Newspapers / Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.) / July 2, 1931, edition 1 / Page 1
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| ; j . - vwj.l •! To our Brethren in the Pas torate : ’ This letter is written you in accordance with the direction of the last General Assembly. During the whole of its ses sions our pastors were espe cially in our minds. We were planning for and praying for you as we thought of you fac ing your problems and perplex ities as well as your joys and achievements, and our heaits went out in earnest longings to be of helpfulness. We would, in this1 spirit, call' your attention to and ask your careful ahd prayerful study tof the enclosed ' leaflet, which sem* i bodies the action taken by 'the Assembly with reference to the spiritual life of our > Church. ? It Plans are definitely in mint! which will relate our Synbds and Presbyteries to this year'll special endeavor to enrich the spiritual life of-our'Church, and, other gatherings are being planned under official and semi official auspices. Concerning these you will receive informa tion later; but it is not with reference to these that we are, now writing It is what may be done by you in the congregation where God has put you, and which no one else cando to enrichthe spiritual life of your congrega tion that the General Assembly is urging upon your Attention. The Assembly pleads for inten sive scriptural preaching, for the exaltation of the Church in the life of the individual Christian, and for a renewed emphasis upon Ghristiau disci pieship as related tothe whole human life. The Assembly whole-heartedly in a period or earnest pastoral visitation with the pUrpose of not dnly adding to the membership of your church, but also with the spe cial aim of arousing1 those who are already members to the fulness of their privilege, and in particular the winning back to full allegiance those who have become indifferent. How these things can *■ be accom plished in your own congrega tion you know better than we; but we feel sure you will agree that they must be achieved if the blessing we seek for our great Church is to be received. The General Assembly which” has just adjourned ‘ was brought into being in prayer. Large groups' met in Pitts burgh and elsewhere asking for its sessions God’s guidance and blessing. The hour during which what is now transmitted1 to you was adopted by the As sembly had been looked for ward to and planned for for weeks. As the Assembly pro gressed we waited 'Upon God, and in a spirit of humble and ’ prayerful expectancy sought to obtain His guidance. We have every reason, there fore, to believe that the plana which we are submittdrvgt Yl)-1 you in this letter, seeking yonr co-operation, and ’Others of which you win learn later, are not the mere mind and meth-,; od of unguided men,'but the will and purpose of God :r We ask you to join us in un ceasing* prayer that-1-this year,, may be one of unexampled spir-^ itual blessing in everyone of our congregations. And, as-we are laborers together with God and with one another wewdl welcome any counsel f which further * our united' effort iojr Christ and to increase the ef fectiveness of His Church. YoursfaithfuHy, t LEWIS S. MUDGE, • Moderator. It is monstrous to suppose that labor is the higbest ^aal of man, and leisure settle bet-1 ter than an affliction.—■Hsy*1 wood Broun. 7 _—. -—— o The national heart «nmst never master .the national head.—Arthur Keith. j THE DELIVERANCE OF tHE^tfHDt €fENERALr «A8» SEMBLY*0N THE NEED OF SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS •Dtffing’thte ChUrch year that has just'passed, special empha sis has been placed upon the spiritual expectancy Which we; believe eharacterifes the4 Church today. The Call tb Prayer issued to'mihisters;- tO-1 gbther With *fche Message ad dressed to Congregations, found | a most hopeful response. The message Wis widely broad cast! and was used in other churches than .our own. The General Assembly believes that this! emphasis should not only be OolitinUfed but Ppenly dis played as theprogram of .the ChutcH'HPor *the coming year. Already;there is evidence of newi spiritual interest. In oth er periods of history when the Chufch .faced an indifferent and hostile world, the Church was)not-always aware of its failure; Tile Church today is wide awake concerning the present, urgency; It has rightly appdaidfed *the situation. It (is not wasting its energies on is sues i that divide. It is intent apod the1 Central issue. What is this issue? M It is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the sufficien cy! of this revelation for us and for all the WOrld. If this issue is victorious there is triumph. If it i suffers defeat there is sur render of all - that we hold dear. _ \ . * . ' > 'vp une iace w me wwim eu rii which Ave are now “‘Churches of Cana sis pjm,™ with tjie ?Natio._„. Ghwrches of Japan, China, In dia, land other lands, together with! the Churches in America, are moving toward a new spir itual! emphasis. The spiritual takei in *11 of life and can not be narrowed to one form of ex pression. Perhaps, however, a few suggestions may be made. v believe there should be a renewal of emphasis of the nlace of the Church in the Christian life. Too long has the Church been subject to super ficial criticism. No one has a right to condemn the Church for what it is or what it is not, until he; knows * what is the charter of the Church of the New Testament: We do not ex empt! thb Church from criticism but we demand that first of all the nature and purpose of the Church be properly interpret ed and that it* be given its true place! iri thc thougnt and life of our people. Christian faith will fade if the Church is neglected. It eanntif be I stated > too f re quently^tlct'! worship is the in spk'atiwi’ of Christian charac tcr andf «the ’vitali necessity for th re whoiyeek to know God. We befteve there should be b resttidv of Christian Biseiple ship. - The1 questions that-dis tress and vex us in the social order1 need only’the application of the principles oi the Chris tian! life. We cannot build the Kingdom of God on unredeemed humanity. * We must live the Christian life in *11 of life and then we will - have that for which we pray. No pronounce ment,1 no authoritative mes sage, ■ no * encyclical can solve the social, industrial'and moral problems of-our day; but they can be solved through the ap plication' of Christian disciple ship. '(> it is not for us to command or to'determine the form or manner, by ^which the Spirit shaft 'find expression in our modern world. If prosperity in the economic world can not be insisted tnW'Cxistence neither can it btfttone in Religion. It is for us to Iprtparte the-ptotli for His coming. It is for us to make rehdy ther"way. flfhe Gfeifta^AMWiibly: Joy fully ’records its’ gratitude to Almighty Godforthe Clear evi denfce given of the maarihg toft His i Spirit thronghthe we i gratefully conviction that finds ropri—ifin in many quarters that God ,1a i rawing near ‘to il* in a renew1 a? of faith anttprayer. - w# would step* Matt -into .the !oote> ing iyear with new courage. 1. We would heartily endorse this spiritual emphasis pro*, gram as the supreme issuer of ’ this* Assembly wind urge that the program of the Church'for the icpming. year be ’boiltpdn. Ihought and-prayer? about this 3*ipiteme spiritual tpdfpese. 2.! tPhat this Assembly daH upon Presbyteries’Jaad Synods n connection* with regular^’ specially' called’ meetings toset aside*a definite period of time for the consideration lof nSfcifc spiritual emphasis ^program and1 <*or appropriate *■action^ therieon. ’« • :;l :'c ft.. That1 this Assembly instruct the General Goubei! ttf dp afHfcr its- potyer^to encourage thisf efot^ phasie thwugh uspeelal" Com munications and through con ferences to the -5eh<!*:thatf thfe power of praiyei* may -be Wani-' fest, the mesSageof'theGtispel proclaimed. UJahd the°Clkirebt0 built up in her mbst holy fjWtft. 4 ! That pending the d adbj^ tion ;of. this report1, the AMem^ bly Set aside a period- ©fpray er and dedication. THE RURALPROBLEM By Dr. JV H DHlard ■ There" has not been a pferiod in many, centuries when almost the* whole wortd has seemed so; wobbly *2! it-seems to beePthis present‘time. It is go in1 gionj it:is so 'in politics;'it is so in econbfnit'and sociahcdndi South America. It is so in tiuir' United States and1 ittiSearlj^sll; of Europe. 'Never were so many people out of work hi England, Germany and the United States. France seems to be somewhat of an exception in the field of economic conditions. This is due to a large extent, I believe, to the fact that in France the land1 is better divided - than -th most countries. I have seen the statement made- that in France more people own the soil1 they till than in any other country. The ownership of-homes isT the great rural problem. No coun-1 try; nor any section of any country, is, in a -healthy-condi tion where only- a few of the tillers of the soil own the land they i till. ? The best-advice that can be given for the betterment of ru ral people is to get land of their own. The ownership -of homes is the basis of healthy econo mics1 and a good citizenship. This is true of all times and all places. . r: -4 We beat the air with more or less Vain words when we: grow ( eloquent* over other ways ahd means of keeping people in the country; Education* good roads, and other - improvements < are all right, and we do well to, push I forward in such ways. But whatever we may do, this ownerihip of homes is the ba sic need. The best of all efforts for ru ral advancement and for sta bilizing rural progress vtill be the efforts-/that may be iribde, ini any way to encourage and aid in bringing aboutthe own ership of more and more homes, •Note—The following ex tracts from two letters call At tention to a way fin which* the purchase , of smhll - holdings could be promoted: - a.) “Late in the afternoon our gasoline gave out, and while waiting for supplies T had a good talk with an irifelli gent colored man whose car, had kindly been $ut at our ser vice to bring us relief. « ftmL joyed a lesson ■ in EooBOhfcids. -This man paid $4 rent per acre for 75 acres of land. I found out that this land was assesflftgd (Continued oft'pwMS) a»;i the educational program (great oRepublic -there cettainr) philosophies which' ( ^eeit gnneraily accepted, first philosophy is that ed *haH be democratic, far tiaefcas the hegirthitig ' n*w*nti6thi(>««atUr^the A has had K-aUpetsenai' of fthe i fact Athat iAgricuitttral and In Inetitutehas kept * an door to young me* ©f any ittemiMcvel. Humbleness irtberlack of money has * a single door solong ,.. 'fhag been a vaeant • The latehstrings have al heenon the 'outside to <4 moral worth who have "the ■ ‘better'.- things of who havebeeuwilUng ark for them, fees for room, board and *tic opportunities * have ;yetbeen%ept at a minimum • opportunity has r»always provided for earning a portion—-and in. special all of these.. Individual , inction has been made only ifey- achievement.! Once upon jffirbisoiiV campus, equal edu cational opportunities have been found. Knowing the pres ent administration as I do, I feel isafe in saying that this philosophy shall continue to be the program of our institu tion. Learning to* do. by doing is agreat educational philos f, held by Harblson. iugh the ?years, on account ipur. geographical situation its students opportunities for creative activities which have been * denied many other schools of similar grade. The outstanding contribution of the student Industry is the oppor tunity they have provided for self-expression and creative activity All of the work of the institution is done by out boys, from sweeping the ' floors to preparing the food, ahd repair ing and painting the buildings. Another fundamental. phil osophy-which Harbison empha sizes! in her educational pro-/ pram is that education shall teach the dignity of labor and ! the sacredness of every job ne-f eessary in the social order of a (democracy. ' While it is true our labor program gives “earnings for learnings,” the more important contribution is that! it Hves * “learnings in .earnings.” > In preparing the land tor xne vegetables, in- cultivating the general farm, in balancing ra tions'for the farm animals, in ‘repairing the furniture ahd in painting the buildings, students of Harbtson are not only get ting skill-and technique*, but they 'are coming in contact rwith - numerous vocations which help them discover un known abilities. Agftin/weoeneve inai it x» a soimd philosophy that educa tioiimust be adapted to the - needs of?the learner. Many, I might say most, of the young' men and-boys -on our campus^ are from* the rural districts of . Nohth Carolina, South *12*roli na, "Georgia and Florida. Our aim is to adapt our progrm to their needs, Whatever the level icf their educational progress. Fitting schooling to Jthe -needs of the learnt is made an ob ject of special‘Studyraf’ Harbi pon. To this end we Offer a hat lancedi program of' (vocational tand cultural'studies; Our vocaf' tional studies will be traade more practical Whenour new industrial r building comes, which, i understand; is in 4hetJ near future. z (-Still another principle Harbi Pon holds as - fundamental is, that education must train "for worthy hoaie^membership. At natiine ki the history of-our na bfott was philosophy more important. My peopleJ in the South' hro’ home-loving. They ro away only lWh.en circum stanced force1 them] ’ This is for bunat^ for the--South and for Hie i nation -as'well. There is no section1 'in ’the country - where there is greater love for fami ly ties.' Harbison, by special training of the boys in caring for the ' dormitories, makes a significant contribution to pro motingj worthy home member sthp. ^In^jfaet,' the entire tfife t of the institution might well be considered a ^family in the trainings Prizes1'are offered to the young men who have the year around best kept rooms. Finally, a great philosophy accepted by our nation and adopted' %jr > Harbison is ’that education* oahallifcake available to our hitteehship >the cultural inheritance of mankind. Living in the iBolation ■/ of the rural South'as we do, and r handi eapped by the ecenomic and ed ucational barriers, the t boys, especially those of my group, have not shared; the cultural in heritance of civib2at ion that is rightlyi-theirs. Harbison Agri cultural ^and industrial< Insti tute early pfsealed -these han dicaps rand proposed that the boys ahdt young • men of this great-refection* which it serves should have^ greater cultural advantages. t It would he difficult to find a region more beautiful than the Souths Thesteeaaja, the for-: Dstsj thei flower*, b<rds,ithe Sun rises, the sunsets—all are the is there * in * abundance,'but or must be schooled to see it. “The works'of <>{jodic are fair for naught unless the eye in see ing, Sees hidden * in< the tiling the thought rthat animates its being.” Harbison endeavors to create^ within * its (students a love for-ther beautiful. It pro vides a beautiful campus, and tries to keep it clean*and love ly. vmr. uuysxoi tne rural ouuui h^vfei not inherited great musi cal ability, nor have they had repeated1 opportunity to hear the fine musical compositions; nevertheless, they are lovers of music. > Harbison organizes them into Glee Clubs, Chorus es and music classes, all of them giving musical concerts from time< to time. These rural' boys know little of libraries. Great literature has not been (the inheritance of these boys. In most cases their chief library lias-been a Bible, and fashion catalogs, and per haps an (almanac. ’ They have been deprived » of the biogra phies of great men and wom en. Ast Harbison introduces its hoys to good music, so does it introduce them to good books. It gives alb the ,opportunity to have* companionship with the great men and women of his tory. During the session from time to time Harbison .brings its students into contact with great personalities—men whose lives are crowned with success, men who have traveled, men whose cultural heritage is rich and who stimulate thinking, men who throw out a .challenge to each student generation to live useful, lives, i' It ■ is ; needless to ... say -that Harbison is measuring up to the great educational philoso phies of our Southland and our nation That it is succeeding is determined by the activities of the graduates .and others who have shared its teaching.' Fol lowing them, if you please, inbp South Garolbaj Nprth CatbUni. Georgia, > Florida,\. into the North, ^Middle * West—you Will fihd them flaying 1he. Jpwrt' of good citizens*, and.r passing on to* those, with whom th^ Come : (Continued on page .3) ( HAMPTON MHflS IERS' CONFERENCE Hampton Institute, Va., June 27.—The Eighteenth, Annual Ministers’ Conference of Hampton Institute closed Fri day afternoon after a live* day «ession. The registered attend ance of 377 has been surpassed wly a few times in the history of the Conference; the number attending was exceedingly gratifying considering the fact that three other > conferences were |n session in the State during the same week and that the current depression made it impossible for many ministers to attend. Clergymen from seventeen different States and Canada were pres ent, Virginia leading with 163, North Carolina being second with 110, and Maryland third, with 33. Over 1,200 different ministers * have attended t "the Conference since it was begun in 1913;? Baptist * ministers led — in attendance Khis year; the members* of the- African Meth odist Episcopal Church being secohd. The" Conference- is whol ly vndenominational - in charac ter. Lectures were given on* many aspects of the minister’s life and work, considerable atten tion being paid, to the pressing problem of theL Rural Church. Ample discussion of many of the minister’s problems took place. A large display ; of re cent books1) and literatureon religious education was a feat ure of the Conference. There was also an exhibit of drawings of recent' church architecture. Between the sessions of the Conference many of the> visit ors read and studied this liter Jm ^ were o&ced. 9 Dr. George r- D. Wharton, a graduate of Hampton Institute of• the class of t1880»! spoke out of a long and suoceseful expe rience on '“My Experience with £ Rural Church.’1 He enumerat ed the following as the stand ing needs of'1 the rural church teday: 1‘A better educated membership, a better -trained ministry, a greater efficiency in church "officers,; a resident pastor, an appropriate support of missions -both -there and abroad < and more .pattractive church buildings.” Devotional -services through out the Conference were con ducted by the' Rev.-Henry Hugh Proctor, pastor of the Nazarene OongpegatSonal church, of Brooklyn, N. Y. On one occasion he* described his visit to Gethsemane, and that,” he said, “means prayer. He described the Lord’s prayer a® “a structure of seven stories wHh a foundation of worship •*rid each clause standing in turn for civil being/law,'bus iness; peace, social service‘and 1 salvation.” The Hampton -Quartet sang at each of the devotional services. Dri CJaius Uienn Auburn Theological Seminary, Auburn, NV Y.,-lectured‘twice on “The Minister and ftis Texts.’>; '“Generally,” * he i «aid, “the text should choose the preacher, rather than the preacher choose the text. But the text" will not choose you unless you give it a chance.” , The Annual Conference Ser mon was preached1* on the op ening night K by :,Dr. J. W. Brown, pastor of the New Mother1 A. M. E.Zionchurch, of New York City, ortthetop 5c, ’“Jesus the1 Preacher-Our Example.” In his sermon he alluded to the Conference as affording some men their only opportunity for an education. : Very significant addresses were made on three successive i days by Miss Jane1 * Hunter, a distinguished social worker of Cleveland, ^ghio, Founder and Executive* ‘Secretary ; of the Phillis < Wheatley Society, a large institution- for the wel fare of ^working; girls. ’ Miss (Continued on page 2) 1!. I )
Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.)
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July 2, 1931, edition 1
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