Newspapers / The Star of Zion … / Nov. 6, 1924, edition 1 / Page 1
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M) - igSMjS'1-*b £555 NUMBER FORTY-FOUR CHARLOTTB, NORTH CAROLINA. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1924 VOLUME FORTY-BIGHT EPISCOPAL ADDRESS. Bishop P. A. Wallace, D. D. Delivered at the_ 59th session of the Tennessee Conferennee, held at Chattanooga, Tenn.^ Oct. 16, 1924. Dear Brethren: Under the protection o? Almighty God, our all-wise and loving Heav enly Father, we are permitted to r&semble in another annual confer^ ence. We come not only to give an account of our (stewardship, but from th;s high mount of vision, to survey the field that We might prop-" erly visualize the tremerdous tasks which are before us- We pray Al mighty God to bestow upon us such Pentecostal gifts of the Spirit, that this entire annual conference, during the days we may abide here, may be so imbued with power from on high, that all selfish and! unworthy ambi tions may be driven out, and that we may all be led to discharge every duty, fearlessly, wisely and solely in the interset the Church and the building of the Kingdom of God among men. Tae tnougnt mat me irmo of Jesus Christ5 is a co-worker with God, is in active partnership with God, whoso purposes are ripening fast, unfolding every hour, right here before our eyes, is almost over whelming in its conception. The thought that this old world is to be made a place where dwelleth right eousness* Justice, love and brother hood, by our working in active par rership with God should send us out and down from this hill of privilege with hearts on fire with holy zeal, to render better service to our fellow man, and to measure up to the great responsibilities which are ours. .p.-' By the action of the General ^Con ference, whieh met Indianapolis. Indiana, last May, I come to assume the superintendency of the Tennessee Conference. I come not among you as- a stranger—though I may be a stranger to some—neither do I feel like a stranger in a strange land. But on the contrary, Lookout Moun tain, Missionary Ridge, and the hills and valleys of East Tennessee afe scenes most familiar to me. I was born within the bounds of this con ference. The first' annual conference that I ever attended met in old E. St. church in 1890. I came m a lay delegate representing the Big Gully church and the Unitia Circuit, Later I was received as a preacher or trial at Cleveland, Tenn, and re ceived my first appointment from the Lands of Bishop Lomax, of sainted memory. I am sure you will pardor this extended reference to myself when you know how pleased I am tc have the privilege of laboring witli jou for the ensuing four years, and being once again among the scene? of my early youth. In taking the overedght of tht conference, I am aware that I, an following in the wake of one of the foremost leaders and churchmen ol the race, in the person of Georg? Clinton Clement, who wisely directed your efforts for the past eight years 1 regard Bishop Clement as) one o the greatest exponents of Negr< Methodism, and one of the race safest counsellors! and leaders, have noted with great pleasnse th< wonderful progress this conference has made under hts brilliant leader chip. It will be my object to take up the work where he left off. am to carry it up the hill of progress, i maybe, a little farther; to strengthei the things that remain and to plan the banner of the Cross^ and tb standard of Zion Methodism on ever; 1*111 top and 1n every "-alley at thl y-nrifi did commonwealth. To this end, I summon each prs siding elder, each paster, ever preacher, conference worker yei every loyal member of the Africa Methodtet Episcopal Zion Churd to Join the ranks o 'fthe marchln? militant hosts and help to pvt tb urogram over. A larger and beftl Zion in Tennessee is our slogan an to bring about thin consummation ! «nr aim and purpose. The last a no THE SHIRKING PEWS. The paralytic stroke of pessimism ■which has seised the pew is. we ore told, in large measure accountable for the predicament in/ which' the Church finds itself. In fact, it is the stockholders themselves who are driv ing the Church into insolvency by a policy of doubt and despair Which would- send any business into bank ruptty. A -cause of .this . ^ppears to T.n hufhottty is that the *pt# ijejfsi mists hear the problems of v the Church' discussed in dizzying phrases ag problems of ' world-wide signifi cance, and magnify a break in the wall as a total ruin, beyond hope of restoration Jt is, of course, well enough to view the Church’S prob lems in the large. But. as the Rev. Lloyd C. Douglas, a Congregational clergyman and author who has held many important posts in church work, tells us, too many in the pew reefer to discourse on these prob-' lems in terms of world ruin than to discuss calmly the. probable reasons why the Sunday morning, congrega tion at Grace Church, Ourtown, to insufficient to .fill half the pews or underwrite the budget of its frugal expenses. Yet. he goes on :n the Pittsburgh Christian -Advocate (Methodist), "unless we. local agents and department managers, soon give come attention .to tho smaller details incident to -our tasks, it is clear that we shall have let ourselves in for more perplexity than even they eus pect who report disquieting findings from the higher altitudes of prophet ic discernment.” He suggests thgt 1 (he situation be approached in the : manner in which Nehemiah ap 1 preached the rebuilding of the wall? • of Jerusalem^ instead of contemplat ing the ( whole ruin from a neighbor ’ ing hilltop. Nehemiah rode around *■ the debris one night with a note »j hook in hand. Next day he invited ^; representatives of the various trades 1! and unions, and persuaded each to » rebuild a portion in which he was ■ particularly interested. By-lunpb » time, the walls and the gate were as 1 good a« rebuilt. So. if eomethlng in f particular in your church in Ourtown 1 troubles you. adTises Dr. Douglas, t attend to that yourself, each individ » ; ual taking-up a particular task. For f i instance: — ! 1 \ »l “Tf the only ailment your ehurch i in Ourtown suffers today Is the fact • that jhour official board is dominated 7 hr some close-fisted old rascal who. i. if he h»d practiced the same disgust » ft»K economics in his own business u dcwn-towr» the*. he advocates txi 'the :> rmdential prasawn of the church, e Trr.nidv’t be able T5o buy himself a ** three-by-seven lot next to 'the back d x fence in the village cemetery, conld s you younger business men of Grace Church see to it th^t he is jre’ieved e of his responsibilities at the first o a _— ev IS THE A SI FORCE? By Rev. J, W. uel Chur< terd,Emman MontreaL Such a queeti leading to a portri famous faces loo]* tarnished frames* os tom, the golde to him, August ment. There are Knox and W Whitfield^ recajig liers of Kingst* throne Christ by That was prea conjure pur memo wand. We join thronged to the and Spurgeon a We listen to the: of Henry Ward B in twain the ▼! hiding the ini and blood. What wrought oh the men had caught something of the i® like a door gallery, where lown from their ere is Chrys Led, and next dghty in aigu er and Calvin, hile/the face of le grimy col moved to en glowing words . Other portraits like a wizard’s st crowds that ij of Parker Tttps Brooks., ing eloquence i«r as he tears E eofdid greed traffic in flesh thp impresBon d? That these passion and sower of ' their Master. While portraits of R. W Dale, Talmage, and Mf.'’aren, con strain us to say, not without sadness: There Were giants In those days. These men werjr pulpit princes whose word Wa® w|h power- But they have gone! Has the power of the pulpit also pasiM? There seems to be only one repl& The pulpit has been superseded by the press. Men read more than d|ey did—though unme think the lessf The day When the pulpit was the 4 chief means’ of instruction has gone* The Church is no longer the edle ’ljdsitbdian of cul ture. nor can she tic&e again for the unquestioning obedience that once honored her co&Aihds. Yet far Pf6nr-betnr:« ^pOT™rd<i//Che-^pulpit has a vital place ' to *\flU In these times, when the -faith Of some has failed- and when material! hreatens all that the soul iear. I If. however we oonfjise^tber power cf tbe pulpit with the men who have ?orved If ip the past, if we think that anything can supersede the liv ing word that sways the multitude, or comforts the solitary, we forget the commission of the embassador, and the Sovereign from whom he comes. The days of great preaching are not over. There are still devoted men of God. who without sensation alism. hold vast audiences from week to week. There are others in quieter spheres, preaching the un searchable riches of Christ, and with what result? They bring en richment to the impoverished, con solation to the sorrowful., guidance to the perplexed, and that help and heading with which alone the Gospel •;8 charged. Such work is of incal culable importance. Such ministries prove indisputably that 6od still speaks, through hie servants the prophets. The despairing find hope. The sin-burdened fln4 reflief. Power to fight cornea .to the warrior, and gracje to carry the daily burden glad dens the Christian heart. ‘‘Your test work in the pulpit.’’ said an em inent scientist to our late friend, Dr. John Watrtotu.“has been put to heart into men ifor the coming week.” This is the peculiar privilege of the pulpit today. Yet cannot the same benefit be ob tained from a good "book or a racily written article in the Sunday news paper? Never, to the same extent. Man need* the bread of life, hut he needs even more • Truth comeoi most powerfully through a sanctified. pe/ sonality that has experienced , the goodness and mercy of God. One fret of our^faith is capable of new emphasis, it ,is that ‘‘the Word be came flesh and dweflt among us. Wherever Christ went, men felt the power of his pansonaiity>J!Kie^watrmth of Ms diYine^humairJi^&* the reality of his* love, were felt in the word* he spoke. ReveaMng the glory of God end the potential glory of man. he yet traverse# the most familiar piths to reach th«| soul. No wonder tfcfrt Christ's preaching produced a the (Jry and dusty doctrines of the scribes were an chaff in contrast with golden grain. He led men forth into a new world. The crimson sun betokening fair weather, or the flashing scimitar of summer lightening became symbolic of spiritual things. ■the corn ripening under the Ms® of the sun Of waving beneath the breeze, spoke of the Spirit’s ways. The flowers decked: the green mantle* of earth like the ornate embroidery on a royal robe, and not only was Solo mon eclipsed, but the fact of God's' fatherly care became more certain While the wheeling ravens and the sparrows chirping in the streets also spoke of an unforgetting Prov idence^ Jesus showed the mother in ihe home, leavening the meaff, salting a scant portion of meat, or even patching a worn garment, and the commonplace became a vehicle of the eternaU And'the man filling his wine-skin® and gossiping the while r.bout a scapegrace son who had come back, or hearing of a traveller who had been attacked bn the Jericho road, provided material for a master ly parable. Christ la the preacher’s model, bo long as his servants strive to meet human needs as Jesus did, declaring the message of redemption, and ap plying the Gospel to the problems of today, the pulpit cannot be a spent force. Yet that does not mean that It cannot be more powerful than it is at present. Men want to hear the timeless themes of the divine ideal for the race, and Christ’s love and sacrifice. They need the challenge of the Cross. But the more humanity blends with -our divinity in the pul pit, the more effective will be Its witness. There is need to remember that the sunlit heights may daunt -come- by theh? very altitude, -and many a man so weary of life’s way that he lacks e^en the inclination to essay the ascent. The minister who Is in.close touch with men, and still better if he has. had some business experience, will make allowance for such. He will be touched with a feeling of their infirmities. He will impart reinforcement as well as re proof. He will impart not only coun sel. but also comfort and courage Understanding the discouraged and despairing before him. he will fyy Hs glowing human heart alongside theirs, gs Elisha placed his body on that of the stricken child. And what an effect this has on a.human ®oul!! Such preaching cannQt be in vain. When he has built liis altar and laid thereon the sacrifice of mind and heart, thp divine fire wiTl kindle it., and inspiration and conviction will result. There is one other thing that needs to be re-affirmed, the, power of the pulpit depends also on the pew to a remarkable degree. . Great hearing makes great preach ing. Without disparaging our pulpit princes, one sometimes wonders if seme of their success is not due*to the fact that people go expecting; something great, and so get it. We need to foster that spirit of expec tancy. and then—strive to meet it ■When a man feels that his congre gation has assembled not to bear him, but to receive^ the word of the Living God, when he sfees the look of ear nest desire in their faces and knows that both he and his message have been the burden of his people’s pray ers, he will wieM a power like unto that of the preachers of the past. HIe word will be in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Like Park cr. knowing that he is an embasador of Christ, the thoughtrmay overwhelm him for the moment, hut realizing too that he speaks in the name of the Eternal King, he will be strong. God’s word cannot return to him void. A new note of urgency will ring in his message. A deeper tenderness and sympathy will be felt in hie i min istry. And both he and' Ms hearers, yes. and the world at large will be gin to know the majesty of his mis sion. Thus while God speak* to men through men. the pulpit cannot be regarded as other than one of God's greatest agencies for the restoration SONGS OF VARIOUS SCHOOLS. INTERPRETED IN MASTER FUL STYLE BY ABBIB MITCHELL. At Rush Memorial Church v Recital. Music is a jealous mistress and re quires much of her; admirers and lovers. Rigid and arduous must be •:> the preparation before the acolytes are admitted to the ranks of priests and priestesses who chant her can ticles and intone her prayers. And this course of training means trav- \ eling Over a long, hard road, beset j with tfials and tribulations that tax the strongest fibre of the soul. But to those who possess the wilt and courage to endure to the end there i® no greater reward than is contained in tire gracious favor of the goddess atji it i® conferred upon worthy exponents of her art. Such an exponent sang a few nights ago to'the delight and pleas ure of her hearers. Abbie Mitchell, dramatic soprano, incomparable in her art. interpreted/a program of un usual interest, with Medville Charl ton, Mus.. Doc., (A. A. G. O.) at the piano. , The recital was given in the audi torium of Rush Memorial AM. Es Zion church- the Rev, G. M, Oliver, raster, under the auspices of the church choir of which Mrs. Elsie Benson Bourne is organist-director, and Mrs. Ruth A. Handy,.president. The program covered a wide range, and furnished an interesting back ground for interpretative ability of the artist and her accompanist, German lieder, Russian melodies, Italian and English art songs, with s Mendelssohn aria from a sacred can idge-Taylor’s wonderfully fine song for a soprano from “The Death of Minnehaha,” second part of the “Hi awatha’’ triology, all sung in Eng- * lish brought rare enjoyment to a discriminating and appreciative au dience. Of course, the audience was not as large as it should have been. It is an ' unfortunate truth that with all his \ast store of musical inclination, the Negro is notably lax in patronizing musical events. Russian, Hebrew, French, Italian, German or English artists of the cah'bre of Abbie Mitch ell and Melville Charlton would have been greeted by an audience for which Rush Memorial church could have found no accommodation. Those present, however, made up in enthn si asm what they lacked in numbers . With an unusual linguistic equip ment at her command, Miss Mitchell elected to use only, English for this recital; and it was a. wise decision. She sings the Italian, German and French scores with the intonation and accent of a native, and she singe Hungarian, Russian, Yiddish , with equal facility. But in chopsng to etich to English in this recital she, was favoring the majority of the au dience who . lacked familiarity with most of the songs on the program, This was true because the songs used are not often heard by race concert.audiences. The opening song: of the first group was a Madrigal by t \ Vincent DTndy, and this was follow ed by two Schubert lieder, “Restle&a Love” and "My Abode.*’ 4. variation from the printed pro gram brought Godard's ‘Florian’w Love Song” from its original position * ip the fourth group to head the sec-,' ond groups taking the " place of Grieg’s “Springtime.” Then came two songs by a German composer of unusual attributes, Hugo Wottfs <!tn satiable Love” and "Forsaken Bidd en.*- Giuseppe Lillo's ‘Tomorrow.” with its swing of classic syncopation.].! won. the audience’s favor and had to be repeated. On her third apearance, the artist went out of the realm of soprano numbers and gave that magnificent tenor aria. "Sorrows of Death,” from Mendelssohn's “Hymn of Praise”
The Star of Zion (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 6, 1924, edition 1
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