Newspapers / The Star of Zion … / Nov. 30, 1922, edition 1 / Page 4
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STAB Off no*. Official organ of th« African' Meth odist Episcopal Zion Chufch. Found ed in 1876. Published every Thursday ftt the A. M. E. Zion Publishing Mouse, Brevard and Second Streets, Charlotte, North Carolina. Entered at the Post Office at Char lotte, North Carolina, as second class matter. Subscription rates: One year, 11.60; six months, $1.00; single copy, I cents. All articles for publication should be sent to the editor, box 117, Char, totte, North Carolina. All communica tions of a business nature should be sent to the General Manager of the A. M. E. Zion Publishing House, Charlotte, North Carolina. LIES EXPLODED Incidentally M. Georges Cle mence au/s visit to America smashes one nefarious piece of German propaganda among us- For two years, appeal ing to the weakness of the English speaking peoples who throw up hands in holy horror over any sign of Negro influence and recognition, there has been an attempt to discredit the black troops? of the French army. ?First, the French hating Ger mans, whom the Americans help ed the French to cut to pieces in the war, wedged their Way , into the American press by slandering the African troops, pandering to American prejudice*. 'The . Ger mans, not to be blamed, for their abilitydto know a soft situation when it occurs, circulated false stories among the Allies, of al leged acts of beastiality of the black soldiers who were held over in the occupation of the frontier about the Rhine. It was thrashed out and denied, in the senate last year, but has persist ed in certain quarters to be mooted about. Clemenceau, taking time by the forelock, acquainted him self with the facts concern ing this as he did upon other matters essential to an un derstanding between America and France. He said: “The day before I left Paris, I heard that these stories would be employed to prove that we are a militaris tic people. So I asked the official people to give me plain informa tion.” True to the expectation that was what occurred after Clemenceau’s first speech. Sena tor Hitchcock, who was chief in the fight for the League of Na tions in the United States Sen ate, throws down ,the cudgel to the Tiger with a bold word im pugning France’s plea of inno cence of the charge of seeking to wrong Germany in asking for the reparations and giving as an evidence that she is a militarise tic nation the false assertion that she holds her black troops in the area of occupation. We will not touch upon the wicked ingratitude and reflection involved in this fling at the race that fur nished nearly 300,000 men in the army of Uncle Sam when he was on the anxious sCat and the na tion’s heart was bleeding. We will consider the falsity and as sumption of .the senator’s decla ration- He was so eager to get into the limelight at the expense of the world figure from France, that being without facts that were tenable and capable of at tracting attention, he scrapes back and bashes up the old falsehoods about black troops, because he knows that there is an ignorance and sensi tiveness in America that always reacts when some idea of Negro prestige is flared before them, whether true or false. Mr. Hitch cock must have felt the rebuke of facts when he read the Tiger’s reply to him in that Boston in terview. “In the first place,” says M. Clemenceau, “there are no black troops of occupation in the area of occupation of the enemy. In the second place I have seen black American troops at the front, and they stood the fire with bravery too.” “The Germans and all our foes had been killing enough of our whiite^ men, and 100,000 black men fell gallantly fighting on ‘The Frontiers of Liberty,’ as Woodrow Wilson called them. We are not going to deny them a place in history.” This was no play that M. Clemenceau made; it was an honest, and we may say, an innocent epitome in rebuttal. The French mind thinks that way They know no other way than to speak free of race prejudice. It has never entered into their psychology to hate a man be cause of his color. They are God’s noblemen upon this issue always, and only recently since Aintri eans prey upon them with their money and pull has there been any parley in France upon the question. They will not now^be sophisticated by this brutal at tempt to make them l^ate or dis honor so large a group of their saviours in the fight for life as the black people have been and may yet have to be on the field of France. The Tiger spoke for his nation when he said of these black people: “We are not going to deny them a place in history.” So different from Americans. Most Americans are willing to leave this credit to their colored people behind closed doors and in flattering speeches, but it must not come uponi the street nor live in the life of the nation. Referring to the slanders, Clemenceau said: “These black soldiers were always more Or less occupying towns in France and always, got along perfectly with the white ‘ French people; even, I should say, their discipline is ^stricter than the white troops-” America should take the hint. Their dis cipline is stricter than the white troops and that includes1 white Americans. Let white Aihericans, therefore, look after their own reputation in Europe rather than stir up a tempest in a tea pot about the little courtesies the olack troops receive there. Finally Clemenceau ex plodes the whole rotten mass of lies when he jpve the answer of “the official people’’concerning the conduct of the black troops in the following: “There was one case of a Senegalese having mistreated a German woman. He was cashiered and sentenced by a military tribunal.” Mind you, “only one,” soldier successfully apprehended in violation of a woman in, Germany, and this too, after the world had been “turn ed upside down,” and up again concerning it. M. Clemenceau i& a great spokesman, and is moving the whole of national sentiment by his fearless frankness for his own, his native France that suf-! fered the greatest loss of souls, j spoils and ruins in the war- He ! is being heard and the seed he I drops will bear fruit in spite of J the poppish noise of politicians and those lesser breeds of sensa tion and money mongers who cater to the English and Ger- j mans, willing to forget the suf ferings of those body guards of civilization in order to court for commerce while their French friends perish. It was a side issue but the lies of the Germans hatched up against the blacks to suit American prejudice, to help in their game to split the Allies, also went to Hades where they were bom. WFBER J- STRONG’S MON UMENT.— SPEIGHT AND WHITE IN MOBILE STRONG-! HOLD. Zion in Mobile, Ala., is thle | gift of W. J. Strong and Al mighty God./There is no city where we have, more completely , surrounded the community and absorbed its prestige. No reverse has jbroken this hold, and our history here has had its stormy periods. The State Street and Big Zion and Hope chapel con gregations are among the largest in the south, nor has the depleting migration from south to north lessened the power and permanency of these grand old shrines in the city by the bay. W. J. Strong, blessed be his memory! If We had sent the like of him and J. W. Hood to every state in the south when thte civil war closed we would be the strongest Negro Church in the world today. But Zion wag first composed of aristocrats and their conservatism has rested like a deterrent over us, controling our missionary spirit and if not hin dering, certainly not helping us to expansion. \ But these \ and Christopher Rush and J- J. Clin ton and a few others were ex ceptions. They are our beacons still when we try new tasks, and when we succeed their spirits are with us, cheering us to vic tory. A two days’ visit to Mobile in cluding Suhday, November 19, gave the editor the. third view of the situation there. We preached at 11 A. M., at Big Zion, and 7:30 P. M., at State St. churches Big Zion. Big Zion is pastored now by Dr. J. R. White, who transferred here from New Jersey, in Janu ary. Dr. Whfite is an upstanding and practical man. He had aris en to the presiding eldership in New Jersey and was a leader in political and social affairs in that state where he was ac quainted with mayors and sen ators. He gained a reputation as a church builder and debt lifter and went to Mobile to do the special task of freeing that great church from debt. In the first year he gives good account of himself. The member ship has rallied to him and he carries a roll of more than nine hundred. The worship is attend ed with the old time fervor and the choir is number one. The fi nancial system has been renew ed and" the stamp of th'e pastor is very evident. By holding a Thursday night preaching Ser vice each week he has been able to raise more than three thous and dollars on the church debt without disturbing the Sunday collections. This is marvelous. At that rate the nine thousand dollar debt will.be paid in a year or two. A fair recently closed at Big Zion, netted five hundred dol lars- Dr. White has made his place in Mobile and lives in the hearts of many. A fine automo bile is afforded him by their sub stantial donation, and he and-his helpful wife. and child grace the fine parsonage in happiness. Mr. E. L. Peters, editor of The Mobile Forum, insurance and business man, is a moving spirit in. this church. Mrs. Mamie E Smith, widow of Dr. C. S. Smith, is leader in seventeen fraternal societies and an influential work | er in organizations. A young I man, Wells, preached a sermon, i striking for its creative qualities j Sunday afternoon which was his second attempt. $30.00 was rais ed in a collection to help him on to Livingstone to prepare for the ministry- Dr. White is responsi ble for getting him in school and we predict that the Church will hear much from this young min ister of talent. Dr. White is en dorsed by many for church ex tension secretary. State Street Church. Dr. W. D. Speight met us in his new Hudson super-six seven passenger car. and we stopped in his beautiful parsonage with’ him , his cultured wife and daughters. The writer has known this pastor and family more than two decades, having conducted a revival for Dr-< Speight in Chattanooga twenty-two years ago. Dr. Speight pastored our leading churches in California, Madisonville, Ky., and sa^ed the Little Rock chfurch at .Charlotte^ N. C.. which had been built/by^ Dr. W- R. Douglas at a great cost and sacrifice. He has been at State Street six years where marked success attends him and his sev£n hundred members. Dr. Speight has a constructive brain, is a learned, evangelistic preacher, and is by nature an orator. He is a tireless pastor and touches about everybody in his church. He concentrates upon hlis work alone and never fails to produce the expected re sults. He raises all claims and a goodly portion of the Tercen tenary. He has a cultured con gregation and they hang each .Sunday upon his red hot mes sages given in melodious elo quence. h Mrs. Speight is a member of the choir and an effective work er. Miss Lillian Speight teaches in the Booker Washington city school and Miss Louise* Speight is an artistic seamstress with a lucrative patronage. Dr. Speight has been endorsed by southern Alabama for the bishopric. Dr. T. J. Wynn and Hope chapel are reported as doing fine work, of which we are not surprised, knowing as we do the man and the church- Dr. M. S. Kell, the presiding elder, was re ported as watching his work and succeeding grandly. Zion is hold ing its own in Mobile. The spacious, stalwart, brick and cement) edifices, teeming with anxious, eager worshippers are the monument to Wilber J. Strong, the first man of our Methodism who went to Alaba ma. SIT LUX OR QUIETUS, DR. JACOBS. The Star of Zion holds no brief to defend the bishops, but we are zealous for the reputation of the Church of our fathers, and for Zion’s sake we will not hold our peace where by intent or no ! intent a subtle suggestion calcu | lated to injure her good name is made by any one, even though made by one whom we hold in high esteem and profound friendship as we do Dr. F. M Jacobs. In his rather censorious obser | vations of Nov. 16, our general secretary seriously indicted the appointing powers in the follow ing paragraph: “The appointing power of the Bishop or Superintendent in the Methodist Church has been woefully prostituted. I may say, it may be more so in our Church. The satis, faction of personal grievances by relegating a useful and successful pastor to some remote corner in Zion, merely because ‘he is not my man,’ or because he is not suf ficiently elastic and pliable to be used in carrying out some of the sinister plans and purposes and ma chinations of the appointing power should be openly condemned in the most positive language. And yet there are men in our Church who have indicted the appointing power with this despicable, inhuman, un_ brotherly, un.Christdan, un_Method. istic practice. The appointing power has perhaps forgotten, that one time, it may be some (time ago, that, it was in the same balance and perhaps suffered ‘in • the same old way.' A man who cannot rise above the small, contracted, contemptible* and insolent practice above referred to, should never have been given the ap pointing power. And if it has been discovered in him after such elevation and imposition of trust and respon sibility the manhood of the Church should rise and take away from him that power and reduce him to the ranks where he could ‘feel his brother’s care.’ ” This language is positive and severe. Does it deal with, facts, that is the question. If it does it should be the signal for an in vestigation until that bishop who is guilty is brought to terms. Dr. Jacobs here deals in generalities and such generalities are dan 1 gerous- It is unhealthy for the Church and lavs too heavy a burden upon thfe men whom we lift up to safeguard our system, to allow the indictment to be made and go by unchallenged. We do not hesitate to say that if any one or ones of our bishops are guilt#- of this; he or they are a • subject of trial fo£ incompatibil ity and maladministration. \ The Star of Zion published this article in keeping with its policy of giving liberty of speech to capable and responsible men. It oelieves however, that it is un fair to hold our bishops under such suspicion when making their appointments. If there be one who merits it, it is still un fair to the guiltless, to say the least, and no man believes that this is the general cohdition. No one believes that all nor the ma jority of our bishops are guilty of this serious accusation. The Star of'Zion hesitates to accept the accusation against any bish op. If there have been eases which caused complaint, the brethren involved have not felt their case sufficiently justifiable to make a charge and put up a fight- Surely there (kre justice and manhood enough in thle Church to give% any minister,, wronged as Dr. Jacobs com plains, redress and reparation, if he appealed through the proper channel of our law for his rights. Now, then, Dr. Jacobs, the re flection of your article in this and any other matter of which you have complained, .isj not upon the bishops; it is upon the manhood of the Church. “The appointing power of a bishop in the Methodist Church/’ you say, “has been woefully prostituted, and it may be more so in our Church.” If that is true, then why? Is there such a great disparity between, the bishops and men of Zion Methodism than between bishops and men of other Methodisms, that the* ap pointing power is fallen so much lower in ou*r family than in the others? We answer emphatically, no. From dime to time we have created select ones of our brothers to the episcopacy, and they were bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh before and are no better nor worse as bishops than they were as ministers. If we have not law and manhood enough to l$eep our brothers in bounds whom we place over us, again, we say, the reflection is upon the under men and not the over men. Let us find the guilty parties, if there be any among our chieftains or cease, to hold np our board of bishops to burning shame before the world, to the weakening of our eaus^ It is a shame to speak of such things without a provision for the remedy, and a readiness to undertake to remedy them. The. Star is satisfied that the indictment by Dr. Jacobs is a misrepresentation of our board of bishops, and regrets that he does not name his man- Until he and others name the particular party or parties whom they accuse we think it wise to cease to entertain this type of articles in The Star. We will not be able to attract men to Zion in this way. Let it be understood that the precau tion is taken a matter of con science and a course of wisdom* We fear no man, but we will be true to the Chufch, and if The Star knows how, it will conserve the interests of our Zion and guard her name even while bat tles rage. God forbid that we shall forget to be fair, bujt we are not to be fair only; we must do the right with a view to (the wisest way of safeguarding the influence of the connection. If we want the Church to save v men and prosper, we must not dismantle and disfigure her before the world that we would attract. At all hazards we will see to this while'at the same time the col umns of The Star will be kfl^t open for the discussion of live issues;' devoid of bitterness, and where personalities are involved, we insist that the writer be. spe cific, and this we do “with mal ice toward none and charity to ward all. ” " a Sit lux, Dr- Jacobs, or quietus.
The Star of Zion (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 30, 1922, edition 1
4
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