Newspapers / North Carolina Christian Advocate … / Nov. 21, 1883, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of North Carolina Christian Advocate (Greensboro, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
VOL. XXVIII. NO. 45 THE ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. ESTABLISHED RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, NOV.-21, 1883. S. llLACK, t Editor r I i ! 7V Anglo-Chinese UnivirtHy. Though much has been written con aerninAhe Anglo-Chinese school, I I trut VOU Will gAVC pav.- AWi n J on institution thnt m neWOlClb auuui. ' - his attracted so much attention from o- r own and sister Churches of Ameri ca and also from the Chinese, both 'Zi and near. When the idea first became public, r.out two years ago, it did not lack tor opposition. Men were lound, both in and out of the missionary circle, who were ready to predict for it utter tVlure First, in the matter of obtain-in- mipils; and again, as to its utility in advancing the cause ot missions. Substitutes and amendments came :n troin an sicies, uui iumuuiv VHen knew what he wanted, and, through smiles and frowns he kept hi ida intact. When the clay for opening the pri mary schools arrived, the pupils came in most embarrassing numbers. Broth er Loehr and Miss Allen were to take the school in the French Concession, and Brother Royall was to have the one in Hong-Kew. All three were stout of heart, and full of faith in the final success of the enterprise. But what were they to do with the great untaught mass before them ? Imagine, if you please, five hundred boys, of all sizes and classes, from the sons of high officials down to boys from the shops of petty tradesmen; all utterly ignorant of what would be required in a school conducted by foreigners, and all accustomed to study at the top of their voices with their own teachers. This will give you a glimpse of the difficulties to be met, but none other than a daily observer can form an ad equate idea of the burdens carried by Dr. Allen, Brothers Loehr and Royall, during that first session. Before its close, however, prospects began to brighten. The power of men in earnest bsgan to make itself felt. Order gradually grew out of chaos, and when finally the first term - closed for the Summer, the school had, in the estima tion of its friends, passed from the do main of mere experiment into that of assured success. The second term opened with num ber sreatly diminishsd. For this fall ing oT there were two causes. First, the promoter:; 61 thcTsoi3oT fourfd luit the corps of teachers was altogether too small to deal with such an army of untrained boys, and decided to raise the price of tuition, and in other ways discourage new accessions. In the next place, many had failed to un- derstand the plain statements made by Dr. Allen. A large number of small tradesmen had sent their boys, hoping that in a little time they would learn enough English to help them in their business. When they found that in stead of picking up Fifcon Entflhh thev were being faithfully drilled in the" fundamentals of a thorough edu cation, they quickly became discourag ed, and discontinued. It was a good riddance of bad rubbish. It gave those who were in earnest a little more elbow-room, and, better still, enabled those in charge to improve their work. To Dr. Allen it was indeed a great re lief, for it gave him time to more fully develop his plans. It now became evident that enlarg ed facilities in the way of additional buildings and more teachers would be an lnroeratrve necessity at. no dis- tant date. Dr. Allen at once began inquiries looking to the selection of a site for the University proper. It was thought that six or seven acres would be required, but in all the three con cessions not a half-dozen such lots could be found. The one finally se lected was held at $32,000. The ap peal for $45,000 to buy land and put up the most needed buildings was now written, and we anxiously awaited the result. , How our hearts were gladdened when the news came of what was be nv done in Georgia, North Carolina. Baltimore, and elsewhere. We said, one to another, the Church sustains us; all is well. Then began the wait ing for funds. Ah, that waiting ! How trying it was. Weeks lengthened into months. Mails came and went, but brought no money. In the meantime the rTrice of property in Shanghai was rapidly advancing.- All the vacant lots were being bought up and cover ed with Chinese houses, so that when the first installment did finally reach us, the broker informed Dr. Allen that the site selected had advanced from $32,000 to $50,000, and it was doubt ful as to whether the holders wculd let it go even at that high figure. Im mediate search was made for another lot. Not one could.be found in eith erthe French or English Concession, but fortunately there still remained a few acre. in the American Conces sion, a d adjoining ihs property oc cupied 1 y Brother Royall and prima: school No. 2 The land was owned n AvpiHhv Chinaman ana a warm or,r1 n wnrm friend of the school. When he found the use for which it was desired, this man proposed to let us have his land at two-thirds the market price, there by iraking a difference in our favor of over $3,000 per acre. Of course no one thought of rejecting this offer. The land was purchased at once, but no money was left for the erection of buildings. We now come to the object of this letter. The time has arrived when an advance move must be made in order to sustain the prestige of the school, and meet the expectations of its friends, both here and at home. The history of the institution up to the present date has been all that its friends could have hoped. After the excitement incident to its birth died away, there began a steady and healthy growth, so that we may truly say that the outlook is more promising now than ever. What we now need is a prompt ful fillment of the pledges made last win ter. It is true, that owing to the ad vanced price of land, the amount ask ed for last year will not go as far as was then thought it would; yet, if promptly paid in, it would greatly re lieve present needs, and enable those in charge to proceed with the develop ment of the school. All through the deadliest season known inShanghai for years, Dr. Allen has thought and wrought; but one man cannot do every thing. Placed under the same roof for six weeks, the writer of this letter, though himself in deep trouble, could not but sympathize with the restless man, who, far into the small hours of the morn ing, could be heard pacing the rooms below, bearing upon heart and brain the responsibilities of a great enter prise. Brethren, let us have the funds; and please bear in mind that more is need ed now than would have been requir ed had the money been paid in months ago. O that some Southern Methodist soiil would expand, and at once relieve our anxiety by a gift that would place the Anglo-Chinese University beyond the possibility of a mishap ! Yours fraternally, V. F. Held in Nashville Advocate. etite. llifle Shooting, BY REV. DR. C. F. DEEMS. There is an art in rifle shooting. There is a science behind the art. Be hind the science there must be certain physical endowments, such as good eyes and good brains. The shooter does not lay his barrel on a line from the breech direct to the bull's-eye in the target, but he lifts and veers it ac cording to the distance and the move ments in the atmosphere. He knows that immediately after the ball leaves the barrel it begins to deflect toward the ground by reason of the attraction of gravitation, so that if no object in tervene, the ball will describe a cer tain curve from the mouth of the bar rel till it touch the ground. The tar get is the intervening object. If the rifle be aimed at the bull's-eye, and the target be a few hundred feet from it, the ball will fall below the mark. This divergence will be in direct pro portion to the distance of the target from the rifleman. He must shoot at a point in a true line above the bull's eye, and more and more above it as the target is further from the rifle. This is the rule, if the atmosphere be in a state of perfect quiescence; but if the wind be blowing on either side, or in the direction of the shot, or in opposi tion to it, the rifleman must make an additional calculation to provide for this. If the wind be in line of the shot, he will not take his aim so high abeve the mark as he would in still air, because the wind increases the speed of the ball, and therefore, dim inishes the time in which gravitation can work, and thus diminishes the dis tance down which the ball will be pull ed; but if the wind be dead ahead, the - hot must be lifted, because its pas sage will be retarded; and similar cal culations must be made for winds on either side. To take every advantage, the rifleman procures the best gun, the best molded shot, an attached and graduating sight, and gives himself all the practice he can, thus cultivating the natural powers which are required for success in this department: and when he comes to shoot he thinks nothing cf his posture. The grotesque pictures of rifle shooting which have lately hung in the windows of our print shops, are scarcely caricatures of the extraordinary postures which riflemen absolutely assume for success. It does not matter where heels or chest go, the rifleman must have his eyes in a certain position. Now, these are the things we learn from men who strive for the master- j in sliarp-snoouug. ij;a ! for those engaged m imbuau wuiiv. Of course God helps, of course the Holy Spirit assists. Yes, so does God help a rifleman, by causing gunpowder to be changed instantly to powerful elastic gases, capable of driving balls with great force. But God expects the v nrieman to cultivate himself, to use the best instruments, and seek success regardless of his own appear ance. Christian teachers who desire suc cess must be able to see what the mark really is, must cultivate themselves up to the highest accuracy of aim, and the greatest spirit of self-sacrifice, must use the best instrumentalities, and in taking aim allow for all dis turbing influences. Now and then any half blind fellow may take up a gun and fire away and knock the heart out of the black, but he may shoot off enough powder to blast the Rocky Mountains to dust without ever being able to repeat that shot; whereas a rifleman may be so trained, as nine times out often to drop his ball with in the bull's-eye from the distance of thousands of feet. Untrained work men may have similar experiences to the man who makes a happy shot; but one who gives his life up to the business of hitting the mark with balls, will learn lessons from the results of modern rifle practice. .za If it be worth while to carry truth day by day home to the hearts and consciences of men, it is worth while to select the best instrumentalities, to ! give the faculties the best training,and to take plenty oi time tor preparation. Let no man hurry. One who has ! taken twenty years for thorough train ing in any kind of business, will prob ably accomplish more in one year's work, than a man of equal abilities, with no preparation, will accomplish in twenty-one. For the Advocate. Xetrs From. Trhiiti College. Bros. Editors : On the evening of the 9th inst., I was standing in a room of . the old College building. The bright November sun had nearly reached the horizin, and its golden beams, thrown upon the autumnal dress of the trees around, produced a solemn and enchanting scene. 1 heard the no;se , of tramping feet. l;okinff--thr5ih mpk wimlowf T ZV! a procession of the students ot Trinity marching cut of the North door. They bore wreaths and crosses and boquets of flowers. Solemnly they marched to the cemetery7 where exactly one year before the body of the honored President and Founder of this College, Rev. B. Craven, D.D., L.L. D., was laid away to rest till the rusurrection morn. As the sun sank behind the distant hills, the flowers born by the students were placed upon the grave as a token that the great teacher was not forgotten by those who had listen ed to his precepts and followed his guidance. The feelings in the hearts of his pupils indicated by this simple ceremoney, speak louder than marble shaft or costly mausoleum, in praise of him who spent his life in the wise instruction of youth. Turning from watching the proces sion above alluded to, I walked in another direction to a house of sor row. Arrived there, I found that an other veteran in our ministerial ranks had breathed his last a few hours be fore. Bro. J. B. Alford was dead. After about two weeks confinement to his bed,he yielded to a disease from which he haa iong suffered, and pass ed away, and passed in triumph. How else could one go, who had been char acterized so long by a strictly consci entious walk, and truly Christian spirit? On the following Sabbath he was buried at Hopewell Church. Bro. M. L. Wood preached the funeral ser mon. Prof. L. Johnson has been compell ed, on account of failing health, to give up his work in the College for awhile. He hopes after resting for a month or so to be able to resume his work, and continue until Commence ment, when he says he will certainly resign. We have readjusted the work, and think, that by each professor work ing to his utmost capacity, we who are here can do the work, provided, we can get enough to eat. Up to the present date each Profes.c or has receiv ed $100, and the President $150. Where the next is to come from we know not. There is a considerable amount due from our present patrons, but some of them are slow in paying. It is a consolation to know that while our veteran preachers and teachers are falling from the active ranks one by one, there are others in training to take their places. We have in the College now six pious, healthy, talented young men' who are preparing for the ministry, and who in due time will come up to Conference to be en rolled. The Conference, with the whole Church, ought to love Trinity, for sending so many valuable recruits to swell the ranks, and lead the hosts of the Church to victory here and there and everywhere within its bounds. Quit a number of the students here now - expect to be teachers, and judg ing from tlieifTAaracter, and the tal ents they display here, they will form no mean factor in the Church and the State in which they operate. All t ie students here now are, almost without exception, good, studious and talent ed. I have never seen the same number thrown together anywhere with whom I was better pleased. Per sons wishing to send to school may depend on it tht "here their boys will find as much moral and religious in fluence and example, as in any school throughout the whole country; and, in conclusion, I will say that if each member of the North Carolina Con ference will send us one new studen for the Spring term, beginning abou the 1st of Jan., 1884, there need be no fears as to what is going to become ofTrinity. T. F. Heitman. mti Trials During Conference Ses sions. BY THE REV- FRANKLIN BALL. It seems that the evil of trial by a committee during our Conference sessions demands more serious atten tion than most of us are disposed to give it. We should not, however, by any means neglect discipline. But may not these investigations, or trials, which thev virtually are, be had at once, undelf .the direction of a presiding elder, tvithout deferring them until our Confluences meet? When such trials occuT; the documentary and written evidence may be carefully preserved, and produced at Confer ence, carefully examined by a com mittee appointed for the purpose, and reported upon without such a public display of crookedr ess. The Discip line provides for all these investiga tions -during "the intervals of the An nual rOpnfereriCs." (See p. 137, 2O9.)0This the presiding elder may attends, "and ause a correct record of the examination to be kept and transmitted to the Annual Confer ence." ,'And should additional testi moiy 'H admitted duing the examina tion ffrrenjaa wbuUrctainlV Ve d Ifc&s cb.ceJmrnTiTe'n way yf attending to very delicate and embarrassing work. No doubt it would require an effort on the part of a presiding elder to command time for this, but may not the good thus com ing to the Church and the cause of Christ more than compensate for the effort ? A presiding elder, because of his more intimate acquaintancelwith these cases coming under his personal observation, is better qualified! than others to see and reach the truth in an investigation, and aid in arriving t an equitable result. j The trial of a minister at Cohfer- ence is quite a serious matter in Jnore ways 1 than I have space to mention, and should by all legitimate means be avoided. j We, look forward to our aimual gatherings with very pleasant anticipa tions! We hope to improve and ex tend our acquaintance with the breth ren. The social side of a Conference is very sunny and warm, and iW it we take great delight. On the first day we shake hands and choose dur sit tings for a week to come. On the next I day, however, some brother's character is arrested. Thirteen or fifteen are announced as a court to try the case, and at once enter upon the delicate task assigned them. With plaintiff, defendant, counsel, and sec retary twenty men or more are sent out of the Conference room. They have jiot anticipated any thing of this sort; nor are they consulted as to their willingness to serve. They have not "read up" on Church law, nor consult ed authorities uj3on the nature of the partiduar case in hand. Lawyers and judges know long before the day of trial what cases are on their court calendars; and they prepare for them. We are taken on the wing and thrust into the most complicated cases with out any special preparation whatever. It seems trifling to ask to be excused without weighty reasons; and still we are averse to the duty imposed. If the case is at all difficult, considera ble latitude must be allowed, as is re commended in our books on ecclesias tical jurisprudence. Preliminaries be ing settled, the trial proceeds. Day and night the committee toils on in its thankless work. The members scar cely find time to eat or sleep. Their minds are as heavily taxed as their time; but patience must have her per fect work. The committee cannot (properly) have the pleasure of even telling what they either know or think of the case. The Conference routine of business has steadily progressed, and the ses- sion is drawing to its close. Inquiries are now being made of the committee, j "When will you be through ?" etc. ! We try to hurry up, but just then dis-1 iani witnesses are wanted, while new ones are being brought forward. The Conference grows impatient, and the court gets in a hurry. Again, there is a knock at our door. A good brother says to us, "Conference will soon be ready to adjourn how long will you be?" Some of the committee, who possess very lucid minds, have reach ed a conclusion, but others, who are equally honest, have not. Certain things must be explained, understood, and reconciled, but there is not suffi cient time for all to act understanding ly. The verdict must be made out. It must be made to fit both charge and specification. The penalty must be made to agree with the findings. An intelligent analysis of the testi mony is needed, but'time will not ad mit of this. The mass of testimony cannot now be examined. The breth ren have not time new even to consult their own notes of the trial. They cannot see eye to eye, and they divide, as any jury may do. While with us a majority is competent to report, yet this majority has a high regard for the minority, and they need time to reach a mutual agreement. But at the very time when the most patient and studi ous attention is required, and when so much is involved every way, the mat ter is cut short at the critical moment. A verdict is made out and a penalty attached within, it may be, a half hour's time, when a half day or more is absolutely needed. If, under this sort of pressure, the brethren be un able to call to mind that which thev know very well to be the 1 aw in the case, and conform to legal technicali ties in the case, while their books are in their libraries at home, who need be surprised ? For who but they can appreciate the difficulty of mastering the ramifications of the case, and grasping the intricate threads which cannect testimony, and lead to a satis factory decision ? In summing- ud and in reaching a conclusion under these disabilities the mind must be confused by conflicting testimony -and opposing counsel and pleadings. And so it is very difficult for a committee to satisfy itself in pass ing , -judgment- upon brother yvvhom f.the. Chrcli at. vlhose al- r" of the ST? wno Know iitue or notning 01 tne in 1- 1 . V..I. V.," trinsic merits of the case, who stand ready to criticise and say, "Well, that committee didn't know much about Church law, surely." It seems that we are crippled in reaching vital points, in that we can not put a witness tender oath, require a icitnes.s to answer a question, nor compel the attendance of a witness. All is voluntary. Here we are weak just where strength is required. We might have more satisfactory results in some cases if these defects were remedied by our law-making bodies; that is, if they can be remedied at all. An additional objection to these Conference trials is that a number of ministers who are supposed to be as much interested and concerned in the business of the Conference as others are not permitted to know any thing of what is being done. The members of this court know about nothing of what may be done by the Conference until they read it in the Conference Minutes. They can neither partici pate in nor be benefitted by Confer ence discussions. To these committee-men it is only an occasion of tur moil and unappreciated service, to ward which they look back with feel ings of regret and mortification. Now, I ask, in all honesty and kindness, may not our chief pastors largely fore stall and prevent these grievous an noyances ? It might be further shown how and why these trials during Conference sessions are a great evil, if not, indeed, a reproach. This paper, however, is only intended to be suggestive, with out elaborating the points named, and entirely passing by many others; there fore, let it suffice X. Y. Advocate: What The Brethren Tiiinl. WHAT MR. AND MRS. T. THINK. Allow me to congratulate you on the very great improvement in every particular. If it is not the Organ, it is certainly worthy. Mrs. T. : says it is by far the best of all the Church papers. Yours truly, E. A. Thorne. A CORRECTION. In my article o: the 7th inst., be ginning at the eleventh line, you make me say "I can conceive of no depart ment of Church work that is, or which demands more of our attention," etc. It ought to read "I can conceive cf no department cf Church work that is of more importance, or which demands more of our attention. "There are some j other slight errors, but none that the j reader cannot correct Truly 3ours, Geo. T. Simmons. r 1 JFriendshi). A true friendship costs something; t it is worth all it costs. Selfich- but ness is incompatible with friendship. In consenting to have a friend, or to be a friend, one takes upon himself added possibilities of sorrow and pain as well as of joy and comfort. "A friend should bear a friends infirmi ties." A true friend does share every burden of a friend, which he cannot lift or lighten. His thought is eer of what he can give or do as a friend; not of what he can receive or have done for him. In fact, what we are ready to do for a friend, not what we hope to gain from a friend, is the measure of both the strength and the value of our friendship. Nor is there any limit save that of duty and our friend's needs to the sacrifices we are ready to make for a friend if our friendship is worthy of its name. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." And less love hath no true friend than this, that he lay down his life for his friend if occasion should call for that test of friendship. It is because the cost of friendship is so great that the realization of friendship is so rare. All like the purchase; few the price will pay; And this makes friends such miracles below. But a pure and wise friendship has a value beyond its utmost cost. No life can reach its fullest measure of en joyment or usefulness without a friend. Even the Son of God felt the need of human friendship, and found a friend in the disciple whom he loved. No one of the smaller resources than the Son of God can count himself above the need of that help and cheer which only a friend can supply. "Iron shar peneth iron; so a man sharpen eth 'the countenance cf his friend," is the dec laration of the wise man. Says Rob ert Hall, "He who has made the ac quisition of a judicious and sympa thizing friend may be said to have doubled his mental resources." Arid Xord Lytton makes much of the ad vantage, to a literary : man, of the r on Womanhood, recalls the lact that the Christian woman's "first friendships were with the men, such as that of Paula with St. Jerome." Lytton goes so far as to declare that without fe male friendships a man's "intellect will be without a garden, and there will be many an unheeded gap even in its strongest fence He is sure that "a woman, if she be really your friend, will have a sensitive regard for your chaacter, honor, repute," and that because of her possession of "a subtle delicacy of tact, and a plain soundness of judgment, which are rarely combined to an equal degree in mar," she will counsel you more prudently than can any of your male friends. "Moliere's old housekeeper," he says, was a great help to his genius; and Montaigne's philosophy takes both a gentler and loftier char acter of wisdom from the date in which he finds in Marie de Gournay, an adopted daughter, 'certainly be loved by me,' says the Horace of es sayists, with more than paternal love, and involved in my solitude of retire ment as one of the best parts of my being." Indeed, so many and so ob vious are the benefits of friendships, that the words of Cicero are as true to-day as nineteen centuries ago, "Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all V. limes. mankind are agreed." S Xc tice Tlie Ha ilroah . The ministers and Delegates who expect to attend the Annual Confer ence at Statesville will be passed over the following Rail Roads at three cents per mile each way, to-wit : W. N. C. R. Road; Raleigh & Gaston, Raleigh and Augusta Air Line; Carolina Cen tral R. R.; A. T. & O. R. Road; Char lotte, Columbia and Augusta R. R.; Wilmington and Weldon, R. R.; the Atlantic Coast line and Richmond and Danville R. Road, N. C. Division. Other Rail Roads ot heard from. J. T. Harris, J. B. Connelly. Statesville, N. C, Nov. 15th, 1883. p. s. The train going West on the N. C. Railroad connects with the train at Salisbury for Statesville, so that parties leaving ar.ywhere Fast ofSalis bury Tuesday evening will reach Stavesville at 2: 05 Wednesday morn ing. The train from Charlotte on the A. T. & O. R. R. leaves Charlotte at 8 P. M. and reaches Statesville at n: 30 P. M. each day. Eds. Do not fail to renew your ubscrip tion by the 1st of December. friendship of a true and noble woman c & no. rsccsy IhAuou of V;ex: ".-I f
North Carolina Christian Advocate (Greensboro, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 21, 1883, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75