The American Missionary. Volume 43, No. 02, February, 1889

  Deceased

 Part of the year.

TENNESSEE

 This church has recently assumed self-support.

KENTUCKY

Deceased.

KANSAS

ARKANSAS

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

TEXAS

INDIAN MISSIONS

NEW MEXICO

CHINESE MISSIONS

CONVENTION OF COLORED ROMAN CATHOLICS

"A National Convention of Colored Roman Catholics, composed of delegates from nearly all the colored Roman Catholic churches and societies in the country, began its sessions on the morning of January 1st, in the St. Augustine Colored Catholic Church in Washington. Every seat was occupied when Father Tolton, of Quincy, Ill., the only colored Catholic priest in the United States, began the celebration of solemn High Mass. Immediately in front of and beneath the pulpit sat his Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, who delivered the sermon. He was clad in scarlet robes. At the conclusion of the sermon, the Cardinal welcomed the delegates in his own name, and in the name of the clergy and of the congregation. He said:

"'This gathering will mark an era in the history of the colored people of the United States, for never before have colored Catholics of the country met in convention.' He suggested that the convention discuss the education of the children—the religious education necessary to the life of the Republic. The universal level of the Catholic Church—its equality—was eloquently dilated upon, and attention was directed to the fact that a colored priest had celebrated mass in company with two white clergymen."

We quote the above from the People's Advocate, a paper published in Washington, D.C., by colored editors and in the interests of the colored people. In comments upon the above report, it adds:

"The presence of a Negro priest of pure lineage, born a slave, ordained at Rome, Augustus Tolton—the property of Stephen Elliot, as the record stands in the Vatican—the appearance of Cardinal Gibbons in his official robes to sanction the meeting, his eloquent reference to the universality of the Church of Rome that 'knows neither North, South, East or West; that knows neither Jew nor Gentile, Greek, Barbarian nor Scythian,' may mislead the unwary as to the real object of the movement. Its real purpose is to propagate the Roman Catholic faith among the colored people. So far as this meeting will secure from white Protestants a greater interest in, and a more Christian recognition of, the Negro as an equal participant in the Gospel plan, we regard it as Providential. We are not ready to concede that the Roman Catholic Church has been the friend of freedom, of education, of human rights and of progress. We do not see that anything is gained by claiming for Roman Catholicism to-day, or in the past, what is clearly not so. But the Roman Catholic Church has placed itself squarely on the doctrine of the Gospel as taught by Christ upon the question of universal brotherhood. Prejudiced as many may be by long years of training against the tenets of this church, all must acknowledge that this practice of the Romanists as manifested in the presence of a black man on terms of perfect equality, officiating at the altar of St. Augustine's Church, assisted on his right and left by white priests, in the presence of his Eminence Cardinal Gibbons, will be put in striking contrast with that of the white American Protestant churches who are willing on every occasion to sacrifice the Negro to secure the co-operation of the South on other than Gospel terms."

Rev. George W. Moore, of the Lincoln Memorial Congregational Church, at Washington, to whom we are indebted for a full account of the sessions of the Congress, comments upon it as follows:

"Mr. D.A. Rudd, of Cincinnati, editor of the American Catholic Tribune, a colored Catholic paper, was chosen permanent Chairman. Upon assuming the office he spoke favorably of the attitude of the Catholic Church towards the Negro, saying especially: 'The Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man is taught and practised by the Catholic Church in no doubtful terms.' He advocated the starting of Catholic schools and the aiding of those already started. The following facts were presented by the Committee on Resolutions: There are twenty colored Roman Catholic churches in the country, each of which has a school annexed. There are sixty-five other colored Roman Catholic schools; eight colored Roman Catholic orphan asylums; and three reformatories. Five thousand colored children are taught in these schools, and three hundred children in the asylums. Seven colored students are preparing to become priests. The Pope from Rome cabled his greetings in response to a cable from the Congress, saying: 'The Sovereign Pontiff gladly and proudly blesses you with all his heart.' The influence, patronage and wealth of the Roman Catholic Church are all at the service of this movement, and if Protestants build up caste-churches in the South, the Romanists will not."

AMONG THE TENNESSEE MOUNTAINS

BY EVANGELIST JAMES WHARTON

My visit to the people among the mountains was rather a departure from my usual work—that of preaching to the colored people. I have preached here about two weeks, the attendance being good, and the interest deepening as the meetings went on, until now we have more than a score who have professed to find Jesus precious to their souls.

The condition of the natives in this vicinity is very sad. Their ignorance and pride coupled make it almost impossible to do anything for them. The rough roads over the rocks and mountains make it a dangerous undertaking for them to attend church in the evenings. Several of us started for a meeting among them on a recent Saturday afternoon, with rubbers, umbrellas and waterproofs, prepared for mud and rain. We crossed a rickety old wooden bridge that had been nearly washed away by the floods, and commenced to climb the mountain side by a road that was nearly as steep as a steeple and which wended around to nearly every point of the compass, ever going up, over ruts and rocks, roots and trunks of trees, now jumping across a ravine, and next climbing a fence. At last among the thickets and brush there were some signs of life, and we came to an opening among the trees where we saw a miserable-looking old shanty. The first thought was, can it be possible that human beings live in a shed like this? We drew near and saw two women sitting with their knees up to the open fire on the hearth. They looked much surprised to see us. We told them that we were going to hold a meeting at a house a little farther on; will they go? No, they don't care to go, expectorating the tobacco juice from their mouths into the fire at the same time. We replied, "You would better go; it may be you will never have a chance to hear an Englishman again;" to which we got a reply, "Hear a w-h-a-a-t?" Whether they knew what an Englishman was, or not, or even if they ever heard there was such a country as England I cannot say; but I understand there are thousands of these people who know nothing of the outside world, and many who were never five miles away from their own door-step in their life. With a patch of ground for corn, another for tobacco, with wood for the fire, they are as contented as the President; alas, too contented!

We entered the cabin to which we were going by a door-way in which we must needs bend our heads very low to get inside. The first thing that struck us was the gloom and darkness. In each corner of the room was a bed, with a smaller one pushed underneath, and two sick people suffering from slow fever. It is no wonder, for eleven people occupied this one room, about twelve feet square. Need we wonder that misery and squalor are seen all around? An old soap box from the grocery formed a corner cupboard. Two old chairs which perhaps belonged to their great-grandmother, all frame and no seat, an empty box, and a bucket of water with a tin scoop, formed the whole furniture of the mountain cabin. Poor souls! I was told that I had done wonders when one day, during an address, I got them to smile! It was quite a treat to see a smile upon their faces. Joy seems to be outside their domain altogether, and the worst feature appears to be that they have no desire for anything different. If they get the idea that you think them low down and want to lift them up, they at once commence to stretch themselves up to their full height and stand upon their dignity. They will not fail to tell you plainly that you must not think they belong to the "know-nothing" class. They "know what is right and what is wrong, without you coming here." This is often said, even by those who live immoral lives. Pride of race is often affected towards the colored people. A colored man unfortunately had been drinking and was left at the depot. Some one stumbled against him, saying, "I did not know it was a man; I thought it was baggage." His companion spoke up and said, "It isn't a man; it's a nigger." Often their children are bright, cheery-looking children, well-behaved, unassuming and quiet. These poor mountain people might do well to take a few lessons from many of their despised, dusky neighbors.

The whole work, in my little time among these people, has greatly touched my heart and drawn out my sympathies towards them.

ITEMS FROM THE FIELD

Trinity School, Athens, Ala.:

"During December there was a special religious interest in view of the meetings held by Rev. Mr. Wharton, your missionary evangelist. The meetings were well attended by our students and by the people. These meetings were greatly blessed to the quickening and upbuilding of Christians, and twelve persons professed conversion. All of our pupils except one, above the primary department, are professing Christians. Our student prayer meetings are exceedingly precious seasons to teachers and pupils. We have just organized a Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor which promises to be very helpful.

"On account of these meetings we could not make our usual preparations for a Christmas concert and presents to the children. Accordingly, we invited them all to our parlors to a reception on Wednesday the 26th, and to our great surprise, there came a Christmas box on Tuesday, with presents for every one, greatly to the joy of the little ones, yes, and of the large ones also. After the distribution of the gifts, delightful music bubbled from every throat, and the universal testimony was, 'This is the best Christmas I ever spent.'"

Straight University, New Orleans, La.:

"We are having a glorious revival. Every night during the Week of Prayer there have been glad hearts. I think there is scarcely a boarding student who is not thoroughly aroused. Most are seeking the Saviour. Eighteen have found peace. Many day students, and others who are not students, have been much interested. One young man who has been a scoffer at all good things, came to the meetings, and soon came under the influence and asked us to pray for him. As I write in Stone Hall, I hear on all sides the sound of prayer and singing."

The new church at Crossville, Tenn., was dedicated on Sunday, Dec. 30th. The new building is very tasteful and convenient, in a beautiful and central location. Six new members were received—all Northern people. The house was full both morning and evening. Much interest was shown. Rev. G.S. Pope preached in the morning and Rev. S.E. Lathrop in the evening.

Sherwood Academy opened its new winter term with increasing numbers. The school is gaining favor with all classes and is doing an excellent work.

"Habits and Manners," is the title of a neat little volume by Mrs. W.A. Armstrong, of Hampton, Va. It is made up of the lectures delivered by Mrs. Armstrong to the students of the Institution, and is a remarkably clear statement of the rules that should govern the habits and manners of ladies and gentlemen. These lectures, though originally addressed to colored students, are equally applicable to white people, for here, at least, color makes no difference. The book has many other items of interest, as for example, rules for cooking, recipes, etc.

THE CHINESE.

A GLIMPSE AT SHADY SIDE

REV. W.C. POND, D.D

Our friends will get a quite one-sided and mistaken view of our work among the Chinese, as of any other missionary work, if they have nothing but the sunny-side reports to read. It is a war that we are waging, and war is serious business. The varied fortune of the battle involves defeats, incidental and temporary, on the way to the final victory. Sometimes it is hope deferred.

There are Chinese in whom we have come to be deeply interested, for whom we have long prayed, who have for years been among the most constant and most pleasing of our pupils, and for years have been convinced that an idol is nothing, but that the God of the Bible is the only true God, and the Christ of the Gospel the only true Saviour, who stop just there. Over and over again we ask about them, only to find them still just there. Not a step forward seems to have been taken, and meanwhile time—weeks that grow to months, and months that grow even to years— time that might be full of service, runs to waste. The heart gets sick with this hope deferred.

Then there are cases of disappointment. Bright hopes have darkened almost to the blackness of very despair. A brother whose conversion, (must I say apparent conversion?) has seemed to be unusually clear; whose walk as a Christian seemed, while he was with us, to be well-nigh perfect; whose spirit was singularly humble, devout and Christly; who was growing rapidly in knowledge of the word, and could already preach the word with power, goes back to his home in China. Sore pressure is brought to bear upon him, and he pays some sort of homage at an idol's shrine. He feels forthwith condemned. He will not be a hypocrite, and therefore will no longer profess to be a Christian. Now that he has returned to California, he is ashamed, he says, to show himself among the brethren. He stands aloof; keeps out of sight, and thus takes the very path along which Judas hastened to his doom. In vain do we show him the better way of faith; in vain speak to him of Peter, or of the Father's welcome to the prodigal, and the delight we once had in him adds soreness to the heartache of our disappointed hope.

These are not solitary cases. Yet we may thank God that they represent not the general rule, but the exceptions. The general rule is that of constancy and faithfulness, and these exceptions are such as occurred even in the Apostolic ministries: how much more to be expected in ours! Yet the pain they bring and the shadow they cast are none the less real and deep.

Another element in shady side arises in a quite different quarter. "Coming events cast their shadows before," and these shadows just now obscure our sunny side. We resolve not to be worried about to-morrow, and yet we must not enter doors that open except we first count the cost. That coming event is a deficit that seems inevitable, unless we shut our ears to what sound like the calls of God. Our plan heretofore has been to listen to these calls and answer them if possible, believing that he who gives the commission will not fail to supply the means. Nor has this faith been put to shame. Yet, when the rules of arithmetic confront one at every summing of his probable resources and subtracting of his fixed expenditures, and the figures, like fleshless, bony fingers, point him to deficits and unpaid bills impending, then, even while faith maintains her hold, it cannot be denied that shadows cross our path. Our friends who have helped us hitherto must expect some urgent appeals before this fiscal year is ended. The utmost economy shall be practised. Each dollar shall be made to do full service, if care and watchfulness on our part can assure this, but the work must not be hindered. Souls are at stake, priceless and immortal.

I have not yet reached the end of my catalogue of shadows, but I soon tire of looking at the shady side. Shadow pre-supposes sunshine, and sunshine there is, clear, abundant, having cheer in it for the present and promise for the future—promise of harvests such as may make this year to be as the last and even more abundant.

ANNIVERSARY OF CHINESE MISSIONS

Superintendent Dr. Pond is a modest man, and we, therefore, take the liberty of quoting from the Congregationalist a little sketch by our friend Dr. Holbrook, of the recent anniversary of the Chinese Mission as presenting a broad ray of sunshine over the "Shady Side," as given in Brother Pond's candid article above.

The Chinese Mission of the A.M.A. on the Pacific coast, under the superintendence of Rev. W.C. Pond, D.D., is very efficient and successful. Its thirteenth anniversary was held on Sunday evening, December 9, in the First Congregational Church in San Francisco, Prof. I.E. Dwinell presiding. The exercises by the Chinese converts indicated remarkable proficiency in the English language and in music, both in solos and choruses. Jee Gam, the first convert, and now employed by the courts as an interpreter, read an address on "The Congregational Association of Christian Chinese," of such merit in thought and language, that some doubted its originality, which, however, was vouched for by Dr. Pond. The writer sketched its origin in 1871 and the progress of the Association since, and said it had been the means of the conversion of more than 700 Chinese, and that it designs to send missionaries to China. It is self-supporting, though the expenditures during the year have been $9,619.50, of which $2,066 were for rent. Dr. Pond advocated the appointment of itinerant preachers to labor with the Chinese in the moving camps on the railroads. Rev. Dr. Barrows made a very effective appeal for funds, and a collection was taken. Dr. Pond certainly deserves great credit for his labors in this department, in addition to the pastorate of Bethany Church in San Francisco, in which there are a large number of Chinese.

BUREAU OF WOMAN'S WORK

MISS D.E. EMERSON, SECRETARY