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ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE, M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH.
Established in
r-irrrnr jmmimwLMmjhLt.mii inir imam
RALEIGH CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.
Orsrau of the Sorth Carolina Conference'
Pi bmshkd Wekkly at Kaletgu, N. C.
Entered as second-class matter in the post-office at Raleigh.
T. X. IVEY, . .
X. M. WATSON,
. EDITOR.
. Bc.StNFPS MANAGER.
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EMtorial.
EASTER BAWX.
O. Toaster dawn, slad l-.-:ter dawn!
Tils' ; hadows ni the night are unfurled,
-And :r..?rr.ing: lights the waking world-
past, the guard withdrawn.
TVte pondeivus stone is rolled away!
'-'rem rifted tomb where slept the Slain,
Our risen Lord vcmes forth again
And earth is glad on Easter day.
O, Hope of earth, immortal -born!
Our faith with rapture sears and sin?s,
And heaven is stirred with vibrant wings
Aeove the happy Easter morn!
Benjamin F. Leggett.
He who reads best his own heart
reads best the heart of another.
It is about tin: e for religious and
secular journals to "slow up" on the
"Burden" business. Wc have had
enough of it.
Preachers should stress the fact that
the conversion of a child means mere for
the Kingdom of God than does the con-
version of an adult. Let no servant "of
Gel be guilty of saying with a spirit of
? acrid indifference. "Ti: was a. children's
meeting.' Mav such a1)ound.
Bear in mir.d this fact as you walk in
- the irkarkct places filled with the babble
of false prophets: The fault is not in sur-
plus or imperfect machinery, but in lack
of power. The lire has lost none of its
heat, steam still possesses its expansive
power. But oh, the fuel and the water!
Have we made provisions therefor and
' adjusted, her relations? If so the Spirit
is rcad" to burn and run ail the miachiii-
. crv in the universe.
Prof. W. H. Pritchett, in a letter to
the St. Louis Christian Advocate, thus
writes of his experience in Nashville: "I
was delighted to hear our dear old Dr.
.Matthews Sunday night, preach with his
usual fervor at McKendree church, Nash
ville. He had a. large congregation and
a mourner at the altar." It is not dif
1 1 cult to sec that thre is a vital connection
between the two facts embraced in the
kiit statement. People are found in the
pews as long as agonizers are found at
the altar. When the "almanac" process
ceases and every service becomes revi
valistic in its nature, we will no longer
solve the problem of a decreasing- mem
bership. Bishop Taylor says : "I am now in my
seventy-eighth year, and shall probably
linger on these shores for a dozen years
more. I see no reason for going to
heaven just yet. No chance of saving
any sinners there." The spirit of the
venerable. Bishop is in marked contrast
with that of some people who profess. a
pious anxiety to "leave these mortal
cares and wing their flight to a home of
everlasting bliss." No"" one has a right
to a desire to leave this world until he
knows that God wants him out of it. The
world contains for every one a post of
duty. Pie cannot leave it until permission-comes
from the Great Master.
Furthermore, as long as there is an op
portunity for doing any good to immor
tal souls, there will be 110 desire in the
heart of a true follower of Christ for a
translation to a higher sphere. This
spiritual hypochrondrin -how may we
cure il? By obtaining a good view of
the great harvest field of'hiiman souls
rippling in all its golden beauty from
pole to pole, and enshrining deep down
in the chambers of the heart the fact
that each bowing bearded stalk is worth
all the suns and stars. Then we will not
think of going home until the day is
done.
AfXOTHF R LOIS.
On last Friday morning, March 24,
the news went over the city of Dur
ham and throughout the State that Wil
liam H. Branson had been seriously
scalded by steam from a pipe which had
burst. The" details of the accident were
harrowing in the extreme. Mr. J. C.
Mathes superintendent of the Durham
Cotton Mills, of which Brother Branson
was secretary and treasurer, suffered also
from the explosion. Shut up as these
two men were in a little brick room filled
with escaping steam, strong enough to
prevent the opening of the door, and
finally to blow a large hole in the wall,
it is strange that they lived an hour af
terward. Mr. Mathes still lives, but Mr.
Branson, after suffering hours of agony,
died about 5 o'clock, Friday afternoon.
Plis death is cue of the saddest myster
ies among the permissive acts of Provi
dence. So brave, so tender, true and
kind to others, his dying couch was one
of pain. In the full flush of young man
hood, he met the dread messenger. But
we knew his heart and his life, and we
know that ail is well. William PI. Bran
son so lived that he was ready at all times
and under 'all circum'Stanccs to answer
"Here!" to the call of the Master. We
know where lie is. We shall know where
to find him wh.cn we have joined the
"great majority."
We do not wish to anticipate his bi
ographer, but we give a short history of j
his life :
Pic was born at Cedar Falls, Randolph
County, May 23, 1S60. He was with a
hardware company in Greensboro from
1872 until 1885, when he was married to
Miss Clara Sergeant, of Greensboro and
went to Durham to he secretary and
treasurer of the Durham Manufacturing
Company, i.yi which capacity he acted up
to the day of his death.
In addition to his duties as secretary
and treasurer of two great cotton man
ufacteries. Air. Branson was director in
tire D u ! h a m a 1 a n u fa c tun n g Co m pa n y ,
the Pearl Cotton Mills Company, the
Odeil Manufacturing Company in Con
cord: the Kerr Bag Manufacturing
Company, Concord : the Greensboro Fe
male College; the State Universitv Rail
road ; trustee of Trinity College, and di
rector of the Fidelity Bank of Durham.
Brother Branson was a business man
of unusual ability. This ability he placed
at the disposal of the M. E. Church
South, of which he was a devoted mem
ber. He served as treasurer of the Joint
Board of Finance of the North Carolina
Conference since 1889. In this
capacity he did arduous work. His
brethren delighted to honor him to thef
electing him to the District, Annual,1
and General Conferences. In Dur
ham, as elsewhere, Brother Bran
son was universally popular. People
loved him because he was loving. His
death has saddened the whole commun
ity. We have few like 'him. Yet we
thank our Pleavcnly Father for the work
which he has already wrought and the
memory which will remain fresh and
green .during the passing years.
He was laid to rest on Saturday af
ternoon in the beautiful Green Hill Cem
etery at Greensboro. For the stricken
wife and children we implore the
comfort and protection of the Spirit.
They have the sympathy and prayers of
all true hearts.
t
EVANGELICAL EQUALIZATION.
Wc do not refer to the "equalization cf
taxes.' We have not the hardihood to
aitt-mpt to solve this knotty problem. We
refer to an equalization, however, which
is every whit as practical as that of
taxes -that-which brings about a uni
form cultivation of its evangelistic field
by a local church.
To illustrate. Here is a local church
(we have no special one in view), proper
ly organized, and with all its functions in
healthy, exercise. It performs its inten
sive duty. It builds up its organic sys-
RA LEIGH, N. C, MARCH 29, 1899.
1
tern through the conversion of sinners
within a certain radius and the strength
ening of saints. It rejoices in a prestige,
points villi pride to. its esprit du corps,
and exults in a commanding influence.
I performs its duty extensively. It is
a missionary church. Its -collections for
tl.c 'heathen are large! The women and
the children are organized into mission
ary societies, and the missionary mercury
stands high in the Conference Journal
thermometer.
But jtist outside the blooming field of
this church, in the "tenderlcin" quarter,
or tire factory neighborhood, are waste
pi ices through which the gospel plough
has not run. The people are perishing
for the bread of life. No church, no
chapel, no Sunday-school, no prayer
moeting all so sorely needed.
Wc have here the. spectacle cf a church
gazing at itself and' "at tilings far over
the sea, while -the nearer intervening
space is unnoticed. If the healthy, self
complacent ceugrcgr::on would only
take its eye off its fruits and flowers, and
see the intervening waste places calling
for cultivation, what' a God-send it would
be. What a good thing it would be for
men and women in the congregation
of the full overflowing local church to
go to these waste places ,as leaders of
prayer meetings, teachers of Sunday
schools, organizers of. churches. What
a cure it would be for spiritual dyspep
sia! How quickly would the . form of
spiritual laziness vanish !
But the waste places experience no
no such blessing. Is it "farsightedness"
or selfishness on the part of the local
church? It is both a far-sightness
which blinds the eyes of the church to
needs at its very doors,' and a selfishness
which induces a church to build itself up
while contiguous humanity is being torn
dow n by the 'hand of, sin.
What we need all over our Methodism
is equalization of evangelical effort, uni
fcrmitv of evangelical culture. Absolute
ly, there can be no ecclesiastical conges
tion; comparatively, this kind of conges
tion does exist and it is seriously impair
ing the health of Zion. The home
churches need devclopmen and we em
phasize the word ''home.'""" This work is
not to be done by the pastors but by the
people. God docs net and cannot look
down with complacency upon a large
prosperous congregation on its knees,
while in another quarter of the town or
city people are "perishing for want of a
chaplc or church: The Crucified One
never intended that there should be at
the same time in a town or city a large,
prosperous " overflowing congregation
and a small,' sickly, struggling one. The
law cf cquilibrum prevails in all true spir
itual life. Fquali ati:n was commanded in
the Great Commission. That strength
shall How from the strong to the weak
until the weak shall become strong is the
great purpose of God. So while we
strengthen and develop our organized
work, and send our men and money
across the seas, let build up the waste
places around us until they exhale the
very aroma of Sharon: This is the glory
of the visible Church.
HISTORICAL JUST1CF
We understand that a gentleman in
Edenton has published a pamphlet
sketch of the "Historic Tea-Party" of
the ladies of Edenton, N. C, on October
25th, 1774, to express their condemna
tion of the tax on tea by the British Par
liament. It is a surprising fact that many of our
people have never heard of such an
event, whether'- real or mythical. As for
our part we believe in the reality of such
a "Tea-Party." -
Tin's reminds" us that we wrote several
years ago to a gifted woman in this State
asking her to give us some information
on the part played by our womanhood
in the history of the State. The reply
we received w as courteous, but was un
satisfactory. It contained the informa
tion that North Carolina has no histori
cal womanhood. We doubted the truth
of the statement. We studied closely
the history of the State from the time
when little -Virginia Dare opened her
eves on the swelling bosom of Albemarle
Sound up to the present - hour. Wre
found at every stage a beautiful, inspir
ing vision of true womanhood.
Philip D. Armour has presented the
Armour Institute : of Technology, Chi-cae-o.
an additional S -00.000 to maintain
that -school-on the largely increased scale
to which its unexpected growth has led.
PTc previously gave the institute an en
dow 111 ent of $'1,000,000.
NEXT WEEK.
And n'O'W for the Epworth League
Conference. Bv the time of our next
issue, this Conference will 'have met in
the city of Newbern. Our hopes are
centered on this Conference. We have
mourned over the p'oor record we, as a
Conference, have made in. this most im
portant department of church Avork. We
have winced as our sister Conferences
have shrugged their shoulders as they
looked at our leanness. We look for our
redemption at Newbern. We expect a
big Conference. We lock to it as the
Spirit-fed fountain to irrigate the parch
ed fields of young Methodism on tills
side the line. - :
We feel that we shall riot be disap
pointed. We believe that our preachers
and layman will make sacrifices if neces
sary to attend, and that privately and
publicly they ' w ill urge every elected
delegate to attend. Men are in charge
whom we can trust. The programme is
excellent. Newbern is ready to empty
her cornucopia of hospitality. May the
interested Father give us a full, strongly
charged, evangelical Conference
TRINITY NOTES.
The literary societies have elected the
officers for commencement, as follows:
Chief Marshal, Percy Reade; Manager,
Richard Webb. The assistants have not
vet been elected.
On account of the debate held with
Wake Forest in Raleigh, the students
have decided not to have the usual an
nual debate between the two literary so
cieties. Bishop W. A. Candler, of Oxford, Ga.,
will arrive at the Park next Monday. He
will deliver a series of lectures on the
evenings of March 28, 29 and 30.
The "Students' Missionary Conference
will be held in the "Chapel next week.
This Conference is to be conducted by
officers of the Missionary Board at Nash
ville, Term: In connection with this, Dr.
Yates will h old the Missionary Confer
ence for the Durham District.
The athletic gro-unds have been put in
rocd condition, the grand-stand erected,
and the inclosure about completed.
There is great interest amng the stu
dents in athletics. The Boston league
team has arrived and will begin their
; lactice at once. This team will be of
great benefit to the College team.
Pioiessor Edwin Minis' will edit Ro
meo and Juliet for the Arden-Shakc-speare,
published by Heath & Company.
SOMETHING BEHIND THE PIOUS
SYMBOLS.
Baltimore Christian Advocate.
When "ephod, a teraphim, and a mol
ten image" are trotted out with pious
and superstitious ejaculations in front of
a scheme "for the good of Zion," there
will be found to be hid behind each saint
"weapons of war," and presently blood
will soak. the hot ashes of a peaceful city,
and the Danites with their "Levite" will
possess Laish.
Civilization, tinctured with supersti
tion converts the brave, old buccaneer
of the German ocean into polite purloiner
in a pew.
CATCHING AT A STRAW.
(St. Louis Christian Advocate.)
The scoffing skeptic who lectured in
St. Louis Sunday evening, dishonors the
name of Robert Burns by asserting that
the poet in his last years went to the tav
ern instead of the church, the lecturer
glorying in the choice can find no war
rant" in any utterance of Burns that the
poet gloried in any such Weakness. In
his wildest revel he would have scorned
such an imputation. 1 None knew of his
habits. The man who would gild his
dissipation with the glamour of Burns'
name, snatches the glory of a star to light
him to destruction.
''Present your bodies, a living sacrifice
to God.
Pre-seii't !
"What would you think of a soldier,"
says John G. Woolley, "who, when the
captain commanded, 'Present arms!'
should ask, 'W-h-e-11?' " :
Present vour bodies! .
When? Now ! .
No one who has heard this bit in
Woolley's sermon can . foriret the
peculiar, dawdling whine with w hich he
uttered the soldier s "when" a quality
which was like .a .--'commentary, and
caused a burst of spontaneous laughter.
New Series. Vol. l, No. 6.
WEEKLY REVIEW.
In spite of the cold and rainy winter,
the prospects for a good crop year are
bright in the Old North State. The
fruit crop seems to be assured. Very
few of the trees have bloomed in some
sections, and it is thought that they-will
escape the frost. With the absence of
political questions, the presence of a ma
terial prosperity, and the favors of the
seasons, this year, we trusit, will be a
golden one in the history of the State. ;
A few years ago a case of lynching
was generally punishment administered
for the protection of woman's virtue.
Now, it seems to us, the spirit of law
lessness is increasing and. negroes are
lynched for milder crimes. The recent
cases in Texas and in Georgia illustrate
this truth. While we are opposed to
lynching, yet our objection - may be
plausibly met. But the wholesale shoot
ing of negroes who have been arrested
has no warrant in law- or Scripture. . ;
The skies seem to be getting brighter
in France. But it must be remembered
that the politico-social skies of France
are those of April, corresponding in mat
ter of variety with the typical Gallic tem
perament. President Loubet has. this
fact in his favor he is conservative. His
dealing with the Dreyfus matter is ex
ceedingly cautious and politic. The new
President has wisdom enough to clear
his skirts, be the termination what it
may of this dreary affair. - External trou
bles, if not too great, would undoubtedly
be a blessing to France at this time.
.
The American Commission in behalf
of the United States government has
brought out its address to the inhabi
tants of the Philippine Islands. The ad
dress has been translated into the native
dialects so that it can be read by all. It
assures the Filipinos of the intention of
the United States to give them a stable
self-government and . to exercise a' pro
tective pow-er.-.frQni -tyranny or venge
ance. All insurgents are invited to lay
down their arms, and place their trust in
the government that rescued them from
Spanish control.. The: majority of: the
commissioners favor giving the Filipinos
a provincial autonomy.
'-
In 1 80 1, there were 140,000 members
of the Methodist Church in Great
Britain and Ireland, 1 in 13 being the
proportion of members to population. In
the same territory, there are now 881,
637 members, 1 out of every 44 people
being a Methodist. The increase of
population has been two and a half fold
during the century. The increase of
Methodism has been more than six-fold.
At the beginning of the cen
tury, there- were 260,000 Metho
dists in the Whole world, pro
portion of members to population, 1 in
2,500. In the whole world there are
now 7,100,601 members and probation
ers ; proportion of members to popula
tion, 1 in 212. At the beginning of the
century, there were in the United States
and Canada about 120,000 church mem
bers. Now there are over five millions.
The population has increased tenfold.
Methodism has increased over forty
fold. The latest news from the Philippines
at the time of cur going to press is to the
effect that McArthur's division, is still
pressing towards Malolos," the capital cf
the insurgents. The American army is
following the railroad. The trenches
which gave so much trouble in the. fight
of the 25th are no longer encountered.
Considerable opposition is found in the
villages, over thirty of which have been
captured. The evacuation of Malabon is
represented to have been most pictur
esque. Thousands of men, women, and
children, loaded with household goods
fled across the swamps. The Americans
so far, have lost several hundred killed
and wounded. The loss of the insur
gents has been much greater. Ag;ii
naldo has issued a proclamation threat
ening death to all w ho do not fight. He
has been bolstering up the hopes of his
followers with the promise that he will
lead them into Manila in a few days. By
the next issue of this paper, the Ameri
can army will probably have struck the
final blow. -''''
Dr. Hoss preached before the Univer
sity of Virginia last week. He lectures
before the Historical Society of Harri
sonburg, Va., on "Jchn Sevier," the first
Governor of Tennessee. Dr. Hess will
not p;o to the University of Georgia. . .
, . i