'>■ *
the ornciAi organ or the African methodist episcopal zion church
NUMBER FOUR
CHARLOTTE.
NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY,
JANUARY, 24, 1924.
VOLUME FORTY-EIGHT
PASSING OBSERVA
TIONS.
'.- i \
By S. W. Weller.
The forthcoming session of the
General Conference promises to be a
formidable rival of Its predecessors
for notable achievements. With the
delegates will rest largely the de
cisive question whether little or
n.ucb shall be accomplished. For the
most part the clergy' cdhs'ders the
annual conference a vacation, but
surely it is a serious mistake to look
upon the General Conference in the
same light. Only the most urgent
sort of business should cause a del
egate to leaveTbefore the business of
the session is completed.
We have never been able to agree
with the idea that the election cl
bishops should be put off last. The
candidates for this, the highest hon
or of the Church are there not mere-,
ly to get elected, but like others, to
give of their best, for the success of
the conference. Man is mortal, and
and how can mortal give of his best
or be at his best occupyiny the “anx
ious seat" It may be asked haw
the non-elects? Well, they should
take their defeat philosophically.
It seems to me fcoi be the consensus
of opinion that five new bishops .will
be elected. At least, the vacancies
should be filled. Which of the de
ceased bishop’s memory would we dis
honor by refusing to fill his place?
put it is going to rhe a heavy respon
sibility, that of selecting at this ses
sion the* five. It will call for much
prayer and for sound judgment.' For
in our humble way of thinking there
never was a time like this, a time
when there was a such a> splendid
lot' of material before the church
from which to; %elect- Look at them!
All good men and true: Drs- Jones,
Whitted, Martin, Alleyne, Walls,
Shaw, Brown, Brown, Callis, Madi
son, McMullen, Swain Matthews,
Crooke, Auten, Slade, Hamblin, Bla
lock, Robinson and others. It seems
now as if our senior bishop wr.ll have
to call us up to the upper chamber
again.
Then, if you please, the present
times call for extra care and special
divine interposition ip\this matter.
Christianity is passing through a
transition period when because of the
war and its after effects the world
so to speak, is being made over.
Flans and policies are undergoing re
casting, followed by serious applica
tion of thought.
The Christian Church is being
Caught in the maelstrom of revolu
tionary ideas and methods. The Ne
gro Church needs just as many, per
haps more so, men as leaders who
will measure up tq the requirements
of the times.
Undoubtedly there is an impendi-.
ism in the present times which we
do well to take notice.of. The fast
ricing tide of trained thought and in
dependence /of spirit as represented
by our hoys and girls, stepping out of
our schools and college £ to grapple
with life's urgent problems and de
' mands, the Church must prepare
for.
- The Chistian Church, like other
aggressive organizations that are
making a bid for world recognition,
must specialize. Our bishops,, the
men who lead us, must be specialists
in their realm and what a wide and
influential realm it is! Our bishops
should be our leaders in thought and
application- They should be alive to
the needs of the day, able to point
us who follow to what lies out
there awaiting ua and to tell us how
to do as vjrfell as what to da. They
must face otber giants ih the intel
lectual and religious and industrial
realms . They must be men able ^ to
stand shoulder to shoulder with lead
ers of other organizations. Talented
men we must have, ijot all alike, ’tis
- true; that can miverbe; the M. E.
and Protestant Churches Have their
men for the wilds and the Indians
„ "t V/\:. '
/
of the NjCrtl-West as well as for the
rich and powerful metropolitan sec
tions, or for the highly cultured Bos
ton area. The one may not fit in
where the other excels, hut there they
are, each a geniius in his own why
and sphere, and solving his particu
lar problems. They come together
as a Board or flench or the general
church, but when they speak each
voice is the voice of a master. To
exalt the Christ in word and doctrine
should be the great outstanding mark
of a bishop. The brethren who are
J^ing consumed with the one-wife
idea have farther a-field to go, much
farther. '
Each aspirant for episcopal hon
ors should ask himself the question,
am I truly ready for this high office
should the Church call me to it?
Brethren, you all have the writer’s
best wishes for |uccess- We hope
to meet you in Indianapolis.
One of life’s greatest victories is
to conquer defeat.
Bridgeport, Conn.
PRESIDENT AND MRS COOL
IDGE CAtL ON COLORED
VALET, ILL.
a. . ' v \ ^ t
Member of Zion Church. /
-- •
Arthur Brooks aspired to be the
“perfect servant.’’
!So well did he strive that he was
chosen White House valet back in
the Taft administration. He remains
today the President’s “man.”"
Two weeks ago illness fonced the
“perfect” Brooks to take his bed,
leaving .to other hands thd care of
the President’s clothes..
15-Minute Veit
About I P. M., yesterday a -big
limousine drove up to the house in
the 1300 block of S. St., N. W.,
where Brooks lives. The President
and Mrs. Coolidge stepped out and
went into the valet’s home.
Preceding them a huge bouquet of
roses from the White House green
houses had been carried to Brooks'
sickroom '
For 15" minutes the Coctlidges
chatted with Brooks, who tOM them
he hoped to return to his duties scion.
Mrs. Cool’dge suggested delicacies
from the White House Kitchen.
Tactful, Says Taft
When they drove away several
hundred persons) had gathered/'in the
street and in near-by doorways and
windows • ,
President Taft, notoriously ill
dressed, said Brooks probably was
the most tactful servant he ever met.
President Hard'ng was much inter
ested in the fact that Brooks was a
studious reader. Brooks has many
books which were "'gifts from the
Presidents he served.
Mr. Brooks is the husband (>f Miss
Louise Jpy whoselparents were among
the founders of John Wesley A. M.
E. Zion church, Washington, D- C.
(From the Washington News, Issue
of Monday, Jan..14, 1924.
WATCHING THE
BREAKERS.
j__
The Southwestern Christian Ad
vocate—Ulylsses S. Porter—
The Last General Conference.
By W. H.-Davenport.
f
The jealousy for democracy as it
is understood and taught in the Meth
odist Episcopal Church imbues itself
in the minds of those who come and
dwell under the influence of that
Church, occasionally manifests its
impatience with the practice -and
governments of Negro! Methodism, by
drire '•prophecies of desecration and
decay to the latter, notwithstanding
the attestations of history that all
Methodisms, aa well as other fauna,
are far, very far from perfection
The Negro Methodist Church is an
experiment in self-government. Its
rulers are the immediate descend
(Continued to page 5)
%
All Race Conference—
The Negro Sanhedrin.
i'Aa. .mi - i , .i...
CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 11-24,
1924.
Important Group Conferences
Will Be ^Arranged.
Preliminary Program (Subject
to Modification.)
(For The Associated Negro Press.) /
“Let me write ‘Union’-' at the top
of the page, and yon njaSr write under
that anything you please-’’—Abraham
Lincoln - |
Cooperation of the organizations,
activities and iaH^ncies devoted to ra
cial welfare will be the key-note of
the entire program.
1. “The Function o,f the Negro
Press.” " l&'V ■■■ :
Hon. R. Abbott, The Chicago
Defender,' Chicago, 111.
Mr. Carl j. Murphy,' Editor, The
Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
Mr. Robert L- Vann, Editor,
Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh,
Pa- ' -
2. “How to Improve the Physical
Stamina of the Race. ”
Dr. A. 5fV Curtis, Ex-Pres..
National Medical Association,
Washingtoif, D. C.
Dr. Algernon L. Jaekscrn, Direc
tor, SchooLof Public Health and
Hygiene, Howard University,
Washington, D. C.,,
' 3
S■ Civil Service Commissioner,
New York City- -
4. “The Function of Agitation in
Race Welfare.”
Mr. Ja'lnes Weldon Johnson,
Secretary, N. A. A. C. P.. New
York City.
Rev, T. J- Moppins, Pres.,
Equal Rights League, St. Louis,
Mo. '
5. ‘The Religious Factor in Race
Welfare.”
Bishop, John Hurst, A. M. E.
Church. Baltimore, Md.
Bishop J. S Caldwell, Ar M.
^E. Zion Church, Philadelphia,
Pa.
Bishop R- E. Jones,. M. E.
Church, New Orleans, La.
• Bishop R. S. Williams, C. M.
E. Church, Augusta, Ga.
Rev. L. K. Williams, Pres.,
. National " Baptist Convention,
Chicago, 111.
Rev. Mordecai Johnson, Pastor,
First Baptist Church, Charles
ton, w! Va. -
Rev. R. L. Bradby, Pastor,
Second Baptist Church, Detroit,
.Mich.
Rev. M. A. Talley, Pastor,
Homestead, Pa.
Rev. Alfred ' Lawless, General
Superintendent Congregational
Southern Church Work, Atlanta,
Ga.
Rev. Moses H. Jackson, Pastor,
Grace Presbyterian Church, Chi
.. cago.
6. ‘‘The FuncMon of Social and
Civic Agencies in Race Develop^
ment.” v
(Continued to next week)
. “Politics
e Equation!
Hon. Wm.
Vti U.
. . .
Hon. Ferdinand Q. Morten, IT.
COLORED POPULATION OF
NEW YORK REPRESENTS
COLORED PEOPLES OF
THE WORLD*
Washington,—. The native Ameri
can colored population" of New York,
is represented by people who were
bom in every state of- the Union, &nd
in our outlying possessions, including
Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Panama Canal
Zone. Philippine Islands, Porto Rico,
and Virgin Islands. A few were born
„at sea under the American flag, hnd
several hundred, of American, parent
age, were/born abroad. But Virginia.
North Carolina, South Carolina and
Georgia, together, and in the order
.named, have contributed more than
all of the other states combined, the
number exceeding by several thous-'
and those whot are native |)orn ;New
Yorkers- The population of Pennsyl
vania, not unlike that of New> York,
is composed of people from every
state and from all of this country’s
outlying possessions.' Here, too, the
state of Virginia leads in her contri
bution of* citizens, followed by Mary*
l$nd, North ^Carolina, Georgia and
South Carolina •
In Illinois, persons bom in Tennes
see outnumber those from any other
state, but are closely followed by
Mississippi, which is trailed by Ken
tucky, Alabama, Missouri and Geor
gia. The colored population of Ohio
owes its growth largely to Kentucky,
Alabama, Georgia, Virg'nia and Ten
nessee, in fhe order named. The
state of Mi^higijjfn, whose colored pop?
ulation hasj sq'greatly increased dur
ing recent’pfears, is indebted first ta
Georgia arid then to Alabama, Ten
nessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Missis
sippi, in the order named. Into
Indiana has poured a steady stream
of- persons who were bora in Ken
tucky, who, added to those bora in
Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio, Georgia,
Mississippi and Illinois, constitute 58
per cent of the total colored papu
lation of the “Hoosier’’ state. j
RACE RELATIONS SUNDAY,
FEBRUARY I
/ New York, N Y. Jan. (By The
Associated Negro Press) The Feder
al Council Commiss'on^on the Church
and Race Relations is asking that
February 10, he . observed in all the
churches of the country, white and
Colored, as Race Relatipns Sunday.
Since this subject holds such a vital
place just now in the effort to, make
Christianity fully, effective, it is felt
that in every pulpit at least one ser
mon a year might well be devoted to
it, and cine program in every Sunday
School, Young People's Society and
other religious group.
The Commission is publishing a
booklet suggesting programs, topics
and materials suited to the occa
sion. Everyone interested, can write
for it to the Commission on the
Church and Race Relations, 105 Ea3t
22nd St., New York City.
RETJGTOUS LIFE IN CON
GRESS.
Washington, D. C-„ Jan.—(By the
Associated Negro Press) Ninety per
cent of both houses of the Sixty*
eighth Congress are- members of some
religibus denomination, according to
a survey made tyy the board of tem
perance of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Of the other 10 per cent, the
majority are consistent, the actual
members. »
Vjifethodists lead with ninety six
members in the ^louse and twenty
three in the Senate, or slightly more
than 18 per cent <ctf the full mem
bership of both bouses.
WHITHER ARE WE
DRIFTING?
The General Conference—A
Forecast-—The Bishopric.
By S. H. Michael.
With the early annroanh of the
Conerai^Ootttferetice the eves of the
thinking element of the Church are
turned toward Indianapolis. Somp
■th>«r more than casual interest o£
cnbies their m'nrts. for at. no"t*me in
the hfstorv of fMI Church has the,
need of sane legislation been more"
pertinent. . ';f>
Other Oeneral ifSonfereuces have
been charged with filibustering and
with the emnloyment of fan fiare
me^ho^s or nroeedure and non es
senffpis-whieh have caused the wiser
ones to blush in sgame.
(Continued to page 5)
PILGRIMAGES.
, DOUGLASS, WASHINGTON,
I DUNBAR AND YOUNG.
Staff Correspondence.
IF'K
Washington, D. C., Jan. (By the \
Associated Negro Press) Pilgrimages
to the shrines of the great is a c'us
handed down to present generations
from ancient times v The Mohamme
dans,V in their annual pilgrimage to
Mecca perhaps reach the highest de
velopment in this .worthy (hjsto^m. In
the Old World, there are, hundreds
and hundreds of historical places
made sacred by the work iof iftapkind.
Prom the Holy Sepulcher to the home
of Shakespeare: from the, Valley Pf
the Kings in Egypt, to) the abundance
of historical spots in glorious France,
thousands and tens, pf thousands of
people journey from all parts of the
world to pay homage to the great
of the earth from the beg'nning of
civilization. .
Here in America the custom has
not been so. pronounced, speaking en
masse- This country has been so bu
I sy developing resources into, dollars
that sentiment has been compelled
to play second fiddle- But the day
has arrived when America is waking:
up to the duty and value pf homage
Mt. Vernon, the final resting place*
of Gearge Washington, has long sin<?6
b4en a center ot pilgrimages; and
so has Springfield, Illinois, the burial
place of Abraham Lincoln; and Riv-V
| ersiide Drive, New York, where all,
that is mortal of U, S. Grant re
mains; and the little, cemetery in
Oyster, Bay, to which thousands of
lent respect toi the memory Of The
odore Roosevelt.
„ Colored America Awakened.
Colored America is awakened to
the duty and Value of remembrance.
This fact has been demonstrated in
the last few years in a manner that
has given great inspiration. to those
who are seeking^ to be d service to
the people.
In the spring of 1920, this writer,
with a group of twenty-six business
men from Kansas City, headed by
Prof. J. R. E. Dee, then principal
of Lincoln High School, now field
secretary in thfe National Urban
League, was at > Tuskegee institute,
in the course of a tour. of. southern
cities. One of the firat thoughts was
a tribute to -Booker T - Washington-* .
The request was made to Dr. Moton
that our party be permitted to place
a wreath on the grave of Dr .* Wash
ington . Dr. Moton readily cemented,
was deeply moved at ‘the idea, and
stated that it was the first request
from a group of our( own people;
that certain foreign visitors some
time before had thus honored the
great educator. The finest wreath
procurable was elected. Jus£ as the
sun was setting ode of the. most im
pressive events ever witnessed was
carried out, joined in by,Dr. M-oton, >
the faculty, choir, visitors and stu-1
dents. ''Swing Low Sweet Chariot,’^
and "Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray,”
j
favorite selections of Dr. Washing
ton, sung by the . Institute choir, fillqpfc^.
the air with solemnity and inspire-* ,
tion. ,
For years unsuccessful efforts were
made to pay off a mortgage on the
home of Frederick Douglass in Ana*
costia, District of Dcluarbia,- that it
might become a shrine for Colored!
America. Finally the National Asso
ciation of Colored Women, .unf^r the
magnetic direction' of the late Mrs
Mary B. Talbert, accomplished tfce
deed, and In-August 19^2, when the
borne war formally dedicated, the
greatest pilgrimage of Colored Amer-^’
leans ever witnesses took place. The
celebration of’the birthd^tof Fred
erick Douglass, February fP has long
since been an annual event in many
sections of the country / Coming as ,
it does, so close to the birthday of
Abraham Lincoln, February 12th, in