VOL. LV.
CHARLOTTE, N. CL, THURSDAY,
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS
AT THE WORKERS’ CONFERENCE
(A paper adopted at the
University Church at Johnson
Mr. Chairman and Members
of the Workers’ Conference:
In all ages the affairs of the
Church have claimed the
thought and attention of the
leading people of the world.
The Church, whatever may be
its shortcomings, through it&
organizations and activities,
has been and ever shall be the
greatest rectifying and moving
power in the world.
Through the missionary oper
ations of the Church,, wrecked
and lost souls are being con
stantly sought and brought not
or* v into the Visibly Church,
-he feet of him who gave
h -ry life for the salvation
•>i mankind.
In these times of unrest, tur
thoil and uncertainty the
Church is being subjected to
severe criticism by its oppo
• rents; they say it has lost its
power, its missionary zeal is
on the wane, it no longer speaks
with its ancient authority, it
deals only in vague generali
ties. These opponents for the
mos* part ar0 the worshippers
of the material and secular ir
life. We must, however, keep in
mind that material things are
not lasting. Crowns and thrones
have perished, kingdoms have
risen and waned, but the
Church still abides because it is
built not upon material but
spiritual values which alone are
eternal. l
In view of the above, we, the
members of this Conference,
do here and now pledge our re
newed allegiance to our Heav
.umly JFathar rededicat^ jaad
reconsecrate our lives to the,
common task of pressing for
ward in our efforts of seeking
the lost and building them un
in the_lniowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We are grateful to God thatj
he has blessed us with this type
of Conference where we are per
mitted to gather from four Syn
ods, seventeen Presbyteries and
hundreds of churches, for thej
purpose of discussing vital)
problems in the field of church'
work that confront us from
day to day.
We have been profoundly im
pressed with this the 20th an
nual session of the Conference,
and express our deepest ap
preciation to our Executive
Head, Dr. J. M. Gaston, and
•those associated with- him in
the formulation of such a com
prehensive and far reaching
program that has engaged our
attention during this week.
We give our hearty endorse
ment to the Parish Plan of
Church Extension, which has
been discussed at length in this
session of the Conference. We
believe the plan has real merit
and will mean the dawn of a
new day in the life of our
churches on the Southern
field. We express our thanks to
Dr. W. J. Nelson and Dr. G. W.
liOng for the information giv
en from their fields where the
plan has been put into opera
tion. Because the plan is new
to us and because it will take
some time for our present lead
ership to evolve the idea fur
ther, because our educational
units will' need time to adjust
their curricula to provide ade
quate training for those desir
ing to render such service, we
recommend that the Plan be
gradually incorporated bv the
Department of Missionary Op
erations on our Southern field.
We have listened with profit
to the explanation of the work
being done at Newton Commun
ity Center in Chattanooga,
Tenn., as presented by Rev.
J. B. Barber. It is our opinion
that the project has proved its
worth and that a limited num
ber of community centers
should be set up in some of the
Workers’ Conference held in the
C. Smith .University, Feb. 6-9.)
, [ ; > i. • '
[more densely populated urban
communities within the bounds
of our four Synods, as soon as
competent leadership can be
secured to operate them.
That we may thoroughly in
tegrate these new ideas into
our church prdgram we suggest
that certain of our educational
institutions be permitted to in
corporate in their curricula
such courses as will give pro
spective leaders the proper
technique to enable them to ad
minister the specialized duties
incident to the Parish Plan or
Community Center Work.
We further suggest that a
sufficient number of Parishes
and Community Centers be set
up in close proximity to such
specialized educational institu
tions that they may serve as
experimental stations or prac
tice centers for students who
are in preparation for such
types of service.
We give our unqualified en
dorsement to the Spiritual Ad
vancement Program that has
been recommended by the Gen
eral Council of the General As
sembly, and commend most
highly the work that is being
done by our Evangelist, ,Rev.
T. B. Hargrave, in pushing the
Spiritual Recovery Program 'n
Canadian and East Tennessee
Synods. We commend him for
the graphic and illuminating
manner in which he described
this work to us.
The Young People’s Hour,
conducted by Hav. Arthur H.
in that period reveals the
growing < concern afcout this
part pf the Church’s work
and the need on the part
of the local leadership studying
the program carefully so as to
be able to adapt it to their local
situations.
The papers and addressee
dealing with our Church’s ed
ucational program and policies
as presented by Miss Edna
Voss, Mrs. A. S. Clarke, Mrs.
M. A. Sanders, President H. S.
Davis, Dean L. S. Cozart and
President C. E. Tucker, were
comprehensive and frnasterfuT
presentations. That we might
be able to further digest and
assimulate more of the con
tents of these papers and ad
dresses we suggest a close and
careful study of them as they
appear in the Africo-American
Presbyterian.
The Conference desires to ex
press itself as follows on the
educational policy and pro
gram of the Board: While we
are mindful \of the! fact that
the extensive educational pro
gram of the Board of National
Missions which has been cur
tailed in recent years from 138
schools to 21 at present, was
made necessary because of lack
of funds and the assumption
that State supported schools
were adequately meeting the
needs of education for our
group, it is the opinion of this
Conference that the closing of
additional schools will seriously
hinder the progress of our
work. For if we are to have a(
trained leadership to put into
operation the progressive ideas
in church woric, we must not
only have a great University
with a limited number of affil
iated Junior Colleges, but we
must have a system of Seconda
ry Schools strategically located
[in the most densely po^u^tpjj
(areas of the South to give the
jmuch needed foundation train
ing to boys and girls who desire
[to give their lives to full time.
[Christian service.
| A timely item on the Confer
ence Program was the topic on!
(Interracial Co-operation, led
!bv Mrs. G. W. Long. In these
times of economic, financial,«
moral and spiritual rehabilita
bon of the country and the world
we sorely need the practical'
and very prayerful application
cf the religion of Jesus, espe
cially the practice of the Golden
Rule and the principles of the
Sermon on the Mount in the
■matter of Race Relations; for
lynching is still' prevalent; in
dustrial discrimination is stiB*
being practiced, we still face
the problem of unequal educa
tional opportunity and lack of
justice in the courts.
The Conference is unanimous
iin its opinion that the rich,
ripe, and deeply spiritual mes
sages that have been brought
to us by Dr. W. L. McEwan,
mark the high spot of the Con
ference. In an age pf doubt,
and discouragement, in a peri
od of cynicism and pessimism,
in an era of skepticism and pa
ganism, these messages have
come as a bracing tonic to ena
ble us to press on to the mark
of the high calling which is in
Christ- Jesus our Lord.
As we come to the close of
this Conference, the most sig
nificant of all that we have
held, we feel that it would not
be amiss to make one or two
suggestions that we feel will
not only conserve the rich her
itage of the past years of the
Conference but will make it
more fruitful and beneficial in
the future:
1. That more time be givejn
for discussion of some of the
more vital problems related to
the work on the various fields.
2. That a Committee on
Findings be appointed at each
Conference, whose duty it will
be £o digest and crystallize the
thinking of the Conference,
and present such findings in a
compact form to be used as re
bers of the Conference during
the year.
3. To prevent a mental lag!
near the close of the Conference
w.e suggest placing on the pro
gram one or two periods during
the Conference for social and
recreational activity.
In closing we desire to ex
press our sincere thanks to*
President McCrorey and his very
efficient staff of co-workers for
the splendid manner in which*
they have provided for our>
every need during our stay'
here.
To the families in the city‘
of Charlotte for their spirit of
hospitality in opening their
doors for the housing of some
of the members of the Confer
ence;
To Dr. L. B. West and Rev.
A. H. Prince for the fine manner
in which they performed the
secretarial" duties of the 'Con
ference;
To the ladies of the Confer
ence for the program rendered
on Wednesday night;
To Dr. H. N. Morse and Dr.
J. M. Somemdike for the re
freshing and timely messages
which they delivered to us;
To Dr. J. M. Gaston, our gen
ial presiding officer and Secre
tary of our Unit; Miss Marjorie
E. W. Smith, and Mrs. A. B.
Snively, his loyal co-workers,
for their untiring efforts in
making the Conference a suc
cess, and for their wise plan
ning in not only keeping the
Conference alive during these
times of depression, but keep
ing it on a plane where it is
registering a steady increase
in attendance;
To any others not mentioned
above ,who have rin any way?
contributed to the success of
the Conference or to our com
fort while here.
Finally, “Supreme above all
is our desire to render thanks
to the Great Head of the Church
for His protecting and directing1
power, for His Spirit of Love
which broods over our troubled
hearts and minds during these
uncertain times and reminds us
that we are first of all Breth
ren of a common Lord. With -a
new
upon
furt
:n the
Most
submi
MRS
of our dependence
we go forward to the
which awaits us
dr’s Vineyard.”
bly and respectfully
TIN,
CE
M.’STINSON,
jNAIR,
LEY, Sec.
ROSEBOROUGH,
. B. HARRIS,
ADDEN,
KER, Chairman.
THE WAY
Uncle Billie
Things that reflect on one’s
scholarship look bad and are
among some of the most em
barrassing of all. But to exhib
it one’ poor scholarship is to
be ignorant of the fact that one
does not know that one does
not know or that one thinks
that one knows that that one
does not know. The former is
to be pftied, while the latter
should by all means avoided.
The one cails on your sympathy
and the- other worries your pa
tience and yexes your soul.
A few Months ago I “dropped”
turing to a large class of young
men and women in the subject
of geology. This young profes
sor exhibited much ability in
this subject; but when he
broke loose from the Bible
hitching-post and ran off into
a theory unsupported by the
subject he was given to teach,
saying nothing about the Bible
teaching, the dash looked bad
and it was bad; for in his self
centered dash he told his atten
tive class that man and every
thing material came from rock.
He declared that God made a
rock and everything else came
from this petrified material.
Without going into anything
that assumes the shape of an
argument, it is only necessary
to say, if what this teacher in
geology says is true, that the
English dictionary has one
word too many: that word is
petrify. It conveys no idea. It
should be entirely eliminated
from all English lexicons and
spelling books as false to its
derivitive (petra and facio). It
has no significance as a bor
rowed word from the Latin lan
guage. This teacher makes rock
the antecedent of dust, or all
visible and invisible particles
and debris from which rock is
formed. Science points to rock
as an effect produced by an
agent; an effect immediately
following—though it may be
centuries , maturirig—from an
antecedent, or cause in terms of
ages. And this cause is gov
erned and controlled by a cause
that is divine. In the old hymn
of atonement, “Rock of Ages,”
figuratively oi^e’s mind natu
rally looks back at a rock
formed through centuries piled
up. The Latin language would
rightly place ages as a charac
teristic genitive to denote some
internal 'or permanent charac
teristic of person or thing: vir
magnae virtutis (a man of great
virtue). Rock of ages (its mark
and nature bespeak ages).
We read in Genesis 2:7: “And
the Lord God formed man of the
dust (aphar, which means
dust) and not of challamish
whiph means flint rock, or rock.
But It may be considered an
(Continued on page 4)
WHY 11ILIUU jlKHIli) IN
AROUND ROOSEVELT
By Dv. Kelly Miller
The Congressional campaign
is approaching. Politicians are
mending their fences for thti
coming election which will de
termine whether they are to
retain their seats or remain at
home. The majority party con
fidently expects to retain its
hold on tpow*er; <the -ihinority
merely hopes to preserve its
skeleton organization and keep
its forces in shape for the
Presidential election in 1936, if
perchance the political winds
should veer in a favorable di
rection by that time. The Grand
Old Party of high aims and
ideals hardly expects to gain
Ascendency in either bftuieft
of Congress but is on the keen
alert'to capitalize upon whatev
er blunders the administration
may make. The party of ancient
glory and achievements, the
party that saved the union,
abolished slavery and set the
nation , in the path of prosper
ity has become a political bank
rupt and is sitting on the stool
of dp nothing watchfully wait
ing to snare the adversary if
caught off guard. The picture
presepts a pitiable and pathet
ic spectacle.
During the last presidential
campaign I harangued the Ne
gro voters through the columns
of the Negro press to the point
of wearisomeness, urging them
to throw off the ancient yoke of
subserviency which the race
has borne for tyro voting gen
erations, and face the living
issues of the day and hour,
they were not voting.for Lift
jaoln; and .Grant, but for Hoover
and Roosevelt. Roosevelt' won
with perhaps ai reeriforcement
of a majority of the Negro
vote. Both of the old political
parties and their traditions are
dead and buried in the same
grave. The ancient rivals have
swapped issues and exchanged
patron saints. Jefferson with
bis rugged individuality has
been adopted by the Republi
cans, while the centralized pow
er of Hamilton has become the
Democratic method—if not its
slogan. The Republican party
rose to power and glorious
achievement on the platform of
human rights and protective
tariff. It has cowardly aban
doned the former while time
and events have outmoded the
the latter. Free trade and State
sovereignty—-the ancient Demo
cratic strongholds—are mere
ly curious survivals in the esti
mation of Roosevelt and the
powers now in control of its
fortune. There are no longer
any hard and fast party lines
or party issues. The economic
emergency has put a new face
cn the political front. Partizan
politics has failed lamentably
to meet the requirements of the
day and the issue. Not only in
America but all over the world
the same condition is apparent.
Dictatorship has succeeded par
tizan government both in Eu
rope and America. In England,
France, Germany, Italy, Aus
tria and Russia, and America,
dictators are in charge of their
respective governments either
by assumed or conferred pow
er. No patriot in any land la
thinking about a change, not
until the emergency is passed.
In time of stress and storm,
the captain must command the
ship; the others must obey.:
The only practical question is
whether there can be found a
better dictator than Roosevelt.
This certainly can not be accom
plished by a shift of parties.
Franklin Roosevelt, like Abra
ham Lincoln, came to the Pres
idency with no great prelimi
nary preparation. In this re
spect they were both far infe
rior to their rivals for ruler
ship. And yet Lincoln made the
greatest in our list of chief ex
ecutives, exhibiting unsuspect
ed ability |nd resourcefulness
i/i handling the mbst trying
and puzzling proo.ems of State.
Aireauy tiduseveit Ms exnibit
to unsuspt^tcu courage, aoiaty,
anu resourcefulness in guxutng
tne snip o; state tnrouan trou
oiea ana , uncnartea, waters,
vvitn astounding courage
statesmannXe grip and grasp
he nas grappiea vvitn economic,
industrial, political, nnanp.^
and business ractors, wnetner,
domestic or international, with
a mastery that fids the world}
witn admiration and surpnse.,
flis whole program is tentative}
and experimental, something
and something drastic, had toj
he done, in his own words the; •
situation “calls lor action, and!
action now.” Suppose h© hast
made some mistakes. All expert
iments are wasteful a wise*
executive is one wno decides,
quickly, acts promptly and is!
light half of the time. Where
is the man who among the one*
hundred and twenty millions
among us could have done bet
ter? Why waste while in ekyf
gazing in quest of flaws on th*
face of the moon or spots on
the sun instead of following!
the lead of their beneficent
kindly light?
The Negro has not been sinr
gled out in Roosevelt’s Newf
Deal, but his clear and declared
purpose is that it shall apply;
equally to all American citizens!
| without regard to race or col-)
|or.
fejf* ^>§eYelt, we are sure,
will not repeat the political mis
take of Woodrpw Wilson and
ask the country for a partizan
Congress to uphold and support
his policies. But the people of
their own good sense and judg
ment will thrust down all reac
tionaries and obstructionists,
under whatever partizan guise,
and select a crew that will
cheerfully and patriotically up
hold the hand of the captain
who guid^3 the ship of state
so (skilfully amidst the» trou
bled waters. In tjhis patriotic
and nationwide support no ele
ment should be more whole
hearted and enthusiastic than
the Afro-American contingent.
TO OFFER MEMORIAL TO
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
Jacksonville, Fla., March—.
(By the Associated Negro
Press)—A National Race ac
knowledgement of esteem for
President Franklin D. Roose
velt has taken form and is being
carried out in a memorial to be
presented to the President at
°.n early date. The memorial
was drafted by a committee of
citizens, /themselves nationally
known and in full knowledge
of the good part President
Roosevelt is playing in the Ne
gro’s behalf.
The memorial sets forth the
general approval and apprecia
tion of colored Americana
throughout the land in respect
to the President’s personal and
administrative accomplishmntsj
especially as they affect the
man lowest down in colored
America.
Says Mrs. Mary McLeod Be
thune, President of Bethune
Cookman College, at Daytona
Beach, Fla., and among the; na
tion’s fifty most prominent
women: “President Roosevelt,
deserves the tribute you have
in mind. May I thank you for
the privilege of participating in
this splendid effort.” -
S. D. McGill, nationally known
Jacksonville attorney, write: “I
have read the draft of the me
morial to be addressed to Pres
ident Franklin Delano Roosevelt
and am thoroughly in accord
(Continued on page 3)