52.00 PER ANNUM.
THE ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE OF THE M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH.
RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29, im.
REV. F. L. REID, Editor
ESTABLISHED 1855.
VOL. XXXV., NO. 43.
;OMMUNICATIONS.
For the Advocate.
The Organ of the Western X. C.
Conference.
1Y KEY. II. T. HUDSON, D. D.
Tiie Western N. C. Conference
will soon meet, and one of the vital
questions to be settled is that of hav
ing a Conference paper. First:
Shall we have any organ at all ? I
answer yes, by all means. The
preachers and people say, ice must
have an organ. A medium of com
munication seems to be absolutely
necessary. We must have a medi
um for publishing the proceedings
of our Annual and District Confer
ences, for making known the ap
pointments of Presiding Elders, to
supply the minds of the people with
religious literature, to advocate and
defend the polity, usages and doc
trines of the Methodist Church. It
is a necessity. There is no organi
zation now amounting to anything,
but has an organ to push forward its
cause. Every political party has its
organ; the Temperance organiza
tions have their organs; other religi
ous bodies in the state have their
organs; and even the whiskey busi
ness has periodicals advocating its
destructive interest. There is not a
single Conference in all American
Methodism that does not have an
organ in its own bounds, or adopts
one published in another Confer
ence. Now, what a singularly ridi
culous and awkward position the
Western X. C. Conference would be
in to grope along in darkness with
out the light and encouragement of
the weekly visits of a well filled pa
ver. It is simply silly and suicidal to
entertain any such idea. We must
have an organ, and we propose to
n.eet this question in a manly and
unflinching way.
The next question is : Shall' the
Loiuei ence Create anu sustain a'u
organ of its cwn, or adopt one al
ready existing? I answer: If the
Conference can lay its hands upon
one already in existence, equipped,
and on a sound pecuniary basis;
whose size, literary ability, and
mail facilities will meet the full de
mands of the Conference, then it
will be a waste of money and men to
start a new one. To fully equip a
printing office in first class style,
such for instance as the Raleigh
Adyocate, wrould cost all of 84,000.
Where is the money to come from ?
Then, to run the editorial depart
ment would take one of our ablest
men from the pastoral work. Be
side, it will take ten, more or less,
years to build up a circulation suffi
cient to put it on a paying basis.
Furthermore, what is the use of two
papers in N. C, when one well sus
tained can do the work better than
two ? One good paper is more valu
able than two sorry ones. What is
the use of a company building two
railroads to run side by side when
file well equipped can easily answer
the demands of the community
ihrongh which it runs? It would
not be economical for N. C. Metho
dism to have two papers. I assume
that at least three thousand persons
' is each side of the dividing line
would want to take both papers if
Conference published one.
htn, at $2.00 apiece, there would
'je spent for the two papers 0,000;
so that the publishing of but one
would be a saving of 3,000 annually
to X. C. Methodists. Has any Con
ieience the right to impose this un
necessary burden upon the people ?
I hope the Western N. C. Confer
tuee will not embark in the perilous
"d foolish thing of starting a new
"paper. "Oh, but we have the brains
to run a paper," says one. Yes,- but
tke people have not the money to
waste on your brains. I have known
Several instances of brainy men un
dertaking to run papers, who made
williant failures. It takes something
niie than brains to be a success
ful editor. But if the Western Con
eneeisso full of editorial brains
that something will "bust," if room
not given, then let the Western
inference buy out the Raleigh
An yog ate, and furnish an organ for
eastern brethren. 1 am sure
lnat such a trade could be effected.
Another says : "Reid is making a
!JlS fortune out of the paper." I am
ln a position to know that this is a
peat mistake. Bro. Reid is spend
n what he gets on the paper he is
not even Uying up for "a rainy
day." If any brother thinks he can
make money by running a religious
journal in N. C, it is because he is
blind and cannot see afar off. The
Baptist brethren, claiming a much
larger following in the State than
the Methodists, have made several
decided failures in the effort to sup
port two papers in the State. It
just cannot be done, as has been
proved by the history of religious
journalism in the state. The ex
periments that have been made
ought to satisfy sensible men.
HOW OTHER CONFERENCES DO.
The general rule of Methodism,
North and South, is for several
Conferences to unite on some one
paper as their Orgm. The five
Texas Conferences and the New
Mexico Conference all six unite on
one paper. The three Arkansas
Conferences all unite on one paper.
The two Georgia Conferences unite
on one; ths two Alabama Confer
ences unite on one; the two Missis
sippi Conferences and the Louisiana
Conference all three unite on one
paper; the three Missouri and the
Illinois Conferences all four have for
years united on the St. Louis Ad
vocate, and the two Kentucky Con
ferences and the Western Virginia
Conference all three unite on one
paper. And, so far as I know, the
policy of two or more Conferences
uniting on one paper has oecome
the established usage of Methodism
in reference to its periodical litera
ture. This is the general rule. And
I know of no single instance where
there are two Conferences within the
bounds of the same state that each
Conference has a separate Organ
In every case, where there are two
Conferences in the same state, they
unite on one paper as their organ.
I take it, then, that we will not
dodge or postpone tb 3 question, but
that we will adopt some paper now
r - r ? - 1 Vl - "
question is :
WHICH PAPER SHALL B3 ADOPTED?
I have no hesitation in saying that
I believe the Raleigh Advocate
will best serve our wants. The
Western Conference begins its his
tory under auspicious circumstan
ces. It stands now abreast with the
largest Conferences. It has a ter
ritory large enough, full of natural
resources, populated with a people of
average intelligence, full of enthusi
asm, and numerically strong to be
gin with. And its organ ought to
take rank with the best papers in
the connection. The Raleigh Ad
vocate fills the bill. It is abreast
with our leading church journals.
It is large in size, and will be made
larger if the W. N. C. Conference
adopts it as its organ. Its print is
clear and beautiful. Its editorial
ability is conceded to be equal to the
demands of the times. Its literary
correspondence is first class. Other
improvements will be made in the
near future. It is progressive and
aggressive, wdde awake to all the
interests of the church, and keeps
the people well posted on all religi
ous questions. And best of all, the
Methodist people through all sec
tions of the state are highly pleased
with it. Thousands of them are al
ready bound to it by numberless
tender ties and sacred associations.
You could not drive them from it if
you were to try. It has the field and
can hold its circulation, gaining
more friends and subscribers all the
time.
UNIFICATION OF N. C. METHODISM.
Then, for both our Conferences in
North Carolina to unite in the adop
tion of the same paper would do
more to unify North Carolina Meth
odism than anything else we could
do. The object of the General Con
ference in throwing North Carolina
Methodism together in two Confer
ences was to unify it nothing will
promote this unification more than
the adoption of one paper by both
Conferences. It will bind us to
gether. It will keep us in close
sympathy with each other it will
be a common medium through which
we can commune with each other
weekly a bugle blast sounding from
the mountains to the sea shore to
rally the hosts of all North Carolina
Methodism and lead them to vic
tory. We must bind our two Con
ferences together with this common
tie.
But it is said, "if both Conferences
unite on one paper, we will have a
great paper war." Who will make
it? If any among us have such a
spirit as that, must we humor them
simply to keep them quiet? Almost
any child will cry if it can make
something by it, and the more you
give a spoiled child for crying the
more it will cry. We ought to do
what is best for the church, no mat
ter who cries or grumbles about it.
We are not going to be frightened
by threats of tnis kind. Threats of
"a paper war" only injure those
who make them. The members of
the W. N. C. Conference were not
"bom in thickets to be scared out
by crickets."
TIIE PRICE OF TIIE PAPER.
The price of the Raleigh Adyo
cate is low enough as low as a first
class paper can be published. Our
people don't want a cheap paper if
its cheapness makes it an inferior
one, as it is bound to do. Did you
ever measure to see how much you
get in each copy of the Raleigh Ad
vocate ? In addition to the adver
tisements, in each issue you get
about 110 pages of reading matter
the size of the pages in an ordinary
book. This would give you 51 books
of 110 pages each for 2.00 a lit
tle over three cents apiece. Then I
have compared the quantity of read
ing matter in the Raleigh Advo
cate with what you get in other pa
pers. Type is measured by "ems."
I had a printer to measure recent is
sues of the following papers with
the following result :
Kaleigu Advocate had, 102.255 "ems."
ir. X. C. 3IetluVt had, 55.800 "ems."
t-'ia.trs'iUe A'rorate had, 45.850 "ems."
The following are the Subscrip
tion Prices of the papers :
liALiaoii Advocate, per Annum, $2.00
W. X. C. Mdh'j'Uxt, " " 1.50
MoUselUe A'Irnrafe, " " 1.25
If paid in advance, " " 1.00
From the above it will be seen
v . -
I - . a - ."7.0
cidedly the cheapest paper of the three.
Leaving out of the question the
quality of the matter, you get nearly
twice as much reading matter in the
Raleigh Advocate at 2.00 a year
as you do in the W. JST. C. Methodist
a,t$l.o0,cuid mo?'e than twice as much,
by over 10,000 "ems," in the Ral
eigh Advocate than you do in the
StatesvilU Advocate. Toiilustrate:
With one dollar you go and buy 50
pounds of meat at the store of
W . With two dollars you go
and buy 110 pounds of meat at the
store of R . Which is the cheap
er, allowing the quality of the meat
to be equal? A school boy can answer
this. A paper furnishes intellectual
food to the people; and, of course, in
buying it we must take into consid
eration both the quality and the
quantity we get for a given price.
the locality of the paper.
Some interested parties have made
quite an ado over the fact that if we
adopt the Raleigh Advocate it will
be located in another Conference.
The paper has been our organ in
most of this part of the state for 35
years already, and Raleigh will not
be any further off hereafter than it
has always been. The mail facilities
are such now thai, for a weekly pa
per, the matter of location is a ques
tion of but little moment. We are
ail laboring to build up Methodism
in the entire state. Methodism is
one the state over. We are trying
not merely to build up Methodisrn
in the eastern or western section,
but to have its white banner waive
in triumph from the seaboard to the
mountain tops of the extreme West.
And to do this, it is better to have
the organ located in Raleigh, near
the centre of the state, where the
mail facilities branch out to all parts
of the state. Methodism is a big
thing in the state, and it is better to
locate its organ in a large central
city.
It is a matter of physical impossi
bility to locate a paper in every Con
ference, when two or more Confer
ences adopt it. The place of publi
cation can't be in two places at the
same time. And what difference
does it make where the Raleigh
Advocate is published, provided it
meets the wants of the people and is
readily circulated all over the State?
It would not matter, if it were pub
lished in the Moon, provided it drop
ped down every week full of such
things as the people want to know
The North Georgia, the largest Con
' ference in the connection, has its
i organ in the South Georgia Confer
ence a smaller Conference. The
two Mississippi Conferences have
their organ located away off in New
Orleans, in a smaller Conference
an I in another State. The five Tex
as Conferences and the New Mexico
Conference have one organ, and, of
course, there are five Conferences
there that cannot have the paper
located in their bounds. The two
Kentucky Conferences have their
ortiiiii located in the bounds of the
Wt-t Virginia Conference, the smal
lest of the three Conferences that
unie in adopting the paper. Here
are two large Conferences that unite
with a smaller Conference in the
adoption of a paper published with
iu be bounds of the smallest Con
ference. And so with other Confer
ence's. Only one place can have the
honor of publishing the paper, but
the whole state the cities, towns,
villages, an 1 rural districts, can
have the benefit of its circulation ,
and this is the main thing after all.
The great concern ought to be with
us, how to get its circulation ex
tended all over the state not where
the type shall be set up.
The leading question about a re
ligious journal is not where does it
start from ? but what kind of ideas,
news, communications, etc., does it
carry in its basket to the people?
The fountain of the contents of a
paper may be a matter of interest.
Well, it is likely that the matter
filling the paper will go from the
West as abundantly as from the
East, Who cares where the basket
is made, provided it is full of good,
lusr-ious fruit ? The few men, who
are now crying so lustily "for home
manufacture," are preaching in
clothes made in the North; riding in
bu! ;ies made in Ohio,craeking their
hor.es with whips made in NewEng
land, carrying watches made in New
Yoi k. and breakfasting on biscuits
nis; o of Western flour. Why, breth
i i,f!ou aie 1800 , cars behind the
times. The question, "Can any
good come out of Nazareth," has
been long since answered, and the
false idea it was intended to convey
long ago exploded.
CLAIMS OF THE RALEIGH ADYOCATE.
The Raleigh Advocate is already
entrenched in Western Carolina.
It now has a large circulation in the
bounds of the Western N. C. Con
ference. It took toil and years to
build up this circulation. It is mis
leading to assert that certain other
papers pre-occupy the territory. The
Raleigh Advocate occupied the
ground at least 25 years before the
other claimants appeared. The in
trusion comes in on another line. If
there be any claim based on pre
occupation, then the Raleigh Ad
vocate has it. The N. C. Confer
ence, before division, claimed the
territory as its legitimate field for
the support of its organ. Since di
vision, the Western N. C. Confer
ence has not disposed of its right to
any other paper. And if it sees fit
to adopt the Raleigh Advocate and
give its territory to its circulation,
no one can rise up and say, "my
local rights have been infringed up
on." I suppose the day has passed
by when the right of "squatter
sovereignty" will be admitted. We
have nothing, however, to say
against the legal right of any indi
vidual to start and run a paper. But
we do say, the church in its Confer
ence representation had nothing to
do with bringing the other papers
into existence, and, therefore, is un
der no obligation whatever to take
care of them.
But the Conference did bring into
existence the Raleigh Advocate
the West as welfas the East, and is
bound to it as a mother is to a child.
We, in the West, together with the
East,re responsible for the existence
of the Raleigh Advocate and ought
to take care, of it in preference to any
other. The Raleigh Advocate is
our cow and should feed in our pas
ture; and if some men, of their own
motion, should turn their calves in
to our pasture, without a Conference
permit, we thick it quite impudent
for them to turn to us and say :
"What is your cow doing in my pas
ture ?" We might well say to them:
what are your calves doing in our
pasture? That is a question ap
propriate to be asked and answered.
The Raleigh Advocate has been
the organ of seven-ninths of the
Western N. C. Conference for years,
and is the only paper thai ever had
such a relation to us. It is not unrea
sonable, then, that it should desire a
continuation of this relation, and it
is not surprising that the preachers
and laymen should prefer it as their
organ to any other. Is it not reason
able, just and right that they should
prefer it above all others ?
THE PERMANENCY OF THE PAPER.
When a paper is presented to the
people, a vital question arises :
"How long will the paper run?"
There are so many papers that start
out with a great flourish of trum
pets, pnd after a few years they col
lapse for the want of funds, that the
people have a right to know some
thing a ? to their foundation for fu
ture continuance. In order to insure
the continuance of a paper and make
it all the public demands, a large cir
culation, or a large amount of ready
money is necessary. A certain num
ber of people in the West, some
years ago, attempted to establish a
Methodist paper. A few rich men
pledged G0,000 for its support.
That paper ran about six years and
did not become self-sustaining, and
so was discontinued. The Nashville
Advocate, with a circulation of
27,000 and subscription price at
2.00 per annum, was not self
sustaining last year. The organ
of the two great Georgia Con
ferences lacked 120.00 of being self
sustaining last year. So it will be
seen that it takes not only means
but great tact to run a first class pa
per successfully. The reason why
the Raleigh Advocate has paid its
way is because of the skillful man
agement of its editor and the addi
tional fact that he has been doing
the work of two or three men, nearly
killing himself, in order to econo
mize and improve the paper. He
has done remarkably well. We
feel like saying to him : "Well done,
good and faithful servant," Now,
let both Conferences unite on the
Raleigh Advocate and give him
the whole field of North Carolina,
and I'll predict that he will build up
a paper that will have still greater
influence in the Connection, that
will build up the church, and reflect
much honor and great credit on
North Carolina Methodism.
Shelby, Ar. C, Oct. 22iJ, 1800.
For the Advocate.
Letter Front Bishop Galloway.
Mr. Editor: My recent visit to
North Carolina gave opportunity to
note somewhat the spirit and pro
gress of the church in that ancient
commonwealth. I was delighted
with the one and gratified at the
other. Of many observations made
I shall probably write in detail for
other columns.
In this note I want to express my
hearty sympathy with your College
movement. The beautiful site se
lected for the new Trinity buildings I
at Durham was pointed out to me j
while passing through that Eastern
city of Western enterprise. It is
certainly all that could be desired
elevated, undulating, command
ing. When adorned by the hand of
art and graced by the splendid
structures to be erected, in full view
of all passing trains, it will be .he
joy of all friends of the higher Chris
tian education in your great State.
You did well to remove to a more
central and accessible point. It is
idle to argue against steam. The
railroad geography is fatal to many
an enterprise. Towns have resisted
and resented, only at last to yield
and die. So with Colleges. Tney
cannot exist in the far interior.
Classic shades are not found in forest
solitudes.
Now, if all will heartily unite in
an effort to provide a liberal endow
ment, Trinity College will become
the most potential factor in North
Carolina Methodism. An endow
ment is an absolute necessity to the
equipment of a male college for even
respectable work. Tuition receipts,
however liberal the patronage, can
not sustain a competent faculty. It
would be interesting to study the in
debtedness of Methodism to endow
ments. Beginning with the youth,
John Wesley at the Charter-house
School, we are under obligation to
endowed foundations for many of
the greatest scholars, who have
adorned our history and for our
mightiest pulpit orators and ecclesi
astical leaders.
With such a constituency as to
the two North Carolina Conferences,
Trinity College ought not to be be
hind the foremost of our institutions
in patronage and influence. Let a
son of North Carolina urge you to
take warning from other sections
and not disintegrate the educational
life of the church by multiplying col
leges. A College for every Con
ference has been the unwise
ambition of many sections. Its
evil will be felt to the third
and fourth generations. South
ern Methodism owes Dr. Francis A.
Mood a monument, grander than
granite, for his broad scheme of Col
lege federation inaugurated in Tex
as. That policy ought to be con
nectional, and will be. The past is
strewn with the wrecks of College
enterprises born of local and section
al ambitions. They represent wasted
energy, misdirected zeal, and the
unwise administration of the Lord's
money.
I am under promise to President
Crowell to assist him in some college
work at a more convenient season.
In the meantime, I shall watch with
interest the spirit with which your
Conferences rise up to meet the
grand opportunity before them.
Fraternally,
Cha's. B. Galloway.
31 'i mi ul erst a ml ings.
How many griefs and troubles
which come to us in this world are
purely the result of misunderstand
ings ! We think people say what
they never did say, or mean what
they never did mean. We count
men unreasonable and harsh; we
fume and fret about matters which
do not go to our liking; we complain
about what men have said or done;
and ail this while the persons whom
we are blaming meant nothing of
the kind that we surmise, and know
nothing whatever of our tribula
tions. This Is cne reason why persons
who ha.ve grievances should go at
once t those concerned. .They are
often the only ones who know the
truth, who can explain the misun
derstanding, coriect the error, or
right the wrong. They can tell
what they intended to say, or in
tended to do; and in a great many
instances we shall find, on going to
to the proper parties, that we have
utterly misapprehended the facts in
the case, have judged others unkind
ly, and have made ourselves miser
able for nothing. In many a case
we shall find that we have taken
offense where no otiense was intend
ed; that we have counted words
harsh which were kindly meant;
that light and tripping phrases
which were carelessly thrown off,
have been taken to heart as they
never should have been; and that
we h.tve made ourselves and others
miserable when there w '-a no need
y' it whatever.
How many little misunderstand
ings stick, like a splinter in one's
finger, until they make mischief
and trouble that cannot easily be
remedied; and in how many eases
five minutes' frank, honest talk
would have settled the whole mat
ter. The policy of silence at such
times is very dangerous policy, and
m tny hearts have bled and suffered
when a word would have healed.
Selected.
Threads of Thought.
Our memories are the echoes ot
joys and griefs forever gone.
The most real and the truest joy
we have in life is in making others
glad.
About the nnst difficult effort we
can make is to to try to realize our
own ideals.
The flower that first opens to the
sunshine will keenest suffer from
the frost.
To give praise .sincerely is only a
just expression of our recognition of
true worth.
He who is sensible may also have
a good share of sensibility and
sensitiveness.
That is a brave soul, indeed, that
has the power to turn his "double
pain to double-praise."
It would seem to be preferable to
we-u- out, rather than to be saved
from l ust by a put-on polish.
It is not always what we have ac
complished, but quite as often what
we had hoped to do, that has afford
ed us the most satisfaction. Good
Housekeeping.