Africo
“AND YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE
VOL. XLVII. CHARLOTTE, N. C, THURSDAY,
THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CONVENTION;
OR LIFTING UP A STANDARD OF
EFFICIENCY
An Address Delivered by Rev. O. M. McAdams, Thursday, July 23,
on the floor of the Sabbath School Convention of
McClelland Presbytery, Due West, S. C.
Part Two
it is recorded in history that
Negro troops sacrificed them
selves to the last man in de
fending Colonel Green in 1781
when he was attacked at Point
Ridge, N. Y. And in the bat
tle of Monmouth, Bancroft
says that “among the Revolu
tionary patriots who on that day
offered their lives for their
country more than 700 black
men fought side by side with
the whites.”
Moving from the monument
on Boston Common, erected in
honor of Crispus Attucks and
others, we see another monu
ment erected in honor of the
black soldiers who fell in the
defense of the union of the
States and for the freedom of
their enslaved brothers. One
hundred and eighty thousand
black soldiers took up their
arms in defense of the Union
in the Civil War.
In the Spanish American
War the black soldiers won the
day on San Juan Hill. Theodore
Roosevelt and his Rough Riders
would have been cut to pieces
if it had not been for the brav
ery of the Negro soldiers in the
Spanish American war.
And in the great World War
more than a million Negro sol
diers answered the call of Un
cle Sam. Seven hundred colored
officers were commissioned at
Fort Des Moines. The Negro
was represented in practically
every branch of military ser
tho’dffieialo at
Washington were looking for
guards at the White House
whose loyalty to this govern
ment was unquestioned all
America was searched, but no
one was found who could fill
that position as well as the Ne
gro soldiers. Yes, America is
the black man’s land as well as
the white man’s land. And our
young people should know our
fathers and grandfathers and
great grandfathers watered this
American soil with their tears
and enriched it with their
blood. Our young people
should be trained in Christian
citizenship. Our children
should be taught to love and re
spect their native land. They
should to taught to honor the
principles of our national flag—
freedom, justice and equality
before the law—a Democracy
Which treats all its citizens pre
cisely alike.
Chnstian education not only
trains along recreational and po
litical lines; it also trains along
moral and spiritual lines. It
often happens that our State
schools leave the moral and
spiritual side of the child’s life
undeveloped. Why is it that we
$nd intellectual giants in our
'State prisons? Why the Tea
Pot Dome scandal, and the fail
ure of some of the high officials
of this nation? Why the Loeb
and Leopold tragedies? There
Was something left out of the
'curriculum of the schools at
tended by these men and boys:
moral and spiritual training.
We are not forgetting that these
Were the first 'great ideals of our
fathers and our task is to hand
down these ideals to posterity.
But we would give to the future
higher and brighter ideals of
womanhood and manhood than
the ideals we received from our
fathers.
We lift up a standard of effi
ciency in Christian service by
doing away with ignorance. Ig
norance is one of the causes of
sin. All the laws of God are
based on intelligence. Many
times a man violates the law
of God because he is ignorant.
He does not know the law. But
ignorance of the laws of God
excuses no man. Therefore
Jesus calls us to a me oi learn-1
ing. “Take my yoke upon you
and learn of me,” says Jesus.
To follow Jesus means emanci
pation from ignorance. “Ye
shall know the truth and the
truth shall make you free.” A
Knowledge of Jesus emancipates
the minu. Jesus was not an
ignorant man. He grew in wis
dom and in favor with God and
man. And at the age of twelve
He held opinions with the wise
men of the Jewish race. Jesus
came that we might have life
and that we might have it more
abundantly. How can a man
have an abundant life? How can
our young people be overflow
ing with life if they don’t de
velop ail the talents that God
has given them? Thank God
that our Church is putting to
work a new, unified program for
young people from birth to 23.
This new program which will be
available for all churches by
this coming October reaches out
to every condition and circum
stance of the child’s life. The
whole life of the young person
is developed through a firm,
well-built program of Christian
living. The true Christian
strives to learn more about life
and God each day he lives. To
follow Jesus means an enlarge
ment of our minds and all our
powers. Thus we are fitted for
the task which God has given
us. :
In lifting up a standard of ef
ficiency * iff;” CTTlstlari^&rvtcg ’
along the highway of Christian
education, there are some stones
that must be removed. If the
highway of Christian education
would be made safe for our
young people, the stone of infe
riority must be removed. No
man can accomplish in life what
God intends for him to accom
plish if he believes that God
made him a little lower than
other men. The child should be
taught that God does not intend
for it to be the inferior of any
man. “Call no man master
upon the earth,” says Jesus,
“for one is your Master even
Christ.”
Color does not make one man
superior to another man. The
Bible tells us that God has made
of one blood all the nations that
dwell upon the earth. The stone
of inferiority must be taken out
of the highway of Christian ed
ucation. Then in the words of
Burns, the poet of Scotland:
“Then let us pray that come it
may,
As come it will for a’ that;
That sense and worth o’er a’ the
earth,
May bear the gree and a’ that
and a’ that.
It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That man to man the world o’er
shall brothers be.”
Hear again the words of Is
rael’s prophet: “Go through, go
through the gates; prepare ye
the way of the people. Cast up,
cast up the highway; gather
out the stones; lift up the stand
ard for the people.” The stone
of inferiority must be taken out
of the highway of Christian ed
ucation.
And then the stone of dissen
sion must be taken out of this
highway of Christian education.
As a race we should have
sufficient confidence in one an
other to enable us to work to
gether for racial advancement
along the lines of Christian ed
ucation. As a church and race
we should fee more united for
the common good. There should
be less of strife and discord, and
more harmony and peace among
us as a racial group.
And then the stone of indif
ference should be removed. The
inditteemt person is not con
cerned about the 12,000,000
girls and boys in this country
tor whom our Christian civiliza
tion of which we are proud and
delight to boast has not provid
ed even the privileges and op
portunities of the Sunday
School, to say nothing at all
about the day school. The stone
of indifference must be taken
out of the highway of Christian
education. Those 12,000,000 boys
and girls growing up in this our
native land, the land of the free
and the home of the brave, must
weigh heavily upon the mind of
the Church, if we would carry
out the evangelistic and educa
tional program of the Great
Teacher.
Finally, we are not to forget
the soul of the child. All that
is said and done in our Sunday
schools; all that is said and done
in our church, week-day schools;
all that is said and done in our
Annual Conventions; the su
preme aim of our whole program
of Christian education is for the
winning of the soul of the child.
The soul of the child is more
precious than rubies and dia
monds and the dead matter of
ten thousand worlds. There is
nothing to be compared to the
value of the soul. The sun itf
self shall grow dim with age,
and nature sink in years, but
thou, O immortal soul, shall live
on, unhurt, amidst the war of
elements, the crash of matter
and the wreck of worlds. The
soul of the child shall live on
and on through the wreck of
worlds. The soul of the child
shall live on and on through the
ceaseless ages of eternity as
God shall live.
(Concluded.)
3Rjgggfrj£gaj8g»u
For two weeks from Septem
ber 1st to 13th, the writer was
engaged in evangelistic meet
ings in the Oakland and Moores
ville churches, Rev. John A.
Ramseur, pastor. The weather
was hot and the work hard, but
never has the writer spent a
more pleasant two weeks. These
churches compose one of the
best groups in Yadkin Presby
tery. Brother Ramseur is doing
a fine work in the midst of a
splendid people and is held in
high esteem and loved by all.
The entertainment at both
churches was of the highest or
der, and though it was not pos
sible to visit all the folk, we en
joyed what going we did. The
greatest part of the whole meet
ing was the interest and spirit
manifested by the people: the
singing and praying was with
so much spirit until one could
not help but preach. The Chris
tians did what so many fail to
do—prayed for the success of
the meeting and the preacher.'
It is to prayer that the writer
attributes the measure of suc
cess in these meetings. We had
the Spirit with us, because we
prayed, and the people also
prayed for us.
And let me add, we had some
good shouting, too. Talk of
Presbyterians being cold! If you
will warm up with the love of
God and preach Jesus, people
will respond. The two efforts re
sulted in 14 conversions at
Oakland and 10 at Mooresville.
If in need of help I am ready
for service.
W. G. ANDERSON.
Lexington, N. C.
THE SYNODICAL ASSESS
MENT.
Hhe Presbytery of Catawba
in session at Love’s Chapel,
September 11, 1925, ordered all
the churches within its bounds
to see to it that their Synodi
cal dues are all paid to the
Treasurer of Presbytery before
the meeting of Synod.
The approaching meeting of
Synod demands attention to this
matter immediately.
ROBERT P. WYCHE,
Stated Clerk.
By Uncle Billie.
Our Greatest Enemy
In one’s eflprts to achieve cer
tain ends, off in the effort of a
race to att a unto its ideals,
the first thi: that is most like
ly to be cor dered or reckoned
with is tha > which is decided
upon by the me making the ef
fort to be tl most stubborn or
the most hs Jset barrier to be
removed oui of the path that
leads to th< goal. In private
and in publi conversation and
often from tie forums of the
many comm lities and cities, I
have heard i Icusations brought
against this ad the other thing
or groups, j unequivocal lan
guage, as be g our greatest en
emy. Time dll not permit me
to mention ;he many things
great and p< it tlpt have been
decided upor by certain groups
as being our greatest enemy in
the way of mir ecbnomic ad
vance and i ogress otherwise.
But permit n s to mention a few
in contrast m th what I consider
our greatest memy and let you
decide for y urselves which is
working the greatest harm to
you as an ii lividual or to the
world.
1 >verty
is considered by some as being
a people’s m st deadly and hu
miliating foe Truly it is an un
welcome vis ;or. Nobody de
sires or laboi 1 to be poor. Pov
erty reduces ® dependency; de
pendency un ermines manhood;
and defectiv manhood can de
mand very 1 tie, if any, respect
from one ev« in the same class.
You are
Pharisees
inet,
them
mercy of the
g at the cor
r horns that
to those
buried in dire poverty. Such
a state is humiliating and em
barrassing beyond measure.
Color of the Skin.
There are certain groups and
races that contend that “Our
color is against us, and, there
fore, nothing but doom bedims
our star of hope. We all are
compelled to admit that, in
many instances, -the Negro’s
color is firmly braced against
his economic progress. Even in
common labor he is the last to
be employed and the first to be
dismissed when the harvest is
not so white.
The color of the Negro’s skin
makes him the object of every
form of segregation regardless
of culture and refinement and
an extraction whose anteced
ents represent the best blood in
the world.
But is the color of the Negro’s
skin his greatest enemy? Or is
poverty the greatest enemy to
a people? A man can rise above
his poverty and count his dol
lars by the millions and contri
bute practically nothing to the
higher life and be cut off from
many privileges if the animal
in him dominates for the lack of
knowledge.
.Physically one may possess
all that is Ary§n and then
starve and die for the lack of
knowledge. Then from my
viewpoint ignorance is anyone’s
greatest enemy. It is the fath
er of poverty; for you will ob
serve that where ignorance
abounds poverty does much
more abound: and, on the other
hand, where knowledge abounds
wealth does much more abound.
4nd for that reason, when the
Puritans and other explorers
from the European countries
first settled in this country, they
sent back home for some of the
strongest churchmen and school
teachers their former country
afforded that they might have
a constituency, after years of
training, to equal that of their
fatherland- This was a wise
sjtep, for igiiorance extracts the
manly value from the skin, be
i| \yhite or black, very black or
very white. An ignorant white
man is to his white brother of
knowledge what a shrimp is to
a school of hungry fish: they
soon devour him. And it is
equally true with all other races
and groups. The man of knowl
edge knows the relative value
of things as well as he knows
the intrinsic value of things.
The ignorant group sees no val
ue. r
Ignorance sets a limitation on
opportunity through color. Ifr
is a very ignorant man , and a
very black ignorant man, who
limits his course in mathematics
to the rudiments of arithmetic
and algebra because he feels that
the color of his skin will oper
ate against his ever getting a
position at surveying or as a
civil engineer.
Ignorance reduces one to self
satisfaction under all adverse
conditions. A man who is jjust
as well satisfied with nothing as
he is with something is that
much human trash that drifted
to the shore on fioodtide. Such
a man means nothing to the
world only in proportion as he
is directed by knowledge. Whe*i
in quest for opinions and deliv
erances that will be a contribu
tion to the higher and richer
life, ignorance is not considered.
It is cut off from the thinking
part ofthe world only to be used
to carry out the plans and ideas
of knowledge.
The prophet Hoseassays: “My
people are destroyed for the
lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:
6.) A better translation for the
word “destroy” is “cut off.” My
people are cut off for the'lack
of knowledge. And to be cut
off from the source that brings
ope into contact with thctee.ele
naepts; that enter into the mpruL
social, intellectual, and economic
uplift of all men to make them
better material for all that is
Godly, simply means your death
along the principles outlined
above. Ignorance is the fore
runner of moral, social, intellect
ual, economic, and religious
death; it is a blow to every up
ward step.
It was William Lloyd Garri
son, addressing a crowd of col
ored people, when there was op
position to Negro education pri
or to 1861, who said to them:
“I would educate my children
if I had to live on dry bread,
sell my teeth and drain the
blood from my veins.” This
grand old abolitionist saw the
death dealing effect of igno
rance. Ignorance has clutched
in its deadly grip every element
that is destructive to all right
eous principles.
But poverty is an humble con
dition or state of your material
surroundings, which is not a
disgrace, but makes your sur
roundings very inconvenient for
you at times.. You wish to run
to your nearby town on impor
tant business, but your enly
means of geting there is to split
the mud with your wornout
shoes. Quite inconvenient, you
say. But there is nothing
charged up to your moral con
duct on account of this humble
condition.
Color is superficial; and while
it may—and it does in many in
stances—operate against yom
material progress and social as
cendancy and preference it is
capable of making no supreme
sacrifice to meet an emergency
that will turn the tide of un
righteousness for a righteous
cause. When a decision is
reached through color, the thing
decided upon becomes an object
of ridicule, suspicion, and hate.
When an opinion is based on the
color of the skin, the subject be
comes an object of rebuke by
the higher world and an object
of mistrust even by one’s ene
mies, because friendly trick
sters do not trust each other.
But ignorance! 0 ignorance!
thou art a curse of curses! No
heavier curse can be placed on
(Continued on page 3)
NATIONAL LEADERS
TRIBUTE TO JOHNSON,
Washington, Sept. 22.—With
the golden rays of the Septem
ber sun streaming through the
tri-colored windows of Nine
teenth Street Baptist church, all
that was mortal of Henry Lin
coln Johnson, deceased Nation
al Committeeman of Georgia,
lawyer, orator, Scholar, and idol
of the Nation’s'Negro populace,
was given a last farewell by a
host of mourners which crowd
ed the church and overflowed in
to the streets.
President's Letter Read. -
“At the moment of my return
to Washington," wrote Presi
dent Coolidge to the widow of
the deceased, “I received intelli
gence of the death of your hus
band.' I wish you to know of
my sorrow at his passing, and
of the sympathy which I feel
for you and your sons in your
great loss. I have long known
and prized the loyalty of Mr.
Johnson to his party, andto my
self personally, and I recognize
that in his death his associates
lose a valude friend, and his race
one of its ablest and most con
sistent defenders."
Cabinet Members Present
Just back of the center of the
church sat Secretary of Labor
James J. Davis, . Postmaster
General Harry S. New, Senator
William M. Butler, of Massachu
setts; First s Assistant Postmas
ter General J. H. Bartlett, and
Second Assistant Postmaster
General W. I. Glover; while
close around the bier were
mourners of national note, the
majority of whom had jour
neyed from far distant points
to pay their last tribute to
Colonel Johnson.
Chairman Butler’s Tribute.
Chairman William M. Butler / .
issued the following tribute to
H*^Uns»h^ ,
was printed in the Washington
“Post" and other papers.
“It is with very considerable
regret that I have noticed the
passing of Henry Lincoln John
son, Republican National Com
mitteeman.
“He was a man possessed of
ability and eloquence and sin
cerity. His loyalty to the Re
publican party, its principles and
its candidates was a striking
and dominating influence in all
his activities. The Republican
party in his death has lost an
upright, conscientious adherent.
His race has lost a spokesman
of wide vision.”
FARMERS’ ORGANIZATIONS.
Washington, Sept. 22.—In the
counties and States in which
there are a considerable num
ber of colored farmers possibly
the most pressing need is the
organization of associations that
are calculated to look after the
productive and commercial end
of agriculture. Anyone who
travels through the agricultural
districts of Pennsylvania is im
pressed with the thrift and ap
parent prosperity of the farm
ers, with the well cultivated
fields, the well kept farm homes,
buildings, and fences, the fa|t
and sleek cattle, and the good
roads and bridges. Inquiry will
develop the fact that most of
these successful farmers belong
to an organization through
which they purchase their sup
plies and sell their products, and
that when county improvements
are necessary or when State or
national legislation is needed to
advance the interests of agri
culture they speak collectively
and intelligently through their
organizations. In Pennsylvania,
county organizations among the
farmers number from four to
ten in each county, and in the
State there are forty-four
State wide organizatiohs, all
connected directly or indirectly
with agriculture and things re
lating to rural life. A new day
will daws for our nearly one
million colored farmers, the big
business men of our racial group,
when they realize the many ad
vantages to be gained through
cooperative efforts.