—
ADDRESS
fV ' 1!
DELIVERED BY
Bishop Charles S. Smith, D. D.
TO THE
Twenty-fourth General Conference
of the African Methodist Episcopal
Church, Kansas City, Mo.
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A .
May, 1912
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Manuscript, Archives,
and Rare Book Library
EMORY UNIVERSITY
THE EPISCOPAL ADDRESS
TOPICS DISCUSSED
Page
Our Place of Assemblage 9
The Church, a Spiritual Force 11
The Church and the Altruistic Principle 13
World-Wide Methodism 14
Fourth Ecumenical Methodist Conference .... 15
Methodi&m, a Constitutional Compact 15
Our Church, One of Orderly Development . . . .17
Evolution of Thought 19
The Ministry of Today . 20
A Trained Ministry 22
Episcopal Supervision 24
The Bishops' Council 25
Theological Seminaries 27
Education 30
Conference Claimants 32
Centennial of Organic Existence 33
The Nursery of the Church 35
Temperance 37
Spiritual Activities or Means of Grace 37
The Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America 38
Laymen's Movements 39
Men and Religion Movement 40
Tri-Council of Colored Methodist Bishops .... 40
Conflict, the Condition of Progress 41
Rifts in the Clouds 44
BISHOPS OF THE A. M. E. CHURCH
H. M. Turner, D. D., LL. D.
B. T. Tanner, D. D.
B. F. Lee, D. D., LL. D.
M. R Salter, D. D.
W. B. Derrick, D. D.
Evans Tyree, D. D.
C. S. Smith, D. D.
L. J. Coppin, D. D.
C. T. Shaffer, D.
H. B. Parks, D. D.
J. S. Flipper, D. D.
J. A. Johnson, D. D.
W. H. Heard, D. D.
THE EPISCOPAL ADDRESS
To the Twenty-fourth General Conference of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church.
Dearly Beloved Brethren:—In accordance with a time-
honored custom, we, your Chief Pastors, present our Quad¬
rennial Address for your consideration.
We salute you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—our
Elder Brother—through whom and by whom we have access
to God our Father. Furthermore, our prayer is that our Lord
Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath
loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good
hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in
every good word and work. And the Lord make you to in¬
crease and abound in love one toward another, and toward all
men, even as we do toward you: to the end that he may es¬
tablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even
our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all
his saints. And may the Holy Spirit so guide and control the
trend' of your thoughts, the inclination of your wills, the im¬
pulses of your hearts, your plans and purposes, that your
deliberations may be marked by great peace and concord;
thereby glorifying God, exalting the principles of our holy
religion, and promoting the best interests of our beloved Zion.
OUR DEPARTED ONES.
Never has death exacted so heavy a toll of our Church for
a period of four years than it has during the past quadrennium.
It has taken from us many of our tried and faithful leaders
who, as delegates or Bishops in previous General Conferences,
had won our confidence and esteem. Is it a wonder, then, that
we greet you in mournful strains rather than in joyful tones?
Four bishops, two general officers, three ex-general officers, a
bishop's wife, and1 the widows of two deceased bishop's, have
entered into the rest that remaineth to the people of God. Of
the delegates to the General Conference of 1908 who have
answered the last summons, we recall the names of L. H.
Reynold's, chief secretary of this body for four successive ses¬
sions, 1896-1908; E. W. Lee, J. H. Welch, J. M. Turner, E. R.
Carter, J. W. Lampton, D. W. Gillislee, S. T. Tice, S. S. Lane,
S. P. Martin, J. L. Moore, and J. H. Hall.
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The Episcopal Address.
July 16, 1910, at Petoskey, Mich., after a lingering illness,
Edward Wilkinson Lampton yielded to the pangs of death. On
northern soil, this son of the South heard the Master's call,
"Come up higher." Accompanied by those who knew and
loved him best, his mortal remains were borne from the chilly
regions of the North to where the cotton blooms; and, in the
soil of his adopted State, at Greenville, Miss., the fifth day
following his demise, they were interred with solemn and im¬
posing ceremonies. He did not live in vain. The fifty-three
years of his life were characterized by active and helpful en¬
deavor. He was essentially a self-made man. Up through the
dark clouds of slavery which hovered over the first nine years
of his existence; then, up through the clearer atmosphere of
freedom, with all of its responsibilities, obligations, temptations,
and perils, he gradually rose from one official position to an¬
other, until, at Norfolk, Va., May, 1908, he was elected one of
the bishops of our Church. Faithful to every trust, a loving
husband, a kind and dutiful father, and a true and tried friend,
he has left the arena of earthly conflict; but not without our
hope of meeting him again.
January 22, 1911, the great heart of Abraham Grant ceased
its throbbings, and his spirit ascended to the God who gave it.
The end came at Kansas City, Kan. This tall and massive oak,
reared on southern soil, received the summons of death amid
the sighings of the western winds at a time when his race and
Church could ill afford to part with his counsel, and the up¬
lifting influence of his varied activities. Of a commanding and
magnetic personality, a studious and inquisitive mind, a keen
perception, and with a measure of intellectual endowment far
beyond the average man, he turned the wilderness-state of his
lowly origin into a coveted place of prominence, esteem, and
official prestige. He readily made friends, and by his adroit¬
ness and tact, retained their friendship and their service. He,
too, was a self-made man. Up from the ox cart, in which he
was born; up through the depressing environment of bondage;
with faith in his God, and with an optimistic spirit, he blazed
out a pathway to renown and success. To obtain a fair measure
of his success, we must gauge it by the depths from which he
ascended to the heights which he attained. No one in all the
history of our Church ever commanded so large a personal
following as he did. His fame as an organizer and promoter
of helpful and useful agencies spread beyond the boundaries
of his own Church, and reached a national, if not an inter¬
national, scope. He left the impress of his activities on two
continents—America and Africa. A sound gospel preacher,
with a melodious voice which frequently vibrated with the
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7
rythm and charm of evangelical hymns, he was indeed a bright
and shining light, in response to whose stirring and inspiring
appeals thousands yielded their love to God.
October 3, 1911, at his home in Baltimore, Md., James An¬
derson Handy, after a prolonged and singularly painless illness,
departed this life at the advanced age of 84 years, 9 months,
and 13 days. He was born, in the city where he died, Decem¬
ber 22, 1826. He was baptized in 1833, licensed a local
preacher in 1860, taken up as a supply in 1861 and sent to Bal¬
timore county circuit to fill a vacancy caused by the death of
Rev. Ennis Davis. This was the beginning of his service as an
itinerant preacher. At the General Conference of 1868, he was
elected Missionary Secretary, in which capacity he served four
years. In 1873 he was assigned to the pastorate of St. James
church, New Orleans, La., where he served two years. In
1875 he was transferred back to the Baltimore Conference,
being assigned to the pastorate of Bethel church, Baltimore,
Md., where he served a three-year term. In 1878 he was ap¬
pointed presiding elder of the Baltimore district. In 1882 he
was assigned to the pastorate of Union Bethel, Washington,
D. C., now known as the Metropolitan church. In 1888 he
was elected Financial Secretary; and, in 1892, was elevated to
the Bishopric. During his career as Financial Secretary, he
purchased the property at 1535 Fourteenth street, N. W.,
Washington, D. C., as the headquarters of the Financial De¬
partment. He was a hard worker, inflexible in his determina¬
tion, and unyielding in his persistency. He found no royal
path to success. By dint of severe and exacting toil, he rose
from the humblest to the highest position in his Church. Well
and truly did he serve his day and generation. Beneath his
rugged exterior there beat a generous heart. He was a liberal
dispenser of hospitality. He claimed to have seen every bishop
of our Church from Richard Allen to W. H. Heard1. He was
very patient and trustful during his protracted enfeeblement,
and evinced to the end a keen interest in the affairs of his
Church, so far as the flagging powers of his mind would per¬
mit. He enriched the literature of our Church by the publica¬
tion of his. "Scraps of African Methodist History."
Friday night, January 12, 1912, at his home in Atlanta,
Ga., the heart of Wesley John Gaines ceased to respond to the
drum-taps of Time's measured procession, and his spirit re¬
turned to the God who gave it. He was born in Wilkes county,
Georgia, October 4, 1840, was converted in 1849, and joined
the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in the same year. He
was licensed to preach in 1865, and at once entered the ministry
of the A. M. E. Church; ordained a deacon in 1866, an elder
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The Episcopal Address.
in 1867, and was elected to the Bishopric in 1888. He was
elected Missionary Secretary by the General Conference con¬
vened in Nashville, Tenn., May, 1872, a position which he
almost immediately resigned. Sunday, December 10, 1911, he
exercised his episcopal functions for the last time while at¬
tending the forty-sixth session of the Georgia Annual Confer¬
ence, held in St. Phillips Monumental church, Savannah, Ga.,
where he preached the ordination sermon, and' assisted in or¬
daining a class of deacons. It may be noted as a somewhat
significant fact that he preached his last sermon on the very
spot where forty-four years previous thereto he had been or¬
dained an elder.
April 8, 1909, in Washington, D. C., John H. Collett, D. D.,
an honored and useful member of the Baltimore Annual Con¬
ference, and at the time of his demise General Manager of our
Book Concern, was called from the toils of life to an inheri¬
tance incorruptible, undefiled and that fadeth not away.
July 23, 1910, in Philadelphia, Pa., Henry Theodore John¬
son, D. D., was translated from the place of his earthly abode
to a mansion of light. He held the tenure of one general office
the longest of any person in the history of our Church, having
served as the editor of the Christian Recorder for 18 years and
2 months. He was a logical, concise, and forceful writer. He
was also a clever poet, and was the author of a number of
books and pamphlets, the most notable of the former being his
"Divine Logos."
April 10, 1909, at his home in Athens, Ga., William Decker
Johnson, D. D., Secretary of Education from 1884 to 1896, and
former president of Allen University, Columbia, S. C., heard
the Master's call, "Come up higher."
August 5,1910, in Baltimore, Md., E. J. Gregg, D. D., Sec¬
retary of the Allen Christian Endeavor League, 1904-1908, laid
down the weapons of his earthly warfare to grasp the victor's
crown of eternal life. He was born in Georgetown, S. C., and
was about fifty-two years of age at the time of his death. He
wrought well and faithfully whether as pastor or general
officer.
G. E. Taylor, D. D., editor of the Southern Christian Re¬
corder, 1900-1904, departed this life at Waco, Texas, December
10, 1908. He was born in Washington county, Texas, May,
1851. He was prominent in church circles in his native State
for many years. He was kind, generous, sympathetic, and won
many friend's.
January 19, 1910, Mrs. Mary Ann Campbell, relict of
Bishop Jabez Pitt Campbell, passed into the twilight of a
never-ending mom, at her home in Philadelphia, Pa., at the
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advanced age of 92 years and 12 days. She was one of the
founders of our Parent Mite Missionary Society. Her end was
full of joy and hope and peace.
December 29, 1910, at her home in Washington, D. C., the
soul of Mrs. Mary Louisa Brown entered into rest. She was
the widow of our Bishop John M. Brown, and was born in
Louisville, Ky., and dwelt in the flesh for about 76 years. She
was of a sweet and lovable disposition and a consistent
Christian.
January 14, 1911, Mrs. Louisa Rebecca Grant, wife of
Abram Grant, entered on her journey to that bourne whence
no traveler e'er returns. The latter years of her life were full
of suffering, which she bore with great fortitude and sub¬
mission.
It may be said of our departed ones, that the light of their
natural eyes has gone out forever, the tread of their physical
feet will be heard no more; but they have other eyes with
which to see the way, and other feet with which to walk therein,
as they roam through the realms of the blest where death is
swallowed up in victory.
OUR PLACE OF ASSEMBLAGE.
Our place of assemblage is referred to not because there is
attached to it any special historic event related to the progress
of our Church, but for the reason that it furnishes a favorable
viewpoint from which to take a retrospective survey. This is
the second time that our General Conference has convened
west of the Mississippi river, the first time being at St. Louis,
Mo., in 1880. We may with profit indulge in some historical
observations.
The banner of African Methodism was first planted west
of the Father of Waters by the intrepid William Paul Quinn
during the period between 1840 and 1844. He was splendidly
endowed mentally and physically for the task. He was not
only Paul in name, but also Pauline in zeal, courage, consecra¬
tion, and self-sacrifice; and, in extending the Church of his
love, left a larger legacy than any of his predecessors, contem¬
poraries, or successors. He braved the dangers and hardships
of the wild and wooly West in the days that tried men's souls.
His remarkable report of his exploits in the western regions to
the General Conference of 1844 was a distinct event in the his¬
tory of our Church. The General Conference justly rewarded
his labors by electing him to the Bishopric, an office which he
worthily filled for 28 years, 9 months, and 5 days.
A fact, deserving of more than passing notice, is that Afri¬
can Methodism in its development westward did not proceed
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The Episcopal Address.
in a regular manner, but was developed from two widely
separated localities, St. Louis, Mo., and Sacramento, Cal. The
General Conference of 1852 ordered the division of the Indiana
Annual Conference, so as to form a Missouri Annual Confer¬
ence which was to include all the slave-holding states of the
West and1 Southwest. A committee, consisting of Rev. J. M.
Brown, Rev. A. M. Parker, and Rev. W. R. Revels, was ap¬
pointed to lay off the boundaries of the new Conference. At the
session of the Indiana Conference, in 1855, the committee
reported that, "the boundary be all of the states of Missouri
and Illinois south of longitude 38" running in a straight line
from the Mississippi river to the Wabash; all Kentucky, west
of the Kentucky river, Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana."
The first session of the Missouri Conference convened in Quinn
Chapel, Louisville, Ky., September 13, 1855. Bishops Quinn
and Payne presided, and Rev. John M. Brown, of New
Orleans, was chosen secretary. Willis R. Revels, Aaron M.
Parker, John M. Brown, Miles E. Wilkerson, and1 James
Doughty constituted the list of elders. Basil L. Brooks, Salem
Campbell, John M. Garrow, and Page Tyler formed the roll
of deacons. Lewis Finley was the sole licentiate. This band
of eleven pioneers, though of dusky hue, were of Spartan
blood and courage. The sires of our Zion, undaunted by the
crack of the master's whip and the baying of the blood hounds,
planted its banner in the midst of the slave oligarchy, and in
defiance of its mandates, in such centers as Charleston, S. C.;
New Orleans, La.; Louisville, Ky., and St. Louis, Mo. They
are heroes worthy of a-victor's crown, more worthy, indeed, of
honors than was Caesar in his triumphal march along the
Appian Way. Among the results of the first session of the
Missouri Conference were the organization of a Preachers' Aid
Society, of a Missionary Society, and of a society for Mutual
and Moral Improvement. The Conference also took high
ground in favor of Sunday schools. We thank God that the
seed sown by the original eleven members of the Missouri
Conference bears fruit until this day. Out of the territory
embraced in that one Conference, twenty-four additional Annual
Conferences have been carved. The eleven preachers and the
thirteen societies have increased more than two hundred fold.
Surely, as Paul planted and Apollos watered, God gave the
increase.
As early as 1851, the Indiana Conference received a petition
from the first Colored Methodist church of Sacramento, Cal.,
asking to be received into the Connection. In 1855 the same
Conference received a letter from Rev. T. M. D. Ward, giving
an account of the California mission. The California Confer-
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11
ence was organized in Sacramento, April 6, 1865, by Bishop
J. P. Campbell. Rev. J. H. Sanderson was the secretary.
With humble hearts and sincere devotion, we acknowledge our
gratitude to the Giver of every good and- perfect gift that he
has counted us worthy to be the scions of such noble sires;
and may we in this place, on the extreme western limits of a
former slave state, where the sons of freedom erected an ef¬
fectual barrier to the further advance of the slave power to¬
ward the Occident, consecrate ourselves anew as ambassadors
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE CHURCH, A SPIRITUAL FORCE.
The Christian Church in its origin and life is distinctly a
spiritual force. Two statements of Jesus support this view:
"My kingdom is not of this world," and "The Kingdom of
God is within you." Truly the life is more than meat; it is
imperishable and eternal. To purify this life and to bring it
into harmony with the Divine will, is the one specific work of
the Church. Whatever the Church may do, and there is much
that it can and should do, for the betterment of man's physical
being, its primal work is the regeneration of man's spiritual
nature. Methodism has ever insisted on this as the supreme
end and aim of the Church. Nicodemus in his memorable
midnight interview with Jesus was astounded and confounded
when he heard the words, "Ye must be born again." Failing
to catch the meaning of these words, and with his mind appar¬
ently on the physical, it was, perhaps, but natural that he should
have put forth the query, "How can a man be born when he is
old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb
and be born?" This master mind among the giant intellects
of his day, this ruler and teacher in Israel, was still more
dumbfounded when the Master answered, "That which is born
of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
again." Thus was Nicodemus confronted with the seeming
mystery that man is an embodied spirit—a sentient being—
sojourning for a time in a tabernacle of clay, the body a cor¬
poreal frame, the Ego a spiritual essence. David swept the
strings of his harp as he felt the touch of Divine unction, and
being given a larger view of man's glorious destiny, exclaimed
in a strain of' rapture and of awe, "When I consider thy
heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and stars, which
thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast
made him a little lower than the angels, and has crowned him
with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion
12
The Episcopal Address.
over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under
his feet." Though created a little lower than the angels, man
fell under the dominion of sin, and lost his high estate. Thank
God he did not pass beyond the sphere of redemption. A
Shiloh was to come, the Wonderful, the Counselor, the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, who was to
bring salvation unto man. In due time the Shiloh came, and
by the sacrifice of himself provided the means of man's redemp¬
tion—not the redemption of the body—for, "flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God;" but of the spirit within
the body.
All the agencies devised for man's redemption are spiritual,
of which the Church is the ark and outward symbol. The
inherent strength of the Church does not lie in any human
device, any creation of the human mind; whether it be a
creed, a theology, a ritual, a polity, or a discipline; but in the
energy of the Holy Spirit; for it is, "Not by might, nor by
power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Every
historian, theologian, and expositor of Methodism, agrees that
the witnessing Spirit in the Church's warfare is the all-con¬
quering, all-victorious third Person of the Trinity. And
necessarily so, since the conflict between righteousness and sin
is spiritual and not carnal. Paul, the imperial orator of the
Grecian forum, and the intrepid apostle to the Gentiles, strik¬
ingly and vigorously sets this forth in his epistle to the Church
at Ephesus. With eyes still aflame with the glow of the
celestial vision that befell him on his way to Damascus, he
writes thus: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and
powers, against the powers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places."
There is a tendency these days, on the part of some church¬
men, to belittle the spiritual and magnify the material and
scientific, substituting human for Divine agencies; forgetting
that Christianity is not churchianity. The Church is more than
lofty spires and stately edifices; more than chants and anthems
and melodious music; more than burnished altars and priestly
robes; more than the signs of ecclesiastical dignities; more
than the meeting place of those of like faith and purpose;
more than a social center; more than a fraternal compact.
These may be regarded as serviceable, material adjuncts, but
the woof, the warp, and the filling of the fabric are spiritual in
their origin and nature. To restore man to his original high
estate, to his primal spiritual excellency, is the direct work of
the Holy Ghost. It will be a fatal day for Methodism when
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13
the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, of its indispensable agency in
conversion and sanctification, is neglected or forgotten.
"Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire,
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost thy sev'nfold gifts impart."
THE CHURCH AND THE ALTRUISTIC PRINCIPLE.
While we cannot lay too great stress on the Church as a
spiritual force, we must not lose sight of the importance of the
altruistic principle. We do not now refer to the Positivist
philosophy as inculcated by Comte, but to that fruitage of
love in the regenerated heart, which is found in human help¬
fulness. This idea is prominently reflected in the deep concern
evinced by Christ in the betterment and relief of mankind. If
on one day he cast out devils, on the next he fed a hungry
multitude. If he speaks to the penitent saying, "Thy sins be
forgiven thee," with equal readiness he says to the blind,
"Receive thy sight." Christ dwelt in the flesh that he might
get near the very heart of mankind, not only to effect our
spiritual regeneration and prepare us for an abundant en¬
trance into the kingdom of heaven, but also to lighten and
sweeten the toils of this life. That branch of the Chirstian
Church which, in the future, shows itself to be foremost in
the line of positive and genuine helpfulness to mankind, is the
one that, in its plans and purposes, will keep nearest to hu¬
manity's heart throbbings and longings. The Church should
be with the people and not above them; constantly at the door
of their needs. A fixed pulpit in the sanctuary without a
living, benevolent spirit behind it is a frigid and non-helpful
something. The minister, to be effective, should regard every
opportunity to do good as a pulpit from which to send out
streams of helpfulness, comfort, and light. The Church, to be
true to its mission, must prove a living, uplifting, and reme¬
dial force.
Owing to our poverty, our Church is not able to found and
maintain hospitals, orphan asylums, homes for the aged and
indigent, and kindred institutions; but we can, and should,
encourage those who are able to organize and equip such need¬
ful and helpful agencies. There are a few hospitals and sana-
tariums now under the control of Negro directorates, secular
in their sphere, it is true; but, nevertheless, entitled to our
recognition and support. Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Chicago,
Kansas City, Kans.; Nashville, Tenn.; Charleston, S. C., and
New Orleans, are centers where hospitals exist under Negro
control. Then, there are sanatariums at Nashville, Tenn.;
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The Episcopal Address.
Augusta, Ga.; Dallas, Tex., and other places owned and man¬
aged by Negro physicians. Slowly but surely the Negro is
coming to the front as a helper in the processes of palliating
and healing human ills. Our Church should be the warm,
earnest, steadfast friend and ally of all who are engaged1 in
such work. As necessary and helpful as are fraternal societies,
they should not be allowed to monopolize, to the exclusion of
the Church, the field of endeavor for the relief of suffering
humanity. Our Church should insist on doing its share of
this work, utilizing such auxiliaries as relief and sick commit¬
tees, stewardesses' boards, and deaconesses. The people are
in need of physical relief as well as heavenly grace. The Magna
Charta of the Church's authority and responsibility to aid in
affording succor to distressed mankind was voiced by Isaiah
centuries ago, who, when prophesying as to the coming of the
Great Healer, declared, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon
me; because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tid¬
ings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken¬
hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening
of the prison to them that are bound; to comfort all that
mourn; to give them beauty for ashes; the oil of joy for
mourning; the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness."
WORLD-WIDE METHODISM.
We rejoice in our relation as a coordinate branch of
World-wide Methodism. With its potentialities and activities,
Methodism has become so widely extended that there is now
scarcely any nook or corner of the earth where its voice is
not heard. Numerically, our Church is the third largest of the
24 divisions of the Western section (American) of Methodism.
We are also the oldest offshoot of the parent body—the Meth¬
odist Episcopal Church. The beginning of our formative
period dates back to 1787. Our organic or connectional ex¬
istence began in 1816.
Methodism is a •goodly heritage. If you inquire as to its
doctrines and foundation, we point to the Holy Scriptures—
our infallible guide. The cardinal doctrines of Methodism are
few and simple, and may be enumerated thus: The unity of
the Godhead, the infallibility of the Scriptures, justification by
faith, free grace, regeneration, Divine pardon for sin when
penitentially sought, Christian perfection, rewards and punish¬
ments, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. The
unity of the Godhead is radiant and fragrant with the sublime
thought that, through the universality of the redeeming love
and power of Christ, the doctrine of the Brotherhood of Man
becomes inseparably linked with the Fatherhood of God. It
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15
is a glorious thought that within the realm of the sons of God
there is, "neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircum-
cision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all,
and in all."
FOURTH ECUMENICAL METHODIST CONFERENCE.
The Fourth Ecumenical Methodist Conference which con¬
vened in Toronto, Canada, October 11-17, 1911, was truly
more ecumenical than any of its predecessors. It was a thor¬
oughly representative assembly of the sons of John Wesley
gathered from the four corners of the earth. The darker races
were in evidence as never before. The yellow, red, and black
race-varieties lent a touch of color to the assemblage that was
most marked and inspiring. Its proceedings were character¬
ized by the free flow of genuine Christian fellowship and spir¬
itual uplift. Our Church was represented on the program by
Bishop Lee, Bishop Coppin, Bishop Parks, and Prof. D. J.
Jordan. Bishop Smith presided at the morning session of
the third day. Rev. J. H. Jones and C. V. Roman, M. D.,
took part in the general discussions. Others of our twenty-
four delegates would doubtless have engaged in the
general discussions had not the death of Bishop Handy
necessitated the leaving of several of them to attend his
funeral. The treatment accorded the representatives of the
darker races was most cordial and undiscriminating. The
dominant note of the Conference, which was forcibly sounded
in the opening sermon on the call for laborers for the white
fields of harvest, was thoroughly evangelistic.
METHODISM, A CONSTITUTIONAL COMPACT.
American Methodism has been a constitutional compact for
104 years, for it was in 1808 that its constitution was framed
and adopted, and an American (William McKendree) was
elected and consecrated a Bishop. Aside from this, Bishop
McKendree gained historic distinction in that he was the first
Methodist Bishop to present a formal address at the opening
session of each delegated General Conference. This practice
has been emulated and followed by every branch of American
Methodism having the EpiscopaJ form. The first delegated
General Conference of our Church was held in Washington
City, in 1868. Prior to that time, the General Conference was
composed of all itinerant ministers in good standing who had
traveled six years. The manner of choosing the members of
the first delegated General Conference was by election, a
method that has obtained until this day. The General Con¬
ference' of 1888 made imperative the election of all delegates
16
The Episcopal Address.
by ballot. The General Conference is the legislative body of
the Church, restrained only by the Restrictive Rules. It is
unfortunate that the component parts of our Church constitu¬
tion as yet remain in a disjointed and fragmentary form. This
defect should be speedily remedied1, and we recommend that
this General Conference create a commission to collaborate the
component parts of our constitution into a systematic whole.
Such a document should embrace the Articles of Religion,
General Rules, Organization and Government of Pastoral
charges, Quarterly and Annual Conferences, the composition
of the General Conference, Limitations, and the Rules and
Regulations for the government thereof. The Commission
should be instructed to define the limitations of the General
Conference, and provide a method for their amendment or
abrogation. None of the limitations should be amended or
repealed without first being recommended by a two-thirds vote
of the General Conference, with the concurrence of three-
fourths of the members of all the Annual Conferences. The
rules for the government of the General Conference should be
amended to provide; first, that no bills, petitions, or resolu¬
tions, proposing hew legislation or a change in existing legis¬
lation, shall be received after the tenth day; second, that all
enactments or amendments submitted for entry on the calendar
shall contain both an enabling and a repealing clause.
The formation of a new Methodism, in doctrine or polity,
was not contemplated by the founders of our Church. They
were loyal sons of Wesley, and Methodists to the core. Rich¬
ard Allen, when offered the rectorship of St. Thomas Protes¬
tant Episcopal church, Philadelphia, Pa., refused it saying
that he was a Methodist; that under God, he was indebted to
Methodism for what little religion he had, and that he was
convinced that Methodists were the people of God. Being
the recognized leader among the founders of our Church, it is
fair to infer that Richard Allen's loyalty to Methodism was
fully shared by his associates. Their separation from the
parent body—the Methodist Episcopal Church—was forced.
They did not invite it; it was thrust upon them. They had the
good sense to insist on an equal share of the heritage of Meth¬
odism with the members of St. George's church from whom
they separated. They clung most tenaciously to the doctrines,
discipline, and forms of worship of Methodism, as set forth
in the writings of Wesley, Watson, Clark, Benson, and
Fletcher; and as proclaimed and practiced by Asbury, Coke,
Whatcoat, and other early propagandists of Methodism in
America. They did not seek to create a new Methodism; not
evefi the semblance of such. What they did was to avail them-
The Episcopal Address.
17
selves of a share of the ecclesiastical patrimony furnished by
John Wesley, and provide for their separate existence as a
protest against the arbitrary and unchristian conduct of certain
leaders connected with St. George's Society. They did not
frame a new constitution, but adopted that of the Parent Body.
It is in force among us now, only that its component parts
have not been collaborated and printed in a form separate and
distinct from our Book of Discipline. The growth and prog¬
ress of our Church have been along the lines of constitutional
survey and a well defined purpose; and, in this respect, we
claim equality not only with the Parent Body, but with all
branches of American Methodism.
OUR CHURCH, ONE OF ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT.
Our Church being one of orderly development, the natural
corrolary is, that it is one of law. It is a government regulated
by law. It is not a lawless arena nor a field for freebooters,
wherein each is at liberty to do as he pleases; but a system of
law and order; providing for and regulating the composition
and mode of procedure of the General Conference, the Annual
Conference, the District Conference, and the Quarterly Con¬
ference. It also provides for the class meeting, love feast, and
public service; for officers such as class leaders, stewards,
trustees, stewardesses, deaconesses, and for Sunday school of¬
ficers and teachers. It further provides for a ministry, itiner¬
ant and local, beginning with the exhorter and ascending to the
rank of the Bishopric. The various conferences, official boards,
and ministers, are the creatures of law and are under its guid¬
ance and control There is an interdependence of relationship,
but not of independence. The Quarterly Conferences are not
independent of the local churches, the District Conferences of
the Annual Conferences, the Annual Conferences of the Gen¬
eral Conference, or the General Conference of the Church as
a whole, because the latter is limited by certain Restrictive
Rules. The General Conference cannot alter the Articles of
Religion, or formulate any new doctrine. It cannot do away
with the Episcopacy or General Superintendency. It cannot
deny our ministers and members the right of trial and appeal.
It cannot revoke or change the general rules of the United
Societies. These Restrictive Rules are the constitutional limi¬
tations imposed on the General Conference, and are so abso¬
lutely sovereign as not to be affected by a unanimous vote of
that body. The Fifth Restrictive Rule, providing for the
disposition of the proceeds of the Book Concern, may be
amended by a two-thirds vote of the General Conference.
The General Conference is the law making body of our
18
The Episcopal Address.
Church, and as the result of the deliberations of its various
sessions, from 1820 to the present, we have a well defined and
clearly expressed code of laws. Nothing has been left to
chance; no factor is without interdependent relationship. Does
a Bishop violate law? If so, there are ample means to bring
him to account. If it is for an act involving moral turpitude,
he is amenable to a committee ad interim of the General Con¬
ference. If it is maladministration or official misconduct, the
Episcopal Committee appointed at each session of the General
Conference shall take cognizance thereof. A Bishop in the
African Methodist Episcopal Church is amenable to law; yes,
to law, but not to individual whim or caprice. What is true
of the Episcopacy is true of the ministry and the laity, and it
is well that it is so. The law in this respect is ample and needs
no amendment or enlargement. The Episcopacy was formed
by the body of the preachers as a whole before any delegated
General Conference had been called into being. The Bishops
constitute the executive branch of the Church, and are respon¬
sible for the faithful administration of the laws enacted by the
General Conference. Their position is one of great responsi¬
bility. They have every interest of the entire Church to over¬
see. They count no sacrifice too great, are willing to spend
and be spent, and to run with patience the race that is set be¬
fore them; to the end that our borders may be enlarged, and
that it may be said of our Zion, in an ever increasing degree,
"This and that man was born in her."
In the absence of law, anarchy prevails. The majesty of
the law should so dominate our thoughts as to impel us to a
strict observance of it. No chain can be stronger than its
weakest link. The measure of the strength of an organization
is the measure of respect cherished by its members for its laws
and regulations. Our future progress and security lie not in
the multiplication of laws, but in the faithful observance of
those now in vogue. The present position of our Church
speaks volumes for the fidelity of our constituency to estab¬
lished authority. During the past quadrennium, there have
been no serious outbreaks or symptoms of sedition or rebel¬
lion. Where discontent has prevailed, and even where just
grievances have existed, they were, perhaps, due to a misun¬
derstanding on the part of the principals. Where the Epis¬
copacy has been involved, it may have been due to a lack of
foresight, or discretion, or both. With our added experience,
we hope to be able to safeguard the future as to prevent their
recurrence.
The Episcopal Address.
19
EVOLUTION OF THOUGHT.
Surely we are living in an age when many phases of men¬
tal processes are undergoing an evolution. New angles of
mental vision are being formed. As to our range of mental
grasp and penetration in respect to many things, it cannot now
be said that we, "look through a glass darkly." While our
powers of penetration have not yet sounded the depths of
human consciousness, they have been greatly strengthened.
Our mental vision has been so enlarged that we no longer see,
"men as trees walking." With the steady advance in the evo¬
lution of thought, much of the debris of the superstitution and
ignorance of the past has been cleared away. What wonderful
strides have been made in Biblical interpretation, distinguish¬
ing between blind belief and rational faith. If the higher
critics have over-stepped the bounds of reason, and passed into
the ranks of hyper-critics, let us not rail at them, remembering
that an honest inquiry of the mind, however erratic it may be,
is not interdicted by any Divine command. Doubtless higher
criticism has sharpened and stirred many a dull and sluggish
intellect. Let us welcome all honest inquiries after truth as
brothers in search of light. We make this observation in a
general way and not because of a conviction that there is, as
yet, any serious questioning of religious fundamentals by our
own communicants.
There are signs, however, that there is an evolution of
thought going on among our people, which accurately to define,
at this time, is impossible. The evidences of such are not so
plain as the sunbeams at noonday, but faint and indistinct as
the gray streaks of light that herald the approach of morn. We
think it will be readily acknowledged that in many of our
congregations there is a marked decrease in the manifestation
of emotionalism and a corresponding increase in the display of
sober thought and reflection. In many instances, our preach¬
ers have ended their wanderings in the wilderness of crude
thought, grotesque speech, and grandiloquent vociferation;
while on the other hand, many of our people have ceased their
wanderings in the wilderness of "joyous delight" where sound,
rather than sense, was pleasing to the ear. In other words,
the people are laying more stress on what the preachers say
than on how they say it. With some, this is regarded as ca¬
lamitous, betokening spiritual decline. Not necessarily so,
however. On the contrary, it is a hopeful sign, indicating that
the people are disposed to try and grapple with the deep mys¬
teries of the kingdom of godliness. Many are demanding that
the "priest's lips shall keep knowledge," that, "he be apt to
teach, rightly dividing the word of truth." This will have a
20
The Episcopal Address.
wholesome effect in a two-fold way. On the one hand, it will
stimulate careful pulpit preparation and, on the other hand,
increase the knowledge of the pew.
We do not intimate the least desire that our worship shall
degenerate into a cold formalism, that all joyous feeling shall
be suppressed. Let the "amens" still ring out, when prompted
by the Holy Spirit, as our innermost feelings are stirred by the
words of the preacher as he flashes light, hope, and cheer;
while delivering the message in an intelligent, orderly, and
forceful manner. Methodism is now, as in the past, and as we
hope it ever will be, a joyous religion. But the word Metho¬
dism is not a synonym for irrational emotionalism.
Another evidence of the evolution of thought among our
people is their growing appreciation of an elevated and syste¬
matic form of worship. The "ranting spell" is rapidly losing
its force and giving place to a quiet, dignified demeanor. The
dictum of the Psalmist, "The Lord is in his holy temple, let all
the earth keep silence before him," is being heard and received
with a newer and more stately meaning by many of our people.
We thank God for this token of intellectual advancement on
the part of our laity. There is a growing cleavage between the
devotees of the older and cruder and the newer and more or¬
derly forms of worship. We shall have to show ourselves
sagacious in thought, quick in discernment, and tactful in ex¬
pression, to keep these diverging forces in harmonious action;
as not to offend the one nor repel the other.
THE MINISTRY OF TODAY.
There is nothing in present conditions requiring that, in
spiritual and intellectual equipment, in consecration, zeal, and
singleness of purpose, the ministry of today should differ from
that of the past. The Pauline exhortation, so strikingly char¬
acteristic of the fourth chapter of the second epistle of Tim¬
othy, "Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke with all long suffering and doctrine," should
be regarded as the sine qua non of the ministry of all ages.
While this is true, it must be admitted that the ministry of
today is confronted with certain phases of psychology, so¬
ciology, and economics, that cannot with safety be ignored. In
fact, it is imperative that they be given due consideration.
It is no longer merely the question of how to reach and influ¬
ence the masses, but rather how to hold the forces now in hand
and keep them in aggressive action. This is particularly true
with reference to the male portion of our laity, for whose
future in Church activities we need to give ourselves deep con¬
cern. It will be a fatal error to dismiss, as a mere figment of
The Episcopal Address.
21
the imagination, the growth of a spirit of indififerentism among
our laymen, by reason of which the minister of today fre¬
quently experiences great difficulty in inducing the more de¬
sirable element among them to accept and faithfully perform
the duties of responsible positions. Particularly is this true of
the churches in the cities and populous centers. The main
cause of this is to be attributed to the fact that the present age
is strongly inclined towards the materialistic. There is some¬
thing in the very atmosphere of present day conditions that
seems to be drawing men toward self-interest and self-indulg¬
ence—not openly, perhaps, disavowing the supernatural, but
ignoring it. It cannot justly be denominated unbelief or even
scepticism. The best known term to apply to it is Indifferent-
ism. It is conscience in a hypnotized rather than a callous
state. The mad rush for ease, wealth, and pleasure, have so
stupefied, benumbed, and blunted the moral sense that, in the
view of many, the virtue of an act is no longer measured by the
ideals embodied in the Sermon on the Mount, but by the
measure of success to be gained by its performance—whether
right or wrong. This is a formidable foe to the maintenance
of moral excellency—and all the more because of its subtle
and enamoring influence. It invites the unwary and unsus¬
pecting to eat, drink, and be merry, assuring them that tomor¬
row they will not die.
Added to this, is the unrest evidenced by many in their
search for new paths, for a highway other than that over
which, "the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to
Zion." Hence, new groups of thought have been formed, and
new dogmas have been formulated and announced. Christian
Science, New Thought, Emanuel Movement, Holy Rollers,
Dowieism, and other new day cults, are striving for permanency
and expansion. We do not refer to these in any sense of de¬
rision. Nor do we aver that their devotees are not all honest
seekers after truth.
Indifference to the supernatural is doubtless the most
formidable obstacle to the success of the ministry of the
present day. The multiplication of cults and sects is un¬
doubtedly a source of anxiety and concern. The clearest
thinker, the keenest logician, and the most forensic preacher
of all the Christian ages, even he who was as one "born out
of due time," hath declared, "For other foundation can no
man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Again he
saith, "But I certify unto you, brethren, that the Gospel
which was preached by me is not after man. For I neither
received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revela¬
tion of Jesus Christ." Not through the operation of mental
22
The Episcopal Address.
processes, stimulated and guided by the seers of Israel, did
Paul learn the essentials of the Gospel that he preached, but
through supernatural means—direct revelation from the
Great Teacher who spake as never man spake. He certified
to the redeeming and saving power of the Gospel when he
declared with a thrill of personal experience and blessed
assurance, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all accep¬
tation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
of whom I am chief." The ministry of today, possessing the
same personal experience and blessed assurance as did the di¬
vinely regenerated sail-maker of Tarsus, should, with unabated
zeal and undiminished faith, preach the everlasting Gospel of
Jesus Christ as the only means whereby man can be saved.
With the wisdom of serpents and the harmlessness of doves,
they should rally around the standard of the Man of Galilee
and boldly proclaim, "We are not ashamed of the Gospel of
Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth." Angry discussion with, or railing against,
contending forces should be avoided. If the battle waxes the
hotter, let us pray the more earnestly that our faith may be
increased. In love and tenderness, let us urge the people to
return to the old paths, and follow Him who is the Way, the
Truth, and the Life; and to lay up for themselves treasures
in heaven, where moth and rust doth not corrupt, nor thieves
break through and steal.
A TRAINED MINISTRY.
The founders of our Church, notwithstanding that they
were largely deprived of the opportunity for gaining intel¬
lectual equipment, constantly felt the need of a trained min¬
istry. They never failed in their appreciation of the repeated
injunction of Paul that the preacher "be apt to teach." The
records of the early Annual and General Conferences bear
testimony to the fact that the subject of an educated ministry
was a live question at all times. The facilities for the educa¬
tion of the colored people, even in the free regions of the
country during the infancy of our Church, were exceedingly
limited and begrudgingly afforded. With but three excep¬
tions, Lutheran Seminary, Gettysburg, Pa., Oberlin College,
Oberlin, O., and the Oneida Institute in central New York,
the colored people were barred from the higher institutions
of learning, even those who aspired to the ministry. Every¬
where it was sought to convince the Negro that he was
created to toil and not to think. Despite this depressing and
discouraging condition, a number of our pioneer ministers
made considerable advance in the acquisition of knowledge.
Among the most progressive of these were Daniel A. Payne
The Episcopal Address.
23
and John M. Brown. The former studied at the Lutheran
Seminary, in Gettysburg, and the latter at Oberlin College,
Oberlin, O. These two servants of God were instant, in
season and out of season, in their appeals and efforts for the
diffusion of knowledge among the ministers and people; but
particularly the former.
A series of resolutions on the subject of ministerial train¬
ing were adopted by the Philadelphia Annual Conference in
1837, and are so expressive of their interest in the subject,
and so luminous and informing as to their environment, that
we risk the over-lengthening of this Address in order to set
them before you in full. They are as follows:
We, the elders and preachers of this conference, who, according
to our ability and the grace that hath been given us, have in our day
preached the Gospel to our scattered and rejected brethren, sensible
like those who have gone before us, the time of our departure will
come also when we must give an account of our stewardship, would
enter upon the minutes of this conference an expression of grief at
the withering effects of prejudice against color, and, in connection
with it, the deep solicitude we feel that those who will hereafter arise
to fill our places should possess the means of securing every quali¬
fication for the ministry, that they may be workmen that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Upon this it is
evident that the salvation of souls and the right instruction of the
Church in the means of grace depend. Besides the general improve¬
ment of the people of color, their advance in knowledge and mutual
cultivation renders it necessary; therefore,
Resolved, That our Rt. Rev. Father and Bishop, with such person
or persons as he may associate with him, be a committee to prepare,
or cause to be prepared, an appeal or statement of the condition and
wants of the Church of Christ among the people of color in regard
to the ministry, and the obstacles which embarrass candidates for
that office in obtaining suitable preparation and often hinder access to
the ordinary means of education.
That the committee lay the same before the presidents and officers
of colleges and theological seminaries in the free states, with a re¬
spectful entreaty that the advantages of education which their re¬
spective institutions afford may be extended to all persons alike with¬
out distinction or color.
And further, that the Bishop or committee by correspondence
with brethren throughout the United States, with Christian philan¬
thropists, by appeals from the pulpit and press, and by all suitable
means endeavor to awaken a general interest among ourselves and
friends on this important subject; viz., a suitable preparation for the
pulpit or ministry.
The appeal embodied in these resolutions remained un¬
answered until Appomatox suddenly loomed up large on the
map of the world; when Grant, under the famous apple tree,
wrote his ever memorable dispatch announcing the surrender
of the Confederate forces, which made effective the emancU
pation of 4,000,000 slaves. The clock of human destiny had
struck the highnoon of long coveted opportunity for Ethiopia's
24
The Episcopal Address.
scattered children in search of light. Thank God that the
hands of this clock can never be turned backward. Possess¬
ing the opportunities so earnestly desired by the fathers, of
which they were denied, what justifying excuse is there for a
lack of intellectual training on the part of the ministry of
today ? If there are those who think to the contrary, let them
"tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon."
Is the calling of the ministry of less dignity and importance
than the honorable profession of law, medicine, etc. ? and is there
less need of preparation for the former than the latter? The
rapid intellectual advance of the pew is an imperative call for
a trained pulpit. As well may we expect a stream to rise
above its source as to expect our laity permanently to tolerate
an unqualified ministry. Even the less informed, yea the
comparatively ignorant, stand more in need of an intelligent
ministry than do those possessing a larger share of know¬
ledge; for the same reason that, in the physical world, the
greater the darkness the greater the light required to dispel
it. It is said that when an ostrich sights a hunter it hides its
head in the sand thinking that it is safe, notwithstanding the
body is exposed. We shall show ourselves equally unwise if
we fail to utilize every known means and agency available
to raise the intellectual standard of our ministry. The school
house is the foe of ignorance whether in or out of the pulpit.
The question is not now, Watchman, what of the night? but,
Watchman, what of the glowing day?
EPISCOPAL SUPERVISION.
Due Episcopal supervision has been given to every part of
our wide-spread Connection at home and abroad. No quad-
rennium was ever marked with more Episcopal activity and
zeal than the one justr closed, and never did any quadrennium
yield so large a measure of fruitful results. When Bishop
Lampton entered into rest, the supervision of the work of the
Eighth Episcopal District was assigned to Bishop Turner who
at once assumed charge. When in the month of December,
1910, Bishop Grant found himself in failing health, he sum¬
moned Bishop Parks to his assistance, giving him entire
charge of the affairs of the Fifth Episcopal District.
At the meeting of our Council, Mobile, Ala., February,
1911, when we learned that Bishop Salter, by reason of
physical impairment, needed assistance in supervising the
work in the Eleventh Episcopal District, we promptly fur¬
nished it. At the close of the obsequies for Bishop Gaines,
our Council assembled and Bishop Tyree was designated to
take charge of the affairs of the First Episcopal District.
The Episcopal Address.
25
Our work in Africa has received close and constant super¬
vision through the presence and labors of Bishop Johnson
and Bishop Heard.. The latter returned to America in 1910,
.and made a whirlwind tour of many of the Annual Confer¬
ences and churches for a period of about seven months. Too
much cannot be said in commendation of the unflagging
interest and untiring zeal he manifested in collecting funds
with which to erect a suitable house of worship in Monrovia,
the capital of Liberia. His home coming was certainly not
for holiday purposes, as is evidenced by the fact that he col¬
lected quite $2,000.00. Wherever he spoke he impressed the
people that he had a message to deliver. Bishop Johnson
has uncomplainingly and heroically stood at his post of duty
in South Africa. Though hindered and handicapped in mani¬
fold ways, he has made his presence felt from Capetown to
the Zambesi, and throughout Cape Colony and Basutoland.
He is to be congratulated on the resourcefulness displayed in
the speedy redemption of the property known as Bethel Insti¬
tute, in Capetown. The work in West and South Africa will
be reported in detail by the Bishops who have the supervision
of our interests on the Dark Continent.
The Bishops will gladly respond to the call of any of the
General Conference committees for the elucidation of any
phase of our work that may be deemed advisable, whether it
relates to the working or administration of our laws.
The interests committed to your keeping and their bear¬
ing on the future progress of African Methodism exhort you
to thoughtfulness, unselfishness, and consecration, that you
may have a clearer conception of the duties that await you.
We record our thankfulness to Almighty God that he has
mercifully remembered us, and so blessed us with his gra¬
cious favor that we can offer you the assurance that the
Church of your affection is not only marching on, but is win¬
ning new trophies with each advance. The present status
of the various departments of Church activities will be pre¬
sented to you in detail by those who are responsible for their
management.
THE BISHOPS' COUNCIL.
On page 287, Volume I., of Payne's History of the A. M.
E. Church, we are informed that the first Bishops' Council
was held in New York City at the close of the General Con¬
ference of 1852. Three Bishops were present—Quinn, Naz-
rey, and Pavne. It was at this General Conference that the
Church was* first divided into Episcopal Districts. The Bish¬
ops' Council was not created by the General Conference, but
26 The Episcopal Address.
was a voluntary movement originating among the Bishops.
As early as 1824, the following resolution was passed by the
General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church:
Resolved, That it is highly expedient for the General Superin¬
tendents, at every session of the General Conference, and as far as to
them may appear practicable in the intervals of the sessions annually,
to meet in Council to form their plan of traveling through their
charge whether in a circuit after each other or by dividing the Con¬
nection into several Episcopal departments, with one Bishop or more
in each department, as to them may appear proper and most con¬
ducive to the general good, and the better to enable them fully to
perform the great work of their administration in the General
Superintendency, and to exchange and unite their views upon all
affairs connected with the general interests of the Church. Consid¬
ering the great extent of the work throughout this vast continent
committed to the oversight of their Episcopacy, the committee deems
it inexpedient to require each of our Bishops to travel throughout
the whole of their extensive charges during the recess of the Gen¬
eral Conference, and therefore recommend to the Episcopacy to make
such apportionment of the work among themselves as shall best
suit, in their judgment, most effectually to promote the general good.
It is fair to infer that the pioneer Bishops of our Church
had knowledge of the existence of this resolution, with the
end in view of adopting it as a mode of procedure among
themselves so soon as their number would justify it. This
opportunity came at the close of the General Conference of
1852, when, for the first time, three Bishops were in
active service. It is to be noted that the term Bishops' Coun¬
cil does not appear in any edition of our Book of Discipline,
nor in the journal of any General Conference session in the
form of a resolution, amendment, or enactment. Wayman's
Manual of the A. M. E. Church makes no mention of it.
Question 462 of Turner's Methodist Polity, with the accom¬
panying answer, reads thus:
"Ques.—How do the Bishops manage to make the super¬
intendency general under the district system?
"Ans.—They meet and hold an Episcopal Council once or
twice a year, and. each Bishop makes a report of his work to
the Council, and the said Council gives such general direc¬
tions as it may there agree upon."
It will be observed that this is in harmony with the pre¬
cedent established by the Methodist Episcopal Church.
We should never lose sight of the fact that Methodist
government is a democracy, and sprang into existence as a
protest against the pretensions and arbitrary methods of the
Church of England. Methodism is what John Wesley de¬
signed it should be—a government of the many, and not of the
few.
The Episcopal Address.
27
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES.
In 1856 the Cincinnati Annual Conference of the Metho¬
dist Episcopal Church established Wilberforce University,
near Xenia, O., as a training school for colored ministers and
teachers. This was the first school of its kind in America.
It remained in the possession of its original owners until
1863, when it became the property of our Church. The first
theological class composed exclusively of colored students was
formed at Wilberforce during the period between 1856 and
1863. Two of that class, W. H. Hunter and R. H. Cain,
served in the ministry of our Church well and faithfully, and
with great distinction. The former occupied the position of
General Manager of our Book Concern, the latter was elected
to the Bishopric. From 1863 to 1880, Wilberforce Univer¬
sity made theological training its first and chief concern, and
it gave strength and prestige to our ministry by adding to its
roll the names of such eminent and useful divines as John T.
Jennifer, Thomas H. Jackson, Isaiah H. Welch, Benjamin
F. Lee, Moses B. Salter, John W. Beckett, John Coleman,
George C. Whitfield, and others whose names equally deserve
special mention with those we have just noted.
Payne Theological Seminary, an adjunct of Wilberforce
University, was founded as a lasting memorial to the memory
of Bishop Daniel A. Payne, who, in his day, was the first and
foremost advocate of ministerial training, and who helped to
mold and fashion the life and character of more ministers
than any one person ever connected with our Church. But
how sadly we have thus far lacked in interest, energy, and
the expenditure of means, to make Payne Seminary an ade¬
quate source of real and substantial benefit to our Church in
providing our ministry with well equipped recruits. To be
frank, instead of measuring up to requirements we are trifling
with the most vital of all our interests. We are stressing our
wits and bending our energies to add prestige and success
to the normal, scientific, collegiate, and industrial depart¬
ments of Wilberforce University. To this, no reasonable
objection can be formed. Still, the fact should not be over¬
looked that while the State educates the pew it will not edu¬
cate the pulpit. The State will found institutions of secular
learning, but will not establish theological seminaries. The
State will furnish the youth with means for the acquisition of
knowledge in the various departments of secular learning,
but it will not grant them the means of studying the Bible or
the doctrines of Christianity. The American people feel that
they cannot better subserve their interests than by maintaining
28
The Episcopal Address.
a military school at West Point, N. Y., and a naval academy
at Annapolis, Md. Now a theological seminary is to a
Church what West Point is to the government, differing in
this, that the graduates of West Point become the trainers
and disciplinarians of the rank and file of the army in militant
warfare; the graduates of a theological seminary become the
instructors of the populace in spiritual warfare. But what
need for further generalization?
The existence of Turner Theological Seminary, an ad¬
junct of Morris Brown College, Atlanta, Ga., has not been
marked by many years. It is still in its infancy, and we are
seemingly content to let it continue in the weakness of infancy.
Payne and Turner Seminaries are most favorably located to
serve the Northern and Southern sections of the country, and
we should bestow upon them our best and largest gifts of
brains and means.
Of the 3,712 students enrolled in our several institutions of
learning in 1910, only 117 were classed as theological, not
more than one-third of one per cent. But the fact is, that
not more than 25 of the 117 could be reckoned as pursuing a
regular theological course, having entered upon the studies
thereof with a good English education as a foundation. It
would be sheer folly for us longer to temporize. Conditions
demand that we present you with the naked truth, however
unpleasant it may be. This General Conference should not
for one moment think of adjourning without making addi¬
tional provision for the support of our theological seminaries,
and to render assistance to worthy young men called to our
ministry who are destitute of the means to properly qualify
themselves. We should provide for Biblical instruction in all
of our schools, but we cannot concede the wisdom of pre¬
tending to have a theological department, with a dean in
charge, at a half dozen or more of our colleges, resulting in
our being weak at many points, and strong at no one. It is a
squandering of resources, unintentionally, perhaps, but never¬
theless so. How can we hope to get proficient professors in
any department of learning for six and seven hundred dol¬
lars a year? It cannot be done unless you can find persons
willing to render such service for the mere love of it. Gam¬
mon Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Ga., pays its professors
$2,000 a year each and house rent free. It is true, that that
seminary has an endowment of a half million of dollars, and
is the best equipped school in the world devoted exclusively
to the training of colored men for the ministry. It is the
property of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Our Financial
The Episcopal Address.
29
Department should furnish at least $3,500.00 a year to Payne
Seminary, and a like amount to Turner Seminary.
Perhaps the more serious phase of the subject now fol¬
lows. What means can we devise to induce the flower of our
youth to enter our ministry? It is a fact, deeply and seri¬
ously to be deplored, that there are very few of our youth of
promising ability who are favorably disposed toward the
work of the ministry. We are aware that this is a matter of
grave concern with all denominations. There are 840 stu¬
dents in the ten theological seminaries of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. These seminaries represent in separate
buildings and endowments $14,000,000.00. The Presbyterian
Church has twelve separate theological seminaries, represent¬
ing an investment of $10,000,000.00, including endowment.
There are 700 students in attendance. The Southern Baptist
Church (white) has only one seminary, with $2,000,000.00
invested in plant and endowment. The student body numbers
300. Here we have three denominations having twenty-three
theological seminaries, representing, including buildings and
endowment, $26,000,000.00—an average of $1,130,434.00 to
each of them—with an aggregate attendance of 1,840 stu¬
dents. Thus, we are presented in measured terms with a
lucid idea of the vast amount of money required properly to
equip and endow a theological seminary, and, at the same
time, does it not furnish us an equally lucid idea of our
wastefulness of resources by reason of diffusion? Concen¬
tration should be our watchword from now on.
With the best inducements that we may be able to offer,
we may anticipate no little difficulty in inducing our young
men of strong intellectual endowment to enter the ministry.
Inadequate support, involving a large measure of self-sacri¬
fice, the drudgery of personal exertion incident to the plan¬
ning and executing of every detail of Church activity, the
strain of anxiety for the proper education of children; the
degree of self-abnegation required relative to home comforts,
the larger returns for service offered by other vocations and
professions, the lack of assurance of support in old age, will
be found to be more or less formidable obstacles in securing
the ready assent of young men of promise to enter our min-
istry.
So far as possible, in consonance with our principles, we
should be constantly on the alert to devise means to augment
the support of such worthy ones as may be induced to bear
the toils of discipleship.
A further evidence of the gravity of the situation may be
noted when we state it is computed that of the 10,000,-
30
The Episcopal Address.
000 of Negroes in this country there are not to exceed 500
pursuing a regular course of study in the acknowledged theo¬
logical seminaries of the country. There is practically that
number in attendance at the various departments of Meharry
Medical College, Nashville, Tenn. We cannot too often
emphasize the need of concerning ourselves both as to the
quantity and quality of our future ministry. We should be¬
come earnest and persistent in endeavor and constant in
prayer. Let us pray the Lord of the harvest to help us to
put properly qualified men into our vineyard. Our pastors
should prove diligent and zealous in their efforts to win re¬
cruits for our ministry from among the promising and piously
inclined of our young men.
We would not, however, be understood as turning aside
from the doctrine of a Divine call to the ministry such as had
Moses and the Prophets, Paul and the other Apostles; nor
would we minimize the importance of such a Divine selection
of men for spiritual work; though we fear that many, like
Jonah, might be inclined to evade even a Divine call, while
the thoughtless and unprepared might take up the work by a
mistakened view of its real demands. Hence, we suggest
that neither inaction, nor unwise action, on the part of the
Church should be a contributing cause of either result.
EDUCATION.
The first concerted movement in our Church in the interest
of education was in the form of a convention held in Phila¬
delphia, Pa., October 30, 1845. It convened in Bethel church
and was composed of eighty-six delegates representing the
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York Conferences.
In 1844 the initial step looking toward the establishment
of an institution of learning was taken by the Ohio Confer¬
ence, and is reflected in the following resolution:
We, your committee, appointed by the Ohio Annual Conference
of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, met in the city of Colum¬
bus, September 17, 1844, to select-a tract of land for the purpose of
erecting a seminary of learning on the manual labor plan, for the
instruction of the youth among us in the various branches of liter¬
ature, science, agriculture, and mechanical arts, and also for those
young men who may desire to prepare for the ministry. Being des¬
titute of means to pay our traveling expenses to Michigan to seek
its location, we have selected one in Franklin county, State of Ohio,
twelve miles west of Columbus, and two miles north of the National
Road, containing one hundred and seventy-two acres of land, which
can be purchased for $1720.00, to be paid in installments.
This was to become, so far as co-operative action is con¬
cerned, the basis of all the schools now possessed by our
Church. In fact, the framers of the foregoing resolution seem
The Episcopal Address.
31
to have laid down the pattern after which the famous Hamp¬
ton and Tuskegee Institute were fashioned. They also gave
to our Church a patent right to the advocacy of the tri-purpose
of what should be the motive of all endeavors for the enlight¬
enment of the Negro, viz.: "The education of the head, the
hand, and the heart." Our forbears were the first to see the
utility of industrial education for colored youth, as they were
the first to emphasize the importance of studying the proper¬
ties of the soil and the best methods of agriculture. Unfor¬
tunately it cannot be said that we have strictly adhered to the
course which they mapped out. Following this, and in natural
order, the question arises—Are we devoting our energies in
sufficient measure to the teaching of the mechanical arts, and
the science of agriculture in connection with our schools of
learning? The need of industrial education for the masses
of our people is a self-evident proposition. Any form of
education that does not increase the value and efficiency of
their service, and thus augment their wage-earning capacity,
is a wasteful expenditure of means and energy. We readily
concede the need of the best university training for our pro¬
fessional men, and for our leaders of thought in Church and
State.
We would be remiss of duty should we fail to advise you
of the agitation going on among the authorities of the
American Missionary Association, the Freedmen's Aid Society,
and kindred organizations, in favor of a reduction in the
number of institutions having the collegiate curriculum. The
increased difficulty experienced in securing funds for their
support, the great expense involved in their maintenance, in
comparison with the normal and industrial departments, the
relatively small number of persons seeking the advantages of
a collegiate course, constitute the basis of the agitation to
which we now refer. The consensus of opinion thus far in
evidence would indicate the feasibility of selecting a few
strategic centers at each of which to develop a well equipped
college with a strong faculty and adequate appliances. There
is a fixed value attached to the services of competent profes¬
sors. The present low rate of compensation prevailing in
most of our colleges is all out of proportion to the character
of the services rendered, and the high cost of living. In 1910,
there were 221 students in the college and scientific depart¬
ments of our institutions of learning—not more than suffi¬
cient to make a respectable student body for one college.
Then, there is the minimum expense for tuition, etc., which
keeps the earning capacity of our institutions to the very
lowest point. To supplement the deficiency in the running
32
The Episcopal Address.
expenses of our schools and the amount gained from their
own resources, we have to appeal to the people for voluntary
contributions. Unstinted praise is due the people for the
liberal manner in which they have thus far responded. It is,
however, a matter of conjecture whether this liberality will
continue indefinitely. It would be well for you to devise
some method for a readjustment of our educational work so
as to secure larger and more practical results on a basis of
increased economy.
The years 1910-11, will ever be memorable in the annals
of our educational work for the unprecedentedly large amount
contributed by our constituency to the cause of Christian
Education.
CONFERENCE CLAIMANTS.
We are deeply concerned for the proper care of our Con¬
ference Claimants. Nevertheless, the present inadequate sup¬
port furnished our superannuated preachers, widows, orphans,
and mission preachers, should not be allowed to induce ill-
considered action, as it is a question not of sentiment, but of
economics based on the law of supply and demand. The
framers of our Dollar Money law wisely provided that a cer¬
tain per cent of the whole should be applied to the support
of our Conference Claimants. It is to be remembered that the
division of the Dollar Money law for the support of various
officials, departments, and benevolences, is based on the re¬
quirement that one dollar shall be collected annually from or
for each member. The latest statistics credit our Church with
a membership of 620,234. The Dollar Money for the fiscal
year ending March 31st., 1911, was $202,663.17, which in
round numbers, averaged thirty-three cents per capita for our
entire membership. Not one dollar, mark you, from or for
each member, but thirty-three cents! 36 per cent of $202,-
663.17 is $72,958.74. Presuming that each of our 75 Annual
Conferences averages five superannuated preachers, it would
require $93,750.00 to pay them the maximum allowance pro¬
vided by paragraph 5, page 396 of the Book of Discipline—
$250.00 per annum. Thus it will be seen that, if the entire
36 per cent of the Dollar Money was applied to the support
of our superannuated preachers, it would not be sufficient to
meet the requirements of the Discipline, and would leave the
widows, orphans, and mission preachers, without one penny
of sustenance from this source. Brushing aside all sentiment,
and dealing with a bare fact, what we need to do, and the
only thing that will remedy existing conditions, is to fulfill
the requirement of the Dollar Money law by collecting one
The Episcopal Address.
33
dollar from or for each member. At present, the demand is
greater than the supply. The crux of the situation is this:
We must either reduce the demand to equal the supply or
increase the supply to equal the demand. As we cannot keep
our preachers in a state of perpetual youth, we cannot de¬
crease the demand and, therefore, must augment the supply
of support furnished our Conference Claimants.
The Dollar Money law was enacted in 1872—now 40 years
ago. In all these years, our people have advanced in intelli¬
gence and material wealth. Thirty-three cents per capita is
not, therefore, a favorable showing at the end of four de¬
cades, at least, we so opine. Instead of indulging in weak
and ill-founded sentiment about the grave injustice being done
our Conference Claimants, let us spend our time and strength
in striving for the collection of one dollar from or for each
member, and thereby pursue the only sane and efficient course
that can terminate the alleged injustice concerning which so
much is being said. The collection of one dollar annually
from or for each member would not only enable us to meet
the allowance of our Conference Claimants in full, but also to
support the various benevolences of the Church without rais¬
ing collections on special days. Existing conditions might be
ameliorated by adopting the recommendation made by the
Committee on Temporal Economy to the last General Con¬
ference, to-wit, that 40 per cent of the 36 per cent of the
Dollar Money be appropriated to superannuated preachers;
30 per cent to widows and orphans ; 20 per cent to mission
preachers; and 10 per cent for Annual Conference expenses.
In all probability, this method would secure a more equitable
distribution of the funds now available for the support of
Conference Claimants.
CENTENNIAL OF ORGANIC EXISTENCE.
Connectional African Methodism will be 100 years old
April, 1916. African Methodist Societies date historically
and definitely back to 1787; hence the observance of the Cen¬
tennial of the organization of the first society, in 1887, was
perfectly consistent. The African Methodist spirit had as¬
serted itself through societies of African Methodists 100 years
to that date. Before connectional organization, this spirit
had acquired a standing of respectability and influence. The
Centennial to be celebrated in 1916 has a very different mean¬
ing ; must reach very different results, and make very different
impressions from that of 1887. During these one hundred
years of connectional life, the Church has accomplished re¬
spectable and valuable work. It has maintained an organism
34
The Episcopal Address.
which has exerted an influence in the civil, social, economical,
political, educational, and diplomatic affairs of our country.
This Church was a considerable factor in the great sum of
opposition to slavery and demand for liberty. It has rendered
valuable service in building up the spirit of manliness in the
people constituting its communion. It has strengthened this
class in respect to self-government, assertiveness, and progress.
It has borne to Africa the strongest hand and warmest
heart of all the Christian bodies of African descent. It has
furnished men able to "stand before kings." It has given the
country federal officers, varying in rank from clerks to diplo¬
mats. It has presented the cause of the American of African
descent before Federal Commissions and Presidents. Its
autonomy has been maintained absolute. It has presented
the spirit of Christ to the black man. It has developed a
ministry of intelligence and consistent religious life; such men
as the greatest denominations operating among colored people
have been glad to utilize. It has enlarged the spirit of
Americanism, infusing a degree of self-assertion, wise self-
care, patriotism, courage in defense of national government,
and strength in the grasp of the forms and facts of the
Christian religion.
In respect to the latter, the descendants of Africa on the
American continent have yielded a larger fruitage to the
Christian religion than all the darker races combined. The
number of agnostics and infidels among the 10,000,000 per¬
sons of African descent in this country is practically nil. Of
these 10,000,000, forty per cent are actual church communi¬
cants distributed among the various denominations, those of
the Methodist and Baptist persuasion largely predominating.
This ratio is fully equal to that of the white population of
this country. The Christian religion has not yet gained
4,000,000 converts among all the other darker races in the
aggregate. And yet look at the millions of dollars that have
been expended, and are still being expended, to extend the
kingdom of God in India, China, Japan, and the South Sea
Islands; to which may be'added that wealth of robust in¬
tellects and splendid characters that have been consecrated to
the work of foreign missions.
It may be claimed for the 10,000,000 persons of African
descent in this country that they are firm believers in the
essentials of the Christian religion. It would be quite a task
to find one who would not readily consent to join in singing,
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow." We have heard
of some—the victims of gross injustice and discrimination—
refusing to sing our national anthem, "My country, 'tis of
The Episcopal Address.
35
thee," but we have thus far failed to note one refusing to
sing, "Jesus! the name high over all." Of the 4,000,000
colored church communicants in this country, 1,500,000 are
Methodists. We can claim one-third of this number for our
share. Our ancestors had no part in exiling Jesus of Naz-
ereth from the land of his nativity, but their native habitat,
Africa, furnished him an asylum during his exile. Further¬
more, our ancestors did not share in the crucifixion of the
Man of Sorrows, but one of their number, Simon, of Cyrene,
bore his cross part-way up Calvary's rugged heights.
It would be almost a waste of words to remind you that
the Centennial of our organic existence appeals to your
supreme intelligence, consideration, and interest to devise
suitable means fittingly and profitably to celebrate its anni¬
versary. It seems to us that the most feasible and practical
course to pursue is the creation of a Commission charged with
the duty of forming a plan, embracing such a scheme of ex¬
ercises as will evoke the hearty interest and co-operation of
our communicants at home and abroad. It is our further
opinion that the financial returns from the Anniversary should
be largely devoted to the equipment and support of our two
leading theological seminaries—Payne at Wilberforce, Ohio,
and Turner at Atlanta, Georgia.
THE NURSERY OF THE CHURCH.
Whoever first defined the Sunday school to be the nur¬
sery of the Church put forward a constructive analogy that
has not yet been successfully challenged. The Sunday school
is the sheltering place of young and tender vines—youthful
and flexible minds—where they can be trained and inspired
to seek the kingdom of heaven as the most vital object and
true aim of life.
The Psalmist avers that children are an heritage of the
Lord. He also likens them to olive plants about a table. It
is highly apropos now to bring forward the ever-memorable
promise of the Lord to David: "If thy children will keep my
covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their
children shall also sit upon thy throne forevermore." This
should be a strong incentive for the Church to lay to heart,
as a supreme duty, the training of youth in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord.
We are appalled at the disparity between our Sunday
school membership and that of our Church. According to
the A. M. E. Hand Book, 1909, we have 216,850 pupils in
our Sunday schools—a trifle more than one-third of our
Church membership. We are aware that the Sunday school
36
The Episcopal Address.
enrollment of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is
thirty-five per cent less than that of its Church membership.
The Southern section of our Church shows the greatest dis¬
parity in this regard. One cause for this has been attributed
to the fact that much of our territory in the South is rural,
and that the bulk of our people live in the country. While
there is much truth in this assumption, it cannot be accepted
as the sole cause. In all sections of our Church there is a
lack of appreciation of the fact that the Sunday school "em¬
phasizes the spiritual privileges and rights of the child," and
offers the medium by which the child can be brought to the
"experience of spiritual consciousness, and to the expression
of that consciousness in positive love of Christ and practical
service of humanity." Some one has wisely and truly said
that, "The Church which neglects her young people proves
herself improvident, and must neither wonder nor complain
if Heaven leaves her nothing to nurse but her own desolation."
In the main, both the teaching force and equipment of
our Sunday schools are below the recognized standards; in
many instances alarmingly so. There is some ground for the
inquiry, whether our ministry is as earnest and zealous in
promoting the interests of Sunday school work as it should
be? Christ enjoined Peter to feed his lambs before he com¬
manded him to feed his sheep. The Master expressed his
displeasure with his disciples when they rebuked the parents
who brought young children unto him. The echo of his
tender, gracious, loving words will go down through all the
ages—"Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid
them not, for of such is the kingdom of God."
We are glad to note that in the early part of 1911 our
Sunday School Union issued a stirring call to our pastors,
superintendents, and Sunday school workers generally, to
make a concerted effort to double our Sunday school enroll¬
ment. Much useful literature, embodying a plan known as
the membership contest, was sent out gratis. The movement
was launched as the greatest prize winning campaign for
scholars in the Church's history. A large sized poster was
distributed containing among other appealing sentences, the
following:
"The membership of every Sunday school, little and big,
must be doubled. Thousands and thousands of bright boys
and girls all about us know not the helpful influence of the
Sunday school. They can be reached; they must be reached;
they will be reached. Let every loyal son and daughter of the
immortal Allen, like Andrew of old, go out in search of his
brother."
The Episcopal Address. 37
This call to action should be regarded as satisfactory proof
that the management of our Sunday School Union intends to
foster and strengthen proper Sunday school methods and
system.
TEMPERANCE.
On the subject of temperance, our Church has never equiv¬
ocated, wavered, or voiced an uncertain sound. Its position
has always been one of bitter and relentless hostility to the
liquor traffic. It has neither temporized nor compromized
with this golgotha of human woe, poverty, and wretchedness.
And why should it? What is there in the liquor traffic to
commend itself to the conscience or approval of right-thinking
people? It is without a single virtue or redeeming quality,
and richly deserves the withering execration, anathama! The
Tri-Council of Colored Methodist Bishops at their meeting in
Mobile made the following deliverance:
We would urge upon our churches the putting forth of more
vigorous action and more vigilant care against the encroachments
of intemperance upon our peace and happiness, our well-being and
perpetuity. Every church society should be regarded as a strong¬
hold of temperance workers and a fortress of temperance defense.
The wily actors and organizations engaged in assault upon our
homes, our ethical judgment, and our religious stability, are unscrupu¬
lous, tireless and unamenable to reason. To attempt to overcome
them with human implements is to court failure. There is no other
thought or work that should be more carefully laid upon the founda¬
tion of Christian experience, and reliance upon God, than the effort
to crush out the audacious and unprincipled monster alcohol. The
greatest temperance reforms of the ages have succeeded by reliance
upon God. Instance the tidal wave following the war-cry of Francis
Murphy: "God helping me." Temperance is a fruit of the spirit and
requires spiritual support and propagating energy. It must be at¬
tached to the Church, the Sunday school, and all auxiliary societies.
The periodicals of the Churches, the Sunday school literature, the
Reviews, and the Year Books, should be messengers, directors, and
saviors to the young and the old against this subtle enemy.
To this we would add that, while moral suasion has its
place and value, the potentiality of the ballot as an effective
weapon against the liquor traffic should neither be overlooked
nor underestimated.
SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES OR MEANS OF GRACE.
We recognize that the General Rules and the Class Meet¬
ing being particularly characteristic of our common Method¬
ism should, in spirit and practice, control every department of
the Church, and that it would prove a calamity to retreat from
them. Methodism instituted the Class Meeting and adopted
the Prayer Meeting. We recommend the faithful adherence
38
The Episcopal Address.
to the principles and practices on which our founders estab¬
lished this great form of organized activity.
We feel that the Class Meeting should remain in its right¬
ful place as one of the chief means of spiritual exercise and
growth in grace. Let us take steps to renew its youth by such
means as will bring freshness and life into its meetings. We
would suggest that the regular weekly prayer meetings be
conducted by the leaders of the several classes in turn, thus
throwing upon them the responsibility of success. Especially
would we point out the utility of assigning each member and
probationer to a class.
THE FEDERAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN
AMERICA.
This Federal Council is composed of representatives of
the leading Protestant denominations in the United States of
America. Its object, as set forth in the Methodist Year Book
for 1911, is (1) To express the fellowship and catholic unity
of the Christian Church; (2) To bring the Christian bodies of
America into united service for Christ and the world; (3) To
encourage devotional fellowship and mutual counsel concern¬
ing the spiritual life and religious activities of the churches;
(4) To secure larger combined influences for the churches of
Christ in all matters affecting the moral and social condition
of the people so as to promote the application of the law of
Christ in every relation of human life; (5) To assist in the
organization of local branches of the Federal Council to pro¬
mote its aims in their communities.
It does not aim to interfere with the creed, form of govern¬
ment, worship, or with the autonomy of the Christian
bodies adhering to it. Its province is limited to the expression
of its counsel and the recommending of a course of action in
matters of common interest to the churches, local councils,
and individual Christians. Our Church was represented at
the first meeting which was held in New York City, and in
the second meeting, which was held in Philadelphia. At each
of these meetings, our representatives were fully welcomed
and cordially received. Our late colleague, Bishop Gaines,
was a member of the Executive Committee. Bishop E. R.
Hendrix, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is the
Chairman of the Executive Committee. The Corresponding
Secretary is the Rev. E. B. Sanford, D. D., office 81 Bible
House, New York City. We are quite sure that you share
with us the conviction that we should co-operate in the fur¬
therance of every good word and work.
The Episcopal Address. 39
"O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine,
Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine."
laymen's movements.
Two movements originating in the past decade, each de¬
signed to stimulate the zeal and effort of the laity in the work
of the Church, are the Laymen's Missionary Movement and
the Men and Religion Movement. The purpose of the Lay¬
men's Missionary Movement is to stimulate a great advance
movement for missions. A national campaign in the interest
of this movement was conducted during the winter of 1909-10
throughout the United States. Seventy-five conventions were
held, culminating in a Congress convened at the Auditorium in
Chicago, which was attended by more than four thousand men
gathered from all sections of the country. They were
prompted to assemble by a desire to hear of the present con¬
dition and needs of world-wide missions, and how to improve
the condition and supply the needs. It was a momentous and
significant gathering. The several views advanced, opinions
voiced, and suggestions made, were finally, in part, expressed
in concrete form in the following declarations :
1. It declared its conviction that according to their ability and
opportunity, the laymen of the church are equally responsible with
the ministers to pray and to plan, to give and to work for the King¬
dom of God upon earth. That the call to share actively in extending
the knowledge of Christ presents to every man his supreme oppor¬
tunity for development, usefulness, and satisfaction, and appeals to
men everywhere to invest their intelligence, their influence, their ener¬
gies, and their possessions in the united effort of the Church of Christ
to evangelize the world.
2. It urged the adoption by every Christian Church of regular
and thorough methods of missionary education and finance, culminat¬
ing once each year in a campaign of organized personal canvass of
each congregation, with the earnest purpose of securing a systematic
and proportionate contribution of every member toward the world¬
wide propagation of the Christian evangel. And that the vast world
enterprise may be kept constantly before the minds and prayers of
the people.
3. It recommended that there be formed in every denomination
the Laymen's Missionary Movement charged with the responsibility of
promoting missionary intelligence, intercession, and contributions, that
the Laymen's Movement in co-operation with the established mission¬
ary agencies be authorized to provide such measures for supervision
and assistance as the development of the work may require, and that
the contributions go through the established channels.
The Laymen's Missionary Movement properly organized
and conducted could be made a powerful auxiliary to the
work of our Parent Home and Foreign Missionary Society.
40
The Episcopal Address.
It would be well for said Society to take cognizance of this
movement and endeavor to utilize it.
THE MEN AND RELIGION MOVEMENT.
The object of this movement is two-fold; to promote self-
consecration and personal effort in evangelism. In other
words, to make practical and effective the ideal sentiment,
"The world for Christ." It is a call to the rank and file of the
laity for personal consecration in the work of soul-saving. It
bespeaks an affirmative answer to the query, "Am I my
brother's keeper?" It means the hand-to-hand conflict in
spiritual warfare for every man, woman, and child who claims
divine kinship. When each Christian shall have become a
bright and shining light, once more will the morning stars sing
together and the sons of God shout for joy as the hosts of
Israel, full panoplied and armed, assail the ramparts of sin
until every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus
is the Lord. The true idea of individual responsibility must
be read into the lives of the laity, and find expression in indi¬
vidual activity, and in an aggressive forward movement for
the evangelization of the world. Our Allen Christian En¬
deavor League should be charged with the responsibility of
stimulating our laity to personal consecration and individual
effort for the salvation of mankind.
TRI-COUNCIL OF COLORED METHODIST BISHOPS.
The second meeting of the Tri-Council of Colored Meth¬
odist Bishops was held in Mobile, Ala., February 9-11, 1911.
This Council is composed of the Bishops of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church, of the African Methodist Epis¬
copal Zion Church, and of the Colored Methodist Episcopal
Church of America. Its first meeting was held in Washing¬
ton, D. C., February 12-17, 1908. The declarations and pur¬
poses adopted at the meeting in Washington were reaffirmed
at the meeting in Mobile. An illuminating address was formu¬
lated and adopted from which we extract the two following
paragraphs as evidencing the trend of thought of your Chief
Pastors as well as that of the Chief Pastors of the two sister
denominations:
Existing conditions and acts of other church bodies require of us
the exercise of better mutual understanding, consideration and com¬
munion among our three bodies of identical doctrines, racial heredity,
and of similar polities; that they so elevate and strengthen their in¬
fluences by federating their forces that they may command the respect
of the general spirit of church federation.
The federation of the Bishops of the three leading colored Meth-
The Episcopal Address. 41
odist bodies means much in advancing the thought and hope of mak¬
ing Methodism among Negroes one co-operative body capable of great
resistance to evil in our special communities, as well as of great cor¬
rective power in reclaiming and saving, training and cultivating our
fellowman in general. It is true that no man liveth unto himself.
Whether so acknowledged or not, these Methodist bodies are capable
of influencing for good others beside the "Souls of Black Folk." God's
word cannot return to Him void. We serve Him not alone for our
own, but for universal salvation.
A genuine spirit of federation was in evidence throughout
the entire proceedings, as well as an earnest desire to reach a
basis of effective and permanent cooperation. We ask your
approval of the work of the Council so far as it relates to the
appointment of committees to prepare a Hymnal and a Cate¬
chism to be used in common by the denominations participat¬
ing. It was agreed to hold biennial meetings of the Council.
We deem it highly expedient to reproduce the declaration of
the first Council, reaffirmed by the second, relative to ministe¬
rial transfers. It follows:
1. We believe that the time is ripe for exchanging ministers who
are in good and regular standing in their respective denominations
composing the three branches of Methodism here represented, when
such an exchange will promote the cause of Christ, strengthen our
common Methodism, and contribute to the welfare of the race; and
we recommend that this form of ministerial transfer be agreed upon
in such manner as may be mutually satisfactory to the A. M. E.,
A. M. E. Zion, and C. M. E. Churches.
2. We would recommend, when a minister is expelled for gross
immorality or any grave offense, that the fact of his expulsion be
published in the chief periodicals of the respective bodies of Method¬
ism here represented; and in no case sh all such expelled min¬
ister be received in either Church until he has been restored in good
standing in the Church from which he was expelled by the regular
polity of our common Methodism.
3. We recommend, when a minister has been suspended from
either of the three branches of the Christian Church, represented by
the joint Council of Bishops, that he be not admitted to the itinerant
ranks until his suspension has been lifted and he has been restored to
good standing, or until twelve months shall have expired.
4. We recommend that ministers coming from either of the
three bodies here represented, who may desire to unite with either
one of the other bodies, be required to bring a certificate from their
Presiding Elders or Bishops, showing their standing at the last session
of their Annual Conferences.
This is a matter of very grave concern and of far-reaching
consequences, and we recommend it to you for your approval,
except that the issuance of certificates of good character be
limited to the Bishops.
CONFLICT, THE CONDITION OF PROGRESS.
Conflict is the condition of the growth and development of
all forms of life. Everything possessing propagating energy
42
The Episcopal Address.
is brought forth in travail and pain. Not even a flower blooms
without a struggle. The blush on the cheek of a rose is the
token of successful combat. Cast a seed of corn into the
ground and instantly the germ within, aided by the properties
of the soil—heat and moisture—begins the struggle to free
itself from the body enveloping it. Thus freed the germ re¬
incarnates itself into a new body for the purpose of propaga¬
tion, which under normal conditions will develop into a stalk
bearing several ears of corn. As the result of conflict, the one
grain of corn has increased a thousand fold.
Conflict is the condition of the progress of an individual,
race, or nation. There is not a single race-variety that has
survived the attrition of the ages, and invested itself with
dominating qualities, which has not marked every step of its
progress with blood and with the flames of war. Conflict is
the condition of progress in the moral and intellectual realm as
well as in the physical. No reform, whether moral, religious,
social or political, was ever carried to a successful issue without
a conflict.
Some suggest that the ten millions of Negroes in this
country should adopt the policy of non-complaint, non-agita¬
tion, and non-protest. It is said that an ounce of effort is
worth more than a ton of complaint. Is not complaint attended
with some measure of effort? Is not agitation complaint ac¬
centuated? Is not protest complaint couragized? Only the
brave protest. Cowards and sycophants never. To accept the
doctrine of non-complaint is to court self-disaster. First, by
inviting an inert and stagnant mental state; second, by lulling
our consciences into tame submission to wrongs and injustice.
No wrong ever righted itself ; no form of oppression ever
effected its own removal; no species of injustice ever furnished
its own corrective. Therefore, if there are wrongs to be
righted, oppression to be removed, or injustice to be corrected,
we must complain, agitate, and protest. Protestantism, the
cherished form of our religion, is but an extension of the word
protest, and exemplifies the belligerent attitude of Luther to¬
ward Papal tyranny. But for complaint, agitation, and pro¬
test, we might still be shrouded in the darkness of the Middle
Ages, and the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition might be
a present reality instead of an event of historic record.
Have we any just ground for complaint as to our present
civil and political environment? We answer not by a voice
from within, but from without. We cite the testimony of a
member of another race-variety and one of the dominant class.
We refer to Dr. James H. Dillard, formerly professor in Tu-
lane University, New Orleans, La., and at present the execu-
The Episcopal Address. 43
tive of the Slater and Jeannes funds. In a lecture on "The
Growing South," delivered before the Southern Educational
Society at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, New York City, in the
early part of 1911, among other things he said:
In my opinion, the races are settling down to a basis of gradual
adjustment, which requires time and patience. If we wish to hurry,
let us hurry in the way of better schools, better religion, better homes,
and more land owners. I shall venture to mention four grounds on
which I think the colored people have a right to make just complaint.
The trouble may be in the North as well as the South.
They have a right to complain of their treatment in the lower
courts which are the main courts for most of their people. It is a
shame that less care is taken, less money paid, less thought given to
insure justice in these lower courts than in the higher courts.
Another just ground for complaint is the treatment which they
too often receive from the employees of public service corporations,
especially from the employees of common carriers, such as ticket
sellers and car conductors. I mean the humiliating treatment in the
way of gruff words and manner.
Still another cause of complaint is that in many parts of the
South, especially in the rural districts, the colored people are not
provided with public schools which are open long enough or have
sufficiently competent teachers. The education of the masses must
depend on the public schools, and our Southern white people must
learn that from every consideration of justice, as well as from every
consideration of self-interest, the masses of the race in the country
must be brought out of the condition of ignorance and inefficiency.
The fourth complaint is that we are too apt to generalize the
Negroes as a mass and judge the whole by the worst types. On the
contrary, the colored people of the South should be encouraged to
have self-respect and race-respect.
It remains for those who claim that we have no ground for
complaint to negative the foregoing utterances, which, in our
opinion, are the sanest, fairest, and most impartial of any that
have yet been delivered in the history of post-bellum times.
It is an appalling thought that ten millions of people pos¬
sessing 350,000 homes, valued at $2,125,000, and the owners
of 240,000 farms with a total property valuation of more than
$100,000,000, are without a single representative in the na¬
tional halls of legislation, and, outside of Illinois and Penn¬
sylvania, not a single representative in a state legislature. Un¬
justly and illegally deprived of the ballot in many states by
methods solely based on might to the utter disregard of right,
we are forced to submit to taxation without representation.
We do not object to an educational or property qualification as
a condition to the exercise of the franchise. What we contend
for, and for which, by the help of God, some of us will forever
contend, is that we be granted the unobstructed right and
privilege to qualify for and exercise the suffrage when com¬
petent to do so.
The Episcopal Address.
RIFTS IN THE CLOUDS.
That the conscience of the nation as it affects the rights of
the Negro, though slumbering, is not dead, is evidenced by the
decision of a Federal judge declaring the "Grandfather Clause"
in the election laws of Maryland unconstitutional, being in
conflict with the fifteenth amendment The judge of the Fed¬
eral Court of Oklahoma, in his charge to the grand jury,
urged that true bills of indictment be returned against certain
persons for obstructing the approach of colored citizens to the
ballot box; holding that the "Grandfather Clause" in the Okla¬
homa election laws is null and void and in conflict with the
fifteenth amendment. We also note the decision of a Federal
judge in the State of Kentucky that Pullman cars, not being
the property of the railroads, are not subject to the "Jim-
Crow" car laws of the state. He said those laws could not be
made the ground for the exclusion of colored passengers there¬
from.
In the early part of 1911, the Interstate Commerce Com¬
mission notified the various railroads operating in states where
the "Jim Crow" car law prevails that, unless they furnished
equal accommodations for colored passengers, the "Jim Crow"
car laws would be ignored, and the separation of the races on
the public highway be discontinued. The point of insistence
on the part of the Interstate Commerce Commission was that
discrimination in the equality of accommodation and conveni¬
ence would not be tolerated where both races paid the same
fare.
Perhaps the most important and far-reaching decision was
that of the United States Supreme Court declaring the peonage
laws of Alabama unconstitutional. This carries with it the
unconstitutionality of similar laws in any state where they
may have been enacted. Under the peonage system men have
been kept slaves until their death, the slavery passing on even
to their children. Abuses of various kinds, such as a Negro
simply borrowing money, yet the planter, with the poor black
standing by not daring to dispute, swearing that the Negro
had signed an agreement to work out the loan, one year's
contract expanding into several years' contract, by dint of in¬
terest on the money advanced, have been among crimes pro¬
tected and nourished by states in which the peonage system
was in vogue.
That the Supreme Court, with a native Southerner as its
Chief Justice, has thus ruled is indeed a remarkable and en¬
couraging fact; but that the whole case should have been
fought out by Southern white men in the state where the Con-
The Episcopal Address.
45
federacy was organized, and where Jefferson Davis, its first
and only president, was inaugurated, is a cause for even
greater encouragement and confidence in the final triumph of
right. Sojourner Truth once rebuked Frederick Douglass for
a pessimistic and despairing speech with the question, "Fred¬
erick, Frederick, is God dead?"
It was a Southerner who first saw the fallacy and injustice
of the peonage system, technically called Labor of Contract
Laws. Southern lawyers, Messrs. Ball, Watts, and Harr,
pressed the case to a final decision, and Southern capital pro¬
vided whatever funds were necessary to defray expenses. All
honor to the men who fought the case on behalf of Alonzo
Bailey, which to many of them meant political dethronement.
As it relates to our people, these decisions are rifts in the
clouds of a depressed and restricted environment, affording
some degree of hope and cheer. Let us thank God and take
courage.
RECOMMENDATIONS.
1. That the title to all property purchased in foreign fields
by home funds be vested in the Parent Home and Foreign
Missionary Society, except Wilberforce Institute in South
Africa.
2. That the Connectional Preachers' Aid Society be abol¬
ished, and an organization formed to be known as the Minis¬
terial Brotherhood, for the support of which every itinerant
minister shall be required to pay one dollar per annum; and
a committee be appointed to draft a constitution and by¬
laws for the government of said organization. This recom¬
mendation is based on our firm conviction that the C. P. A.,
after twelve years of operation, has not served the end for
which it was created.
3. Amend paragraph 1, Section 10, Chapter 3, page 363,
of the Book of Discipline, so as to read—"By appropriation
from the Dollar Money, eight per cent of which shall be sent
to the treasurer of each educational district."
4. The amendment of paragraph 7, Chapter 7, page 206,
of the Book of Discipline, by adding—"except in foreign fields,
such as Africa, the West Indies, and South America." The
object of this amendment is to remove the pastoral time-limit
in foreign fields.
5. That the resident Bishop in West Africa and the resi¬
dent Bishop in South Africa shall be allowed to return to
America once in two years, and that their traveling expenses
shall be paid by the Financial Secretary.
6. That five per cent of the forty-six per cent of the Dol-
46
The Episcopal Address.
lar Money be set aside for the development and extension of
our home work; and, that this amount be administered by the
Financial Department on the recommendation of the Bishops.
7. That a main building and a dormitory for male stu¬
dents be erected by the Financial Department and Church Ex¬
tension Society jointly upon the site of Wilberforce Institute,
Transvaal, South Africa; provided, however, that the land
and buildings now belonging, or that may hereafter belong,
to said Institute shall be transferred by deed to the Church
Extension Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
in the United States of America—said Society being a cor¬
poration existing under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania.
8. That only traveling preachers in full membership and
superannuated preachers shall constitute the basis of repre¬
sentation in the election of delegates to the General Confer¬
ence, and that only said traveling and superannuated preachers
shall be competent to vote for delegates to the General Con¬
ference.
9. That the Financial Secretary be ordered to pay to the
mortgagee of Bethel church, Baltimore, Md., five thousand
dollars annually for four years, except that for the first year
the sum paid shall be four thousand dollars; provided, how¬
ever, that there is no interest due at the time when an annual
payment on the principal sum shall be paid.
10. That in order to meet contingencies in West Africa
and in South Africa, an emergency fund be created by the
payment annually of eight hundred dollars to West Africa and
twelve hundred dollars to South Africa; the same to be paid
quarterly by the Financial Secretary.
11. That the salary of the General Officers now receiving
$1 ,350.00 per annum be increased to $1,500.00.
12. That the Michigan, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Ber¬
muda Annual Conferences, together with the West Indies and
South America, constitute an Episcopal District; and, that the
sum of eight hundred dollars per annum be appropriated by
the Financial Department to develop and strengthen the work
in said district.
13. That the Centennial of our Connectional existence be
celebrated at the General Conference of 1916, and that said
session of the General Conference shall convene in Bethel
church, Philadelphia, Pa.
14. That a Centennial Fund be provided for as follows:
Requesting every member of the Church, friends not excluded,
to contribute at least one dollar; and, that beginning with the
rise of this General Conference, our pastors be required to
The Episcopal Address.
47
collect one-fourth of said Centennial Fund; that it shall be re¬
ported at the first Annual Conference session immediately fol¬
lowing the adjournment of this body, and at each succeeding
Annual Conference during the next quadrennium, in answer
to the question—"How much has been collected for the Cen¬
tennial Fund?" That said Fund shall be sent directly to the
Financial Secretary, who shall place it, by the direction of his
Board, on deposit with such Trust Companies as may be
agreed upon by said Board; but no company shall be desig¬
nated that does not guarantee a reasonable rate of interest.
15. That the Woman's Parent Mite Missionary Society
be granted the right to return to the same rules and forms
that it had prior to May, 1908, and that the Woman's Home
and foreign Missionary Society be granted the right to regu¬
late its business by similar rules and forms.
16. In view of the depletion of our ranks, we recommend
the election of four Bishops, and earnestly exhort you to join
with us in fervent and continued prayer that those chosen may
possess the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy, 3rd chapter,
2-7 verses; also, that God may make good his promise given
to his Church through Jeremiah: "I will give you pastors ac¬
cording to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge
and understanding." Do not expect them to be perfect men;
for there is none good save one, that is, God. If they attain
to perfection, it will be through suffering, trials, and by war¬
ring the good warfare, as all the servants of God have done,
who have endured unto the end.
CONCLUSION.
When the ebb and flow of human hopes have forever
ceased; when the terrestrial door of opportunity to reach the
acme of noble endeavor has been finally closed; when the silver
fringe of hopeful anticipation has been merged into the golden
sun of gladsome realization ; when the mist which veils the
hilltops of unselfish endeavor has been penciled by the scin¬
tillations of eternity's morn into a rainbow of promises ful¬
filled ; when the wheel of human activities no longer revolves;
when the shuttle of patient toil is heard no more; when the fire
of self-sacrificing devotion no longer tries, as gold is tried by
fire, the hearts that have been consecrated on the altar of man's
uplift and redemption; when the din of sentient strife and
battle gives place to songs of everlasting joy; when the grand
army of the world's burden-bearers is summoned by the re¬
cording angel to answer to their names, out of the bosom of
God's love may each one of us in this assembly be able to re¬
spond, "Here am I, a sinner saved by grace."