NO. 14.
A SYMPOSIUM ON EVANGELISTIC WORK
By Rev. I. H. Russell, D.
(Paper read at the Presbyti
ID..
Synodical Evangelist
Workers’ Conference)
I have been given the sub
ject, “Symposium on Evange- j
listic Work,” which means giv- j
ing my views as gained through
experience.
I have been lahoring in this
field for more than twelve
years, and am glad to say that
the 'ork has Ken pleasant
and profitable. More than four
teen hundred persons have
given their hearts to God. A
large number of these are to-;
day conscientious and faithful
workers in the church of Jesus
Christ; more than a score are
numbered among the leading i
physicians; a large number of;
women and girls have become!
trained nurses; while a still;
larger group have become heads
of homes, and are training!
their childern in ways God
would have them go.
I have been severely criti-s
cised as to the method of con-i
ducting revivals. These criti
cisms have come from the peo-i
pie, and often from my breth-l
ren, the preachers. When
Christ had a message for the
'people He always used an ap-f
praach . and procedure thati
Would best suit His congrega-,
tion. The occupation of His lisej
feners determined His method.
His parables began thus;
“The kingdom of heaven is as
a man traveling into tr Carl
country, who railed his own
servants, and delivered unto
them his goods.”
'Then shall the kingdom of j
heaven be likened onto ten vir-i
gins which took their lamps;
and went forth to meet the;
bridegroom.”
“So is the kingdom of heav-;
en, as if a man should cast
seed into the ground.”
“A certain man went down;
from Jerusalem to Jericho, andi
fell among thieves, which
stripped him of his raiment,!
and wounded him, and depart
ed, leaving him half dead.”
Contact is the best means of
finding out people’s capacities,
their needs, their likes and:
their dislikes. The evangelistic
work has enriched my experi
ence along these lines.
The Lord has given me a
burning message, and I am
anxious to deliver it1 in a wayi
that the most of the geopfc)
will be able to receive and ac
cept this message.
We came to God through the
analytical process, because we
were trained to reason about
things and accepted Christ be
cause we knew it wasjrfe and
right. A large number of peo
ple can not reason the matter
out because they are not
•trained. In these situations,
methods are to be used which)
the people understand.
It is very strange to know
the reasons that are given for
having revivals.
(1) it is our time to nave a
revival.
(2) The church comes to
the conclusion that it needs
money, and holds evangelistic
services to get a lajfge crowd
together, to get money to pay
debts.
(3) People are tired of the
ministers, and have evangelis
tic services to change their
minds.
(4) The churches go on from j
.year to year without an in
crease, other churches. are hav
ing additions, and they come
to the conclusion that they
must have an increase, because
others are taking all the young
people.
As far afield as the above
reasons are, yet much good is
accomplished. The lifting pow
er of the evangelistic services
would be more effective and
far-reaching if the people were
prepared for a revival.
In the great buildings the el
evators have a good deal of lift
ing power. Great cranes work
daily at unloading steamships,;
railway cars, and other great i
carriers The Christian church
needs uplifting power today.,'
We often produce much but it
cannot be moved. We produce
the values of our lives on such
low levels that we are unable
to lift them to levels of real
service to others.
Religion is dynamic and it3
energy is exerted upward. The
accomplishments of the church i
and of us can help the people'
to go forward, but only God!
can lead them upward. The!
height, to which the people and
the ehurch go upward, depends
upon the lifting power which j
comes from God.
A story is told of a little boy;
who one day saw another little
raggted boy without a coat. The
former boy took off his coat,!
and gave it to the boy without:
a coat. It was a cold, rainy day.
Some days after this, as a re
sult of being without a coat, he
became sick. He grew worse and
worse, and just before he died
he lifted himself in the bed
and said to those around him,'
I see Jesus He has come for me:
and he has on the coat I gave
the poor little boy, and l am go
ing home with him.
My dear brethren, have you
the lifting power, and have:
you given anything to those in
need of physical and spiritual
help that Jesus will bring with
Him when He comes?
It seems to me that the story
of the Good Samaritan will il
lustrate the work of the True
Evangelist. The * road leading
from Jerusalem to Jericho
among the hills and great
rocks. Travelers could be easily
attacked by robbers and
thieves. This road is still open
today as it was in the days of
the Saviour when He made this
illustration to that learned law
yer. Thieves are attacking the
Bible, they are attacking the
church, and are offsetting the
efforts of Christian workers.
A general survey, and close
observation of the many fields
I have visited have revealed the
following: That we are not
needing better preachers, not
greater sermons, finer choirs,
nor larger congregations; but
we are needing the spirit of
the Good Samaritan, a faith in
our work, and a faith in our-t
selves.
I have also found as I getj
over the fields that the lifting
power and the spirit of the
Good Samaritan are exemplified
in the lives and work of the
preachers. They are putting
forth the. maximum of effort,
and often receive only the
minimum encouragement and
compensation. ! o" j
In every age men have
sought to make the most of
themselves. It is interesting to
know how different men have
tried to do this. Hermits have
withdrawn themselves from act
tive life- and have stood on
stumps with hands clinched in
prayer until their nails grew
into the flesh of. their hands, in
their effort to seek salvation,
rjreat poets, statesmen and
prophets have given the world
sublime messages in their ef-j
fort to do what they believed
to be best Investigators in li
brary and laboratory have re
vealed new truths.
In this day of busy, complex;
life it is a relief to find a type
3f man who possesses tWe lift
ing power, who has imbibed
the spirit of the Good Samari4
tan, who lives in touch with
the, surging stream of life, and
who has a heart which beats iri
sympathy with all humanity.
As I go from field to field, I
find the above qualities mani
fested in the brethren in a full
measure.
The reel intent of the Chris
tian workers and the purpose
of the evangelistic efforts
be summarized in the follow
poem:
“Let me live in a house by
side of the road,
Where the races of men go
The men who are good and
men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
T would not sit in the seo:
seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban;
Let me live in my house 1
side of the road
And be a friend to man.
“I see from my house by
side of the road,
By the side of the highway i
life,
The men who press with
ardor of hope,
The men who are faint
the strife.
But I turn not away from tl
smiles nor their tears-~
Both parts of an infinite pi
Let me live in my house by
side of the road
And be a friend to man.
“I know there are brooks
dened meadows ahead.
And mountains of wearfsc
height; ... m
That the road passes ? ah
through the long afternooj
And stretches away .to
. night.
But still I rejoice when t te
travelers rejoice,
And weep with the strange
that moan,
Nor live in my ” house fey
side of the road
Like a man who dwells alohe|
“Let me live in my house
the side of the road
Where the races of men go
They are good, they are
tey are weak, they are stre
fee, foohsh—so am I. J
TWen why should I sit in
scorner’s seat,
Qr hurl the cynic’s ban?
Lot me live in my house by the
side of the road
And be a friend to man.”
TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH, ST. PETERSBURG,
FLA.
One year and seven months'
after Rev. 0. M. McAdams be
gan serving the Trinity Pres
byterian church, of St. Peters
burg, Fla-, the congregation
dedicated its first house of
worship.
In the same time a manse of
six rooms was built on the
chapel grounds. Both houses
were clear of debt before the
chapel was dedicated.
The following account of the
dedication appeared in both
“The Times” and “Evening In
dependent,” papers of this city,
Monday, March 26, 1930:
Colored Church Dedicated Sun
day
“About fifty members of the
First Presbyterian, Euclid
Presbyterian and West Central
Presbyterian churches attended
the dedication services at the
Trinity Presbyterian colored
church yesterday afternoon at
3 o’clock. Rev. 0. M. McAdams,
D. D., formerly of Greenville,
S. C-, is pastor of the church,
which has been holding services
at the Jordan academy for the
past two years, and yesterday
the congregation met to dedi
cate their first church build
ing.
“The Rev. Dr. James A- Mc
Clure, pastor of the First Pres
byterian church, preached the
dedication sermon, speaking on
“The Marks of the True
Church.” Dr. McClure has been
influential in the backing of the
work of the Trinity Presbyteri
an church and has guaranteed
financial aid to support a pas
tor. The Rev. Mr. T- I. Deane,
pastor of the Euclid Presbyte
rian church, and the Rev. Dr.}
E. R. Barnard, West Central
Presbyterian church, spoke at
the dedication services. A col
lection of over $40 was taken
yesterday afternoon.”
(Continued on page 4)
m taught to fear'
gd-.shun persons of color;
unlnese are baited; Jews are
persecuted—ell as a matter of
course. Some people explain
such an attitude as an inborn
trait. Modern psychology, how
ever, shows that this is not the
case. This attitude is acquired.
It has not been proved that
physical differences themselves
create a (distinctive sense of*
aversion or of special attraction.;
It has been established that if
instinct plays any part in the:
development of race feeling ft is
less prominent in child life!
than in adolescence and young
adulthood. i
it is clear, however, that
whether the child is born with
natural aversions or not “even
before he starts going to school;
be is certain to have his mi» j
canalised into habitual accept
ance of the prevailing attitudes;
of the group within which he:
lives.” The child is made to
notice outer differences and to
accept them as signs of inner
differences of value. His very;
contacts are regulated for him,
if not by precept then by ex
ample. Attitudes, unconscious-:
ly transmitted, moreover, are
considered much more effective
than those deliberately taught.
“In this matter of race rela
tions.” says Bruno Lasker, “it
is the gesture of the parent
rather than the word of mouth,
the smile of derision for mem
bers of another race in the
adult group rather than
the recital of the ‘golden rule'
or a profession of cordiality,
the adult’s racial pride that
comes to the surface in the
^moments of exultation rather
than lessons on human brother
hood, and above all the obvious!
facts of segregation and social
division on racial lines that
condition the child’s Attitudes.
A refusal to admit members of
another race to personal con
tact makes protestations of ab
sence of race feeling ridicu
lous.” i
“To the controversy over the
public school teaching of his
tory,” continues this author,
“our inquiry contributes one or
two pertinent facts: f It is not
immaterial whether <Vne people
rather than another is made
the object of appreciative study,
whether the influences of one
rather than another are pic
tured as favorable upon west
ern civilization. The child ab
sorbs from historical study at
titudes toward living peoples
and their representatives in his
own country and ip his own
community. Practically all his
tory teaching is propaganda;
but there are significant differ
ences between the (methods as
well as the contents of certain
textbooks Excessive emphasis
on the type of facts and a cor
responding suppression of ofch
the most frequent prac
or s
tice—condition the Child to pre
conceptions and false valuations
which it takes much to unlearnt
The more slyly insinuated ex
pression of contempt for some
national and racial groups is
apt to create antipathies which
can not always in later life be
traced to their sources and so*
with others, are carried along
as seemingly innate.
lore true of
iching ,to be
on such pre
subjects as
Qgy, or ge
much tesitl-r
“This is even
the prejudiced
found in textbook
sumably scienti
biology, arithro
ography. There i
mony to the effect that just be
cause this teaching comes to
the child not in the form of
vivid narrative but in that of
objective statements of fact.in
the vocabulary o:
science, and
with pictorial illustrations not
from art but from photography,
its influence on attitudes is.even
Fhe heroes of
ge with those
more powerful,
history may
cf legend and fiction; but the
naked savage pictured, in con
trast with a fully dressed white
man, as representative of the
Negro race will have produced !
a mental impression which re
turns as the word ‘Negro’ is
mentioned.”
The experience of college ; in
structors in interrapia) ipatters
shows that racial attitude? of
the youth are not easily
changed after they reach adol
escence- Although students of
this advanced stage are shown
the fallacy of race- superiority
and the folly of race distinc
tions, they nevertheless con
tinue to do the logical thing
of still looking upon these de
spised groups as less worthy;
than themselves; and persist in
■treating them accordingly.
Teachers of elementary and sec
ondary schools giving attention
to this interracial problem have
succeeded hi softening and;
changing the attitude of chil-j
dren whose judgment has not
been so hopelessly warped by
the’general attitude of tpe com
munities ip which they have
been brought up.;
The aim of the Association
fpr the Study, pf Negro Life apd.
History, therefore, is to pre
sent facts of Negro achieve
ment a®d worth to the youth of
both races before it is too late.
To mention herein aH of the
faebs to hie noted is impossible,
but in the teaching of history
boohs hearipg upon the Negro’s
contributions to culture should
be used along with others. Dur
ing Negro History Week these
facts should be kept before the
public not opjy.ps the concern
of the school room 1>ut of all in
stitutions and agfjqfctes .which
influence public opinion.
The Negro ig the Discovery and:
JJxptedtfwi of America
fn the earliest history of na-1
tions Negroes figured most con
spicuously. In Africa they dis
covered iron and with it devel
oped industrial arts, the de
mand for products Of which
brought rich traders out of the
heart of that continent into the
Mediterranean world. Centuries
before the Teutons or the Lat
[ ins established a claim to North
America, Africans with excel
lent ships made of iron had vis
led these shores and pushed
their way into the interior.
These pioneering Africans
brought to America such words
as “canoe,” “buckra” and “to
bacco;” they influenced the In
dian religion through fetishr
ism, and they left relics in caves
which gave further evidence of
their presence on- this conti
nent.
Later when European explor
ers came, Negroes were with*
them to play a prominent part.
One of these Negroes wrote his
name still higher in the hall of
fame. This was Estevanico, or
Little Stephen, the explorer of
the Southewestern part of the
United States.
The Contribution .of Labor
The first important contribu
tion of the Negro to the de
velopment of America was toil.
Labor is as important in eco
nomic development as capital.
Negroes cleared the forests of
the South, drained the swamps,
prepared the soil for the pro
duction of its staples and dug
from the earth nuggets of pro-;
clous metals. In that section,
too, appeared Negro mechanics!
and artisans using the skill
which was natural to the Afr%
cgn even in his native land*
fhese Negro workers shod
horses, cast farming imple
mepts, made vehicles, buitt
boats and built railroads which
provided the .South with. a net
work of transportation facili
ties
Inventive Genius
Although handicapped by
slavery, Negroes underwent
sufficient mental development
to exhibit r inventive mnius.
Negroes experimented with ap
pliances which Eli Whitney,
finally assembled as the cotton
gin. Jaroes EorteOr of Philadel
phia, perfected a device for
sails; Henry Bla’r, of
Maryland, patented two corn
harvesters in 1884 and 1886:
and. Norbert Rillieux revolu
tionized the manufacture of su
jfar with his evaporating pan.
Exactly how many Negroes
have appeared in the field of in
vention since the Civil War
r^nnot be easily determined.
Official records with respect to
the race of inventors have not
heen kept. In many cases the
racial identity has been easily
determined, but some inventors
have not divulged such infor
mation because the value of the
invention might thereby be de
preciated. Investigation in the
United States Patent Office,
however, has shown that at
least If500 inventions have
been made by Negroes. Later
Granville T. Woods with
hjs up usual electrical applianc
es and Elijah McCoy with his
lubricating machinery. Some of
these inventions have been re
markable. Undoubtedly the most
Significant was an epoch-mak
ing machine for lasting shoes
invented by Jan E- Matzeliger,
in Ihitck-Ovugna^
In Defence of the Country
As a soldier . the Negro has
acquitted- himself with honor in
all American wars. Negroes
served with the colonial forces
on land and sea and helped
shape the destiny of America.
Brave men of African blood
followed the British standard
during the Seven Years War
until Montcalm was vanquished
by Wolfe on the Plains of Abra
ham, thereby making English
institutions possible in Ameri
ca. Crispns Atacks fell in the
Boston Massacre in and
<thus immortalized himself
Stne first to sacrifice
yes for the independence
country, Negro soldiers
stood cut with equal valor in
the War of 1812. They fought
bravely under Perry and Mac
ioaough on the sea. Men of col
or came to Andrew Jackson’s
rescue in the battle of New Or
leans in 1814.
In the Civil War 178,000 of
them donned the uniform and
decidedly assisted in destroying
the morale of the enemies of
freedom. Their fighting at San
tiago in the Spanish-American
War was all but wonderful. In
the punitive expedition under
General Pershing, in Mexico in
1916. members of the Tenth
Cavalry and the Twenty-fourth
Infantry distinguished them
selves at Carizal as the heroes
of the hour. In the World War,
Negro troops and officers were
justly praised as courageous
men, admirable in attack. Their
bravery won the admiration of
observers and the gratitude of
France, to the salvation of
which they made a distinct
contribution. Negroes, then,
have not only been willing la
borers in the development of
America but brave soldiers in
its defence.
Special uoniriouiions
The Negro is a natural ar
tist. He has the gift of produc
ing things useful and pleasing
to the eye. He has, therefore,
been accredited with achieve
ment in both the industrial and
fine arts. Numerous imple
ments, utensils, weapons, mu
sical instruments, aPd person
al adornments made by the na
tives of Africa show expert
workmanship and exceptional
skill. In the fine arts, the Afri
can has left such striking evi
dences of his aesthetic develop
ment in the Sherbro figures,
>hfe Megaliths of Gambia, and
the bronze sculptures of Be
nin. African art, however, is
not yet appreciated because it,
differs so widely from European
nrt which is based upon imita
tion. African art is based upon
sculotural design. It is original
mther than imitative. The Af
-ican artist is not restricted by
Xt he sees. He endeavors to
produce what he ima*m«.a«4
fiis imagination is most fertile.
(Continued on page 4)