— iNew York Church 127 Years Old. And Within Past Decade, Under Administration of Rev. J. W. Brown, Has Made Wonderful Progress And Advancement. (Continued from last week.) It is planned that the new building "will enable Mother Zion to take an -advanced place in the church life of 4he race. It is not intended that the ^building will be only for periodic use, dmt a seven-day church,, purveying to -sail the rational needs of the commun ity, without regard to social or reli gious lines. It will be a place for re ligious instruction and education, 'but it will also be a place for social iife and recreation for the commun ity. There will be all modem conven iences, with ample equipment, includ ing a community hall, gymnasium, ■‘dining room, kitchen, parlor, library, jafnd these facilities are to be con stantly available that a definite and imperative need in the community unay be supplied. The Sunday-school will be amply .provided for, with rooms for adults -and children and parlor for the :young people. Special means will he provided by which young petople of the community, male and female, -unay find it possible, not only to en -joy the conveniences afforded, but -to profit by special training along lines to be developed that will fire them for broader and more effective work. When the new building shall have T>een completed and in operation, the present church building will be re - modelled and turned into a general ■^community house, with far-reaching ramifications. It will be made four stories, and will embrace offices for •all the administrative boards, a spa cious assembly hall, dormitories, for the accommodation specially of dig nitaries and officials of the Connec tion, and other guests of the church, and a gymnasium which will be of the most modern convenience. A Brief Autobiography. To review the work accomplished t)y Mother Zion during the past ten years is to summarize the accomplish ments of a man just at the 50 year milestone, who has spent just twen ty years In the gospel ministry. The baby toy, whose work is told above, was horn July 19, 1872, at Elizabeth '’City, N. C., and entered Shaw Uni versity, Raleigh, at the age of 16. In 1893, he had won an A. B. degree, and after graduation he became at -once assistant principal of the State INormal at Fayetteville. (Here he taught from 1893 to 1900, when he entered Lincoln University, taking the theological course. This was fin ished mi 1903. The young minister’s first charge was at South Bethlehem, Pa., where he stayed two years, finishing a building which he found in course of erection and reducing the debt by a considerable sum. During the year of 1905, Dr. Brown supplied the Price .Memorial A. M. E. Zion church at Atlantic City, and in the fall of that same year he was sent to Rochester, N. Y. During an 8-year period, Pas tor Brown erected a church edifice costing $25,000 and paid for it. He bought a church parsonage, and paid for that, and then bought another ) building to be used as a community bouse, but which, since he left that pastorate, has been diverted to in come-producing purposes instead. Then in 1913, the late Bishop J. "W. Hood, presiding over the annual conference, held that year at Yon kers, transferred Dr. Brown from Rochester to New York City, and the tale of his accomplishment is em braced in the above running account of the growth and development of j Mother Zion church. Mrs- Brown a True Helpmeet. Now this story is still incomplete. Dr. Brown is a man of ability, ener getic in action, wise in conference,, but modest and unassuming with it all. He has accomplished much since entering the ministry in 1903, and it is an open ’secret that much of what he has accomplished has been made possible by the constant association, ' advice and care he has received from a helpmeet he won that same year. For his first act, after graduating from Lincoln showed his good sense. 1 He got married—and he married a girl who has proved herself a worthy cbmpanion and wife. Miss Martha Hill was born in Alex- 1 andria, Va., and attended the schools '.... .. . : of that city. After teaching in the schools of her (native county, she went to Philadelphia to live, and young Brown, a student at Lincoln, met her'. Immediately after graduat ing, he succeeded in persuading her to share his lot. And she has done much to make it the desirable and worthwhile accomplishment it has become. Bishop G. L. Blackwell was the officiating minister al? their mar riage . Mrs. Brown is active in work for the advancement of the church, .and her influence extends out far be-, yond the confines of the local church* She is at the head of the supply de partment of the Woman’s Home and 'Foreign Missionary Society of the A. M. E. Zion Coifnection, having super vision of thfe task of furnishing food, clothing, and other supplies to the j missionaries and their families at labor in the foreign fields of Africa, the West Indies and South America. She is able also to find time for local activities, being president of the La dies’ Progressive club of Mother Zion* a member of the Missionary Society, a)nd a teacher in the Sunday School. She is accomplished and possesses unusual charm and grace of mind. Her personal popularity is very great and much of what Dr. Brown has been able to accomplish is due to the excellent woman who bears his name, shares his burdens and enjoys the fruit of constancy® and faithfulness to duty.—The New York Age. FACTS UPON FACTS.—VALUE OF CHURCH PROPERTY. 3y S. A, Chambers, Cannon Ball. Church property has two values— a market value and a connectional value. The connectional value is two or three times that of the market value. In estimating our property we should place the connectional value on it. We do not have to pay tax on church property. Therefore, we need not fear to put as high a value on it as we please. Say, for instance, a piece of property is worth a thous and dollars on the market, it should be worth three thousand to the con nection, and this latter value should be placed on it. We do not have to pay tax and we are not expecting to sell. If we would give our property the connectional value we would be rated at twenty-five or thirty million. Since all churches are striving to make a bubble this is one way that we can make one without doing vi olence to the truth, or offending our better judgment. There can be no Impropriety in our rating our church property according to what we think it is worth to us. If we want to sell, then, it would only be worth the market price, but as long as we retain it as a place of worship the connectional value should be placed on it. Suppose we rate our property th’.* year according to this suggestion and see how it foots up. Knoxville, Tenn. NOMINATIONS FOR SPINGARN , MEDAL CLOSES JUNE 1, 1923. . Nominations for persons worthy to ,receive the Spingarn Medal must be i in the hands of the secretary of the committee on award, Walter F. White, 70 Fifth Avenue,' New York City, on or before June 1, 1923, it was announced today. . The Medal is awarded annually to j an American Negro for the highest achievement during the preceding year or years in any honorable field ^of human endeavor. All nominations of candidates for the Medal must , state fn detail the achievement for i which the Medal is to be awarded, and give as full a biographical ac count as possible of the nominee. i The committee of award, whose • decision is final, is composed of: Bishop John Hurst, chairman; John • Hope, president of Morehouse Col lege; Oswald Garrison Villard, Editor of the Nation; Dorothy Canfield Fish ier, distinguished novelist; Dr. James H. Dillard, director of the Slater and Jeanes Fund; Theodore i Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy; and Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois, Editor of The Crisis. The Medal will be presented at the i Kansas City conference of the Na tional Association for the Advance-- , nient of Colored People, at the ev ening session of Monday, September 3rd. Ex-Governor Henry J. Allen, of Kansas; will present the medal. ILLUMINATIONS —PARAGRAPHIC , COMMENTS. By Rev. A. C. Cook. As far back as the writer' can re member Zion has never had a more scholarly and brave editor than now. Dr. Walls wTas a~ safe pastor, now he is a safe and sane editor, and will make an exemplary bishop. His editorial “A Nabbing and A Grabbing,’’ was a masterpiece in be half of Zion Church. Bishop Clement in his recent arti cles gave the church some needed in formation That is just what the scholarly bishop can do when he chooses to do so, though we cam not see how the future of a man can be fairly forestalled unless we take into I consideration his past achievements. What a man has done as pastor or presiding elder is a sort of a prelude to what he may do after he is ele vated to the bishopric. Dr. E. D. W. Jones has formulat ed a workable program for Zion Church, which if put into operation in 1§24, will mean 100 per cent ex pansion during the next quadrennium. He is giving us his preelection-plat form and his after election policies. He will be consecrated bishop in 1924 unless God takes him home be fore May. Dr. B. G. Shaw put St. Louis on Zion’s map, and has made the Ter centenary evangelistic campaign a reality. Dr. Shaw will be the cyclon ic bishop. Other churches have them. Dr. C. C. Alleyne shines through the Review, and as pastor of our church at New Rochelle. He too, will be consecrated bishop in 1924. He will be our dignified big brother. Dr. J. H. McMullen shines wher ever he goes. If service and ability count for anything, then Dr. McMul len will be elevated in 1924. Should Dr. M. D. Lee fail to be himself again, which would eliminate him as a candidate for bishop; then South Carolina could wisely unite on Dr. McMullen and command his first year’s service as a bishop. What says you, South Carolina? Dr. W. L. Hamblin, of Alabama fame, comes in for Episcopal consid eration for Alabama. Alabama feels the need of close Episcopal supervis ion . Hamblin is magfnetic and his (brethren will do their best to elect •him in 1924. His friends are legion. Dr. C. J. Steverson, of Tuscaloo sa, Ala., pastor of Hunter’s chapel, looms up as a formidable candidate for secretary of education. Dr. Steverson has recently served as an instructor in Stillman Insti tute, and acting principal of TayLor’s High School, both of this city. He is prepared and is deeply interested in education. A contrast between the work done by Dr. J. W. Martin and his prede cessor, augurs the fact that we ought to keep a minister at the head of the department. Steverson is that man. Dr. VV. H. Davenport continues to watch the breakers. His eyes are on The Star of Zion, should Dr. Walls., step up higher. But is willing to cross bats with Dr. H. T. Medford for the editorship of the Review. Dr. Medford now publishes a breezy pe riodical, the “Zion Methodist,’’ offi cial organ of Logan Temple and Clin ton chapel churches, Knoxville, Tenn. Each of these scholarly gospel dis pensers has- many friends. Dr. H. R. Jackson, of southwest fame, but now of North' Carolina, I am sure, is willing to serve as our next connectional auditor. Dr. Jack son is an experienced teacher, pas .tor, and presiding elder. Look him over and consider him favorably for this position. Dr. H. H. Jackson is waiting for 1924 so he can move to Philadelphia to direct the church extension ma chinery. Has he been elected? No. iWill he be? Most Zionites say so. Then why mot. We need him now. Dr. W. O. Carson and W. M. Rob inson both of whom are members of the Pee Dee conference, the former presiding elder of the Cheraw dis trict, who is more useful today than ever before in his career as presid ing elder; and the late pastor of White Oak circuit and treasurer of the conference, will vie with each other for the1 secretaryship of the brotherhood and relief department. Committee reports and resolutions should follow the reports of general officers. This will not hardly be done In ! Xd\)z JJoet’s (Tomer ! Edited By JEAN WILLA HOLMES. EDITOR’S FOREWORD:—We are delighted to present to our readers, this new feature. Mrs. Jean W. Holmes, formerly of California, now of Montgomery, Ala., is well known for her poetry. Her productions have been published by the Guardian, Balti more American and a number of other western papers and have received the comment of literary critics. Thejy are pronounced as being true to the poetic muse, by the ablest authority. Mrs. Holmes is wife of the Rev. J. B. Holmes, pastor of Old Ship Church, and is a woman of high lit erary attainment and of abundant and cultivated sentiment. She has been placed in charge of our poet’s comer and all that appears there will be either contributed or selected by her. With the first presentation this week, we feel justified in predicting for this column a long life and an increasing popularity. TO THE HILLS. Oh, glorious hills, that calmly rise And kiss the bosom of the skies, Oh, hills, enwrapt in robes of green. And decked with flowers of radiant sheen, Resplendent hills, I love thee! Thou, lovely clad and scented sweet, With citadels about thy feet, With placid lakes and budding trees— Thy grandeur lifts thee out of these, And thou art high, exalted! V [ *‘i ' ' ■'* ;« i H Ye hills, that s°ar beyond the clouc And make your Mother—Nature prouc Are ye not they that skipped like rams 1924. But watch out for the proposal l to be put in operation with the Gen eral Conference of 1928. Our benevolences should be lump ed together into an assessment and instead of so many different depart ments and a surplus of general offi cers, let us do some blending. The V. C. E., Brotherhood and Relief Departments could be placed in one mans hands. The Brotherhood man is more of a receiver than a field man. We need our men on the field to educate our people. All money for education, general special and Livingstone College en dowment money, should be paid over to the secretary of education arnd dis bursed by the board of finance or education. The missionary secretary should handle all missionary money, home and foreign. The bishops should never be reliev ed of financial oversight. We need their counsel and advice. Let the bishops go to the General Conference with a similar spirit to that which they want the pastors to go to the annual conference. Let the Episcopal committee make the as signments and not the board of bish ops. Many of us return to our places against our own desires and best in terest apparently. Still we go in order ^not to be considered disloyal. * i exas Has as much right to be plac ed in the 'hands., of the senior bishop as New York or New England. Our bishops should know the church, and to know it they should go around it. We should not look upon the far southwestern, fields as being the plac es to break men into the bishopric, if we need any men out there it should be the most e?periteneed men on the bench. A weak pastor cannot make a weak church a strong one. Neither can an inexperienced bishop do from the start what an experienced one can do. The young bishop must be tutored into his office and by the time he gets everything well in hands a quadrennium has passed. Therefore, eight years for a bishop on our episcopal district, six years for a presiding elder on one district and five years for a pastor on one charge. If we should accept some of the things that are hurled at Zion as con clusive proof of her weakness and failure, then Zion Church would be convicted without a jury trial. These false picture painters should stop for a while and meditate. That frisked away like frightened lambs Till man exclaimed: “What ailed thee”? Thou hast thy place in mortal dream. Uplifted, beautiful, serene; # Beholding thee against the skies, With haste I mount my thoughts and rise, And soar through realms celestial. 1 lift mine eyes unto the Hills Whence cometh help for all earth’s ills— The Hills of Truth, the Hills of God, Devoid of shape in stone or sod, But in the heavens eternal. MOTHER. 1 Out of the bosom of star-decked sky. Out of the mist of mountains high, Out of the arms of graceful trees, Gliding to earth on the gentle breeze, Was it thus you came? Down from the crest of flowered hills, Skipping the foam of flowing rills, Out of the wonderful songs of bird. Out of the merriest laughter heard Did you come to me? I Out of the beauty of every bloom, | 0ut of the warmth of the sun at noon, l Out of the lustre of jewels rare, Out of the sweetness of nectared air Came you unto me? Out of a pure and holy place, Sheltered by infinite love and grace, Land where the perfect, alone, have trod— , t Out of the throbs of the heart of God Straight to me you came! AH of the churches have made mis takes, but their motives were good. There are men in the other churches who think Zion has one of the most perfect systems in vogue. Some in our ranks think otherwise. We usu ally find fault without presenting a remedy. Pastors with socialistic tendencies will train their congregations to think as they do. Like priest, like people. If Zion Church is to stand, and she is, she must place her safest mem in these strategic places. (More anon.) Clio, S. C. NOTES FROM THE WEST. (Continued from page 6) * pupils are transferred to and from the school in ten auto trucks. The drivers of these trucks are paTd $140 per month The coming of Prof. Rowe, a Hamp ton trained main, to take charge of the : manual training department, has add r ed much to the school, as well as the church, town and surroundings. He is one of the best trained and learned men of the race, a devoted Christian, and a good churchman. I Ruth 1:20. t I In these two characters we hlave a pretty fair representation of the peo ple of today. The w^orld today is made up of two classes of people—those who choose wisely and those who choose unwisely. There are many Orpahs to day; there are people who are well wish I ers of the church, give their means i to help support the church and seek the company of the people of God, but they never leave the world. v Some, like Orpah, make the right start, but turn back. May God Almighty help us all to make the right choice in this life, and the life to come.—“Let us pray.’* \ Luther, Okla. •Trade increases the wealth an