, Ml
ir
i
oo PER ANNUn.
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF METHODISM IN NORTH CAROLINA.
F. L. REID, Publisher.
ESTABLISHED 1855.
RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1893.
VOL. XXXVIII., NO. 42.
'yM Ml ill ill
I 1 t i
Christian Advocate.
Til
yAYKTTKVILT.K St., RaLEIOIT, X. C
'Toflici1 Organ of the Xortli Caro
,. Annual Conference of the Metliod
V El,;seopal Churcli, South.
rnscuiPTiox ktes
One your, in advance,
vix months, in advance,
Three months, in advance,
To Ministers at halt price.
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$1.00
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Enti'ivd at the Post-Office in Raleigh
givond-class matter, in accordance
t'u Fostal Laws and Regulations.
POETRY.
For the Advocate.
The Wife's Appeal.
BY LETT IE.
Our b:ily, John,is sleeping in the
cradle by my side;
i"ne chubby hand is on his tac?, in which
sw eet dimples hide,
Iai thinking of his father, this wee man
is named lor him,
And while I think, and while I speak,
my eyes with tears are dim,
T.vo years, and only two, John, since
standing by my side,
Yea took the vows that made of me a
happy,trusting bride,
I have not once regretted it, bat only
wish to say
The days and nights are lonely, John
when from us you're away,
I've learned the latest inusic, and I've
the newest book,
T the one you could not listen, in the
other would not look,
You hadn't tims, you said, dear John,
you promised you would meet
Some brothers at the Temple Lodge that
meets in Willow Street,
Last night you were at Concert Hall,
Thursday you went to ride,
Wednesday you went to see the play, I
was not by your side,
Tuesday you were at home I know, but
early went to bed,
Because you said the baby's noise dis
turbed your aching head,
Monday you went to hoar Miss Xealread
Jiayard Taylor's book.
And said she was so charming she quite
your fancy took;
Stay with us, darling, you shall see I've
not forgotten quite,
The songs and ballads that you praised
on many a courting night.
Stay one night, John, and talk with me,
tell me the daily news,
And tell me all that gladdened you while
I work baby's shoes;
Twill make our home seem brighter,
John.'twill take this pain away,
That's hovered round my saddened heart
UUfor many a weary day.
He staid last night, the book ho read, my
music was so sweet,
lie said home was so pleasant he never
more should meet
At lodge or rout, or Concert Hall, as erst
so constantly
Or any place he could not take dear little
John and me."
COMMUNICATIONS.
For the Advocate.
Trinity College.
BY HON. V. M. BOBBINS.
ITS ANTECEDENTS. ITS EARLY DAYS.
ITS FOUNDER.
Early in the year 1838, Brantly
York, of blessed memory, was
engaged by the citizens of that
vicinage to teach a school for them.
Although entirely self-educated, he
was then an excellent teacher of Eng
lish Grammar and other elementary
i -
tranches of learning. lie began his
school in what was known as the
Brown Schoolhouse," an ancient,
P-ther dilapidated log house some 1G
!,y -0 feet in size, situated about three
urths of a mile southwesterly from
fte present college site. During that
summer the patrons erected a new
hool-house of hewn logs a few steps
n'jrth-eastward of the present college
ar'd about 21 by 36 feet in dimensions;
aiil late in the Summer or early in
the Fall of that year, the teacher and
s 40 or 50 pupils, male and female,
Marched in procession from the old
hf-use to the new. From that time
tile. -. .
scnooi was called " Union Insti
'wfc" so named by York himself in
tfJken of the union of the Methodists
aa 1 Quakers in its support, the for
living mainly south and the lat-
north of it.
It was then what might be consid-af-'l
a high type of common school,
jperous and well patronized by
Jhe people of the neighborhood with
boarders from farther away. Its
JUrnculum embraced the ordinary
Cliches of a common English course
with a little Latin thrown in. A
strong spirit in favor of education
sprang up around it and much en
thusiasm was awakened; and the
signs of its growth and expansion be
came so apparent that the project of
erecting still another and more com
modious building was soon broach
ed and carried out. This edifice stood
just north of the present college, and
was a framed and weatherboarded
structure about 30 by 65 feet in size,
divided into two equal" rooms by a 10
foot hall running across it and was
completed probably in 1840. How
much it cost and how the means to
pay for it were secured I cannot tell
you. It was not an expensive struc
ture, and the money and labor of the
patrons were doubtless the main re
liance; but very likely material pe
cuniary aid was procured through
the zealous efforts of York among the
friends of education outside the im
mediate circle of its patrons.
This new double-room and large
building foreshadowed a change in the
administration of the school. It
pointed to the need and expectation
of an additional instructor. Up to
this period the principal patronage
was from the people of the vicinage,
the Methodists and Quakers jointly.
But a change came over the spirit of
the dream. Great events are some
times influenced and the fortunes of
men and their plans and projects
swayed by trifles; the fate of Rome
was once affected by cackling geese;
and Union Institute did not escape a
like influence. One day some of the
Methodist pupils took it upon them
selves to make sport over "thee " and
"thou." It was fatal to harmony.
EveryQuaker patron raised his brist
les. York sternly reprimanded the
mischievous offenders and explained,
in a paternal lecture to the whole
school, the peculiarities of the "fa
miliar" and the "solemn" styles (as
he called them) of colloquial nuglich
and the propriety of using either ac
cording to individual taste. But the
breach was made and could not be
healed. The Quakers were gone
nearly all of them, and they never
returned. A very serious diminution
in the number of pupils was the re
sult. This happened not far from the
time when the new double-room
building was occupied.
By reason of that Quaker secession
and from other causes which lam not
able to indicate fully, partly perhaps
because the girls began gradually to
drop out of what was developing into
a male school, partly (it may be) be
cause the scholarship of the noble
old pioneer York at that time was
not altogether adequate to the neces
sities of the institution, or whatever
else may Have caused it,the fact is true
that about 1810-11 the school fell off
very greatly in the number of pupils
and it became evident that a revolu
tion of some sort was needed to insure
its prosperity.
it was in i4i, J. ininiv, mm im
W : l i T" J 1 1 11. -1 Tl
-
won Craven ca'me as assistant teacher,
I i -t r t
a young man oi aDOut rj years, wno
had spent a term or two at the Qua
ker school of New Garden, now Guil
ford College; a great intellect, an un
tiring student, not a finished scholar
of course then, but nobo ly then found
this out; for he kept always well
ahead of any student he was teaching.
Was he brought from 'the Quaker
school at the instance of some wise
diplomat who hoped thereby to re
cover the Quaker patronage to Union
Institute? I know not. But if so,
the scheme did not work. But Craven
worked; he studied and grew and be
came great, over-towering, and
masterful before men knew it. He
began as assistant, occupying the
west room; York still Principal in
east room. How long this continued
some one else must tell you, for I
cannot; but it was not very long. It
was in 1812, I believe, that York left
the institution. Others perhaps can
give the reasons for this better than I
can, for I was, then much too young
to know and understand the whys
and wherefores' of men's movements.
But looking back now I conjecture
that York intuitively felt that his
own proper work was done there,
other fields opening elsewhere for
more useful exercise of his peculiar
talents in the great work of education
to which his life was devoted. Doubt
less he perceived, too, that a great
man had come to Union Institute who
could build better than he could upon
the foundation already begun there.
And he was not mistaken.
Accordingly Craven became prin
cipal of the school and gradually de
veloped it into the great institution
which it grew up to under his man
agement. With incredible industry
and consummate skill, aided only in
teaching by such assistance as he
could utilize from among his more
advanced students, aided also by the
hearty co-operation of the excellent
people who lived in the vicinity who
boarded his students at the lowest
possible figures, while his tuition fees
were pitifully small, thus bringing
the privileges of the school within
the reach of almost all struggling
youths, he built it up during the
forties to an extraordinary point of
success and genuine usefulness, hav
ing meanwhile converted it into a
male school upon the founding of
Greensboro Female College. Always
aspiring, he contrived about 1851 to
secure a loan of $10,000 from the State
Literary Fund which was used in
erecting the main part of the present
college building and he procured
from the Legislature a charter of the
institution as "Normal College"
authorized to confer degrees. At
that time also the resources derived
from an increased patronage enabled
him to organize a regular Faculty
consisting of three or four members;
and a year or two thereafter the first
graduating class consisting of two
members, Lemuel (afterwards Prof.)
Johnston and his brother, Rev. Dou
gan C. Johnston, received their de
gree of A. B. About 1859 the College,
with enlarged facilities and abound
ing usefulness, was christened by its
Pres. Craven with its present more dig
nified and classic name of "Trinity
College." I need not prolong this j
sketch further, for the story of
Trinity during' tUe trying peilOJ Ol
the Civil War and since is known
and read of all men in North Caro
lina. Brantly York was essentially a
pioneer of educational enterprises.
Witness Trinity, Clemmonsville, Olin,
York Institute, Ruffin-Badger,
Randleman, and many another insti
tution in North Carolina where his
voice was heard like that of John the
Baptist, "as of one crying in the
wilderness," arousing the people to
look and labor for the dawn of a bet
ter and brighter day. Down to nearly
fourscore and ten years of age, feeble
and sightless and poor, he still labor
ed on in the blessed work of lighting
the lamps of liberal education and
true religion in North Carolina. With
reverent hand I would lay a wreath
of amaranth upon the grave which
holds his sacred dust.
Braxton Craven was a great master
builder who first conceived and then
skillfully and patiently wrought out
the conception of a magnificent edu
cational institution which should be a
beacon light and a rallying point for
Methodism in North Carolina and
utilize all her forces as a mighty and
far-reaching Evangelical agency in
the State. To this task he gave his
life; and when he died it was not from
age, but hard work of head and heart
and body, toiling and planning (and
thank God ! not in vain,) for the
realization of this ideal. Victor and
martyr both in one, the spot where
his ashes repose should be marked by
a shaft of granite, like his fame im
perishable as the hills of Randolph.
York in his humble beginnings
built better than he knew. Craven
knew and foresaw and therefore built.
They were counterparts of each other
and their glory is not antagonistic.
York the pioneer; Craven the real
founder and builder; and Trinity the
child of Providence and of Destiny.
One thing only permit me to add.
All along through its formative
period, nothing so distinguished that
school and hallowed its academic
groves as the spirit of true, evangeli
cal, soul-felt religion which dwelt
there. Its recitations were good, but
its prayer-meetings were better; and
manv a time were its classic halls
and corridors made musical with the
glad thanksgivings of hearts into
which had newly flowed " that peace
which passeth all understanding and
that joy which is unspeakable and
full of glory." May these experiences
be to Trinity not a memory only but
a peretual and abiding benediction.
SUSesviUe, Sept. 5th, 1S93.
For the Advocatk.
The Uniform Lessons.
Ji f REV. E. A. YATES, D. D.
Mi; Editor: I published the fol
lowing article in a recent number of
the Nashville Advocate, in reply to
an article in same paper by the Edi
tor, and request you to publish it for
the information of any who may con
sider my opinions worth knowing.
The system of uniformity has some
advantages over the Catechisms, it
may be; but there is no necessity for
its buliig "international" or even
national. ?rC
The following is the article :
Mr. Editor : I read your article up
on the Lesson System with care and
with some profit; and, like all your
writing, it is in good spirit and well
delivered, and is even calculated to
make a weak cause seem the stronger.
But, after all, you do hot touch the real
point af. issue, at least as to my own
share ot the objections. Without long
discussion, let me state these :
1. It is not the uniformity or the
system 4 o which I object, but the mat.
ter of tne text, and the style of the les
son papers. The lesson text in no sense
and in no way involves the great dis
tinctive doctrines of Methodism. We
use these wholly, while other denomi
nations are careful to make their own
text-books the main lesson in the Sunday-school.
What would Presbyteri
anism be in a few years without the
4 ' Shorter Catechism ?' ' And so with
the others. But ours is selected by a
committee representing many denom
inations, and so necessarily have to
select those parts of the Bible that are
wholly non-doctrinal, or at least so
much -50 that eighty per cent, of
teacher& are unable to twist anything
out of them in favor of Methodism. I
do not believe" that a religion not
based upon doctrine is worth the
trouble of notice.
2. I doubt this state of things,
taken as a whole, being better than
the old. I do not believe in the
worship of a book, nor do I believe it
necessary to fill the Sunday-schools
with Bibles; but I do believe it neces
sary to teach and maintain the dis
tinctive doctrines of Methodism. That
parents ought to help in this goes
without saying. But we are talking
about Sunday-schools. A thing set
up to do a certain work ought to be
able to do it well without blaming
others for not doing it. I"0"as
loud as any one for a revival of
parental work; but " the Societies "
claim the attention of parents nowa
days, and the Sunday-school must
look after the children.
When I was a boy I studied
through all the catechisms, and grad
uated in " Longking's Notes." True,
in dull hands these things made dull
work; but they were at least as good
as lessons that do not teach the doc
trines of the church. Ldo not believe
that old times were better than these
that old system were better than
new ones for I daily thank God for
all our improvements and better
ments; but is it possible that we must
discount everything old in order to
secure worshipers for the new ? Can
we not improve the Uniform Lesson
System ? Yes. How ?
Let Bishops Keener, Galloway, and
Duncan or any other three togeth
er with laymen Tucker, Carlisle, and
Clark, select the Lesson text for the
Southern Methodist Sunday-schools,
and turn it over to the Sunday-school
editors to run through the uniform
mill, and thus give us what we have
a right to expect. I cannot imagine
anybody objecting to this except those
who care nothing for the great funda
mental doctrines of Methodism that
have made the church what she is.
If the time has rrived in the his
tory of the church to discard doctrines,
as the "hurrahers" and "reformers"
declare; and if God indicates this is
his will, all right. I am ready. But
I want the message substantially au
thenticated; for I am sure it is not
theBriggses andWoodrows alone that
... -I - . A -LI C M
are uesiroymg me louiiuauous, -but
the greatest danger, if it be a
danger, comes from the thousands
who think it evidence of smartness
to try to belittle the doctrines of the
church. But if the time has not come
for cutting the backbone out of Chris
tianity, then let us have the doctrines
of the church in the Sunday-school.
Woman's Missionary
ence.
Confer-
The N. C. Conference Woman's
Missionary Society convened in its
fifteenth annual session in NeWbern,
N. C, Sept. 29th, 1893, at 8: 30 p. m.,
Mrs. J. A. Cuninggim, President, in
the chair; Miss Blanche Fentress,
Secretary. After a voluntary by a
male quartette, Dr. J. A. Cuninggim
read Matt. 5: 13-16, and Dr. L. L.
Nash led in prayer. Miss Minnie
Willis delivered a very appropriate
address of welcome. Miss Narcissa
Hutchings being detained by sickness
Miss SaeBackwi thread her response.
The annual address of the President
briefly summarized the work and
the needs of the future.
At the close of the exercises, Rev.
R. A. Willis announced a reception to
the Society and visitors at the resi
dence of Mrs. K. R. Jones. This was
indeed an elegant entertainment.
bright jewel day, saturday,
sept. 30th, 1893.
The Conference met at 9:30 a. m.,
the President in the chair. Rev. R.
A. Willis led the devotional service.
The Secretary called the roll. Mrs.
R. P. Howell, Treasurer, Mrs. R. H.
Whitaker and Mrs. H. C. Spiers,
District Secretaries, and eighteen
delegates were present. Mrs. J. R.
Brooks, fraternal messenger, was in- '
troduced. The hours for daily meet
ing were fixed at 9: 30 a. m. to 12: 30
and 3: 30 p. m., adjourn at will. Six
Bright Jewels delegates responded to
the roll, viz : Miss ' Annie Stainback,
Weldon; Miss Mollie Cheatham,
Ridgeway; Mrs. Hamilton, Main
Street, Durham; Miss Be ssie Hard
ing, Greenville; Master Wightman
Nash, Fifth Street, Wilmington; and
Albert Coble, Trenton;Mrs. Hendren,
in the absence of our beloved Aunt
Mary, read her annual report of the
Juvenile work. It was a source of
deepest regret that Mrs. W. S. Black
was ill at Buffalo Lithia Springs. On
the Raleigh District, nine bands of
Bright Jewels were reported, viz :
Edenton Street and Central Church,
Raleigh; Louisburg, Cary, Franklin
ton, Shiloh, Salem, Apex, and the
Oxford Orphan Asylum Jewels, giv
ing $14.23 to the Frances Bumpass
Lectureship, total $22.41. On the
Warrenton District, sixteen bands.
Miss Annie Stainback read the report
of the Weldon Jewels; Miss Mollie
Cheatham, Ridgeway Jewels; Mrs.
II. C. Spiers reported for Tabor, Shi
loh, Tabernacle, Macon, Rehoboth,
Woodland, Ebenezer, Garysburg,
Pinner's Church, Jackson, Coleraine,
Littleton, Murfreesboro, and Hender
son; Mrs. Annie Hamilton the Main
Street, Durham, Bright Jewels, Miss
Bessie Harding, Greenville, Master
II. Wightman Nash, Fifth Street,
Wilmington Bright Jewels, and Al
bert Coble, Trenton Jewels.
The report of Miss Fanny Wood,
Secretary of the RockinghamDistrict,
was read by Miss Fentress, giving
seven bands of Bright Jewels, viz :
Ophir, Wadesboro, Lauriuburg, Gib
son, St. John, Rockingham, Lumber
ton. The Secretary also read the re
port of St. Paul Bright Jewels, Golds
boro. The statistical report for year
ending March, 1893, is as fallows :
Bright Jewel Bands organized, 10;
New members added, 1S6. Total
number of Bright Jewel Bands, 91.
Total number of members, 3,671.
Amount of dues paid during the year
$740.76. The Bright Jewels have
paid over $400.00 to the FrancesBum
pass Lectureship. Dr. L. L. Nash
and Rev. R. F. Bumpass were intro
duced and gave their hearty endorse
ment to this department of our work.
Mrs. L. L. Hendren then read a pa
per so admirable in its conception of
training the young in the cause of
Missions, that Dr. J. A. Cuninggim
deemed it worthy to become a part of
our Missionary Literature. On mo
tion a vote of thanks was tendered
Mrs. Hendren for this paper, and
that it be published in Leaflet form,
also for her services on Bright Jewel
day. On motion of Miss Hawes the
President requested the Secretary to
send a telegram expressing our sym
pathy to Mrs. W. S. Black. After
the doxology the benediction was pro
nounced by Rev. R. F. Bumpass.
Saturday, 3: 30 p. m." Devotional
exercises by Rev. Mr. Starling. The
roll was called and minutes read and
approved. The woman's work was
begun by Mrs. L. L. Hendren giving
the report of Centenary Church Aux
iliary, Newbern, ML Olive and St.
Paul, Goldsboro, by Miss Fentress.
Trenton Anxiliary, Mrs. C. Rhodes,
delegate, reported. Kinston, Miss C.
Grainger. Warrenton District, Mrs.
Spiers gave a good report of her dis
trict. Weldon by Mrs. Lee Johnson,
Bethel by Mrs. Helen Owen; Hender
son, Middleburg, Warrenton, Little
ton, Tabernacle, Murfreesboro, Col
raine, Garysburg and Smith's
. Church Auxiliary re-organized by
Mrs. Spiers. Wilson Auxiliary read
by Miss Fentress, also the report of
Miss Fanny Wood, Sec. of the Rock
ingham District, viz: Five Auxili
aries, viz : Rockingham, Laurinburg,
Maxton, Gibson, Lumberton and
Hebron. The President gave the
names of the Committee to the Secre
tary. Mrs. Cuninggim also showed
the nice WttlQMissionary Hand-Book,
No. 10, by our gifted Mrs. W. S.
Black, which contains the history of
the Woman's Missionary Society, M.
E. Church, South, 1878-1892. A
love feast was announced to be held
at 8 o'clock, p. m. The benediction
was pronounced by Rev. R. A. Wil
lis. (To be continued next week.)
For the Advocatk.
Rutherford College Letter.
by rev. r. l.
abernethy, d. d.
The intellectual and moral interests
of Western North Carnlina are upon
a rapid advance towards higher
planes of excellence. Religious re
vivals in almost every section seem
to be the rule; while the want of them
upon any pastor's charge, seems to
be the exception. There are young
men in these regions, who have just
buckled the harness of the ministry
npon themselves that are leaving
many of us older preachers under the
juniper trees, complaining like the
owl to the moon, of the want of more
success and less dazzling rays of light.
These are the days that Daniel an
announced when "many shall run to
and fro, and
knowledge
shall be in-
creased." Schools, academies and
colleges are becoming as thick among
the mountains of Western N. Caro
lina as "thistle downs upon a sum
mer evening's breeze." They all
seem too to be well filled with intel
lectual students. The fact is, the
uneducated young people among these
towering mountains have stronger
native intellects than one finds in
other portions of our country. This
fact is, however, in keeping with the
teachings of intellectual philosophy;
for nothing is more correct than the
affirmation that the mind adapts
itself to its objects of contemplation.
A child born and raised in constant
sight of cloud-capped mountains
with the thundering sound of vast
cataracts falling continually upon the
ear, will have a native power of mind
not known to those whose surround
ings have not been stirred by these
powerful objects of nature.
But after all our efforts for the ed
ucation of the rising generation, not
more than one-fifth of all who ought
to be in schools will be found there.
In Western North Carolina there are
young people enough of proper school
age to " stock a new world;" and yet
you find them planning for the dollar;
and before the young fellow's "beard
has grown out, "he is married to some
silly young girl of corresponding
ignorance, and they are squatted in
some cabin among these mountain
fastnesses, to thrust another set of lit
tle barefooted ignoramuses upon
human society ! We talk about an
educational requisition to vote; but
in my humble opinion there ought to
be one to marry. What do you think
about it, Dr. ?
Rutherford College has all her
sails to the wind, with a cargo of
charming young people. She will
send a number of recruits to the next
Conference. Success to all your en
terprises. Rutherford College, N. C.