsty. To Him be honor, glory, praise, power and might for ever, amen. Before we recount the achievements of the past nuadrennium, we think iit’proper and right to give some attention tothe World's Fair and its causes. We-congratulate our selves that we have assembled'.in a city to will cl: the eyes of the -world are turned. It is from this centre that art, science and com merce are to receive a new impetus; here we are to see, in tangible form, the progress of a hundred years. In .1803, durirag the presi dency of that giant .statesman,.-stalwart son of Virginia, the writer of the Declaration of American Independence, Thomas Jefferson, this country purchased from France, or rather Napoleon, the Emperor of France, whit is known as the Louisiana Grant, all that tenitory lying west of the Mississippi River and east of the’.Reeky Mountains,out of which we have carved twelve states, and on a small part of whichtkis beautiful city now stands. At the time of this purchase, the total population! of America was a little ever 5,000,0a©; .to-day it is nearly 80,000,000 Then St. Louis was an unknown mud village; where danced the Indian chief and his brave warriors ;to-day it has a population of 600 ooi and is a cosmopolitan centre- At the time af the purchase, there was not-am important city west of the Alleghany Mountains, no a we have over fifty ftarge and flourishing cities.; Then we had no railway system; at present the nation is intersected with .a magnificent; system of railways-with a mileage of 2jo,q®g, ( employing over amillion men. In 1804, the' telegraph,_ telephone and electricity and; steam in its multitudinous forms, were un-: kno wn; to-day the worldfis girdled and busi-! ness operated by these agencies- Then our; commerce and manufactuiing interests were weak and uncertainptG-day, in such matters, i we stand in the fore-front of the nations of' the world. Gut cotton: is-still king In 1804, we were reckoned as chattel-slaves subject! tc the stern orders.of.a cruel master; to-day we are free men with liberty to go and come: at w ill. In 1804. our beloved Zion c/as an in fant not able to walk, being scared for and in structed by a Varick,uot even considered a : child of great promise, the enemy looking | upon our little handful as;insignificant and I firing to propibesy ihat the little branch that had recently been planted in New York would never anaoanttto anything; but to day we mmber a half miUion, eight bishops, fifty general officers and over 3,000 preachers. PROGRESS <&F .-QBURISTIAfcJITY. The cause of Christ has gone steadily on during this Quadjennium, and the victories of the cross have been many. Infidels .and skeptics have continued their assaults t^pon the Citadel of Truth, but their efforts have proven futile; she still remains .impregnable Men and women licteningto the,eld story of tlie class and the saving rklood.of Jesus are ctill believing in the Christ, the power of prayer endfaith; the*tility<of the.ctassmeet urg, when properly conducted, and the Holy Ghost revival. The great.missionary organ frations.of Christendom ate meeting with, phenomenal success in their Home asad For-^ eign Mission work. Thousands are being ' ransomed from the kingdom of darkness and aumitted to the kingdom of light and peace bach year finds our ministry more effi c-ent and godly, and to-day we felicitate our pelves ir. having the ablest young ministry of ue race- Oar standards of conduct are high er, and our members are putting forth great er endeavors to reach them than heretofore, bur ministry is not behind the chiefest -in ad vancing the material welfare of our people. f urift, economy,cleanliness and intelligence are encouraged by our leaders. We feel that pur mission is to help our people along all OUS SAINTED DEAD was but a short while after the close of the spiendid session of our last General Confer ence, when the reaper, Death, entered our ptnks and ruthlessly tore from our side our ■le.oved colleague and brother, Bishop C- C. A. M., D. D. He was born Dec. 3rd, ■4f^, near Wilkesboro, N. C. Licensed to preach August, 1872; ordained Deacon, Dee. 11, 1S72. Graduated at Biddle University June 1878; ordained Elder, Nov. 1878; elected :.n ' ordained a Bishop, May, 1888; died on h C' t8, I9°°' He was an eloquent and thoughtful preacher, a brilliant scholar and a,5!e and safe leader of his race. Peace to his ashes. Ere the smoke of battle of the last General Confernce had cleared away,the ne ws was flashed over the wires, that our af U’ lf-’ schoiarly and efficient Secretary, Rev. Vv ihiam Howard Day, had been called from abor to reward Dr. Day was born in New , ,ork .City, October 16, 1831; graduated from Jberlin College 1847; was ordained Deacon ana Rider in 1866. He was a man of extra ordinary ability, modest to a fault and the re cipient of many honors; He died Dec. 3, 1900. Am ong the illustrious sons of Zion who have fallen by death this Quadrenuiutn, are Revs. N. A. Crockett, D. D., P, L. Cuyler, D. D„ S. S. Wales, D. D.;C- H. Smith, D. D.; Jacob Thomas, D. D.; Thomas Darley, D.D, J. T. Thomas, D.D; H R. Fhoenex,D.D; J. W. Cooper; J. H. Jackson, D. D.; W.A. M. Cypress, B. D.; A Bunch; T. J. Manson; W. A. Peggans; W. J. Sides; S. Sherman; W. J. Strong; the veteran missionary of the South, W. B. Fenderson, B. D.; A. G. Kes ler, D. D.,; Y. J. P. Cohen; C. C- Crawford; H. p. Shuford; R. K. Kearns; J. C. Collins; M. V. Hancock- A few days ago, while we were in session at Charlotte, N.. C., the sad intelligence reached us of the death of our be loved brether- -Dr. T. A. Weathington of Alabama, Since the meeting of our Board in March the sickle of death has cut down the following strong warn >rs. Rev. I. F. Al dridge, T. F. H- Blackman and our much be loved D. j. M. Hill, Manager of the Publica tion House. The muffled drum has announced the death of the following distinguished laymeu: Mrs. Emeline Virginia Walters, beloved wife of Bishop Walters; for seven years she was Chief Clerk in the Book Room at New York, And fsr three successive sessions, the official stenographer of the General Conference, and died Feb’y 27, 1902; Prof. B. A. Johnson, W. Me. B. Provinder; W. F. Fonvielle of Livingstone College, able men and an honor to their Alma Mater, their race and Church. Among the others are Mayor R. R. Mims and H . 33. Douglass They all died in the faith, having received the promise of an incorruptible crown whick fadeth not away. ''‘They are not dead: God’s servants never die; they hut begin to live; their souls set free, grow into glory where •all joys are true, they then begin the real life to see.” BISHOP LOMAX (QUABTSa-CENTEIfNIAL. On the 8th of March la6t, the Bishops and General Officers assembled in Charlotte, N. C., to do honor to our beloved colleague Bishop T. H. Lomas:, a man of sterling qual ities, an able preaeher.atid a dignified presum ing officer. The .occasion being the celebra tion of the 20th Anniversary of his elevation to the Bishopric of our-Zion.the preparations were elaborate, tbe papers setting forth his achievements were well iprepared and ably delivered; the attendance was good. Great credit is due the Committee of Arrange ments (of whom Rev. W. J. Moore, D. ®., was Cnairman and Rev. <2. O. H. Thomas. B I)., Secretary, for the splendid success which crowned its.efforts. GE3CEKA3 ■DEFAHCMEN’TS, •Finance: This, the mast important Department «of our Cnurch, has had phenomenal success this J^uadrennimm making an increase of $13-000. At our last session, we changed somewhat our financial system. In addition to the fifty >cents per capita, each conference was as sessed an amount suficient to raise the sum required by the conference. Tne system has worked like a charm with'results mosc satis factory; and we think that no change'is needed. If given time our ,present system will yield sufficientrevemie to run the Con mectional Church. Whereever the thirty cents per capita tax has been properly wormed, the results have been equally ae satisfactory, but wearesorrytosay-thatina numberthe conferences, very little attention has been given this assessment. We-sincerely hope: that this law willbe mone faithfully observed] in the future. A careful estimate should be made by this General Conference of the; needs of the Ctmreh and an assessment i made equal to the demands. -i After a careful consideration of the indis ! pensile needs of the vChatrch, *?e have «iis ! covered that fifty thousand dollars will meet; the demands outside of tthe Woman’s Home! and Foreign Missionary department, the. Children’s, and Easter Day .Money; provided, the Easter Day is dividedlbetweet the Pub-, lication House and Extension ,De£>anment. . This fifty thousand dollars can be distributed among the churches without causing an ex cessive taxation. Great credit is due our efficient'Gen. Stew ard, Rev. J. S Caldwell, D. D ,;for the able manner ia which he has condacted.tke finan cials of oar Church; he bas stimulated the work by his earnest appeals to the pastors and his Hbly Gho6t sermons preached when visiting the conferences. Dr. G. L- Blackwell, our scholarly and ef ficient Secretary,has given invaluable assist ance to this department. His accurate and full reports presented to the Board of Bash ops and the Conneetional C junoil, from time to time, show him to be painstaking and pre eminently qualified to do the work that has been assigned to him. Through the com bined efforts of Drs. Coffey, Blackwell and Caldwell, after consultation and appro val of the Board of Bishops, we have secared at Philadelphia a handsome, three story brick structure for our financial headquarters.lt is a credit to the Connection and an honor to our race. A full report will be made of this Department by Drs. Caldwell and Blackwell. PUBLICATION HOUSE. It is a monument to the intelligence, thrift and frugality of the Negro race, and fur nishes employment for our boys and girls. We are all proud of our Publication Depart ment. We can truthfully say, as we believe no other Negro Church in America can say, that upon neither building nor machinery do we owe a penny. Dr. J. M. Hill, its com petent manager, has more than justified the favorable prophecies of his most sanguine friends. He took hold where his predeces sor left off and has developed the work to a point which merits the commendation of all. What is needed is 2 more large cylinder book presses and facilities for making plates, etc. It is our opinion that the department should keep constantly in the field a book agent whose business it should be to visit all the conferences and supply the Connection with such books as furnished by the Publication House. A full report of this Department will be made by its Manager SUNDAY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. When our Church decided to publish its own Sunday School literature, it took an ex cellent step forward. It has not only been a source _ of information to our children on Biblical subjects, but a source of inspiration as well. Through its influence, our Sunday schools have been better systematized and the study of the Scriptures made an engaging and pleasant pursuit. The expenses of the department are being met by the sale of its literature and its managers think that, in the near future, this department will yield a neat surplus. The Church needs to congratulate itself on hav ing, as the editor of our Sunday School Lit erature, so capable a man as Dr. R.B.Bruce. He has greatly improved the literature in quality, mechanical arrangements and the regularity with which it is sent out to the Sunday schools. We regret that some of the Sunday schools have not yet subscribed for •it. It is our earnest hope that a law may be passed by this General Conference, urging all the Sunday schools to become patrons of the literature published by the Church, and the pastors, Presiding Riders and Bishops, be required to see that the law is rigidly ob served. STAR OF ZION. The press has always been a potential fac tor in the developement of any people, A great enlightening agency, at one time en kindling the fires of patriotism, at another time, inspiring the people to industrial de velopment, indeed it is the great moulder of public sentiment for weal or woe, If the press is intelligent, fair and pure, the result is a healthy public sentiment; if, on the other hand, it is foul, coarse, partial and base, we mayexpect a vitiated sentiment. At present, ■some of our most influential Journals teem with unwholesome news unfit for the inno cent and pure. A strong religious press is needed to counteract the baneful influences ■of the secular .press. The Church is furnish ing the needed news agency, and we are pleased to report that our Zion is doing her share in the dissemination of pure and wholesome literature. Dr. J. W. Smith, the brilliant and thoughtful editor of the Star, deserves much credit for the able manner in which he has conducted the literarv part of this influential journal. The tist'OT contrib utors is composed of some of the ablest writ ers of the race. The secular and religious press quote freely from the columns of the Star: it stands as the Champion of Human Liberty. QUARTERLY. 0ur Quarterly R-cview takes rank with the best periodicals of the land. The last number was a perfect gem. In quality of matter, mechanical arrangement, list of con tributors, strength of editorials, thought and moral tone, it is second to none. Its edito rials have the ring of statesmanship. Hon. J. C. Dancy, our polished and able editor is worthy of our highest encomiums. Since Manager Hill has assumed entire control of its issuance, it now appears regularly. The Star and Quarterly should have the bene fit of a Special Agent. At our last General Session, M r. Dancy made a strong appeal for a canvassing agent, to be kept in the field, but no attention was given to his plea. Had his-suggestions been heeded, the subscrip tion lists of both the Star and the Quar terly would be double what it is to-day. We again recommend that a special agent be ■placed in the field, and kept there. .CHURCH EXTENSION DEPARTMENT. No department of our Church has made greater .progress this quadrennium than has tthe Church Extension Department. For -years, effort after effort *was made to make a •success of this Department but all to no avail At last a man, sent of God, trained and quali fied for the work, appeared in the person of .Dr. W. ill, Coffey, O. D. He organized his forces and to the surprise of us all, in a short while, thoroughly established the Church Extension Department of our Church and is now succeeding admirably. No Church organization can succeed in se curing land and building churches in this business age, withouta strong Church Exten sion Fund. In nearly every city of impor tance throughout the nation, there is a Col ored church of some kind. Members of oth er ehurehes, on taking up residence where there is no church of their own denomina tion, usually join the one already organized; especially so if it has a fine building and a large congregation Denominational love and ties do not seem strong enough, in these days, to induce our members to cease to at tend these beautiful and well organized churches, to enter a hall ora store-front, if it is understood tbit they are to remain any length of time in such quarters. If it is understood that nelp will be given from the Church Extension Fund, why you get them to take hold and help During the past three years, the Church Extension Department has been of incalcu lable benefit to the Connection. It was on the strength of fhe thousand dollars per an num appropriated by the General Confer ence to the Chicago church atits last session and the credit of our Church Extension De partment, that we were enabled to secure a sufficient amount of money to build the beautiful church which we now have in Chicago. This Department is responsible for seven thousand five hundred ($7,500) dol lars used in its construction and has other claims against it which will easily bring the amount up to ten thousand dollars. It will require at least two thousand five hundred dollars annually to care for the outstanding indebtedness of the Extension Department, and at least five thousand dollars more to help needy churches and to keep up the running expenses. It is because of the situ ation which confronts us that we feel it ad visable to give as soon as possible the Easter Day Collection to the Church Extension De partment. A great deal more enthusiasm can be aroused by presenting the needs of this department, which is already ten thou sand dollars in debt, and the emphasizing of the saving of churches about to be sold, and the creation of a fund to take advantage of opportunities that may be presented to se cure valuable property, than it is to create enthusiasm for a department out of debt with a surplus on hand.. Why should we lose thousands of dollars annually by giving the most important Sib bath in the year to a de partment out of debt and whose needs cannot arouse enthusiasm to secure the best results, when another department attached to the day can greatly enthuse the people and se cure the very best results? MINISTERIAL BROTHERHOOD. This Department was inaugurated at our last General Conference, without the plans being well formulated; this has caused any amount of trouble, some of tUe conferences having paid the one per cent assessment on salaries, while others have utterly ignored it. The aims and objects of the Brother hood are excellent, namely: to make provis ion for the decent burial of its members and the care of superannuated preachers. It is apparent to us all, that unless some men are forced to make provision for the future,they will not do so We recommend that the Brotherhood be composed of four classes, namely: A, B, C, and D. Those joining class A must pay a dollar per month or twelve dollars per year; at death their heirs are to receive Five Hundred Dollars. Class B —Those joining Class B, must pay seventy-five cents per month or nine dollars per year—at death they receive three hun dred dollars. Class C —Those joining Class C, must pay fifty cents per month or six dollars per an num, at death receiving two hundred dol lars. Class D.—Those joining Class D, must pay twenty-five cents per month or three dol lars per annum, at death receiving one hun dred dollars. < We recommend an assessment of twenty five cents on each active pastor, which must be sent to the Secretary within 30 days after notice of the death ot the member of the Brotherhood to insure prompt payment of the death claim. The said assessment is to obtain only until the reserve fund is sufficient to meet all de mand. We further recommend that a Secretary-fee elected to operate the department. ©UR EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT. This progressive age, with its constantly increasing deman is and responsibilities, re quires a great mental vigor and capabilities on the part of those who would become its leaders. The watchword has been, is now and ever shall be “Educate, Educate, Edu cate”and, if we are to hold our own as an ag gressive educational force, we must empha size the necessity of mental training by pro perly supporting our Educational Institu tions. N otwithstanding we have not done as much as we might, still we are glad to report that our educational work has greatly pros pered this quadrennium. Our enrollment is much larger; we have a more efficient corps of instructors, better facilities for carrying on the work and our annual collections are better than when the quadrennium began. Up to this time, our Educational Depart ment has been a kind of a fifth wheel to our connectional wagon—a department without anything to manage. Each school has gone on independent of the General Secretary and the Educational Board, doing as best it could There has hardly been a sympathetic relation between our Board and our Connec • tional schools. We are sure there has been no very helpful relationship. The state of affairs should cease at this session The Gen eial Conference should give our Educational Board the General supervision of all our Con nectional schools and thus lav the founda tion for the proper organization of our edu cational work. A sufficient amount to operate the schools we may choose to make’ Connectional, should be assessed for education by this General Conference and apportioned to the Conference according to membership, and the Conference authorized to assess the churches a sufficient amount to make up the assessment of the Conference. It should be the duty of the General Secretary of Education to see that the money is collected and sent to the treasurer of the school in the Educational District in which the pastor is located. He should prepare, have printed and send out all programmes for Children’s Day. The General Secretcry should visit all Connectional schools and advise with the officers thereof; make reports of his Depart ment and as far as possible, be present at all Annual Meetings of our Con nectional Schools. The Schools siould make quarterly, semi annually, and annual reports to the Secre tary. If this is done, the Department will become helpful to the schools and the Schools will enter into hearty sympathy with the Department and thus a new impetus will be given to our educational work We recommend that the present Educa tional Districts plan remain as it is and the Children’s Day money be sent the treasurer of the different schools as heretofore. We heartily commend Prof. S. G, Atkins our faithful Secretary, for his efficient ser vice. LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE. Never in the history of this institution has it enjoyed such a prosperous quadrennium as the one just closed. Success has crowned the efforts of the able President and his corps of instructors. Students, eager to learn, have been turned away for want of accommoda tions The financial achievements are most gratifying, the school having reached her high water mark of Thirty Thousand Dol lars annually. The intellectual status is greatly improved and the Industrial Depart- ' ment better equipped and doing more prac tical work than ever before. The needs are new buildings and better facilities for car rying on the work. To have these, the school must be given an additional appropri ation which we feel sure this Conference will grant. Too much praise cannot be given Dr. Golerand his associates for the splendid services rendered during the quadrennium. ATKINSON COLLEGE. On the 22nd of February, 1933, this insti tution sustained a severe loss by fire; but through the assistance of Mr. Atkinson in whose honor < he institution was named, Mr. Bailey his paitier and other friends, it has arisen, Phoemx-like, out of its ashes in a more magnificent form than before. Prior to the fire, we had a small plot of ground with a few small buildings. Now we have a twelve-room •uilding with several smaller ones and 32% acres of land: what she needs is money. This institution is located in the black belt of Kentucky, accessible to Louis ville, Ky , St. Louis, Mo., Indianapolis, Ind, Nashville, Term., and a number of smaller cities. If this school is given proper atten tion, in a short while, it will rank among the leading institutions of color. Bishop G. W. Clinton and his co laborers, have done nobly and deserve our praise. We have received most encouraging re ports from the following institutions: The Greenville College, under the man agement of our sch.olarly Bishop C. R. Har ris and Prof. J. A. Chandler; Lancaster Nor mal and Industrial Institute and Clinton In stitute, under the management of Prof. M. D. Lee and R. J. Crockett, Lomax and Han non High School, under the management of Bishop J. W. Alstork and Prof. S. P. Boyd All have rendered efficient service and should be given ample support. The following schools should be given our most serious consideration, and, if possible* provided for. The Walters Institute, located at Wilmot* Ark., of the North Arkansas Conference* the only educational enterprise of our Church in the far Southwest. The Edenton High School, at Edenton, N. C., of the Vir giniajConference, which is well located, and the Industrial School at New Berne, N. C., in the North Carolina Conference. All are do ing excellent work and are worthy of the.-* consideration of this august body." THEOLOGICAL D3PARTMENT OF LIVING*-' STONE COLLEGE. At the last session of'the General Confer ence, Dr. W. H. Goler, on the part of the eoUegii, agreed that if the six thousand dollars appropriated by the Church was paid in full each year, that he would see that a full fledged theological department was or ganized. After much urgency on fhe part of the Bishops and others, this has been estab lished and Dr. Goler assisted by Dr. R. B. Bruce, has now a class in theology which is doing excellent work. We all see and feel the necessity of a first class theological de partment and consider this one of the most important things to come before this body. And ere this conference adjourns, definite arrangements should be made for the opera tion and maintenance of this work. What is needed is proper facilities and a sufficient number of able instructors competent to do the most efficient work. The need of the hour is a trained ministry baptized with the Holy Ghost, a ministry capable of the high est leadership and worthy of the respect of all classes of people. We believe firmly in the doctrine of the pulpits being in advance of the pew. It has often been said that our present development ha3 been reached un der the leadership of uneducated men, hence, we should not put too much emphasis upon an educated ministry. We are grateful to Almighty God and the fathers for our present development, but we believe we would have made even greater progress un der an educated ministry. It is useless to assert that the intellectual status of the min istry of the past will be equal to the demands of the future. We are grateful to the schools of other denominations for the able,scholar ly and oious men they have furnished to our Zion; they have rendered excellent service but thev will agree that if the autonomy and genius of the A M. E. Zion Church in the future is to be retained, we must train the large majonty of our own men. With a lit tle Connectional aid and a dollar a year from each minister, we can successfully mn our theological department. WOMEN’S HOME AND FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. This Society has had a most prosperous season—the women did nobly. Mrs. K. P Hood, Mrs. M E. Washington Mrs. M. e! Harris, Miss Eliza Gardner, Mrs. S. E. C Pettey, Mis. A. W. Blackwell and other offii cers of the W. H. and F. Missionary Soci ety, deserve our highest praise for the mag nificent wort- accomplished during this Quadrennium. No interest of our Church is of more importance than the Missionary Society. Next to the Church organization should come a well organized Missionary Society. Indeed, the Church is one ereat missionary organization. When the Master said to his disciples primarily, and to you and me latterly, “Go ye therefore and teach ali nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost etc ” he is sued a missionary commission. Ere the church edifice appears in any place the missionary must have gone before and pre pared the way. He goes first to gather in the ou tcast and to bring together the scattered sheep of the Home of Israel. The main reason why we have not occupied certain points m the West and South is, we have had no funds out of which to support well qualified brethren who would have gone gladly had support been furnished. We do not believe there is a Church in existence which provides so poorly for its mission aries as ours. . In some instances, we send brethren to points where there are less than i dozen members without making any ap propriation for their support at the begin - ling, in the middle or at the end of the year. Dh,brethren, we must change (his unwise (Continued on fifth page.)