The
Presbyterian
Established in 187®.
CONSOLIDATED WITH
THE SOUTHERN EVANGELIST
Rev. H. L. McCROREY, D. D. LL., D.,
Editor.
W.“E. HILL, AModato Editor. ' —
Rev. C. P. PITCHPORD,
Buinen Manager.
. Dpvoted to the Educational, Mate*
rial, Moral and Religious intereata
of our people in the S6uth, and pub
liahed at Charlotte, N. C., every
Thuraday.
All queations arising under the va
rious aubjecta above indicated are
discussed from a Christian point of
view. Each number contains the
freshest and best news from the
Southern field and from the Church
at large. There is carefully selected
reading matter suited to all classes
of our people—the farmer, the me
chanic, the artisan and the profes
sional man.
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Entered at the Postoffice at Char
lotte, N. C., as second class matter.
THURSDAY, OCT. 17, 1929,
‘‘&AD NEVER READ THE
BIBLE
The Sunday School Times, of
London, tells this touching sto
ry- ' . (•••'•1
“A beautiful woman lay on
her deathbed. ‘Read me some
thing new,' shie said impatient
ly to friends who were trying
to divert her with interesting
books. While her sister went
out to search for ‘something
new' the nurse took out her
pocket Bible and began to read
the Sermon on the Mount. The
sick woman paid close atten
tion to the end^Beautiful!’ she
said. ‘That will create a new
sensation. Who wrote it?’
‘Why,’ replied the astonished
nurse, ‘that is the Sermon on
the Mount—in the Bible, you1
know.’ ‘The Bible! Anything so
good and beautiful as that in
the Bible?’ ‘Surety; what else
but good did you think could
be in it?’ ‘Oh, I didn’t know. I
have never looked into a Bible
in my life. My father wouldn’t
have one in the house.’ ‘But you
have certainly heard the Bible
read in church?’ ‘I have never
been to church. Sunday was
always our holiday. We got in^
to that way in Paris. We went
to all the places of amusement,
but never to church. I have
never thought much about the
Bible. I never supposed if con
tained such beautiful things. I
wish I had Jknown it before!’
She begged the nurse to read
again the prayer in the Ser
mon on the Mount that was so
new to her—‘Our Father which
art in Heaven.” She passed
away, saying until her last
breath, ‘I wish I had known it
before!’”
SYJNOD OF CATAWBA
It was a pleasure to meet the
brethren at Catawba Synod at
Winston-Salem last week. Dr.
L. B. West, the retiring Mod
erator, preached a stirring ser
mon on “The Task of the
Church.” The roll call showed
a number of well known minis
ters abseht, but with the elec
tion of Dr. G. P. Watkins as
Moderator, the business of the
Synod proceeded promptly ac
cording to regular order and
a large amount of work was
done.
The Synod of Ohio is en
gaged in a great evangelistic
campaign which will run
through November 10. The
period1 of, activities is called
“Ohio Fellowship Month." The
outstanding feature will be the
visitation of churches through
out the Synod by 'pastors of
other churches, city pastors go
ing to rural and county seat
churches and the^eountrv pasr
tors later visiting city church
es for a week.
- . "«====■ Jl—.- I, ■ ■ .=
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN
THE PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH BOUGHT A
NEGRO SLAtE
(From The Presbytfemn Stand,
ard.)
, A few years before the Civil
War, Rev, C. A. Stillman, D.
D., then pastor of the Presby.
terian church at Gainesville,
Ala., came from the Synod of
Alabama with a novel proposi
tion. He urged the Synod to
buy a Negro slave to ibe trained
and sent as a missionary to
Africa. His proposal met with
favor and Dr. Stillman was
entrusted with the training of
the slave, whom he accompa
nied as far as New Orleans to
give him Godspeed on his way.
This story is concerned not
with what the Foreign Mis
sionary did, but with what hap
pened in America as a result
of such a proposition.
The first thing that did occur
happened to the mind of Dr.
Stillman. When the war was
over he Kvas thoroughly con
vinced of the obligation of the
Church to do something for
the spiritual needs of the newly
freed slaves. Things were bad
enough when they attended
the church of their owners; he
readily saw that now they
would attend none. There was
no place to look for a Negro
ministry for the much needed
Negro churches. And so in
1876 we find Doctor Stillman
overturing the General As
sembly to establish a school;
for the training of colored peo
ple. In this proposal he re
ceived the earnest support of
Dr. 'Benjamin Morgan Palmer
and many other prominent
leaders of the Church. The re
sult was the founding of Tus
caloosa Institute at Tuscaloo
sa, Alabama, where Dr. Still
man had in the meantime
moved as pastor.
When the Assembly must
have a superintendent for the
new school, Dr. \S tollman was
called * For twenty years he
rpapaged the TuScaloosa. Insti
tute with consummate tact and
patience, and at the same time
retained, through all that trou
blesome period, his popularity
as pastor of: thei; aristocratic
old church at Tuscaloosa. Upon
.the death in 1895 of its first
superintendent, the bname of
the school was changed to
Stillman Institute in honor of
this white man whose life had!
so richly blessed the colored
race. The school has always
from that time to the present
had the ablest men at its head.
Stillman / Institute is the
chief contribution of the South
ern Presbyterian Church to the
uplift of the Negro race. The
school is located on a plot of
one hundred andf ten acres of
fertile fmid in the suburbs of
Tuscaloosa, well adapted to the
variety of farming operations
carried on. It has substantial
brick buildings for the stu«.
dents and good homes for the
faculty. There is a Theological
Department, a Boys’ Depart
ment, a GiijJs’ Department, ag
ricultural wo*k, training in me
chamcal arts, and, m addition,
the pew Nurses’ Training
School, provided for by the
Birthday Gift of the Woman’s
Auxiliary. A very important
part of the school has always
been its Theologipal Depart,
ment. In its wqrjp;fhis depart,
ment has trained hundreds of
colored preachers for the Meth.
odist and Baptist denomina.
tions as well as all those for
our own church. Stillman has
helped , educate approximately
two thousand Negroes, some
five hundred of these having
graduated from the Theologi.
cal Department and-gone out to
preach the gospel to their own
people. The school is supported
entirely by appropriations
made from the furids of the
Executive Committee of Home
Missions of our Church
It was Stillmanj a Institute
that in 1889 overtired the Gen.
oral Assembly to establish a
permanent mission in Africa,
stating that one of the gradu.
ates was preparing to go, and
that a consecrated young white
man from Alabama was ready
to go with him. As a result,
the next year Samuel N. Laps,
ley. the white man, and William
H. Sheppard, the Negro, went
to the Congo to found what ;
has since grown to be one of ]
the great foreign mission pro. j
jects of the worM. Little did
the Synod of Alabama realize ]
what a mighty thing it was
begining when it bought' a Ne_
gro slave to make a missionary
for the Congo.
NEW DORMITORY DEDI
CATED AT GILLESPIE
ACADEMY, CORDELE, GA.
By Mrs. Esther T. Holley
In the quiet little town of
Cordele a group of faithful
Presbyterian workers were
gathered together on Tuesday,
October 8th. Black and white,
rich and poor, the learned and
the unlearned were there. You
ask me why this unusual' as.
semblage. Because our Father
who has watched over Gillespie
School for over 25 years saw
fit to bless this school in a
larger way. For 25 years his
eye has been upon the school
and the two faithful workers,
Dr. and Mrs. Clark, who have
presided over it. So he touched
the heart of a woman of wealth
in Pittsburgh \and influenced
her to give of her wealth to
this worthy cause. So this
Christian woman of Imeans,
Miss Gillespie, heard his plead
ing. Last spring she visited
ihe. school and returned home
with the conviction that the
girls of this school must have
a new dormitory. So sixty
thousand dollars were given
for the erection of a new dor.
mitory and three thousand
dollars for furnishings.
The program for the dedica.
tory service was most simple
yet most impressive. The ex.
ercises wrere presided over by
Rev. A. B. McCoy, D. D. Dr.
McCoy first introduced Dr.
Gaston, of Pittsburgh, head of
the Negro Division of the
Board of National' Missions. Dr.
Gaston responded in his usual
whole-hearted fashion. He ex.
pressed his joy at seeing the
work at Cordele {prosper and
told of his love for .the colored
work. Dr. G$Ston Sir turn intrd^
duced Dr. McEwan, of the
Third Presbyterian {church in
Pittsburgh, who preached the
dedicatory sermon. Dr. McEw.
an is the pastor of Miss Gilles.
pie’s church in Pittsburgh, and
since she could not attend on
account of illness, Dr. McEwan
came as her representative.
Dr. McEwing said in part:
“I have always had an interest
in the Christian work bmong
the Negroes in the South. In
fact, the old Board of Missions
for Freedmen was organized in
the Third church of Pittsburgh.
“I am very happy tonight at
being able to be in this gather,
ing. I am glad to represent that
noble, Christian woman, Miss
Gillespie. But just before leav.
ing she said to me, ‘Please don’t
say anything about me.’ I am
glad to be here to show my re
spect and Sympathy for Dr.
and Mrs. Clark.
“Boys and girls, what have
you to contribute toward mak
ing Gillespie a greater school?
I shall take for my text Mark
6:38, ‘How many loaves have
you? Go and see.’ I want to pic.
ture to you Christ moving and
living among the poor. His
great love for all was most
beautifully manifested fwhen
He said, ‘Come unto me
all ye that labor and are
heavy laden and I will
give you rest.’ He was divine
in His humility and so many
flocked around Him that He
had not time to rest. It was
truly as He said, The Son of
man hath no place to lay His
head.’
“We nov1 have a mental pic_
ture of Christ feeding the five
thousand with five cakes and
two fishes. He did not feed
the multitude by Himself
but He called in His disciples
and they assisted in break
ing the bread of life, for
it was they who would have to
carry on after Christ was gone.
Just as Christ blessed the
loaves and fishes He will bless
what you have if you will but
bring it to Him.
“Again. T ask you, how many
loaves have you? Some will an
swer none. But everybody has
something; everybody has cit.
izenship and everybody, though
humble, can keep the law. Pub.
ic morals are made up of the
norale of individuals. If we but
earn to bring ourselves to Him
ve will be lifted up. Joshua put
iis trust inGod, brought all to
Sim and he won his great bat. '
tie. David won with only a
’ling shot, but he had faith in
iuty.
“An old Scotch mechanic
served for seven years as a
blacksmith’s apprentice in
Scotland. He came to America
and started to work in a black,
smith’s shop. Here he found
that he was not as quick in
his manipulations as were the
other workmen. They could
make eleven links in their chain
every day but he could make
only seven. JFinaUy, the old
Scotchman died and was buried
in at New England cemetery. Not
long after his death a ship was
sinking off the coast and the
captain called to 'his men to
let down the anchor. The an.
chor had been made by the men
who made eleven links for their
chains each day. Unfortunately
the links? were weak; they
would not hold and the anchor
broke. Then the anchor that
was made by the dead Scotch,
man was let down and the an.
chor held. The patient, pains,
taking work of the dead man
had saved the lives of a thou,
sand persons. Thus the lesson
we may draw is, that if we
bring to the Lord what we
have, He will bless it and it’ will
be! sufficient for accomplishing
Ilis will.”
At the close of Dr. McEwan’s
sehnon, Dr. McArthur, a prac.
tiding physician of Cordele,
spoke briefly. Dr. McArthur
spoke most highly of the splen.
did work being done by Gilles.
pie School and of the school’s
influence in the community. He
stated that success would sure,
ly come to this school because
of . the fact that the undertalk,
ings were actuated by the right
spirit. Dr. McArthur also spoke
of the great necessity of devel
oping the hospital and nurse
training unit connected with
the school He paid a most
beautiful tiibute to the Chris,
tlafl fidelity of both Dr. and
Mrs. Clark.
-Dr, J. W. Holley, of the
State Normal School at Alba
ny, expressed his joy at being
able to be present and share in
the joys of the'occasion. Dr.
Holley spoke of the great need
cf better educational facilities
for the Negro boys and girls
over the entire Southland. He
compared the need in the South
a&d the need in Africa. He
mentioned some of the splendid
achievements in Africajn edu_
cation.
Mr. Anderson, of Cordele, a
representative graduate of
Gillespie, paid a most beautiful
tribute to his alma mater. He
said that the reason for Gilles.
pfe’s growth were that' she be.
iieved in character training
first and then service. She did
not know the meaning of the
word stagnation.
After the service in the lit
tle chapel was conducted the
audience gathered on the steps
cf the new dormitory. There in
the little peaceful, quiet' vil
lage, with the stars looking
down on the Jassemlblage, Dr.
Gaston turned over the keys of
the dormitory to Dr. Clark.
October 8, 1929, another
milestone in Christian educa
tion for the Negro Presbyteri.
aii youth of the South was
passed.
Albany, Ga.
THE LEGION QUINTETTE
SINGS AT WHITE CHURCH
While in Louisville, Ky., at
tending the National Conven
tion of the )American Legion
the Quintet, composed of mem
bers of the Chas. Young Drum
and Bugle Corps, furnished all
the music. Sunday, Sept. 30, for
the evening service 'of the
First A. R. P. church (white),
of that city. The Rev. J. Calvin
Reid is pastor.
Both pastor and congrega
tion were pleased at the music
rendered. The Quintette is
composed of Messrs. W. G. Li
no, G. W. Murray, G. T. But
ler, Paul H. Richardson and
Jas. Maxwell. Mr. S. B. Harris
also helped with the chorus
work. Refreshments/ were
served at the parsonage after
the service.
TEACHERS’ CORNER
Conducted by Miss MarjoHe E. W. Smith
POEMS SUGGESTED FOR
USE IN SCHOOLS IN THE
MONTH OF NOVEMBER
AND OCTOBER
African Proverjb: Anger does
nobody good, but patience is
the father of kindness.
There are few books that'
can be put to paore forms of
profitable use in our schools
than the complete poems of
Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Dodd,
Mead and Company, New Yprk.
City, price $2.25. In it there
are poems for all occasions, for
all seasons, for all moods, for
all ages. Not filed a way on the
shelves for occasional refer
ence, but at the right hand of
every teacher it should be
found. For use in the Assembly
period, for formal programs,
for blackboard land bulletin
work it is of especial value.
For instance, in the observance
of Columbus Day, October 12,
Dunbar's Columbian Ode is
valuable both for formal ser
vices and for further detailed
study in history classes. It is
rather dramatic mood and pa
triotic climax made it excellent
material as a reading.
In this volume poems which
are of special use jtor the
month of October are the po
ems, “October,” and !“Robert
Gould Shaw.” Judging from
-the weather reports that come
to us from the South I gather
that another of his poems,
“Rain Songs,” might [be ap
propriately used at this time
also, while “The (Corn-Stalk
Fiddle” reminds one of fun to
be had on Halloween.
In preparation for the No
vember schedule Paul Laurence
Dunbar furnishes us with a
gay Nutting Song and with a
very tender Thanksgiving Po
em full of simple feeling. In
“Merry Autumn” Dunbar in
terprets Fall as “the climax of
the year” *which “just melts
into thanksgiving.” “The For
est Greeting” teaches a decided
lesson regarding the sport of
hunting. “The Gourd” empha
sizes true values and man’s love
for simple nature.
In addition to the works of
Dunbar, “Thanksgiving,” by
William Stanley Braithwaite,
and “A Song of Thanks” win
afford further material for the
observance of Thanksgiving
Day. “Turn Me To My Yellow
Leaves,” by Wililam Stanley
Braithwaite, would appeal to
the more thoughtful boy or
girl, while “Winter Is Coming,”
by Waverly Turner Carmichael
will appeal to all.
For Armistice Day the mem
ory of the soldiers who fought
in the World War paay be
brought to mind by ‘The Ne
gro Soldiers,” |by Roscoe C.
Jamison; “Facts,” by Raymond
G. Dandridge; “The Potent
Hour,” by Georgia Douglass
Johnson;” “The Black Regi
ment,” by George Henry Bok
er, and “Homing Braves,” by
Georgia Dauglass Johnson.
In the observance of Armis
tice Day it is well to rememoer
that this is a day of Peace and
that Goodwill, Brotherhood and
Cooperative Leadership should
be emphasized rather than mil
itaristic achievements. “Liber
ty and Peace,” by Phillis
Wheatley, and the two poems,
“Peace,” and “Brotherhood,”
by Georgia Douglass Johnson,
together with “The New Day,”
by Fenton Johnson create a sin
cere desire for constructive
Peace.
DR. BAKER HONORED BY
BIRMINGHAM CHURCH
Through ..the kindness land
thoughtfulness of Rev Win.
Sample, pastor of Miller Me
morial church, Birmingham,
Alabama, it' was my happy
privilege to close out my work
as District Secretary of the
General Council on September
29th and 30th in services in
this church which I was serv
ing as Stated Supply ten years
ago when the call to the pro
motoinal work came.
Sunday, the 29th, I had the
pleasure of preaching, morning
and night, to large and appre
ciative audiences and to greet
many friends of years stand
ing as well as many whose
friendship is of more recent
origin. It was a very happy
day for me. as everyone, led by
this very unselfish pastor,
seemed bent on making the day
a great occasion for me, a sort
of “home-coming.”
Monday night the church au
ditorium was 'almost crowded
with members and friends of
the church who had assembled
for the purpose of tendering
me a reception in appreciation
of my work of ten years on the
field. An excellent program of
select music, papers, and ad
dresses by the pastor, an elder
and other members and friends
was executed. Churches of
nearly every persuasion were
represented in the personnel of
the audience, some of these
friends taking part on the well
arranged program. As the ad
dresses and papers were so
freighted with praise and com
mendationof myself and my la
bors, I can not say much, but
as I sat and listened, I thanked
God for such gracious friends
and wished I was only half de
serving of the high encomiums
they honored me with, expres
sions, as T knew, from their
hearts. The program came to
a climax wtih the presentation
of a beautiful, large size silver
Lovig Cup and a purse.
I can never give expression
to the thanks of my very soul
for this great testimonial of a
people whom I once served and
for the very great testimonial
of a people whom I once served
and for the brotherly attitude
of Rev. Sample, who, out of the
bigness of his heart, planned
this glorious closing of my
work on the field, right back
where it was started ten years
ago. Like the Apostle Paul, “I
thanked God and took cour
age” for my new tasks as I re
turned to the pastorate.
C. J. BAKER.
Atlanta, Ga.
MRS. SABRA JINES GRIGG,
OF MONROE, N. C., PASSES
News received of the death
of Mrs. Sabra Jines Grigg, Sat
urday, October 5th, was indeed
a shock to the relatives and
friends, of Atlanta, Ga. », Her
death wa.° received with true
sympathy and deep sorrow by
those who knew her.
Her funeral was largely at
tended, Wednesday, in Atlanta,
from St. Paul A. M. E. church
of which she had been a mem
ber from childhood, serving as
both Sunday school teacher
and organist during the days
before her marriage to Dr. H.
B. Grigg. She was also a stu
dent of Atlanta University.
Mrs. Grigg lived a life that
will ever stay with those who
knew her. She always carried
ioy and gentleness to every
body and everything. She never
tried to harm anyone, |but
would constantly heal the
wound of the suffering. .. God
has plucked a most beautiful
flower from Atlanta’s garden,
but we feel that inasmuch as
it was His work, we should re
joice and so conduct our lives
that we also shall be called
beautiful when plucked.
She was also very musical,
end her tender, sweet echoes
shall linger around the altar of
St. Paul and other places for
years.
Surviving her are her hus
band, Dr. H. B. Grigg, a broth
er. Mr. Henry Jines, grand
father, aunt, cousins and a host
of friends.
Dr. D. P. Babcock officiated
at the funeral, assisted by Rev.
S. M. Miller, of Warren Memo
rial M. E. church, Rev. J. W.
McQueen, of Central M. E.
church, and Dr. C. J. Baker, of
the Presbyterian church.
Solos were rendered by Mrs.
M. F. Hatton and Mr. Percy
Moore.
Telegrams 'and other com
munications were read hy Mrs.
Mayme Turner Molbley.
A FRIEND.