>W THE TRUTH, AND THE Tfc
VOL. L.
CHARLOTTE, N*: C.
MAKE YOU FREE.”—John viii, 36.
TOE quaufkahons of a successful
MINISTER ,
—
(Paper read at the Presbyterian Workers’ - Conference held at
Haines Institute, Augusta, Ga., January 31st to February 3rd.)
. ..- —
By Dr. I. D. Davis f
Every profession has elements
that point to success. Any one
who does not desire, or aim at
of anticipate success in his pro
fession is what one might call a
Miss-No-Ma.
The engineer stars in the
round house or on the yard
coupling cars and in accordance
as he makes a success he is pro
moted until he reaches the posi
tion of his heart’s delight,
placing his hands on the throttle
and his eyes on the rail.
The carpenter begins at the
foot of the ladder, observing the
holding of the hammer, the
drawing of the saw, the shov
ing of the plane, observing the
mitres, the matching, and the
dove-tailing.
The mason starts getting the
bricks, then making the mortar,
carrying this to its proper place
and observing the man as he ap
plies his plumb, level and square.
He will observe that the man is
very particular about his perpen
diculars, his horizontals, and to
see that the squares are 0. K.
If the stone can’t be spared it
is rejected or thrown out. Not
only is it true as to those I have
mentioned, but the same holds
true with all other professions
—I need not name them.
Since the ministry is a pro
fession, there aire elements that
go to make up a successful min
istry. So many of these are
' looming up
comes a question which to give
first. I suppose we might be
permitted to give them in two
divisions.
The Major and Minor Elements
The major, which stands out
alone, has no equal and may have
two tangents. When I consider
the major—and I know this
whole conference will agree with
me—the minister must be a
Christian. A bishop said on one
occasion, “I am to set aside on
tomorrow a number of young
men to the gospel ministry. But
remember, it is not the laying
of my hand on the head that
will make them ministers, but
the consecration of the heart.”
Yea, to be a successful minister
he must be consecrated. It is
not the laying on of the hands
of the Presbytery but the conse
crated heart. After the man
has been set apart to this sa
cred office there are some es
sential things that must be done.
Let me say one of the elements
necessary for a successful min
istry, is, the minister must stu
dy—always go before the people
with a fresh supply.
We might get a lesson from
the story told by the shepherd
who was showing his friend the
flock, and said to him, “Each
one has a name and each knows
his name and will come when
his name is called, me menu
pointed to a large one and asked,
“What is his name?” He said,
“His name is Jack.” “Suppose
you call him and see if he will
come.” The shepherd said to
the man, “Look at my hands;
you see I haye nothing in them.
I never call them unless I have
something for them. I have
never disappointed one of them.”
I know you see my point; we
must not disappoint our people.
If you are going to give them
corn, let it be corn; see the les
son! Let your sermon be a fresh
supply—not old corn—not what
they have heard two or three
times, but something new. If
you want something new, read.
A thoughtfully prepared sermon
is good food for the people.
When I would go to feed my
geese I made a certain call or
noise; they would stretch out
their wings and come running,
for they knew something they
same is true with the church.
Not only- must the minister
make thorough preparation, but
he must be regular. Don’t dis
appoint yo»r people; don't have
them looking for you and be
disappointed. The late Dr. Lo
gan, one of the pioneer minis
ters, in addressing a class of
young ministers, said, “Young
men, Paul said be instant in
season and out of season. When
you have„pretty weather that is
in season and when you have
bad weather that is out of
season. Go, young men, go;
and when you get there preach;
yes, preach
John D6w said you must be
equal to the occasion or task
when the people come to you. He
said he has been tried many a
time, but'-his God took care of
the situation. For example, a
man lost an ax. They wanted
him to find the ax and have the
party who had it to return it.
He placed: a rooster under a
wash pot, and required alluf the
men to pass by the ppt and rub
their hands on the pot and when
the man who had taiken tile ax
would rub his hand on the pot
the rooster would crow. So all
passed around and the rooster
did not crow. Then he had each
man to come to him and hi ex
amined the hands of all He
found one'rwho did not put his
if
the
t.
len he,
m
ik
e
take the ax back, and hi did
This, he said, was a victory
so.
for him. When you see
has given you a victory stick
closer to him, love Him more.
Study to prove yourself a
workman approved of God.
Another element is zeal, or I
might say a passionate ardor in
the pursuit of anything. This
must be backed up by enthusi
asm. You will agree with me
that every great calling is
backed up by a passionate degire
to succeed.
If there was no eagerness for
military schools there would be
no generals. If no generals
there would be no leaders in the
time of struggle. If n© leaders,
then no success; for the tw§ are
inseparable. William E, £)§dfe
saw the embryo of greatness in
the late J. C. Price; Lincoln
University polished him and
Livingstone sows the result.
Bishop Hood saw the embryo of
greatness in the late Bishop
Petty. Biddle, now Johnson C
Smith polished him and the A.
M. E. Zion Church on the
Pacific Coast shows the result.
These men had a passionate de
sire to have success. Linked
with this, or I might say the
twin element with zeal is enthu
siasm. I might gay they back
or prop each other,
Have you observed these ele
ments shown in the great na
tional games? It may not appear
as a happy comparison yet you
must say, if our church work is
backed by these elements, suc
cess will be ours.
Have you observed the inter
est shown at the game? When
one passed over the plate, did
your handkerchief wave? Did
your hat make a circular mo
tion? Were you amonp; the per
sons that were enthusiastic over
the success? Do we call for
manifestations when one comes
into the fold? Do we rejoice our
selves.
“There were ninety and nine
that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold,
But one was lost on the hills
away,
Far off from the Gates of Gold.
Rejoice for the Lord brings
back His own.” When you
grasp the hand of one to weL
come him into the church, let
him feel the warmth of your
heart by the shake of your hand.
Joshua said, “As for me and
my house we will serve the
Lord." What was the element
he was in possession of? All will
say readily it was fortitude.
Now, fortitude is that noble and
steady purpose of mind whereby
we are enabled to undergo any
danger, pain or peril when priij
dentially deemed worthy or ex
pedient.
This virtue is equally distinct
from rashness or cowardice.
When you know you are right,
3tand, if you must stand alone.
Let me say advisedly that suc
cess will follow the minister that
has good character, good repu-j
tation, good habits and that' is.
truthful and not a tatler.
Another element that plays an
important part is punctuality..
The minister should have a high
regard for this element. In or-j
der to teach the people to be on
time he must be on time him-;
self. This does not apply to the!
church services alone but to any;
engagement he might have. It!
is helpful to any minister to;
nave tne people say, u rever
end told the people he would be
there at a certain time, you may
look for him at that hour; he
will be there, D. V.
Another element is careful
ness. This has written over its
door “Success,” while careless
ness has written pver its door
“Failure.” Many a learned pro
fessor has been a failure. Many
a brilliant general has been a
failure: many a, talented minis
ter has been a failure, all be
cause they haye been careless.
T?ho ministak
as to hie deporl
may say this i§ wholly out of
order to discuss deportment as
regardg a minister, While this
may be true, yet you must ad
mit it is not out of place, This
will either strengthen or weak
en one’s influence. A man’s suc
cess is measured by his influ
ence. Deportment is a seed
from which influence grows.
There is another elenient that
has much to do with one’s suc
cess and that is honesty. Here
you may gay I am out of place
in discussing this element. I will
accept your criticism, and yet I
will affirm and reaffirm that any
minister who is not honest can
not expect to have a successful
career. Don’t borrow if you do
not see your way to pay it back.
Don’t go in debt simply because
you cap. The man who will be
seech you to go in debt becomes
very hard-h§arted when you fail
to meet your obligations. For it
t© be gaid about ft minister that
he is not honest, hurts his influ
ence and hinders his success.
jjr. rsroauus smu, uue nugm.
be a good preacher and yet a
failure, but coupled with the
former, one must be a good pas
tor. Visit your people. Not
only your own flock but the
next ’ door neighbors. Yea,
know the people in the commun
ity; be able to call them by
name. It means so much to
hear the people say he is a good
minister. When you make your
visits, it is not out of place to
have a word of prayer before
leaving. A minister ought to be
a sympathizer, and when they
are in trouble point them to
Jesus, saying,
“When afflictions press the soul
And the wave of trouble roll,
If you need a friend to help you,
He’s the One.”
Study the children; learn their
names as well as their faces. It
is a good thing to be able to say,
I know your face, but I can’t
call your name; but it is much
better to call his name and pat
him on the head, IVhen you
shall have done that you shall
have won him; and in nine cases
out of ten when you shall have
won the young people you will
(Continued on page 4)
GO TO THE AFRICAN MISSION FIELD
odern science has opened th£
the Christian religion
gelize that part of Africa
has, been, known as the
rs* graveyard; and the
step in this new crusade is
iop, just announced, of
yterian Board of For-l
Missions to send Negro
MR. UNDERHILL
and
MISS REYNOLDS ‘
missionaries to reform the Dark
Continent, The pioneers chosen
amBev. Irvin W. Underhill, of
a-.-'
2104 Catherine Street, Philadel
phia. Mr. Underhill is a senior
in Princeton Theological Semi
nary. Miss Reynolds is a teach
er in the Philadelphia public
schools. Mr. Underhill and Miss
Reynolds will probably sail this
summer for Kribi, West Africa,
immediately after their mar.
riage. They will serve in the
Cameroun, a district now under
a mandate from the French
Government,
In this appointment of Rev.
Mr. Underhill and Miss Rey
nolds as the first colored mis
sionaries in many years to serve
under its direction in Africa, the
Presbyterian Board of Foreign
Missions is takir^ a step which
it is expected will be studied by
the entire civilized world. Afri
can missionaries have served on
the West Coast before, away
back before the Civil War, but
it was found that they, as well
as white men, were geriously af
fected by the tropical climate,
and the “white man’s grave” be
came tne American jxegro s
grave as well. Recent progress
in tropical medicine and sanita
tion, however, has lifted the
danger, in the Board’s judgment.
Mr. Underhill has had. experi
ence in business and in church
work, and has served as assist
ant pastor of a Philadelphia
church. His father’s blindness
and his mother’s early death
made him as a mere child, first
his father’s guide and compan
ion, later the mainstay of the
family at 14, From bootblack to
waiter, from labor foreman at
war-time Hog Island Shipyard
to “decidedly the best student
of colored blood we have ever
had in Princeton Seminary,” has
been the story of Mr. Underhill’s
progress, When his father, a
poet of ability, lost his sight, the
boy was called upon to be eyes
for him, t© read to him constant
ly, and to talk over what was
read. So a seemingly great mis
fortune led to a love for the finer
things which eventually drew
him toward Christian service.
Even during his work as boot
black and as waiter in a hotel
th6 boy found time for study by
attending night school and
through the help of a German
who tutoredhim in college en
trance subjects.
His dependent family made
active war service impossible for
Mr. Underhill, but he took ser
vice at the Hog Island Shipyard;
In order to attend the Wharton
School of Finance at the Univer
sity of Pennsylvania, he did hi4
necessary war work in the ship
yard at night, going to classes
during the day. In the meantime
he had managed to save enough
money to open a little grocery
business which was supervised
by his father and sister. Whar
ton School classes by day, ship
yard by night, and a grocery to
keep going besides) made quite
an undertaking for a youth of
scarcely 21, so with the signing1
of the Armistice the shipyard
was given up, and Mr. Underhill!
concentrated on classes, the1
store, and later, on a position in!
a bank where he became cash-!
ier. .
All the time he had been deep
ly interested in religious work,
and; engaged in definite church
activities in the Episcopal
Chufph, of which he was a mem
ber. When he at last made up
his mind that he must enter the
ministry, he turned to the! Pres
byterian Church. Home irespon.
sibilities made it advisable for
him, to enter a theological semi
nary in Philadelphia, hence his
first year was passed in the Lu
theran Seminary in .that city.
Later he was able to enter
Princeton, arid is a member of
e class of of the Theolog
highest praise and commenda
tion from those who know him
in either his business or church
life. Of his fitness as a man,
one of his Princeton instructors
says: “He has had a large expe
rience in dealing with white men
and black, and he knows how to
get on with them peacably and
constructively. He has a keen
'mind and ready power of ex
pression.” A business associate
says that he is “one of the best
representatives of the Christian
faith I have ever known.”
Miss Reynolds, who expects to
be married to Mr. Underhill be
fore their departure for Africa,
has also had both the education
and the experience to qualify her
'for the work she is undertaking.
A graduate of Philadelphia Nor
mal School, a teacher in the
Philadelphia public schools, and
at the same time a student in the
University of Pennsylvania, Miss
Reynolds, like Mr. Underhill,
still has found time for church
and social work. She has passed
several summer vacations as
counsellor in a camp for colored
girls under the Y. W. C. A., has
been a steady and interested
member of the choir of her own
church, teaches Sunday school,
and has charge of a girls’ club
besides. At 24 she can point to
a completed Normal School
course, a University degree, five
years’ teaching experience and
five seasons as a counsellor at a
camp.
The new appointees of the
Presbyterian Board are pioneers
in a different way from any
other missionaries of the Pres
byterian Church, and have their
way to make under surround
ings which have not faced any
of their colleagues. But their
old friends in America and
friends who await them in Afri
ca are convinced that their
tried and dependable characters
and their strong faith promise
well fox their success as mes
sengers of the gospel.
We cannot afford to neglecl
church attendance, nor can th(
church permit itself to be neg
lected. It is a divine institution
charged with the most sacrec
duty in the world.
JULIUS ROSENWALD
Says Negro Schools Here Lead
Them All—Increases Friends
by Exact Number of People
He Meets.
(From The Raleigh News and
Observer.)
Julius Rosenwald— 65-year
old financier who, as directing
head of a great business, carries
the burden of innumerable re
sponsibilities—yesterday hopped
off the dirty day-coach of a sec
ond rate train, rode for two
hours, some of the time over
rough roads, to visit two of the
4,200 Negro rural schools he
has helped to build, and got As
much fun out of it as a boy at a
picnic.
During the entire afternoon
this great Jewish philanthropist
showed a joy in living which put
to shame the younger men
around him. He expressed
searching interest in everything '
he saw—farm lands, payed
roads, the sunset. And when
surrounded by Negroes, repre
sentatives of thousands to whom
he has given over $6,000,000
worth of opportunity to help
themselves, his face glowed with
the pleasure he gets from help
ing the under-dog.
Take away his money, destroy
his influence, forget the honors
that have been heaped upon him,
and with his keen brain, his en
thusiasm and his warm heart
Julius Rosenwald would still be
a most successful man.
Mr. Rosenwald came South to
attend a meeting of the Board
of Trustees of Tuskegee Insti
tute. Ha stopped over in Raleigh
j "\e .dedication of the
School wnicn isr the new
school building of the Berry
O’Kelly Training School at
Method ; this morning. At
Greensboro he left the private
car in which the trustees were
going North and with Chellis
Austin, President of the Sea
board National Banlk, of New
York City, his secretary and a
party of Rosenwald Foundation
staff workers took the train for
Raleigh. The three-hour trip in
a hot, dusty day coach did not
in the least dismay him and
when Mr. Rosenwald arrived in
Raleigh he was ready for what
ever program N. C. Newbold,
State director of Negro educa
tion, had prepared.
From the train he was carried
on a 45-mile automobile trip to
the Rosenwald Schools at Riley
Hill and Zebulon. Then back to
Raleigh for dinner with Mr. and
Mrs. Josephus Daniels, whom he
is visiting while here. After
dinner he appeared at Temple
Beth Or and today he has en
gagements at Method, for the
dedication, and at Shaw Univer
sity, for a conference on Negro
education, health and welfare.
He leaves tonight for Chicago.
Mr. Rosenwald is an enthusi
astic North Carolina fan because
this State has taken more of his
money than any other.
“No other State has done as
much for us as North Carolina,”
he said. “By comparison it
makes all the other States look
sick.” By which he means that
he has given over three quarters
of a million dollars of his per
sonal fortune toward building
Negro schools in North Caroli
na.
• “You people have done won
ders,” he said as he drove
through Wake county over route
No. 10. “Fifteen or twenty years
' ago this was a terribly shabby
Country. Now look at it. Mar
| velous!”
| About $1,500 of Mr. Rosen
wald’s money went into the
school at RUey Hill. When he
drove up to it he was charmed.
' “Prettiest Rosenwald School
1 I’ve ever seen. Wouldn’t have
missed it for anything. Most of
| them ape frame buildings, not
(Continued on page 4)