Newspapers / Gastonia Daily Gazette (Gastonia, … / March 15, 1904, edition 1 / Page 1
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T. F. MAI SHALL. Editor ud Fr—rtrtw._DEVOTED TO THE PK0TECT10M OF BONE ABB THE IRTEIESTS OF TIE COUNTY. V01* XXV| { | _[r[||| TUgSDAY. MARCH IB. _ SOME PHASES OF A A DURHAM CHURCH LIFE ' ■ *1 o. J. join#, niOTT COLLMIr^r- - Durham has upwards of thirty churches, more then twenty of which belong to its white citi zens. These churches are rep resentatives of the Methodist, Prstbyterianf Baptist, Episcopal, Christian. Primitive Baptist, and Catholic denominations. Among these denominations the Metho dist stands at the bead with a membership of 1873 and eight church buildings, the Baptist coming next with five chutch buildings and 1487 members, while the Presbyterian bas a membership of about 400 with five chorcn buildings, and the Episcopal about sixty-seven members, one church building and some other chnrch property. The Christian, Primitive Baptist and Catholic denominations ■ combined have about 350 mem bers. the Christian and Primitive Baptist churches owning their houses of worship, mrhile the Catholic chttTcb rents a hall for public meeting. The Wealyan Methodist chnrch also has a small membership and a church building. The figures just quoted refer to the twenty churches re ferred to above as belonging to the white citizens of Durham. Among the colored population there are twelve churches with a membership of some 1500. Toe churches of Durham aim principally at the spiritual de velopment of the people but we shall see that they do no mean work in the intellectual, social and charitable fields and that they possibly provide in some degree for a satisfaction of the aesthetic taste. They are the especial guardians of the spirit ual life of the citizens, and the incokators of right conduct. They lend gpqat rid to that p*rt of the municipal government en gaged in keeping the peace, be cause they establish high staad ards of conduct and demand that men measure up to those stand ards. They help to frame public sentiment which has immeasur able power in determining con duct. Sunday after Sunday the imperative necessity of moral up rightness is proclaimed from the pulpit and the effect of this on the private lives of tb« people of Durham is bard to dahmlate. The recent temperance reform that has rid the city of bar rooms originated in the weekly meet ing that the pastors bold for the purpose of discussing questions ml stive to the moral life of the citizens and devising methods for fostering a better me amopg the people. The way iu which the churches under the leader* ship of their brave pastors voted the open bar room from-our town is evidence that it stands for municipal reform and that it is a power not to be ignored by the friends of good government. It is impossible to determine just how much the church does to ward preserving peace and pre venting crime among the citizens 'of Durham, but we can imagine that without it* wholesome-in fluence the moral life of the city would wane very perceptibly pud the number of crimes would be sensibly increased. The churches of Durham also hel|i to preserve amicable rela tionaWpa between tbe rich and poorv ter we have no class chute li es. Tbe wealthy and the indi gent belong to the same chorch and ait in the same pews; the capitalist and tbe laborer attend Sanday school and preaching to gether and are thus brought into greater sympathy with sack other and madi e to understand each other better. There is little ri valry between the paators of the diSerent denominations all of them ignoring their difference* oi creed and uniting in the work common to them alT—the propa gation and cultivation of a strong manly life among their people. Am suggested above the pastors come together every Monday morning at eleven o’clock and discuss together in‘a brotherly way the question# each has met with during tbe week among his paiishoaare. This weekly pas tor’s meeting la also a feature of the organisation among tbe col ored caurchea of Dnrham. Aaide from the regular preach ing aervicca on 8nnday, the dis tinctively rellgiona meetinga of the chnrchea are the Sunday acbool and the Wedneaday night prayer meeting. In Sunday acbool the cblldrea and oldar people come together and spend soma time in studying a comae u the WbU, selected ocean ae of iu re Uglovs aignificance a«d iU ap plication to thn problems of life. The intellectual and moral ben efit derived Iran this systematic Bible atndv by tha yonag people U great. Several of the Sunday schools have libraries supplied with substantial books, nod in many cases these books are very widely read. Among the books found in some of the representa tive Sunday school libraries might be mentioned the works of Scott, Dickens and . Eliot, "Wild Animals I Have Known,” Tbe Henty books, tbe Kollo books, Homer’s Iliad and Odys sey as translated by Chapman, Van Dyke’s "Goapel for an Age of Doubt,” Bible stories and hooka on creed and theological subjects. In addition to the Sunday School library the Epwortb League of West Durham Metho dist cbnrch is successfully oper ating a small pnblic library de signed to meet tbe requirement* oftbc community at large. The demand for books at this library is an encouraging sign of intel lectual growth. Having spoken thus far about the educational work of tbe cbnrch performed by the Sunday school, it would not be out of place to say just a word about other phases of the educational work of tbe chorcb. Some of tbe Sunday schools furnish, in stead of tbe regular prepared course of study, lecture courses on different Biblical subjects thos stimulating active study of tbe Bible. A home department, that alms to secure a study of the Sunday school lesson by the peo ple in their homes, is succeas/nlly operated by aome of tbe Sunday schooli. A normal teaclieri' course has been conducted in the Methodist church tor some two years and has recently been adopted in one of the Baptist churches. It aims at grounding individuals in a general knowl edge of the whole Bible and equipping them for anccessfnl teaching in the Sunday school. Many ofthe Sunday schools have a weekly teachers meeting which is a means of intellectuaj im provement to the Sunday School teachers. The Woman’s Mis sionary Society has an education al feature, the women meeting and discnasing the conditions that prevail in the different mis sion fields. They learn how other parts of the world live and their sympathies are widened. In treating the educational work-of the churches of Durham one must not neglect to speak of the church papers that are read by the people. These papers, besides giving the church news and the columns devoted to re ligions life, give briefly the state and international news and edi torial discussions of the ques tions of interest. A feature not possessed by any or the white churches is fonnd in one of the negro churches of the city. This is a weekly debate; one of the questions recently discussed was Resolved: That whiskey does more harm than war. In addi tion to the debate they have at these meetings solos and recita tions, and at each meeting every member gives a quotation from some author; thus at a. recent meeting they gave quotations from Shakespeare. The nearest approach to’ this in the white churches is the literary meeting of the Rpworth League. Moat of the money raised by the different churches for educa tion goes into the funds of the institutions of learning, that raised* by the Methodist church es going to the fund of Trinity college. A collection is taken once a month however at Main stteet Methodist church for the aid of Mr. Hiuobara now a student at Trinity College, and one of the negro churches parti ally supports three students in Shaw University. Oo« feature of the you Off peo ple’a society, which is known by dilernt names in the different cbnrcbea, is distinctly education s). This is a literary meeting once a month or some inch time. Sometimes an address is given or a paper read on some literary subject and sometimes an author is discussed the members being expected in the mean time to have faad as much as they could of the Kfe of the author and his works. The churches of Durham are • very effective charity organi sation. The work o( supplying the needy with the necessaries of life Has been left very largely to the Ladies Aid 8ociety or Woman's Aid Society at it is variously called. Of course the pastor letoks after the charitable work of hi* church and the yonng people's society hat a department specially devoted to it, but It it performed largely by the organisation of tha ladies. These ladles visit the sick and $10,000 $10,000 Baltimore Backet Store. 0 A $10,000 stock must be sold in the next 20 days, regardless of cost or value. This large stock Is new and up-to-date, con sisting of Dry Goods, Notions, Clothing, Shoes, Gent’s Furnishing Goods, Hats, Trunks, Valises, Millinery, Etc. This Sale will commence Saturday Morning, March 19 Doors open at 8:30, not a minute sooner. Remember this stock must be sold In 20 days. Don’t miss this Big Bankrupt Sale at the BALTIMORE RACKET STORE GASTONIA, N. C. the indigent, carrying them flowers and other things that they need, and tucb as they are able to buy out of tbe foods ac cruing from their membership fee. They also visit tbe poor and uneducated in their homes and try to raise them socially. There ia an industrial phase to this society in one of the Baptist chnrcbea. The ladies buy cloth and make aprons, selling them at a small profit. The money thus made they use for charity or some other worthy church purpose. Tbe Baptist church above referred to also has a com mittee whose dnty it is to find the needy and report to tbe deacons, who then give them power to supply tbe jieed. A fond ia constantly kept on band to give immediate relief. The Sunday school of this church also has at Christmas what it calls a Christmas Otter ing. This consists of various articles of food sneb as flour sod potatoes which the Sunday school officers and teachers dispense aa tbe need presents itfelf. It also takes an annual contribution for the Thomasville Orphanage, fa common with the other churches it undertakes to contribute to tha relief of aged preachers who can no longer serve a congregation as pastor. Tbe Durham City Chanty Or g mization ia not now under the control of the church bnt it originated with tb« church being anggested at one of tbe weekly pastor'* meetings by Rev. W. I,. Cunniggim. It is governed by s board of directors consisting of twenty-four men chosen from tbe peators of the different de nominations. tbe business men of town and the members of the medical profession. They have divided tbe city into eleven districts and in each district a lady has been appointed whose dnty it is to report any worthy case for charity. Thus the peo ple who give through this organi sattou may be sure that the money they give will not he misspent on the idle poor, The funds secured for distribution by this o'gsnisation come largely from private contributions, though most of the churches take a collection once a month for this purpose. Aside from charity the church es make philanthropic nae of some money each year. The Woman’s Missionary Society of the Baptist church spoken of above sends boxes at intervals to froutier missionaries. The boxes contain principally cloth ing and sometimes they are valued at as much as seventy five dollars. The Sunday school of Trinity Methodist church has promised to raise eighty dollars this year to help forward the work of Mr. Kugimiya who if now preaching in Japan. The social needs of the people are met largely by the young people’s society already mentioned. This society is known by various names in the various churches, such as Young People’s Meeting, Christian En deavor Society, Epworth League etc. This society aims to de velop the devotional, charitable, intellectual and social sidea of hnman life. Its charitable and educational work has already been apokeo of. In the Sunday afternoon meetings some religi ous topic is discussed and the hour la spent in prayer and song. Once in three months or ofierier a social meeting is held, the time being given up to games, refreshments and conversation. Underlie management of the Epworth Leagues of Durham a course of high class plays and musical entertainments is being given at the Academy of Music. Thus the Leagne it endeavoring to create a healthy aocial at mosphere for the young people of the city. In connection with the aocial work of the chnrch most be mentioned an annual picnic given by moat of the Sunday schools sometime during the Sriog months; and at tome oi e churches ice cream suppers are given to raise money for certain purposes. A Christmas tree given by moetofthe Sunday schools at Christinas might also be ranked among the aocial features of chnrch work. Some slight efforts is made by some of the churches to meet the aeathelical demands of the people. The floors are carpeted, the windows are fitted with stained glass of various designs and the walls are adorned with paintings ot different Bible scenes. The chnrch is often arranged with flowers. Severs] churches are furnished with pipe organs and have practiced choirs. Sometimes a cornet or a violin adds to the musical effect. Often a solo is preliminary to tha preaching service. At one of the ch arches a musical class of about forty is organised and tneeta regularly to study music. The Lyceum course mentioned shove as given under the auspices of the Kpworth League also meets aesthetic need among the people. The children of tbe churches have an organisation which is known by various names such as Sunbeam Society, Bright Jewels, elc., Us object being to interest tbe children in church work. At these meetings the children sing, recite and make contribu tion* to missions and charity. Once a year most of the Sunday schools have what they call Children’s Day—an hour given up to the children for publicly singing and reciting pieces in which they have been trained, rhw proves to be a very effec tive way to interest children in tbe Sunday school and church work. Some Sunday schools go even farther than this in their effort to interest the chil dren in the Sunday school establishing what is Known as the cradle-roll. By this the name of tbe very youngest child is entered on the roll and a cer tificate of membership la neat it and the usual result it that when tbe child becomes five or six years old it goes to this Sunday school. A lllluilu DOIlflf IwlCI a Mr. J. A. Dancy la now carry ing the United States mail be tween Wilkeaboro and Jefferson and he alao carries 70 pistol bullets in bia body; to witi twelve 44 caliber, forty 33 caliber and a general assortment of twenty 22 caliber. He was raised in the Bine Ridge Moun tains and for manyjraars, waa « noted blockader. Dancy, in tbe days of hfa blockading, bad many fights with the revenae officer* which accounts for tbe bullets be baa in his body. Of late years be baa reformed and is now a good eitisen. He talks freely-of his many adventure* and narrow cacaoes, among the monntains of Tennessee tad Kentucky, until it makes tke hair stand upon tbe beada of bfs listener*._ Dr. Robert E. Zachary, a prominent yoane phyaleian of Wilmington, died Saturday from the effects of aa operation for appendicitis. -*— 1 ■■ ■' mu NOVELTIES AND EMBROIDERIES. A large and varied line of Movefiles for ladies' wear ate coa ■Uatiy tbowq at Yeager**. A few are: New Girdle frames in white and Meek. New Crashed Leather Belts, white, black, sad tea. New Embroidered Collar* and Cuff*. Separate Collars, plain white and Persian eSeets. New Embroideries and Laces. Embroideries with lamtioas to match, yd., 3He, 5c, Ute, 15c. Linen Lace*, yd.. Sc, «e. 10c. 15c. Imitatioa Torchons, yd., 5c. Vala and Oriental*, all width*, yd.. 8e. 3c. Sc. 10c. ISc, 20c, XSc, 3Sc. 45c. aad 50c. Va show everything now in laces as they com oat. JAS. F. YEAGER, Ladles* Furnishings. THE J._A. GLENN CO.t WHOLESALE CPdCPPa :‘-;v AM dlotrfbatxo following braixla floor t “DAN VALLEY” “IMPERIAL” “COLUMBIA** “WHITE SATIN** “CAPITOLA” “TELLICO** mm4 “THREE P.“ ^ ;^nv«- r”y «■» -»* THE J. A. GLENN CO. A Steady Growth, Business investments often ai fond oppottnsldes for rapidly in. creasing your wealth. Bat they involve a large Element of Risk Not so with ■ savings bank account. Mosey deposited with u is absoiotely removed nil the oacerteistks of ote in vestmeats. It drswt interest, increases in amount, is always salt sad *t head. Have yon tried it ? If sat. do so. GASTONIA SAVINGS BANK, _flf J&NK/NS. Aw. c. 4. ttAADUf. The fashion centres of the world hare wn y cxn acccpwa ik STETSON HATS A* Model* In Design This faction led other* to copy Stetson atyies—-tat there are certain feature* that cam* be Imitated, auch as the Stetson quality, the Stetson colors, the Stetson durability. These ax found only in the Stetson Hots. ' ROBINSON BROTHERS hcr» MORE MULES AND HORSES! Os Thursday nest wa will have another ear of Tennessee Mulea asd Horace. Some nice bir pair* of Mules amoo* them. We have a nice bunch of Wales suitable far fans waste aheady os bead, and if you will come erased by Thursday we me ton you caa find what yon may want, if they am not already is enr stables. Sprint is now her* and It is the beat time to boy what stock yon may need. Come and aee our stock and select what yon like while we have plenty fto show yon. Remember every animal is guaranteed as represented when said. This car of stock mates font hundred band that wo have shipped from Tennessee since October 1st. 19(8. * « ‘\v. i imgip iiw »i inn 111 ii i < ■ i hi iwi m m —pimmiii wii—imi—■ i—
Gastonia Daily Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 15, 1904, edition 1
1
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