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VOLUME FORTY-NINE. CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1925 ■ ' ___' • _:___ NUMBER NINE. Seeing Jesus Only, The Way To Christian Unity. Rev. E. George Biddle, D. D. The Transfiguration was about a week after Peter’s heaven inspired confession,—“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus had promised that they “Should see the Son of Man Coming in His Kingdom with Power.” This was the fulfill ment of that promise. Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother; the Apostolic triumvirate, “Into a high mountain apart by themselves, and as He prayed the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His rai ment was white and glistening. And, Behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in a glorified state, and spake of His departure, which was soon to take place at Jerusalem.” Moses and Elijah were personally concerned, for their eternal life, aa well as ours was contingent on the fulfillment of their prophesies; foi what they had prophesied was the very WORD OF GOD. But they were there to attest, not to question. Moses representing the law; now after being about fifteen hundred years in his “spiritual ‘body,” comes back to earthly scenes: showing that though we die, and are buried, STILL WE HAVE A BODY IN WHICH WE CAN APPEAR ON EARTH TO MEN! Eli jah, though^ about nine hundred years had elapsed since “He went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (A type of what is yet to be the experience oi the true Christian Church.) See 1st Cor. 15; 51, 52. Acts I; II. Heb. 9; 28. • ,r The appearance of these two Old Testament Saints on “the Holy mount” was a symbol of what they who are then in the flesh when Jesus returns shall attain unto, if they are found living the Godly life .in their “mortal flesh;” for this “body” in which we now live is simply the “seed” of our “spiritual” body. (See 1st Cor. 15, 35-38, and 2nd Cor. 5, 1 to 9.) The Christ life, which is the new birth from “above,” is not only the one absolute security for the l life to come, but is the only way for Christian Unity. The spectacle of a disevered, dis cordant Christendom presents th i most appalling hindrance to the pro gress of real Christianity extant; the great question is, how is this stumb ling block to be removed? The bless ed Saviour ardently prayed for the Unity,—the ONENESS of His follow ers; His whole teaching, was to draw all men and women, and boys and girls to Himself, what noble charac ters are made of the youtlf who yield to this drawing; He said, “And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” This Transfiguration scene was one of His methods; it fully showed that both the lqw and the prophets converged in Him. The Apostle Paul in his first Epis tle to the Corinthians, even after ad-4 dressing them as “saints,” gently re proved them, saying, “I have been in formed that party feeling* exists among you, one saying I am for Paul, another I am for Apollos, and anoth er, I am for Cephas, and another, I am for Christ; you have rent the Christ‘in pieces.” After thus mildly rebuking them, 'he urges ONENESS in thought and act; in one of the most far-reaching verses in the Holy Scrip tures; (1st Cor. 1:10.) “Now I be seech you, brethren, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mindt and in the same judg ment.” We must be “of one accord” before the Pentecostal shower will come upon us. < b We will secure this desired Unity and Harmony just in proportion as we live the Christ Life; in every thing seeing JESUS ONLY, even as Paul did; regarding all things also as rub bish in comparison to Him. ft is well known that even in the local church, real spiritual unity is dependent upon subordinating everything to the hon or and glory of Christ. Zion and Bethel have almost -the same Ritual, Hymnal and Church Polity. but there can never be any real union between our two Churches until we take our eyes off of James Varick and Richard k-Allen as a pathway to ty, and fix our soul and mind on j JESUS ONLY: we do not mean that i we are in any way to discredit our * founders, but nather that we are to honor them by our loyalty to Christ. It is not by looking to John Wesley, John 'Calvin, John Knox, John Huss, John the'Baptist, or even to John the Beloved Disciple that we shall, attain unto Christian Unity; the churches of Christiandom have an hundred differ ent names by which they are known, 90 PER CENT OF CON GRESSMEN CHURCH MEN. More than 90 per cent of the mem bers of the incoming Congress are adherents of some religious denomi nation, according to a statement from the Board of Temperance, Prohibition and Public Morals of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Washington, D. C., which today announced it had com pleted investigation. “Methodists lead in both the Senate and House,” says the' sattement, “with Presbyterians and Episcopal ians following closely. In the House of Representatives there are 90 Meth odists and 27 in the Senate. The Presbyterians have 63 members of the house, and the^re are 11 Presby terian Senators. The Episcopalians number 57 Representatives and 22 Senators. Thirty-two Representatives are members of the Roman Catholic Church, with four Senators of that church. There are 8 Hebrews in the House and none in the Senate. . “The following is a summary: House Senate Methodist -- 90 27 Episcopal- 57 22 Presbyterian- 63 11 Baptist- 48 5 Congregational- 32 6 Christian Disciples- 21 1 Lutheran - 17 2 Quaker- 3 1 Un. Brethren-- 2 0 Reformed —"- 3 0 Mennonite - 1 0 Mormon - 1 2 Universalist- 2 0 Unitariah- 4 2 Christian Science .- 1 0 Roman Catholic- 32 4 Hebrew- 8 0 Protestant -- 7 0 None - 35 10 Vacancies- 1 0 Unknown^- 7 3 Total - 435 96 “Southern members are • mostly Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian. From the east come Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Catholics, and Jews. The middle west is well represented in almost all de nominations. “If members of fraternities which require belief in God are taken 'ijjto consideration the number of lawmak ers who have professed religious con viction will be found still greater. There are 304 Masons in the House and 65 in the Senate. Ninety-eight Representatives are Knights of Py thias and there are 13 Knights in the Senate. The Odd Fellows have 74 Representatives a^d 7 Senators. Of the 35 men in the House of Repre-^ sentatives with no religious affilia tion, 23 are Masons and 2 are Pyth ians, while of the 7 whose religious affiliations are unknown, 4 are Ma sons. _ The 10 Senators with no rhlig* ious affiliations include 6 Masons, and all three of those whose religious af-' filiations are unknown are Masons. “While mudwe being said of the decline of the influence of the church,” sayi the Board of Temperance, “these figures bring out strikingly the fact that the little church on Main street, the meeting house-in the wildwood and the big city church are still fur nishing the intelligence and character which direct the destinies of the na tion. ' \ “America was founded by men who were, in the main, devoted believers in the Christian faith, and the nation. will not go far astray so long as it is directed according to Hie. principles of the fatherhood of God and the broth-, erhood of man as laid down by the v NORDIC NONSENSE. By Bishop Frederick Fisher, in New York Christian Advocate Among all the things which divide the human race, the most deadly, is the present tendency on the part of self-appointed Nordic specialists to demand mobilization along racial lines. This is much more terrible than mobilization along’patriotic or nation al lines, for the simple reason that nationality has sometimes been de termined by arbitrary and temporary divisions, whereas an jappeal to race is more instinctive and atavistic. It is an appeal which will rouse with greater ferociousness all the animal prejudices and in stincts. The man or group of men appealing to this prejudice is playing with fire and with the most deadly human explosive. OUR JAUNTY SENSE OF SUPERI ORITY. This expansion has given us a jaunty sense of superiority, and we have in many instances mistaken power and the products of education for inherent racial Superiority. It might be conceded that at the pres ent time the white race in general ,will show a superiority over the Ne gro race in general; But it is because 'of inherent racial superiority or be cause of a larger educational devel opment through a series of genera tions? Our sustained emphasis upon education and democracy has paral leled the marvelous scientific discov eries and application; have been made by the people who hive inherited the advantages of this sustained educa tional system. Suppose the same methods and processes of education had been applied to the brown or yellow or black race and denied tc us. Might they not ] have been the people to have entered into the sci entific discoveries, ' tnerfelby creating for themselves the tobls with which to wield a universal power? A study of the reports of the American army shows that the liter ate Negroes from the Middle-Western States of the North surpassed the lit erate Negroes of the South, and also surpassed the literate whites froftv practically a dozen of the Southern States. The purest Nordics in Amer ica are the mountain , whites of the South. Is it not, therefore, passing strange that these pure Nordics did not surpass the pure Africans in the intelligence tests? It will be seen from a similar study that the States of Massachusetts and Rhode Island surpassed certain Middle-Western States. It is a patentiiaet that a veri table tide of Mediterranean stock has immigrated to frew England Now, according to the crowing of the Nordic cock{ the pure Nordics of th: Middle States should have surpassed the Mediterraneans of the New Eng land States. But the exact reverse i: true. Professor William C. Bagley har done an inestimable service in calling attention to the fact .that very prob ably the more highly developed edu cational system of New England - caused the Mediterraneans, to surpass the Nordics of the Middle West, and the betted educational system of the Middle North caused the trained Af ricans to surpass the Southern whites In other words, it was not race oi color of skin, but education that de termined the results. Really, the most ridiculous recfen book oh the whdle race question is th< most consistent. This is that odd bool called, “The Radical Prospect,” bj Seth ing Humphrey—a revised editioi of an old book. In this pseudo-scien tific tirade, the author writes al though the human race should be a vast breeding stable, advocates forci ble eugenics, and baldly suggests chloroforming all weak and backward peoples. The wholesale use of modern poison gas is as hothing compared tc this theory. Any grouj? of financier securing a monoply on chloroform would be able to make a fortune out of a system like this! The odd thing about authors of this kin£ is that it never occurs to them that- they are among the undesirables. . The first thing that an ^aroused public'ought to do is to Chloroform them. Their very suggestion shows lack of a sense of humor. At nny rate they are not suf co: ted to come forward Crusading For African Redemption OUR LANDING, LUGGAGE iAND MAMMY CHAIR. By Bishop C. C. Alleyne. I “Christ the Son of God hath sent me Through the midnight lands, Mine the mighty ordination Of the pierced hands.” The Prophet Isaiah talked of the “land of the rustling wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopa.” The twentieth century missionary, or landing in Africa, at once recognizes it as the land thus described by the ancient Seer. Eor if he has a list ening ear he hears the rustling of wings. God is stirring up the spirit of the sons of this midnight land, as an eagle stirreth up her nest. Hav ing waited and suffered through the centuries they are about to “rise up op wings as eagles.” They have caught a glimpse of the rising sun, of a civilization not wholly unknown to them, and they have plumed their wings and are about to claim their forfeited place. Here: cruelty of white men. After a ride of an hour and a half in a Ford car we arrive at Quittah, where Bishop Small planted Zion’s banner a quarter of a century ago. The town of Quittah is built on a par row strip of land, resembling some* what a Peninsula. In some places it is but a half mile in width, and broth ers about three quarters of a mile. "Where the sand has drunk hot tears From the brimming eyes of millions Through the iong ungracious years,” they are slowly awakening and have begun the weary climb up the spiral of present-day progress. Those who have “the mighty ordination of the -pierced hands” are needed to give im petus to their strivings and guide them in their climb. These like their Master, must “go about doing good.” •There are wounded hearts to be mended; lost souls to be reclaimed: prisoners to be released; diseased bod ies to be cured; cheerless lives to be gladdened, and willing listeners to whom must be preached “the accept able year of the Lord.” On Saturday, January 3, 4025, we landed"at Lome and were met by Rev. R. E. Peters, who with his good wife had preceded us by five days to the scene of their past labors. The pros pect of a ride in the Mammy-chair now becomes a reality. ^ Fashioned after the order of the chairs built on the merry-go-round/ it contains about ■ six seats. In this you are seated, while it is attached to the windlass, by which it is hoisted and swung out over the side of the ship, and then lowered into the boat that is to take you ashore. Meantime you retain your seat and at the wharf the Mammy chair is again lifted by another wind lass and you are safely deposited on the soil of your ancestral home. Then is begun the transportation of your luggage. Much has been told you during the voyage about the lazi ness of the African, and the impos sibility of moving about with heavy nieces of baggage. As a conse quence you have worried as to how these extremely heavy trunks will be carried. You are now in the unde veloped land, among a primitive peo-1 pie, given to primitive methods. Worst I of all, a country inhabited by black; men,"heralded the world over as a lazy, non-working race. But this traduced, maligned, misrepresented people is disporting a muscle-de-i velopment that would fill the average American or European athlete with envy. You call a few of them, and in lessc-time than it takes to tell it, these heavy trunks, each weighing several hundred pounds, are lifted singly to individual heads. Lifted by black hands to the heads of black men, designated Native-carriers. You stand ^amazed as they vtalk upright and apparently unconcerned. Here are heads “bloody but unbowed.” But why the^hmazement ? Are not these the brothers of men, the sons of wo men, who have carried the world’s burdens, done the world’s work, per formed the menial tasks of the world, and then have been crucified on a, cross of malicious propaganda and false representation, in order to justi fy the pnejudice and condone the flows; and to the east the waters of the Atlantic lash their fury on the rocks and "then flow gently on the sands. One can stand on the unfin ished veranda of the Mission house andxsee both the Lagoon and the Ocean. At this time of the year there is no rain and the Lagoon dries, up. Last Sunday we crossed it like the children J of Israel “on dry ground,” on our way" to Agbosome, (the G is silent) where we have a Church and school, stand ing on two acres of- ground; a fine lo cation for an Industrial Institute. But we were describing Quittah! Well, Quittah is sandy, and you have to take lessons in walking, and be sides learn to take care of tired feet at set of sun. On either side of the road are the waving palm and the tropical cocoanut tree. The former promising victory, and the latter sup plying a refreshing drink. You have not come to Marah but Elarn, for here the waters are sweet. There are no skyscrapers here, and you find it-difficult to convince the unsophisticated folk that such tall buildings are a reality. You insist and they are at length convinced against their will. But there are bungalows and two-story houses; public buildings and churches of ar chitectural beauty* Thanks to the foresight of the Rev. W. E. Shaw col laborating with the daring of- Bishop Walters, the ZioJF Mission House is about the highest residential building in the town. This means that our missionaries keep comparatively cool (.Continued to page S> THE CHARACTER OF MILTON. A FRENCH LECTURER’S VIEW. - “The New Conception of Milton” is the title of a course of three public lectures that Prof. Denis Saurat, Di rector of the Institute Francais, has been giving on Monday afternoons at University College, London. The first lecture fully justified the title of the series, for it expounded a view of Milton’s character very different from that which has been commonly ac cepted. According to the lecturer, re cent research has added to Milton’s reputation as a thinker, ibut leaves hi mnot quite so much of a saint' as he has been supposed to be. The ed ucation given him must_ have fostered in him from childhood a great sense jf' his own importance, and he natu rally received a shock when he went up to the University. In his first years, at Cambridge he was unpopular, and his subsequent popularity among his contemporaries there may be taken to indicate that he was somewhat pli ant. He showed an early suscepti bility to the charms of wome^ chiefly manifested in his Latin pqerns, which were by no means Puritanical. Milton ;ook great pride in his purity and his literary power which he linked to gether. It is not Clear to Prof Saurat why Milton gave up his intention ’ of entering the Churchy but he thinks there is a good deal in the hypothe sis of a recent German writer that he did so because it was not possible at that time to. go into the Church and continue to write lay poetry., ~r IJe had' made up his mind that he wap going to be a great poet whatever happened.\ , ^ v , . As to Milton’s marriage, Prof. Saurat endorsed the view held by Prof. William Smart, of Edinburgh, but hitherto unpublished, that he wr# married to Mary'Pdweil not at Whit sun, 1643, but ih 1642. The accept^* ance of 1642 as ‘ the date khoeks oh the headthie legend that he whs. busy during his honeymoon in writing vi olent • divorce ; pamphlets. The actual year is neifc ;given in any docuhtenfe The < more i ireatonable reconstruction WktfteF tha jbaarriagftifthatf ■ mmm
The Star of Zion (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Feb. 26, 1925, edition 1
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