Newspapers / The Christian Sun (Elon … / Aug. 23, 1900, edition 1 / Page 1
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BY ATKINSON & LAWRENCE. IN ESSENTIALS, UNITY; IN NON-ESSENTIALS, LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS, CHARITY. ±= $2.00 PER YEAR. ESTABLISHED 1844. ELOH COLLEGE, N. 0., THURSDAY, AUGUST 23,1900. VOLUME LIU: NUMBER 33 Christian SUr\ PUBLISHED WEEKLY. The Official Organ of the Southern Chris tian Convention. CARDINAL PRINCIPLES. 1. The Lord Jeeua is the only Head of the ohureh. 3. The name Christian, to the exclusion of all party and sectarian names. * 8. The Holy Bible, or the Scriptures ol the Old and New Testaments, sufficient rule of faith and practice. 4. Christian character, or vital piety, the only test of fellowship or membership. 6. The right of private Judgment, and the liberty of conscience, the privilege and dutv of all. We arg surprised, The Neoro not to say disgust in Politics ed, that certain Again. papers in North Carolina are try ing to inject the negro question into the national campaign. For three months prior to Aug. 2, all over the State, that one issue was debated, discussed, told and retold from almost every “stump” and street corner, in the Com monwealth. When the polls closed Aug. 2, and a few hours later the result was announced we thought that issue settled, and settled forever in the State, but scarcely was there a breath ing spell before here comes the cry again of “negro domina tion.” Such conduct is nothing short of the ridiculous. We believe that the good peo ple of the State know when they have enough. And we believe that they now have enough of a question which has been settled, the agitation of which engenders ill-will and race prejudice. We believe further that it will help no party add win no-votes to have such an issue in its plat form. We want larger issues discussed, issues which instead of stirring up strife, teach the people something of economics, right laws and good government. . We do not believe the leading men in the two great parties de sire that this issue should be forced upon the people again. If the effort is made, knd in some parts it is being made, it will be, as it is, the effort of petty poli tics and very little politicians. Long enough have we had the stirrings of strife, passions, and race animosity. Let the good people who desire justice and good government ignore such an issue, if resurrected, and in the light of reason aud common sense give themselves to the con sideration of larger and better things and to the settling of is sues more weighty and momen tous. ■ : ' : :<■'* The London Labor-Saving Standard tells Machinery. of a new Eng invention which is to revolutionize the spin ning industry. Mr. Belanger’s air-cushioned spinning-ring is spoken of as increasing the pro duct of each spindle half, but the Engish inventor promises still greater things: “Its employ ment will dipense with all ma chinery between the operation of carding and spinning, thus doing away at one sweep with drawers, slubbers, intermediates and jack machines.” There is to be a vast saving in floor space and cost of machinery, says the writer. “The high rate of speed and consequent inceraSe in out put with which the American in ventions are credited are more than equaled by the new English ' process, while the simplicity of the whole operation is almost Another appliance which “mer r>opulation pressing upon means Adlal Stevensen t0 qU°tC WUh the “ product^of each ductive capacity is beyond the requirements of the world press ing upon the means oi subsist ence, but emphasizes the feature of the labor problem which most needs the best thought of the statesman as well as of the phil anthropist. The inventions of the age, more particularly in the line of labor-saving machinery, are developing a condition of af fairs in the labor world which is fast becoming, acute. The above is taken from an editorial in one of our leading dailies and contains a great deal of current economic doctrine which startles the multitudes whenever a new invention of a labor-saving machinery is made. For the past forty years in particular lobor-saving machines have been invented almost daily. The total for the period named is almost without number. If then labor saving machinery were injurious to labor, either by lessening the number of laborers or decreasing the wages of labor, it seems that somehow we would by this time begin to feel that injury. But we have not. Take for example that branch of industry in which, possibly, more than ii any other industry labor saving machines have been invented, viz., manufactured goods, cotton, yarns, - etc. What do we find? In i860 the amount of capital employed was $1,009,000,000. Number of hands employed 1, 311,000. Amount paid in wages, $378,806,000. Twenty years later, 1880, amount of capital employed in the same industries, $2,790,000,000; hands employ ed, 2,732,000; amount paid in wages, $947,953,000 The last twenty years will show a similar increase. That is to say, while labor saving ma chinery has been invented at a tremendous rate, such as the world never saw '"before, the number ot hands has increased from less than one und a half millions to over two and a half millions, and wages have in crease from three t and three quarter millions to nearly nine and a half millions. It may be set down as a rule that in those lines of industry where there has been the most rapid im provement in labor saving ma chinery there has been the most increase both of the number of laborers and of the wages of la bor to each employee. We too often forget that the wants of man increase and mul tiply far more rapidly than any increase in labor saving machin ery or in production ever yet dis covered. Such a thing as a general over-supply ol all com modities is a mathematical im possibility and an economic ab surdity. While labor saving machinery increases the supply, the-eapply multiplies our wants. Often supply leads and increases demand as well as vice versa. The world need have no fear from the too rapid increase of those things that contribute to the pleasures, necessaries and comforts of life. A Lesson About Chinbsb. We are making his tory, learning geog raphy and studying sociology rapidly these day8. Since the blowing up of the “Maine” over two years ago we have ad ded a chapter entitled “The Spanish-American War” to our history, learned the geography of the Philippines and of South Africa and are now studying— intensely for this warm weather— the sociology, the traits, charac terististics and conduct of the Chinese. Through the incidents, exigencies, excitements and in terests of war we are at least getting something useful. Was it, after all, for this reason that war was instituted, viz: that the people of one nationality might learn about the people of another and then exchange ideas and traits with one another? In our school-boy debating societies we heard it argued that the Crusades were beneficial because they ac quainted the world at large with itselt and caused a general bar tering of ideas and produce. rate we are studying ~ daily and ne and almost every private letter has its word and say-so aboul China and the Chinese. The whole civilized world is study ing China today as it never has before. Soon all of us will be adept scholars in 'the sociology of the Chinese. In so short a space we have not seen a more condensed and suggestive study of Chinese character and life than the following from The Outlook of August 11 : “For over twenty centuries China has been asleep ; in truth, it has never awakened. It has had but the semblance of life; scarcely that. It is called an Empire ; it is not; it is a con glomerate. Its people possess an ethical system, but no relig ion; their language does not even contain a word equivalent to the Greek Theos, the Latin Deus, the German Gott, the French Dieu, the English God, They are without faith in the future, without even desire for a future; they have always lived looking backward; their only worship, the worship of ances tors ; their only reverence, rever ence for the past. They are therefore without progress, growth, development; without even aspiration which is desire for progress. The Chinaman’s characteristic is not despair, which is hopeless aspiration ; nor contentment, which is restrained aspiration; but self-satisfaction, which is absence of aspiration. "witnout religion, witnou* progress,, without aspiration, these people are without civiliza tion. The. conflict between the West and the East, between Europe and China, is not a con flict of civilizations; it is a mis nomer to call it so. A people who discovered the compass and are without commerce, discover ed gunpowder and are without arms, discovered movable type and ai*e without a press; a peo ple whose best means of locomo tion has been the wheelbarrow, and who have suffered in conse quence frequent and devastating famines in a land of plenty; a people with coal-fields in a single province adequate to supply the world with coal for twenty cen turies, but without ortines because disturbance' of the ground might disturb the subterranean dragons, cannot be termed civilized Neither are the Chinese barbar ians. They occupy a middle ground between the civilized and the barbaric peoples of the globe; they are embodied con servatism ; for twenty centuries they have lived in a state of ar rested development, well satis fled so to live. It is indeed claimed that they have an elab orate system of education. That depends upon what is meant by education. A schooling which ignores the needs ot the present and the possibilities of the future, which teaches to memorize but not to think, which leaves the student ignorant of geography, astronomy, chemistry, engineer ing, in a word the world he lives ip, the laws which govern it, and the men who inhabit it, and which measures education by a capacity to use words which or dinary men do not understand, we do not call aducation. “And now China is awaken^ ing from her long sleep. Chris tian missions have done some thing by gentle means to arouse aspiration in a few ot her people ; the transformation of Japan has excited in others that emulation which is akin to aspiration ; the war with Japan and its results have given a rude shock to China’s self-conceit and made her rub her eyes. Just at this juncture an Emperor with a quick mind but not a strong will has arisen to foster reforming and progressive elements in this great unorganized population. Under that influence China has granted concessions to foreigners to build railroads and open mines ; and railroads and mines have disturbed the torpid self satisfaction of a more than me diaeval ignorance and supersti tion. China is beginning to awake. Danger makes friends and companions of us all. China threatens. The combined armies civilized world march un -. THE CHARCHE’S OPPOBTUSITIE8. BY PROF. K. L. MOFFITT. * I. THE CHRISTIAN SUN. Eyer iince I can remember a great niany members of the Christian church have plead for a cheaper church paper. They have claimed that the paper has bfeen too high, and that it ought to be published tor less. Atter six year’s experience in editing dnd managing The Sun, I am sure that the paper cannot be published for less than two dol lars, without loss to the publish brs. However, since they have shown themselves so unselfishly willing to make the experiment, it behooves every member of the church—a n d most especially those who have been urging up on the publishers the wisdom ot a decrease in price—to help se cure the five hundred new sub scribers, at $1.50, necessary to insure a permanent reduction. It is the duty of every family in the Christian church to take the Christian Sun, if they are able—and I believe that nearly -every family is able to take it. My observation was that it was not always the poorest members who failed to take it, but rather those who were least interested in the church and its enterprises. Very many of The Sun’s strong est friends, are very poor in this world’s goods, but very rich in their Christian experience. Bros. Atkinson & Lawrence have made a most liberal propo sition, and they ought to get even more than 500 new sub scribers by the first of next Jan uary. It is a fine opportunity to extend the circulation of our paper, and thus to strengthen the church and all its enterpris es. Our editor and publisher ate giving us an excellent paper, and with their editorial and bus iness ability their possibilities aie limited only by their oppor-; tunities. They are capable of giving us one of the strongest church papers published, and if they fail to do so, it will be large ly due to the lack of sympathy and support on the part of our people. The prospects of The Sun were never brighter, and if we will do our duty, they may all be realized. ’ Professors Atkinson & Law rence have done a great work for Elon College, as instructors in that institution. They have been true to its every interest,and the Christian church feels grate ful to them for their faithfulness. Also it is a source of satisfaction rto our people to know that in their present positions they will continue to add interest and strength to Eion. II. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY FUND. Another and a similarly prom ising opportunity before lis as a church is in the Twentieth Cen tury Offering for Elon College. Our institution has had a* most successful career—the history of few colleges will compare , with it—bui it is yet in debt; and un til this is liquidated it cannot measure up to its highest possi bilities. Let us raise every dol lar of the twenty thousand asked for by the Convention, and a new and still brighter day will have dawned for us. I do not know how many pastors and churches are earnestly at the work of raising "their proportion-^ ate part of the fund, but I feel sure that there are many of them —and success will attend their efforts. Neither Asheboro nor Waver ly is a strong church, either nu merically or financially, and yet both have already raised the amounts asked of them—and it required very little effort to raise them. Shall we not very-soon hear of other nacftes being added to the list? It will be an encour agement and an inspiration to those churches that are harder to work up. Let pastors and people give Bro. Wicker their hearty and practical support when he comes around, and keep it up after he is gone, until every dollar >h >'l have been raised. It is the op portunity ol our history as a church, and he who fails- to dp his duty will do his church an will, perhaps, AN ADDRESS. BY J. E. WEST. As we meet again in the an nual session of the Eastern Vir ginia Christian Sunday School Convention, the question arises, Whatis't he^object of this conven tion, Jand what are its benefits? I have no doubt that all ot the schools represented have active members who have never attend ed a Sunday school convention, and never will. These people never figure on indirect bless ings and benefits, but only on di rect ones. Not only is this con vention beneficial for the ex change ot ideas as to Sunday school work and the general pro motion of the Sunday school cause, the interest it takes in and support it gives the Christian Mis sionary Association, but its social advantages are many and help ful. It brings about a more fra ternal spirit among the churches and members, and we gather in spiration fsom the speeches, ad dresses, sermons, and songs of praise. As a rule, the members of our churches who attend most regularly our conferences and conventions, are the most inter ested in the various enterprises of the Christian church. When first conside.ing a sub ject for the annual address I was inclined to discuss “The relation ship of the Sunday school to the church”, but as Rev. W. C. Wicker, chairman ot the commit tee on the Twentieth Century fund desired me to speak on the “Twentieth Century Fund” during the session of this body, I have chosen that as my subject on this oecasion. As the Twen tieth Century Fund of the Chris tian Church South has been agi tated but little as yet, I wil first go into an explanation of same. At the last session of the South ern Christian Convention held at Franklin Va., it. was decided to issue a call for a $20,000. froe will, thank-offering for Christian education, and to be known as the “Twentieth Century Fund of the Christian Church South.” The offering can be in cash or sub scriptions, and is to be taken by November 1 1900, one-half of the subscription to be payable by Januuary, 1901, and the other half by May 1, 1901. It was provided by the conventon that the funds raised under this call must be used to pay off the debt of Elon College. No assessment was made on the conferences or churches but simply an appor tionment. Each church is ex pected to give at least twelve and one-half times its annual assessment for the support of Elon College or what is known as the “Elon College Fund.” If your church is now assessed $12.00 for the Elon College Fund, it is expected to raise $150.00 for the Twentieth^Century Fund. At me Franklin convention everybody was in favor of a Twentiet Century Fund call, and we only differed as to the purpose and the method ot making the call.Since the Franklin conven tion adopted the present plan, let all loyal members of the church, ministers and laymen, rally to the call. But some may say “What has the Sunday school to do with this call?” I reply that the Sunday school is a part ot the church. We want to interest the Sunday school superintend ents, officers, teachers, and pu pils in this work. I will give you a practical illustraiion of how the Sunday school can help a church when it tries to do so. The second Sunday in June was missionary rally day with the Christtan 'Memorial Temple at Norfolk Va. They decibed to (hit a foreign missionary in Ar menia. and set apart the second Sunday in June, to raise, by means of a free will offering, $600. 00 to support this mission ary. While they asked for a specific amount it was not an as sessment. They not only got $600 00, but the total offerings amounted to $1,000. For four Suadays each class in the Sun day school took a special cellec tion for this purpose, and in this way over $200.00 was raised from the Sunday school alone. It was a red letter day in the history 01 our foreign missionary It was an inspiring scene - to see beople give money freely and willingly. “God loveth a cheerful giver.” It shows you what people will do when they consecrate their money as well a3 themselves to God. It shows you what a help the Sunday school can be Jn this matter if you will only enlist its interest in this work. A committee of three consist ing of Rev. W. C. Wicker, Prof. E. L. Moffitt, and myself, have charge of this work. We are not in this positon by our own choice, but by the choice of the highest official body of the Chris tian Church. We want to say to you that the committee expects each ol you to do his duty. Within the short time wehave, and the funds and speakers at our command, it is impossible for the committee to make a can vass of the Southern -Christian Convention. We must rely on the ministers and a few laymen in each church, and this is my method. I would ask the breth ren of the ministry to lead off at once in this work. Time is rap id ly passing away and Novem ber ist will be ljjere. Most all people will do their duty as they see it. Giving is a matter of ed ucation, and it therefore devol ves upon the ministry toeducate the laity as to their duty in giving. Don’t be afraid to talk money." Don’t be afraid that the raising of outside funds will crip ple the payment of your salary. Show me a church that raises all comerence assessments auu re sponds liberally to all convention and conterence calls, and I will show you a church that always pays its pastor’s salary. You are regarded as the leaders, as the generals in the army. If the gen ersls does not exhibit courage, confidence and enthusiasm, the soldiers will not, and defeat is sure. So it is with the minister. If you do uot take hold ot the work and present this matter properly, your members wil lose confidence in your leadership and respect tor your loyalty to church institutions and denomi national causes. Since the high est body ot the church has made this call, if you fail to respond liberally, your influence in the councils of the church will be impaired, your advocacy of new enterprises will fall flat, and your loyalty to the church will be questioned by the ministers and laity generally. If you will talk the Twentieth Century Fund, ed ucate your people to see the need of it and the object ot same, un der the guidance of our Heavenly Father you will raise your money. If the $20,000.00, is given, our laity must give the most of it. To those laymen who are here, we want to remind you that this is a free-will thank-offering. We are living in the grandest centu ry of all centuries. The blessings oi manKina nave never neen jsu great as now. I appeal to you bretren of the laity—to uphold the hands of your minister in this work. Give liberally of your means to this cause. I do not specify the amount you should give, all I ask is that you give as the Lord has prospered you. If you have anything to be thankful for, express it to God by means of a free-will thank-offer ing. Other denominations have this “Twentieth-century Fund Call,” and this is the way Chris tian America is going to give | her thanks for the blessings of} the present and past. Do you re- j alize, my friends, that what j you have comes through the | goodness of God ? I never knew hut one man to apparently hurt bimself giving to the church, and he is now better off than he was before, and that was a blessing in disguise. Well, you say, “I can’t afford to give much to the Twentieth-century Fund, I have already given all I can to sup port the preacher.” Don’t let Sa tan tempt you this way. Don’t let this privilege pass by without giving a small thank-offering. When a man becomes a voter, or becomes the head of a family, he takes upon himself certain re sponsibilities which he has never had and which he is willing to assume. So with you, my breth ren of the laity. When you join KE3M ■ % you ilities ! as to the local church, but as to the denomination ot which this is a part. Elon College is the property of the Christian Church j South. It is your college, and it is my college. We must support ! it; we must get it out of debt. | The Franklin convention has de cided that -this is the best plart'to get the college out ot debt. Es tablished ten years ago, Elon College has already taken a high stand for the character of its pupils and for the thorough ness of its work. rfn'~ great body of the Church will never know the trials and troub les of those at the helm, who have financiered this institution for the first decade of its exist ence. Many of you will never know the sacrifiices of its profes sors, in standing by the institu tion when they could command better salaries elsewhere. Many of you do not know that several members and ministers of the Christian Church, in years al ready past, have given over one thousand dollars to this institu tion, and others have given smaller amounts according to their means. Place the College out of debt, and it will mark a new era in the history of our church. With an educate ministry, a better educated laity, with a foreign missionary from the South, and home missionaries in two of our progressive southern cities, we will enter the new century with brighter prospects than ever be fore. Ifjwe continue to be a mis sionary people, 11 we continue 10 enter the cities, and if we contin ue to support our educational in stitutions and to educate our ministers and let them live by the preaching ot the word, we will make more progress in the next twenty-five years than we have made in the last hundred years. Don’t stop the wheels of progress by saying “We can’t,” •‘We are not able,” and so forth. If you can’t help us, don’t be hindrance, get out of the way^ and give us a clear track, or the “The Twentieth-century Eund” car may run over you. I beseech you my Sunday school triends, when you go back home, to agitate this ques tion. Let each pastor call togeth er a lew trusty laymen to decide the method to adopt in each church. Sound your leading members as to what they will give; get your Sunday school interested ; pray God to direct you, and when you have your Twentieth-century Fund Rally day, I believe you will have no trouble in raising the amount your church is expected to give. Impress upon your members the sentiment of the words “All to Him we owe,” and catching the inspiration of that song, the offering will probably be larger than the amount asked for. WHAT CAME OF A BEER-KEG SUN DAY SCHOOL. _BY F- G. K.t IN S. S. TIMES. Empty beer-kegs were donat ed by a kind-hearted saloon keeper to serve as pulpit and supports for the plank seats. That was more encouragement than there might have been, and the missionary accepted it thank fully. It was his mission, just then, to establish a Sunday school out in a little town in Western Nebraska. The saloons were well established and flour ishing, why not a Sunday school and church? So the school was started, on an empty keg basis. Some of the people were inter ested in havidff® Sunday school opened tor their children, but they had grave doubts as to who could be found to carry it on. A young man-about-town, noted chiefly hitherto for his profanity - of speech, was interested, and elected secretary. He became more interested then. Activity in behalf of the school, intense interest in Bible study, and his conversion followed. Then came a revival, and many others were won to Christ. The organiza tion of two churches, with the erection of their own houses ol worship, was an outcome of this. Oae Sunday school soon be
The Christian Sun (Elon College, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 23, 1900, edition 1
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