. WH'V
THE Of f ICIAl ORGAN Of THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH
NUMBER THIRTEEN
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROUNA. THURSDAY* MARCH 27, 1924.
VOLUME FORTY-BIOH’]
. ■' . .
WALKING ABOUT
ZION.
BISHOP J. S. CALDWELL
EMPHASIZES EDUCATION
and MISSIONS.
Someone asked a few days ago
which was the greatest of the four
Departments of our Church, namely,
Financial, Educational, Missionary
and Benevolent Departments. When
you come to think about the question
you must conclude that you' cannot
use the superlative comparison in
reference to their greatness at all
These departments were each or
ganized for a distinctive and definite
purpose, and each is great in the pro
portion that it serves well the pur
pose for which it was brought into
existence. >
The Financial Department is the
oldest; in fact, all the others grew
out of it. We are accustomed to
think of the Financial Department as
being first for the following reasons:
The Financial Department ever since
the organization of the Church has
been the salary-paying Department*
although the Department has . not
been always organized as now, it has
been through it that the General Offi
cial family all through the years, has
received their compensation. It is the
ostentation Department,, and I think
should remain so. We would do well
if we would relieve this Department
of any and all responsibility of hand
ling funds which mi^t be probably
taken over by other Departments.
For a long time the Educational,
Missionary and the Benevolent De
partments’ interest were all handled
through the Financial Department,
tut, as the Church grew, it was appar
ent’that other Departments should be
organized to do special work peculiar
to them.
The Educational Department is im
portant from many angles, first, be
cause of the emphasis which it places
upon the Church’s determination and
purpose to educate its constituency.
“We must educate or die,” said Prof .
Atkins on one occasion, who was then
our Educational Secretary. As we
turn our faces toward Indianapolis, t
much larger place in our prop-am
budget should be given to education,
if we as a Church would keep our
face toward the rising sun.' I agree
with the editor of The Star of Zion,
who a few weeks ago said editorially,
“That we as a Church become ex
ceedingly poor when the subject of
increased appropriations are broach
I ed in connection with our educational
f program.” We can no longer wink
at the fact that larger provision for
all our educational institutions, and
especially Livingstone College must
be made.
The last five years have seen us
in the most strenuous effort in our
history almost entirely for ^.Church
Extension, and unless we turn our
attention to education, we will wake
up to find our Church beyond our
ability to mann; for we at this time
are far short of enough men to supply
the pulpits that we already have.
The Churcih Extension Department
was organized as the necessity of a
business department was apparent to
the leaders of the Church. The
Church, as we all know, has a busi
ness side that must be looked after
and developed. So we have attempted
to ignore the business interest of the
Church.
I have heard it sam Dy
ought to know better, “ that those
who control the business affairs of
our various denominations are ineffi"
I cient when it comes to business.'
L The facts in the case prove^ to the
i contrary. Very rarely you hear of the
loss of a Churdh or a religious insti
tution in5 any of our denominations.
We do hear c^f banks and other race
institutions and enterprises failing,
although they are conducted or man
f a *”ed by many who do /not give the
Church any credit for much business
sense. The. Church Extension Depart
;
ment controls all of our purely bon
nectional property, and dispenses the
funds going into the Department for
purely Church Extension work.
The Missionary efforts of the A. M.
i E. Zion Church are quite as old as
t|ie organization itself, for we find
among the early records that the
ministers were required to raise a
small amount annually and report the
same to their annual conference. As
the years passed, the spirit pervaded
in a larger degree the whole Church.
As a result, a Missionary Department
was organized; not just as we have
it now^ but of sufficient formation to
be called a Department. /
In 1912, the General Conference
convening in Charlotte, N. C., set off
the Department of foreign M’ssions,
with a Foreign Mission Secretary
working unden a Foreign Mission
Board. This was made possible large
ly because of the splendid financial
showing that the Woman’s Home and
Foreign" Missionary Society made at
that time. The funds collected
(Continued to page 5)
Delegate To National Repub
lican Convention.
* • * %j>
Rev. J. W. Brown, A. M., D. D.
Rev. J. W. Brown, pastor Mother
Zion Church selected by Republicans
of New York delegate at large to'
National Convention at Cleveland
iii June. Dr. Brown is the only man
of color in the New York delegation.
It is a tribute to the leadership of
the great preacher who Jhas made
the most distinguished record of
Mother Zion’s pastors in 127 years
of our history.
O’NeilPa Play Again.
By William Pickens.
For the Associated Negro Press.
“All God’s chillun got wings,’' but
it seems that , many of thdtos have not
enough penetrating, discriminating
sense to live in this wingless human
world.
Most of the Negro writers contnue
to harp on the incidents that this ‘
vicipus pl^y shows a white woman
“in love” w'th a Negro, marrying him
and “kissing his hand.” That is not
the phase of this, play for American
Negroes to consider. It is the play's
insiduous attack upon the common
public school and its direct or indirect
support of the devilish sentiment to
put Negro children out of the public
schools, while every other human an
imal from every other Quarter of the
world is permitted to stay in.
Colored men, we think, are betrayed
intp a defense of this play because
white men, some white men, are at
tacking iti And the Negroes have
not stopped to consider that the
whites attack It from other grounds,
different and opposite from the
grounds on which sensible Negroes
should bte opposed to it. No Negro
need agree with Arthur Brisbane
that the play is vicious because it
shows a white, and a poor specimen
(of white woman at that “kissing the
hand of a black man.” That’s nqih
(Conthraed to page g) 'V
. ..^i****» - - n.
THE PRESIDENTIAL
INAUGURATION
OF LIBERIA.
PRESIDENT C. D. B, KING*
Outstanding Features.
(Special to The Star of Zion.)
'"’Monrovia, Liberia, Jan. 7th, 1924.
1. With unusual brilliancy .Phoebus
Apollo emerged from the rosy bed of
Aurora to dispel the sable shade of
the night before and fill the heart
of every descendant of Ham with
inexpressible joy/on that memorablet
day in Negro History in the “Lone
Star” Republic—Liberia on the mo
mentous occasion of the Presidential
inauguration. The importance of the
occasion is inestimable, both interna
tionally and intranationally. Not only
was the heart of every citizen iru. Li
beria filled with the loudest jubilation
and the deepest awe, but the expres
sions of the various representatives
of foreign powers present were indic
ative of the respective interests of
the nations of the world in this sin
gular inauguration of a president of
Liberia. The occasion was indeed aus
picious. For in consideration of the
' many crucial moments that the Re
public has come through, one really
I finds justifiable - grounds for magnifi
i cent demonstration of patriotism and
j loyalty by that surging host of liberty
I loving people.
I 2. Prior to the day of inaugura
tion, Monrovia, the historic capital of
the nation, was crowded top its capac
ity with foreign visitors^Jrepisesenta
tives of the leatfifig 'dswtes jof'tlS®'
world (The United' States, Eng
land, Franco, ■Holland, Germany,
Spain, Belgium, and the Re
public of Panama), leading citizens
of the Republic and chiefs and. natives
from the remotest quarters -Of the
hinterland—all looking forward to the
dawning of a new administration. In
the midst of this feverish preparation,
the'anxiety of all was" greatly accel
erated the day before the inaugura
tion when two Men-of War were
observed on the Liberian Seaboard
—English and French—.The most
notable interest attached to the men
nf-war was that, they had been
dispatched hither bjf their respective
governments with the unalterable or
der to pay due homage and respect
to the Liberian Government, and the
second inauguration of His Excellen
cy Charles Dunbar Burgess King.
President of Liberia. This movement
of two outstanding nations of the
world is significant.
3 . The display of pomp on the day
of the Inauguration was elaborate and
momentous- The procession that left
the Executive Mansion for the sacred
and hallowed grounds of the previous
inaugurations. The Government’s
Square, was indeed one of impressive
beauty, with its long winding line
composed of the Presidential party (In
Automobiles), tihe Diplomatic Corps,
the Legislature and other dignitaries
of the State, the Frontier Companies,
the Militia, etc., and an innumerable
host of followers all moving in jubi
lant stride to the immortal strains of,
“All Hail, Liberia Hail-” The splen
didly designed and decorated plaza
was artfully in harmony with the
sublimity of the occasion, with its
countless banners dancing amid the
geate zephyrs of that January mom.
Much credit should be given those
who made the occasion presentable
and especially to Dr. T. Elwood Da
vis, the Chief Usher for the Inaugu
ration in bfc tactful management of
that vast concourse of variagated
personages. 1
4. In the midst of this host, at 1:00
P. M., or about 6:00 A. M., Central
American time. Senator J. G. Rich
ards, the President of the Senate, ad
ministered the Oath of Office to the
President. Following this the air was
suddenly rent by the load and thun
derous peals of the National Anthem,
“All Hall Liberia Han,*’ played by the
Frontier Force-iMEM, composed en
tirely of unlettered natives, under
the direction of the reputed band in
structor, Mr. Nathaniel Critchlo-w,
although these natives 6ould neither
read nor write, yet so keen wereHhey
in the manipulation of their respec
tive instruments, as to jiave compelled
' unbounded admiration'from all pres
ent. Ere the last echo of this -soul
stirring anthem had ceased its re
soundings over the hiils, the Presi
dent arose in calm serenity amidst
that august assembly, unveiling to
even the most casual Observer , the
native dignity of this princely port,
(Continued to page 5)"
Oscar W. Adams.
EDITOR OF THE BIRMING
HAM REPORTER.
Endorsed by his Conference
and State Delegation for
Church Extension Secretary.
The African Methodist Episcbpal
Zion Church will no doubt have the
most active and legislative meeting
of its history when the General Con
ference begins its work in Indianapo
lis, Indiana, next May,” said Oscar
W. Adams, prominent layman and
candidate for the office of Secretary
of the Church Extension Department.
- “Our organization has relief upon
its own resources for nearly an hun
dred and twenty years and its hold
ings and reputation is an expression
of the Christian character of the
Negro race Independent of outside
help. *
Whatever the race has in property,
-school*, men and reputation in the"
A. M. E. Zion Church, it is theirs
and cams to them through the toiling
and sacrifices of Negro people, It is
not punctuated with apologies and
Oscar Wl Adams, Endorsed fy Alabama Delegation.
poverty-stricken appeals.
“The race must have aa indepen- |
dent organization in America if it
hopes to have and maintain the re
spect and encouragement of the
leadership of the nation. This could
better be & Christian organization:
The A; M. E. Zion denomination is
a good expression of such an institu
tion, and being on the scene of the
toilings and sacrifices of my own
people^ I am delighted to be counted
on the 4*oll as one of its humble
members.’*
The North Alabama conference of
(Continued cn p?ge 5)
-.
J. H. White, student dfia. thinker, «b .
the oldest member of ihe co&ference.
in point of years end se?vfee.
The da/shing Dr, M. O. Glover, of*
Montgomery, Ala., has cast his hat
into the ring for the General Secre-,
taryship, and promises to be in the
race until the last ballot is cast.
'■ C**
Dr. B. G. Shaw is "dosing the
quadrennium in a blaze of glory as
connections! evangelist. He has had
wonderful success throughout the
country and should be happy /
They all don’t get their D.I 0.1
1 ..\w/^
PARAGRAPHIC PERS0NAL8
AND COMMENTS.
By W. H.Davenport.
-s '
Watching the Breakers expresses
the hope that he will 1)6'able to be
of assistance to the brethren at In
dianapolis in the publication of any*
thing that may be of assistance to
them. See “Dav” first.
the Western Star of Zion is re
established t>ie Rev. Dr. J. W. Carter
has a flying start on tb© 6dltbiaE(Mpw y
Dr. Carter has kept ; the Observer
going-for a number of years, and ia
still strong. *
Dr. J. R. White, of Mobile. Ala.,
says he is in the race for dHurch
Extension Secretary until, the last
ballot is cohnted.
Drs. W. H. Finley, L. D. Work- •
man, A. G. Alstork, J. C. Laramore,
N. D. Crawford and J. H. McMullen,
who are chairmen of delegations, as
well as Dr. J! R. White, have Fong:
been familiar figures in the Generali
Conference, and as members of the'.
Episcopal Committee, will have some
thing to say.
Bishop J. W. *Woodi is clos;’ng up
the work of the SeVehlh Episcopal
District with satisfaction. He has
grown into the hearts of the brethren,
and his influence has increase^ year
'by year.
Rev. J. E. Rodgers, Burlington,
N. J., is, with possibly one exception,
the oldest active member of the New
Jersey Conference. He is making a
very successful presiding elder. Dr.