North Carolina Newspapers

SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TROTH SWATJ, MAKE TOU FREE.”—John Tm:S2. CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1938. T CATAWBA PRESBYTERIAL CONFERENCE OF SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CHURCH WORKERS y __ By Mrs. Hallie Q. Mayberry To the 46th annual session of Catawba Presbyterial Confer ence of Sunday School and Church Workers, this year, came a large delegation of fine, representative church and Sab bath school workers from the churches in Catawba Presbyte ry. The Conference convened at Barber-Scotia College, July 27, 28, and 29th. ^Registration of Delegates Eighty-two delegates were registered during the Confer ence and as many or more at tended the sessions each day, who did not register. The del egates came seemingly with a high resolve to prepare them selves for better, more efficient and more effective service in the church and Sunday school. This year surpassed all other years in enthusiasm and inter • est. Nearly two-thirds of the Conference were boys and girls of high school age, which plain ly shows that our great Church is building on a firm foundation for the future. Praise in Song One of the outstanding fea tures of the Conference is the charming music rendered. Each session opened with a lively song service conducted by Prof. C. E. Boulware, with Misses Helen Wilson, Mary Shute, and Esther West, pianists. On Wednesday evening the music was rendered by the young pepole of Westminster church, Concord, with Miss Helen Wilson in charge. Two trombone selections were very ■effectively rendered by, Mr. Os wald Tukes arid several vocal solos by Prof. C. E. Boulware. The music added an unusual degree of pleasure to the serv ices. Class Periods Eight courses were offered and each day three class pe riods of one hour each were spent in the academic form of teaching. Group I. Adult Course: Bible, The Cradle Roll and Home De partment, the Week Day Bible School and the Work of Church Officers. The Instructors were Dr. C. H. Shute, Miss Naomi Freeman, Mrs. G. J. Shirley, Rev. H. Wilson, D. D. Group II. Young People’s Course: Bible, the Problems of Young People, Methods in Young People’s Work and How to Interest Young People in Missions. The Instructors were Dr. L. B. West, Miss Annie Chresfield, Mrs. M. B. George and Dr. F. C. Shirley. Our faculty was very efficient and was commended very high ly for the fine way in which the subject matter was present ed and for the results accom plished. They were a real work ing group, eager and enthusi astic. Their charts, posters, mimeograph materials and at tractive class rooms demon strated that much time had been spent in preparation of the subject matter taught. Much interest was manifested by the delegates in the courses offer ed. Assembly Period Each day our Noon Day As sembly Period was conducted by Rev. A. H. Prince. The topic for discussion was: “Our Pres byterian Church.” The young people entered whole-heartedly into the discussion of the or ganization and development of the Presbyterian Church and the questions asked showed that they had given thought and study to the topic for dis cussion. Inspirational Address On Wednesday evening we enjoyed a very eloquent and in spiring address delivered by Dean L. S. Cofcart, of Barber Scotia College. Thursday Evening—An Open Forum Discussion Topic: “The Board of Nation al Missions’ Change in Policy of Administering the Work Among Negroes—What Should It Mean?” Dr. L. B. West, lead er. Rev. J. T. Douglas, of Cin cinnati, Ohio, was a very pleas ing visitor in our Conference. Timely remarks were made by him in which he spoke of the fine type of work being ac complished by the Conference. On Friday evening, the theme was “Youth and the Church.” Miss Naomi Free man, the Synodical worker in Catawba and Yadkin Presbyte ries, brought to us a glowing message from the subject, “Are You a Plus or a Minus Factor?” Conference Business Period The statistical report, which is the real gist of the Confer ence work, showed that 36 schools reported this year. The reports showed progress nu merically and financially. The Secretary, Mrs. Hallie Q. Mayberry, made her report, which was received by the Con ference. The finhncial report of the Conference was read by the Treasurer, Dr. H. Wilson, and received by the Conference. The Conference voted: 1. To place on the Board of Directors of the Conference a member of the Committee on the Board of Christian Educa tion of the Presbytery. 2. The Conference voted to honor Dr. L. J. Melton and Dr. J. D. Martin by making them Life Members of the Confer ence because of their long, effi cient service. —Sr The Conference looted to conduct the Boys’ Camp this year Aug. 22 through Aug. 29th. The camp will be near Paw Creek, eight miles from Char lotte, at Rochelle farm. Dr. F. C. Shirley Resigns As Superintendent of Conference The Conference Voted to ac cept the resignation of Dr. F. C. Shirley as Superintendent of the Conference. This came as a shock to the entire body. A ris ing vote of thanks was given him by the Conference for his fine leadership, under which the Conference has grown by leaps and bounds. Expressions of regret from the Board of Di rectors were read by Dr. C. H. Shute. Many other expressions of regret were heard from va rious members of the Confer ence. Dr. Shirley will continue to serve on the Board of Direc tors. Board of Directors of Conference Class of 1939—Rev. A. H. Prince, Dr. C. H. Shute, and Mrs. Hattie Jenkins. Class of 1940—Dr. Frank C. Shirley, Mr. I. D. Fox, Mrs. Hal lie Q. Mayberry. Class of 1941—Mr. W. H. Stinson, Dr. H. Wilson, and Miss Annie Chresfield. Vespers Each evening the delegates, after supper, passed quietly from the dining room to the beautiful lawn at the rear of the college where the services were* conducted by Rev. E. H. Hunt, with Prof. C. E. Boul ware directing the music. The address delivered each evening by Rev. Hunt was spiritually refreshing. We were struck with the note of joy that ran through each address. Growth in Fellowship Growth in fellowship was provided through our “Get-ac quainted Social,” held on the beautiful campus of Barber Scotia on Thursday evening im mlediately after the evening program. Here friend met friend and a dainty repast was served. Growth in fellowship was provided, also, through our rec reation periods in the after noons. Mr. R. Z. Beatty, Jr., directed the recreational peri od each afternoon. /The Reds and the Blues, with Mrs. Min nie George and Rev, A. H. Prince as captains, met each other in many interesting games. The period afforded much fun and enjoyment for all. The most important way of deepening the growth in fel lowship. was the evening wor ship held in the dormitory each evening fifteen minutes before “taps.” The women assembled in the Y. W. C. A. room with Miss Annie Chresfleld in charge, and the young men as sembled in the Westminster church annex with Mr. C. B. Rhyne in charge. These were times of precious fellowship. The report of the Committee on Courtesy was read by Miss Ruth Ezell. Benediction was pronounced by Dr. L. B. West. As the delegation of church and Sunday school workers have gone back to their homes, churches and communities we feel that they have a richer background in the knowledge of church and Sunday school work and a wealth of informa tion that will prove helpful in their churches and communi ties. Board of Directors Express Appreciation of Dr. Shirley’s Service : It, is with a sense of serious I concern and deep regret that we move to hesitation in ac cepting the offered resignation of the Rev. Frank C. Shirley, D. D., submitted to the Board of Directors yesterday, July 28, 1938. The Board notes with pleas ure -and unbounded apprecia tion, the excellent services ren dered by Rev. Dr. Shirley as Superintendent of the various programs of the Conference ac tivities. Those services were the results of the most earnest, patient, painstaking efforts on his part. . As the first- Superintendent of the Conference Dr. Shirley’s services in the conducting of Institutes and Boy Scout Camps registered a high mark of efficiency which commanded the satisfaction and unlimited commendation of the Confer ence Board of Directors. It is the unanimous sense of this Board, that Dr. Shirley, in resigning his office of Superin tendent of Conference Activi ties, will take with him the af fection and confidence of the Board of Directors in particu lar, and that of the entire Con ference in general. Respectfully submitted, CHAS. H. SHUTE, July 29, 1938. NEGRO SOCIAL WORK STAFF ENLARGED BY FOUR NEW MEMBERS Appointment of four addi tional Negro social welfare workers to bring the statewide total up to 26, serving 14 coun ties in North Carolina, was an nounced this week by William R. Johnson, consultant for Ne gro work with the State Board of Charities and Public Wel fare. James Holmes and William Wilcox at Charlotte, Oppie L. Emmerson, Robeson county; and Grace Peterson, Warren county, were the new staff ad ditions since July 1. Anson, Bertie, Craven, Dur ham, Forsyth, Franklin, Guil ford, Mecklenburg, New Han over, Northampton, Pasquo tank, Robeson, Wake and War ren counties now have full time Negro workers. A worker is also stationed at the Morrison Training School in Richmond 'county. For the first time this year, Johnson said, at the invitation of the department of instruc tion, social work classes were held at Elizabeth City State Normal, A. and T. College, Winston-Salem and Fayette ville Teachers Colleges, and the North Carolina College in Dur ham, with a total class attend ance of 790 and assemblies for one address of 1,500. * Most pressing need in Negro work at present,' Johnson pointed out, is some way of ad equately caring for feeble-mind V ed Negro children and delin quent Negro girls. Plans are now under way for the fourteenth annual Institute for Negro workers to be held at St. Augustine College in Raleigh the first week in Feb ruary of next year. The insti tute is attended by Negro farm and home agents, county nurses, WPA and NYA and other workers. North Carolina first went into Negro social work in 1925, aided by a grant from the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Founda tion, leading all States in this practice and still leading in the South. Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Elizabeth City and Dur ham were the only cities hav ing Negro workers when the old ERA liquidated three years ago in 1935. • Today the staff of 26 serve North Carolina as case workers, child welfare agents, probation and truant officers according to the needs of the county where they are stationed. MRS, FLORIDA WALKER UGGAMS DIES IN NEW YORK CITY Mrs. Florida Walker Uggams, born at Winnsboro, South Car olina, April 14, 1874, departed this life in New York City, July 13th. In her early life she gradu ated from Cookman Institute, then located at Jacksonville, Fla, She chose the fields of ed ucation and religion as areas for her activities. She spent many years as a teacher in pub lic and parochial school work. She was united in marriage to the Rev. C. H. Uggams and distinguished herself as a com petent co-worker with him in his* parishes in Palatka, Fla., Charleston, Orangeburg, and Camden, South Carolina, and in jm,........ ... . e last twelve years were spent in New York City with her daughter, Miss Eloise Ug gams. During this period she united with Rendall Memorial Presbyterian church and served as a member faithfully. . Mrs. Uggams was strong, enduring, patient and loving as a Chris tian. She leaves to mourn their loss a husband, the Rev. C. H. Uggams, Hawkins, Texas; a daughter, Miss Eloise Uggams, and a son, Harold Uggams, both of New York, and a brother, the Rev. W. W. Walker, D. D., pastor of Madison Street Pres byterian church, Baltimore, Md. Funeral services were con ducted from Rendall church, July 17th. Dr. Thomas J. B. Harris conducted the services and delivered the eulogy, being assisted by Rev. Jesse J. Mc Neil, pastor of the Model Com munity church, New York City. A FRIEND. FIVE COUNTY HOMES IN STATE SOON TO BE ON CLOSED LIST With four North Carolina county homes already closed and five more in process of li quidation, a steady drop over a period of three s years in the number of inmates has given the State eight counties with less than 10 population in their pauper institutions. Green, Carteret, Yancey, Swain and Macon county com missioners have endorsed the closing of their county homes, following the lead set by Hyde, Chowan, Cherokee and Mitchell. Camden, Gates, Greene, Hen derson, Jackson, Perquimans, Transylvania, and Yancey coun ties are now maintaining their almshouses for less than ten in mates. The public assistance pro gram for the aged needy and the expense of maintaining in stitutions with a small popula tion was the reason for coun ties adopting the modern trend of finding suitable homes for their indigent outside poor houses as given this week by Dr. J. Wallace Nygard, director of the division of institutions of the State Board of Charities and Public Welfare. (Continued on Page 3) CHRISTIAN YOUTH PREPARES FOR THE NEW SOCIAL ORDER By Mrs. Sara L Roseborough, President, Fairfield Presbyterian Young People’s Conference (An address delivered at^he recent Conference in Chester, S. S.) Master of Ceremonies, Mem bers of the Fairfield Young People’s Conference and friends: As we look back over the months, weeks and days that have passed since we assembled as a group of laborers in His Vineyard, we offer thanks to Him who has so richly blessed us. Tonight, I ask that you think with me briefly on the sub ject : “Christian Youth Pre pares for the New Social Or der.” “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” We deplore the worst features of our modern life; the ex tremes of riches and poverty, the luxury of the few, and de privation of the many. Youth thinks a new order can be cre ated. They think the time has come when we may reap a just reward of our labors when things are necessary to the well-being of us all, and that youth may no longer be accused of being irreligious, pleasure mad, and neglectful of the high privileges won for them by their parents. Yet, they do not take life in a haphazard sort of way, but are aware of the fact that there must be preparation on their part to adequately fit them selves to meet life situations. They are not merely clay in the hands of a potter, but they are personalities with power to re act upon our world in the direc tion of the best that they can think and feel. To create one’s own will is one of the largest of our human undertakings. Grumbling is the oldest and easiest game in the world. When we are short of a sub ject we may always grumble at the young people. We are often unsympathetic, due to the fact that critics are out of touch with them and do not under stand young people. No gene ration of young people has needed more sympathy and sup port of their elders, for they are revaluing the problems of life for themselves. They need all the constructive counsel we can give them. Normal young people are happy. All things were cre ated to be happy, whether the lamb in the fold, the colt in the clover or the child in the home. Therefore, youthful memories are not like a book written from cover to cover with records of disappointments and crosses. The life of youth should be like a rippling brook in the sun shine. God made the young to be happy; gave youth the ca pacity for joy, and placed young people in this wonderful world surrounded with the things that should make them happy. The Psalmist said, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye right eous.” Youth finds pleasure in many things, whereas old people find it in a few things. The healthy minded young person is an idealist. What is more beauti ful than the idealism that char acterizes the religious life of the youth? Youth soon passes. Attune your souls to God’s music and enjoy the happiness with which God supplies you. The Christian youth should be the happiest, lightest of heart and find enjoyments on elevated planes, and let Christian influ ence radiate joy like an electric lamp in a darkened room. In making preparation for the new Social Order which is inevitable, Christian youth lives for something higher than pleasure, viz.: To cultivate the spiritual side of their nature and dedicate it to the service of God and man. In youth we sow and in old age we reap the harvest. Christian youth are striving to be as a river of water in a dry place. They realize that just as there are desert spots in the world where no crops grow, no flowers bloom mid no birds sing, so there are moral deserts in our cities, our homes and our hearts. Youth has \ awakened to the fact that these moral deserts can grow the rarest of flowers, as they give themselves to the task of reclaiming the outcasts. Youth are aware that they have ideas, feelings and desires that their elders cannot recog nize as good, so they become conscious of the need of person al discipline in early life and be- v gin to practice restraint. Pas sions are stirred by the vivid picture of the object in mind. Therefore, youth strives to mas ter circumstances and not let circumstances master them. So, then, moral preparation for the New Social Order might well be the watchword of the hour. The opportunities of the ages belong to youth. They face the greatest world of his tory. They have tasks and re sponsibilities—the task of .re constructing a broken world. They must have high spiritual motives, new moral ideas and enforce new moral standards. Youth must unfold God's moral progress and moral purposes for the world. We are as yet a long way from the ideals of Christ. The greatest task for the older Christian is the moral and religious training of youth. There is a decline in religion in the home for which there has been provided no adequate sub stitute.,.. , , „ Juvenile crime challenges the public mind today, but older Christians must remember that there can be no Christian* liv ing where there has been no Christian teaching or ethical restraint. Better than any pride, place or power, is service to world needs; love for one’s fellow crea tures is better than luxury for one’s self. Better than any eternal fortune, title or fame, better than gaining the whole world is to win the blessings of the Master. May we go forth wearing the life-yoke of that Lord of life who stilled the rolling waves of Galilee. “My thought is now for the souls of men. I have lost my life to find it again; * E’er since by chance, in that quiet place My Master and I met face to face” “Old things are passed away; Behold all things are become new.” FOR LABOR DAY . A church-centered Labor Day message, based in part on the Oxford World Conference re ports, and particularly adapted for reading from the pulpit, has been made available for Septem ber 4. Copies purchased by the Department of Social Education and Action of the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education have already been sent to pas tors. Additional copies at 4 cents each, $1.20 a hundred, and $6.60 a thousand, may be se cured from the Department of the Church and Social Service, Federal Council of the Church es of Christ in America, 297 Fourth Avenue, New York City. YADKIN WESTERN DIS TRICT CONFERENCE The Summer Conference and Sunday School Convention of the Western District of Yadkin Presbytery will convene at Mooresville church, August 23, 24, 25, 26, 1938. This is our year for new members. Let us work hard to see who will carry the banner. We are asking that you pay dues in full. MR. EDDIE COWAN, President. MRS. W. A; HAWKINS, Cor. Secretary.