ANNUAL ADDRESS

TO THE

Missionary Baptist Convention

of Georgia,

BY

REY. E. K. LOVE, D. D.,

( Pastor First African Baptist Church, Savannah, Ga., and President of the Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia.)

AT ATLANTA,

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24th, 1899.

NASHVILLE, TENN.: National Baptist Publishing Board.

REV. E. K. LOVE, D. D. (Pastor First African Baptist Church, Savannah, Ga., and President

of the Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia.)

ANNUAL ADDRESS

By Rev. E. K, Love, D, D., at the 29th Annual

Session of the Missionary Baptist Con^ vention of Georgia.

Dear Brethren—I am pleased to meet you to- day in our twenty-ninth annual session. I hope I meet you well and happy. Many have been our

troubles and disappointments since we met to- gether last. We have spent many sleepless nights

and have been burdened with many anxious

thoughts since we convened in Americus. We have encountered many things that were discour- aging, and sometimes we despaired and thought our work in vain; but then the Holy Spirit re-

vived our souls again. We have come up here to Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall be-

fall us here saving that the Holy Ghost testifies that bonds and afflictions await us in every city.

I.—OUR MEETING IN ATLANTA SIX YEARS AGO.

We met in this great city just six years ago. Many sad recollections crowd in upon us when we

retrospect these past six years. At that eventful

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session six years ago, life-long friends were sepa- rated for life, the foundation for splits in associa-

tions, churches and families was laid, and the progress of the Negro Baptists of Georgia was set back quite a quarter of a century. The vol-

cano that then exploded had been thundering be-

neath our grand old Convention for years. It

was touched by a subterraneous current which came from our schools in Atlanta. When we

were just beginning to hope that the breach

caused by this dreadful catastrophe was rapidly being healed, another mine far more disastrous

was exploded from that same subterraneous cur- rent. This was more appalling than the first. At this time our hallowed old ship was at Macon where the mines were first laid and her destruc- tion planned. This caused another hopeless split, more awful than the first. It not only pre- vented a union that was rapidly maturing, but further and more hopelessly divided the suffering

Negro Baptists of Georgia, thus splitting our ship in smaller pieces, with the evident hope that

it would sink to rise no more. We are here in Atlanta again, the scene of the first awful calam-

ity, where our ship received its first diabolical blow which caused her to spring a leak that has engaged our wisest leaders for these six years,

5

bailing out water to prevent her from sinking. Shall we at this time and place be able to mend the hallowed old ship and make her seaworthy

again ? To this end let us trust God, labor and

pray. For those who have wounded us we

should have no unkind words nor feeling. The blood and tears they have drawn from our heads and eyes form a glittering crimson veil of sympa-

thetic pity, through which we can look upon them with Christian resignation and say in the

spirit of Christ Jesus, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’’ Some of those who were foremost in that trouble have gone to God to answer. Let us all rest our case with Him. Ere long and we all shall be gone.

“Awake, O Lord our drowsy sense To walk this dangerous road,

And if our souls are hurried hence, May they be found with God.”

That a dreadful crisis is upon the Negro Bap-

tists of Georgia no thoughtful person will deny. We must be up and doing or we will be crushed out. This is the Philippi that we were told at

Macon in 1892 at which we would be met. We met here in 1893 and received a dreadful wound, but not mortal. We come back here in 1899 to meet them to fight the decisive battle. I bid you

screw your courage up to the sticking point. We

6

cannot longer seek favors or dally for compro- mises. What we would have we must take. There is no discharge in this war. Our battle cry

should be “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.’’ God has promised that the Midianites shall be delivered into our hands.

II.—WHAT WE MUST DO.

We must draw sharply and definitely the line of battle. We must take decisive steps at this meeting about our college. We must locate it

and put something definite before our people. The people are waiting for something definite to which to rally. As the stars of the morning lose

their light in the glorious dawn so will this new

era foxfire soon fade away before something defi- nite and only be remembered by what it has done. The Negro Baptists of Georgia are not with the dreadful co-operation scheme, and the vota- ries of this evil idol god know it. Their only sal- vation lies in the neglect of this Convention to

now and here put something definite before the Negro Baptists of Georgia. Put something defi-

nite before the Negro Baptists of Georgia and I promise you that Gabriel’s trumpet will not be

able to resurrect the miserable motley set of co- operationists from the woeful lonesome graves in

which you will bury them. The spirit of man-

I

hood, self-reliance, the spirit of independence and the desire to own something is growing in the

Negroes, and those who cannot see this are blind indeed. Let us locate our college and begin work.

We should not wait to erect a magnificent build- ing. No other beginners did this. Let us rent a building, or secure the use of some church, and begin teaching next fall. The present great At- lanta Baptist College was started in a four-room dwelling house in Augusta with two shed rooms and but one class room. From this school came many of our greatest men. The present glorious Spelman Seminary was commenced in the damp, dark and cold basement of Friendship Baptist Church. Why cannot we begin as low ? Why should we despise the day of small things ? In-

deed, brick and mortar don’t make great schools. It requires brain. The Baptists of the country are watching us. Their eyes are on this meeting. Let us not disappoint our friends and the people whose leaders we are. We must begin and thus inspire the confidence of our people in our earnest-

ness. We must raise more money than we have been raising. Our ministers must become more self-sacrificing and exhibit more individual liberal- ity, and thus set the example of giving to their people. The ministers have as much right to

give their personal money to the cause of Christ

as they have to expect it of their members. Why should they be excused from giving to the cause of Christ which they represent ? There is too much stinginess on the part of our preachers.

They should put their hands down in their pock- ets and give to the glorious cause for which they so eloquently beg. The Bible teaches that they must be given to hospitality, as well as apt to teach. The one is as much a divine injunction as the other. It is to be feared that too many brethren feel that they have every necessary qual- ification when they are apt to teach. This is the

trouble with the Negro Baptist ministers of Georgia. They are too largely recipients—ex- pecting all from their congregation and giving nothing, and teaching their people to expect all from the North and do nothing for themselves. We should stop teaching our people that they can

do nothing themselves and that because they are weak God has intended that others should carry their burdens. Personal giving will develop per- sonal strength, personal activity, personal re- sponsibility and personal greatness. Eternal re-

cipients will make everlasting parasites. We should launch out into the deep for a draught— launch out into the deep of God’s mercy and pro-

9

tection; launch out into the deep of manhood, self reliance and Christian activity; launch out leaning upon the strong arm of the mighty God or Jacob. Only minnows flutter around the

shore. The big fish are out in the deep. The water around the shore is more liable to impur- ity. Weeds are apt to grow, decay and fall in the edge. Snags are found on the shore and the wa- ter is more easily muddied on the edge. The water is purer, healthier and clearer out in the

deep. Let us launch out, my brethren, in the deep.

III.—WHAT WE HAVE DONE.

It may not be out of place to direct attention to what the Negro Baptists have done in the way of raising money in these twenty-nine years, and something as to how that money went. We have been making history and the record is written ;

as unenviable as it may be, it is nevertheless ours, and by it we must stand or fall. It may be very reflective on some, and call into question honor,

integrity and executive ability. Such the future historians will do when we are gone. So let us see it while we are here and correct what we can of it before we go. We take the following from the file of minutes of the convention, every

10

copy of which we have except for 1872 and 1873:

TREASURER’S REPORTS.

Missiouary Baptist Convention of Georgia, W. J. White, Treasurer.

1870 (No report in the Minutes). 1873 To balance on hand, last report $ 164 37

Received from Finance Committee 385 33 Received from Rev. Epps, life membership 5 00 Received from R. R. Watson 15 00 Received from interest, January, 1873 13 07 Received on notes of life members 369 90

Cr. Expenses Notes

$1452 67 $ 128 85

869 90

$998 75

$453 92 1874 Received from Finance Committee $412 83

Received from other sources 423 95

$836 78

$1290 70 Cr. By note, N. W. Ashurs 20 00

By error in counting notes 1 90 By other expenses 307 36 By amount still due on N. W. Ashurs’note... 5 00 By amount notes held for life members 864 00

$1198 26

Balances $92 44 1875 To balance on note, N. W. Ashurs $5 00

To cash recived from Financial Committee (1874). 410 80 To note, R. R. Watson 30 00 To note, New Hope Association 60 00 To life members, notes and donations 864 00

Carried forward $1462 24

1875 To amount brought forward $1462 24 Cr. By expenses 91 00

May 25,1874, in Freedman’s Sayings and Trust

Co., when the bank suspended, July 1, 1874.. $1371 24

IN E Y/V/ /ACCOUNT. W. J. WHITE, Treasurer.

Nov. 5,1874, Cash for note given for New Hope Associatian $60 00

Paid Rev. Dwelle $50 00 Paid J. P. Harrison 7 15

Balance ! $2 85 1876 Received, Finance Committee, May 25,1875 $275 75

Received balance due note, Ashurs 5 00 Received balance due note, Watson 30 00 Received dividend Freedman’s Savings and Trust

Co 250 69 To amount life members’notes taken by Conven-

tion,1874 86400 $1425 44

Balance $1428 29 Cr. By expenses 380 32

$1047 97 1877 To amount less life membership notes 137 00

$910 97 To amount paid over by Finance Committee,

May, 1876 438 03 To amount received various sources 178 22 To amount received of Rev. Watson, life mem-

bership note 2 00 To amount received of Rev. It. R. Watson, the

amount of note held by the Convention 30 00

$2559 22 1877 Cr. By amount paid out 334 25

Balance, including notes $2224 97

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1878 To amount received at the Convention, May, 1877 $ 608 56 To amount received from other sources 124 00 To amount dividend received from Freedman’s

Savings and Trust Co 126 34

$3082 87 Cr. By amount paid out 1150 47

Balance $1932 40 1879 To amount received, Finance Committee, May,

1878 664 18 To amount received from other sources 834 63

$3431 11 Cr. By amount paid out 519 04

Balance $2912 07 1880 To amount received at Convention May, 1879 929 55

To note of Rev. J. Milner, North Georgia Associa- tion 10 00

To amount received otherwise 3 75 $3855 37

Cr. To amount by order of Convention 136 07 $3720 30

1880 To amount received and divided by direction of the Executive Board $2050 77

To amount received as per report 208 94 To amount received as per report 19 75 To amount received as per report 1072 02

$7071 78 Cr. By expense as per report 1492 32

Balance $5579 45 1881 To amount received at Convention, 1880 793 03

To amount received as per report 342 61 To amount received, Freedman’s Savings and

Trust Co 125 34 $6840 44

Cr. By expenses paid as per report 1221 38 $5619 06

1882 To amount from Convention May, 1881 1391 22 To amount received as per report 1389 99

$8400 27 Cr. By expenses paid as per report 1833 19

$6567 08

1883 To balance brought forward $6567 08 To amount received from Finance Committee

May, 1882 809 38 To amount received as per report 1289 59

$8666 05 Cr. By expenses as per report $3424 27

$5241 78 1884 To amount collected at Convention May, 1883 $351 33

To amount collected as per report 380 47

$5973 58 Cr. By expenses as per report $1231 00

$4742 68

Referring to the accounts which we have just prepared for publication, we wish to call attention to the following facts:

First. In the year 1870 there was a collection of $88.67 lor which there is no record as to what disposition was made of it.

Second. In the minutes of 1876, there is published a tabu- lated report of churches and Associations which shows that $3229.04 was sent up to the Convention and no record to show what had been done with it.

Third. At the time of the suspension of the Freedman’s Bank, our report shows that the treasurer, Mr. White, did not bring into the new account a balance of $89.10 which is not accounted for. In reference to the notes that he held against the life members and others, which he stated that he left out of the account in order to save confusion, said notes are still being carried as per his report made May 20, 1876, an d counted along with the cash. There appears to be no defi- nite way of finding out concerning the payment of the notes that were carried along with the cash, so we kept them before us in making our report. The balance of money that we find ought to be on hand, including the notes, is $4742.58. To this amount be added all the moneys that we find unaccounted for, viz.: the $88.67, the $3229.04 and the $89.10, which will make a total of $8,149.39 that is unaccounted for. Of the

shortage that appears in the other accounts that were han- dled by the Corresponding Secretaries and others, it is pre- sumed that some of this amount must have passed into the hands of the Treasurer also. Though we are frank to confess that some of the accounts under Rev. C. H. Lyons administra tion are fictitious. 1870 To collections $ 88 67 1873 To Finance report 437 81 1874 To Finance report 500 80 1875 To Collecting Agent, Rev. Dwelle 456 52

To Finance report 275 75 1876 To Finance report 438 03

Reported to have been sent in from churches and Asspciations, May, 1874 and for which no ac- counting has been given 3229 04

1877 To Finance report 620 10 1978 To Finance report 664 18

To Jas. Tate, Treasurer Trustee Board received.. from Treasurer White 700 00

1879 To Finance report 927 70 To collection from Sunday School Convention 236 52

1880 To Finance report 793 03 To Rev. C. H. Lyons collection 128 00 To Rev. C. H. Lyons collection 60 20 To Rev. G. B. Mitchell collection 66 60 To Rev. E. P. Johnson collection 24 16 To Jas. Tate, Trustee Board 603 55 To balance in hand from last year. 40 15 To collection from Sunday School Convention— 275 47

1881 To Finance report 1391 22 To Jas. Tate Treasurer Trustee Board 525 95 To Jas. Tate, Treasurer Trustee Board 441 45

1882 Finance report 807 74 To Jas. Tate, Treasurer Trustee Board, from Rev.

Quarles for sale of lots 307 68 To Rev. G. B. Mitchell, Missionary 67 06 To Rev. J. C. Bryan 178 15 To Rev. F. M. Simmons 56 80 To Rev. G. H. Washington 50 04 To Rev. S. A. McNeal 27 75

1883 To Finance report f 351 33 To Board of Trustees of the Georgia Baptist

Theological Institute 50 00 To W. E. Holmes, Gen. Collecting Agent 459 98

1884 To Rev. R. R. Watson, collection 27 00

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1884 To collection $ 18 (X) To W. E. Holmes, Corresponding Secretary 46 90 To Finance report 163 75 To life membership 25 00

1885 To Finance report 655 12 To donation from Thomasville friends 68 00

1886 To report of collections found distributed through the minutes 786 48

To report Rev. Dwelle, Corresponding Secre- tary, collections. 182 44

To report Rev. J. C. Bryan 44 75 1887 “ “ “ “ Centennial Financial

Agent 469 00 To Finance report 785 14 To Augusta churches for charter fund v 23 70 To cash from Auditing Committee 109 47 To cash from Rev. Tolbert. 70 00 To collection at Friendship Church . 5 00 To Jas. Tate, Treas. (in his hand) 14 05 To cash from J. M. Jones 31 32

“ “ “ “ 79 10 To report Rev. G. B. Mitchell 83 55 To report Rev. F. M. Simmons 70 65

1888 To Rev. J. C. Bryan, Collecting Agent Centen- nial Committee 2995 95

To Rev. C. H. Lyons, collection 236 80 To report of collections found in the Minutes in

the absence of the finance report 83 70 1889 To Finance report 677 72

To Rev. C. H. Lyons, moneys received by him from state missionaries 2670 20

To contribution by State Mission Board of Georgia and Home Board of Southern Baptist Convention 1960 00

To receipts at Savannah during Convention from various churches and societies, also in- dividuals 274 90

To moneys raised by Rev. J. C. Bryan 110 12 To Rev. C. H. Lyons, Financial Collecting Agt. 2727 35 To Rev. Dwelle, Treasurer pro tern 1448 99

“ “ “ “ 387 30 1890 To Finance report 477 14

To Woman’s Mission, present to the Convention 349 00 To various church collections 71 03 To moneys collected by Corresponding Secretary

from associations, conventions, churches, so- cieties and individuals 1207 42

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1890 To ten months report of Rev. J. W. Neal, Mis- sionary $ 281 39

1891 To Finance report 792 40 To moneys raised by Missionaries 551 35

“ “ “ “ 538 69 1892 To Finance report 310 60

To Missionaries work 249 39 To C. H. Lyons collections 492 91

“ “ “ “ 239 41 “ “ “ “ - 12124 “ “ “ “ 309 25 “ “ “ “ from Missionaries... 8580 25

1893 To Finance report $645 68 To amount receive 1 from Dr. Gibson 400 00 To amount received from Dr. J. G. Gibson, Corres-

ponding Secretary, White Board 2000 00 1894 Finance report 702 55

To J. C. Bryan, Corresponding Secretary, collec- tions 893 78

1895 Finance Report - 321 91 To Rev. J. S. Strong, missionary, collected on

the field 23 14 1896 Finance report 490 00

Missionaries collected 155 00 1897 Finance report 1558 10

Missionary report 256 08 To Rev. E. K. Love, D. D., President of Mission-

ary Baptist Convention of Georgia, collected.... 340 97 1898 Finance report 694 63

Rev. F. M. Simmons, collected 128 30 Rev. J. C. Bryan, missionary,collected 100 98 Recived from all sources 409 38

$5433

1875 Cr. By traveling expenses $ 112 85 1878 By expenses Jas. Tate, Trustee 659 85 1880 By expenses Jas. Tate, Trustee 436 15 1881 By expenses Jas. Tate, Trustee 264 40

By expenses Jas. Tate, Trustee 180 00 1882 By expenses Executive Board 28 20

By W. E. Holmes, Agent, expenses $ 38 55 1884 “ “ “ “ “ 39 50

1887 By Rev. J. C. Bryan, expenses 64 45 By traveling expenses Executive Board 102 45 By Rev. Dwelle for services 20 00 By Rev. W. J. White for minutes 50 00

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1887 Cr. By Rev. Dwelle, for Treasurer $ 12 12 1889 By salaries for missionaries 4530 20

By traveling and other expenses 20 24 By payment for badges 90 00 By salaries, printing, etc 2801 00 By Geo. Dwelle Treasurer, pro tem, paid

expenses 1117 91 1891 By Missionaries’ expenses paid 391 59 1893 By Executive Board, expenses and printing 284 08

By amount paid out to missionaries 1525 46 By amount paid out to Rev. W. J. White by order

of the Board 200 00 By traveling expenses on railroads 145 28 By amount paid Corresponding Secretary on ac-

count of salary 637 73 1894 J. C. Bryan, traveling expenses 69 35

J. C. Bryan, total expenses for the year 130 31 J. C. Bryan, paid on account of salary 332 80

1895 J. C. Bryan, paid on account of salary 7 50 Corresponding Secretary on account of salary 184 01 W. H. Styles 25 00 Geo. H. Washington 78 7 Paid to missionaries on account 143 00

1896 Paid out, Finance Committee 385 00 1897 Rev. E. K. Love, D. D., president, expended 268 % 1898 Paid at Convention as per Treasurer’s report 1395 08

$16771 83 RECAPITULATION.

Cash collected $64338 86 Expenses 16771 83

Not accounted for $37567 00

IV.—CO-OPERATION: ITS CLAIMS, SINS, AND DANGERS.

The scheme of co-operation came at a very

suspicious time. Just at a time when we had just aroused our people to the importance of having a college of our own; just at a time when we had planned to raise the money for this enterprise.

18

Why were not all these rights and privileges offered to us before we decided to build a college

of our own ? It is a co-operation that does not co-operate. It is a one-sided affair. It is the

play of Hamlet without Hamlet. It is, more properly, absorption.

Its Claims—It is claimed that co-operation is

the panacea for all the Negro’s ills. It is claimed that it is the remedy for lynching, jim-crow cars and other injustices. It is claimed that it will unite the white and black people in this country.

Those who believe this stuff are veritable fools, and those who preach this doctrine are liars. Co-

operation will never make the unequal equal. The

white people have no such notions ; only equals

can co-operate. As greater bodies attract lesser ones, so sure will the greater in this so-called co- operation absorb the lesser. Indeed this in the

intention and will be the inevitable result. It is

evident to the fool of fools that the co-operation

now in vogue is no remedy for these evils. It can- not be maintained that the Negroes and whites can be united in these things as long as it is nec- essary for them to have separate churches and

separate religious organizations and separate schools. These distinctions exist, and, mark you, I do not complain of them. I only insist that,

19

since the line is drawn, that each party stay on his side. We should insist upon distinct individu- ality. This is my contention, and here 1 propose to live and die, even if alone.

Its Sin—The white man cannot roundly edu- cate the Negroes, and to this conclusion all right-

minded people are rapidly coming daily. However much this idea may be ridiculed, the facts sup- porting this statement are irrefutable.

1. White People are Not Prepared to Educate the Negroes Socially.

That this is an important part of education no sensible person will deny. The white people do not know the Negroes socially, and, hence, cannot teach them what they do not know. If they can- not teach the Negroes this, they cannot make them truly great. In order to roundly educate the Negroes and make them truly great they must have the benefit of the habits, examples and customs of their teachers in social life. This the white folks do not give the Negroes, and, hence,

cannot teach them. The most that the Negroes can learn from their white teachers on such sub- jects is theoretical and visionary. They have no living examples of it. In order to know and meet

the wants of their scholars, the teachers must as-

sociate with them in social life. There is no social

jUirWTW'MiHi _■'-*nw i.i' -

20

relation between the white teachers and their black scholars, except the most strained, stiff

and formal, and hence the white people are in

absolute ignorance of the social condition and

needs of the Negroes. Since no sensible or fair- minded person can deny this, he must, therefore,

admit that the white people are not prepared to teach Negroes along social lines. This left out of

their education, the major part of their education

is neglected.

2. The White People are Incompetent to Teach the Negroes Civil Rights, Equity and Justice.

The white people do not accord the Negroes the rights which they themselves enjoy, notwith- standing they live under the same constitution

and laws which guarantee these privileges, rights and immunities; nor do they regard the Negroes as their equals. Their constant effort is to keep

the Negroes impressed with the idea of their inferi-

ority and to fill them with notions of the white man’s superiority. They do not hesitate to tell us

that it is not time for you to undertake this, that

and the other enterprise. No people can be made

truly great who are everlastingly reminded that they are inferior to those who are charged with the sacred duty of teaching them. The white teachers and their black scholars go to the depot

21

together; the teachers enter the first-class car, and

the scholars the second class. What is the idea most naturally impressed upon the scholars ? Can they help thinking of their inferiority and the in- justice of paying the same fare and being forced to accept different accommodations ? Does not the

idea of unjust and u nrighteous discrimination in all of its horrors loom up before them ? This does not and cannot impress the white teachers as it does the black teachers, and therefore they can-

not enter into the fullest sympathy with their black scholars, for the reason that they have not been discriminated against, and can only know in

theory what it means. But the black teachers

know from actual experience, and, hence, can and

will most heartily point out its injustice to their black scholars. The teaching the white people

gave the Negroes directly after the war was more genuine and more effectual, because it was more hearty. Those consecrated and self-sacrificing men and women who came down South immedi-

ately after the war did not do so for the sake of getting a job and making a living. They were

ostracised. They stayed with the Negroes. They

went with the Negroes because they had nobody else with whom to go. It was then the Negroes got the benefit of their personal influence and so-

22

cial habits in life. But that day is past. Even in that day Negro teachers of equal ability would have been preferable, because they could and would have done much better work.

If they believe that we are their inferiors and never can be their equals, and if they gladly accept

and enjoy what is unjustly denied to us, how can they teach us to be men ?

3. White Teachers Hold Tip Before Us the Idea of Impossibility.

This is not only true of their teaching, but in their position, lives and environments. The Ne-

groes are taught by the white people—taught out of books written by white people; they are taught

that all the heroes and heroines were white; every picture that presents honor, culture and greatness is white, and all of the pictures of angels are white. The books and histories show no Negroes

that have become great, and no angels that are black. What an idea it must naturally give the Negroes of the impossibility of ever becoming what their white teachers are! How materially

it must cripple their thoughts and destroy their enthusiasm for culture and greatness. May not

this be the reason that so many Negroes, yea, the majority of them, have left school without finish- ing the ordinary English branches, discouraged

->A*

23

and despondent, and returned home with merely a spattering of an English education, only to forge

notes, loaf upon the streets, hunt political jobs, or while away the time in schoolrooms butchering the Negro children ? There is much in theddea

of impossibility. If you make a man believe that he cannot do a thing, then he will not be apt

to be able to do it: as his faith is, so will his ac- tions be.

4. The White People Educate the Negroes from Their People While They Bring Them No

Nearer to the White People.

Nine-tenths of the Negroes who are educated by the white people think themselves above their people, and return to them really incapacitated to render them genuine service. Nine out of every ten imbibe the religious notions of their white

teachers, and return home to forsake the religion of their mothers and fathers and to scorn and leave their churches. They are above their people and

above the churches of their fathers. They usually give nothing to the churches; they have nothing to do with prayer meetings; everything is wrong ;

everybody is a fogy; revivals are excitements; dancing is a sinless amusement; going to shows

is but to see the manifestation of God in nature ; theater-going is instructive and no harm, and no

Negro can preach. They are really dangerous ele-

ments in our churches. It takes a white man to teach a white man how to live with and best

serve white people, and it takes a Negro to teach a Negro how to live with and best serve Negroes.

The best way to be a Negro, is to be born a Negro. A man who was not born a Negro can never be a Negro, and, therefore, can never fully and truly

sympathize with them. The white teachers give

Negroes white ideas, but they are no more respected by the white people than those Negroes who have

not these white ideas. They have no more rights and privileges than the most ignorant Negroes. Hence, while the white teachers educate the Negroes

from their own people, they bring them no nearer to the white people. This is the unanimous verdict

of every thoughtful Negro. Our race battles must be fought by Negroes alone. Negroes must lead

and teach Negroes. Nobody else can do it so well as they.

5. White People are Unprepared From the Examples of Cruelties, Injustices and Outrages

Set by Their People. Nobody but a fool will say that the numberless

lynchings, cruelties, outrages and injustices per- petrated upon the Negroes by the white people do not and will not to a greater or less degree, prejudice the Negroes against the whole race.

25

Now, then, I submit that a people against whom we have such prejudice cannot be as truly serv-

iceable to us as those against whom we have not this prejudice. The Negroes cannot feel that

the white people are as true friends to them as the Negroes, their own people. He is a fool or a liar who says so. Why didn’t Almighty God send some of those learned Egyptians to emanci-

pate Israel ? Why did he send an Israelite ? Why did he not send Gentile prophets to Israel ? Why did He send Israelite prophets ? Why did not Jesus Christ select Gentile apostles to go to the Jews ? Why did he choose Jews as his apostles ?

It has always been heaven’s plan to send mem- bers of the race to be redeemed to redeem them. Why should there be an exception in the case of the Negroes ?

Its Hangers.—The dangers growing out of the present system of co-operation are many and se-

rious. It shifts the burden of responsibility from

the shoulders of those men whom providence has ordained should bear it. It encourages the Ne

groes to look to others to do for them what they can and should do for themselves. It fosters the spirit of dependence and laziness. It discourages the desperate and heroic struggles that all people have made who have become great. It destroys

26

the spirit of self-sacrifice and prevents the struggle for death and life. It gives the death blow to self- confidence, which is indispensably necessary to true greatness. It makes us feel that there is no

need of our suffering when we have some one to

do for us. It prevents us from carrying our own burden. It is not the true way to develop a peo-

ple. We should be taught to make the keenest sacrifice and endure the most trying hardships.

No people on earth have been helped as we have been, and I question the wisdom of this eternal

parental fostering. Are we ever to strike out in the world for ourselves ? If so, when must we

start? We have never done less for ourselves than when we were helped most. The parents

can never learn their children to walk by carrying them in their arms. Put them down and let them

go to walking. It will be good for them to let them fall and get bruised. They will profit by their mistakes. It deprives the Negroes of the op-

portunity of learning how to man their own in- terests and thus shuts them out of an honorable place in history and passes them down to genera-

tions unborn, as consumers, wards and a worth- less race and a burden to civilization. I confess that I am greatly concerned as to how future generations shall look at us as they read the

V

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writings of the future historians. It hurts in per- sonal and private life. If a people are indulged

collectively it weakens them individually and makes them less provident. It destroys their

usefulness to spread the Gospel and to build

churches and homes. There is a grab for the mighty dollar. The Yankee teachers of to-day are not the Yankee teachers of the past. Like the

politician, their services and sacrifices and patri- otism mean a job. It makes it hard for us to ever rally our people to the support of any enterprise. It destroys their enthusiasm and ambition to

become self-supporting. It makes them less desir- able as citizens. It divides our forces and makes it impossible for us to arouse and whirl into

line the indolent and indifferent of our people.

V.-WHY WE SHOULD OPPOSE CO-OPERATION.

It has been stated and published that we op- pose co-operation because we were unfriendly to the white people. I brand that statement and

publication as a great big pusillanimous, unmiti- v gated, premeditated, consummated lie. We op-

pose co-operation from no such narrow, selfish and unrighteous motives. Those liars who make

this Statement do so only to prejudice the white people against us and thereby secure a few bloody

V-

28

dollars as Judas, their predecessor. We oppose this co-operation scheme—

1. Because it is unmanly and saps the life and

manhood from the Negroes.

2. Because it absorbs the Negroes’ individuali- ty and transfers their honor and glory to others

and robs them of a standing among the nations

of earth in history.

3. Because it takes away from the Negroes all that for which posterity may rise up and call them blessed. It transmits a terrible legacy of

racial weakness, cowardice and subordination. It transmits nothing to our children of which

they may be proud. It leaves not our footprint upon the sand of time. It marks no place that

our children may know that we have been here.

We want something of our own that we may in-

spire the same race pride, independence and patri- otism in our people that it inspires in other peo-

ple. We think if we are ever to undertake for ourselves, that it is time that we should start.

This burden will some day be let down upon us and the best way to learn how to bear it is to commence bearing it. The best way to learn how

to walk is by walking. We can never learn how

to walk by lying on our backs and having some- body lecturing us upon the science of walking.

We must have the privilege and exercise of try- ing ourselves. These are some of the reasons

why we oppose this wretched scheme of co-opera- tion. Not that we love Cassar less, but that we love Rome more. They tell us that we are weak,

but when shall we be stronger ? Shall we acquire strength by lying supinely upon our backs hug-

ging the delusive phantoms of hopes ? We are

not weak if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature placed within our reach.

VI.—HOW WE SHOULD CO-OPERATE.

There is a co-operation which we indorse and invite. It is the co-operation that should ob- tain among Christians, regardless of color, na-

tionalities or racial distinction. When it is stated that we oppose co-operation, it should be borne in mind that it is a certain kind of co-oper- ation which we oppose. We would invite, yea, welcome that co-operation which does not absorb

our identity, destroy our manhood and does not deny our right to own and control property and enterprises in common with those with whom

we co-operate. We want that co-operation that gives us every right which those enjoy with whom we co-operate. We want our white breth-

ren to co-operate with us as they co-operate with each other. They receive grants and donations

30

to their institutions without surrendering the

management of their institutions to the donors. Not a white institution in the land would think of surrendering their control to those who give

to them. We want that co-operation which the Negro Baptists of Alabama, Arkansas and Ken- tucky enjoy. Why cannot we have such a co-

operation in Georgia ? Why cannot this scheme

work as well in Georgia as in these states ? Why are Georgia Negroes not as noble as the Negroes in the states named ? We shall raise no objection

to this kind of co-operation. We want a co-ope- ration that makes the Negroes masters of their

affairs and all that concerns them. We object to going into co-operation with our white brethren

in Christian work on a money basis. It would be like mice co-operating with the cats to keep

the rats out of the pantry. We have tried this

co-operation on a money basis with these same people just twenty years, and we are worse off

to-day than we were when we first begun. I tell you, brethren, we want a co-operation in which

we are going to own and control something. They tell us that this is not necessary ; that the

schools are ours already. If this is true, why do they so strenuously object to our having the deeds to the property ? If it is ours, will the

31

deeds to it make it any more ours ? If the schools belong to us, why cannot we have a Negro presi-

dent and faculty ? Why would the North with- draw its help if a Negro was made president of a Negro school ? Who ever heard of white people withdrawing their help or refusing to help a

Negro church because a Negro was pastor ? A

white college means a white president and facul- ty ; why should this not be true of a Negro col- lege ? If the schools belong to us, why is it nec- essary for them to ask us to co-operate with them? Why, we ought to be asking them to co- operate with us. They say that if we would

have equal rights with them, we must put in as much money as they do. We submit that this is

not the spirit of the Gospel and is nowhere taught in the blessed book. This was not true with the

early Christians when they sold their possessions and laid the money at the apostles’ feet and had everything in common. It is not found in the

teachings of Jesus Christ nor of His apostles, and

it nowhere obtains in the Christian churches to-

day. I tell you that this money basis new era co- operation is antagonistic to the dictation of the

Gospel of Jesus Christ. The men who are at the bottom of this co-operation scheme have not the

best interest of the Negro in view. It is a matter

32

of strict business with them. They are like politi-

cal office seekers ; they are patriotic for a job. It is not the interest of the people for which they work, speak and vote. It is the office they hope

to get. So does this co-operation scheme seek to

hold the Negroes in line for the sake of patronage ; to give the worthy patriots jobs. This is the

kind of co-operation which we oppose. Let those

who undertake to state our position do so, hon- estly, fairly and truthfully, and by it we will

stand or fall.

VII.—DISTRICTING THE STATE.

There is no doubt but a more perfect organiza- tion of our forces is desirable and imperatively

necessary. For this reason we have decided that it would be wise to divide the State into four dis-

tricts and organize a Convention in each district. One such organization has been perfected at Way-

cross, Ga., in March of this year, Rev. G. M. Spratling, of Brunswick,Ga., president. A Women’s

Convention was organized in connection with it, Mrs. J. K. Rogers, of Waycross, Ga., president.

One was organized in Augusta, Ga., in April, Rev. A. Clark, of Munnerhm, Ga., president, and the

nucleus of one at Macon, Ga. This method breaks up our army into smaller companies that they

might be more easily and profitably handled, and

33

enables us to put every soldier to work. It will put the leaders in closer and more constant touch

with each other and with the masses. If these

District Conventions are organized and properly

managed, it will do more to unify and arouse to holy activity the Negro Baptists of Georgia than

anything we have tried in our history. The Way-

cross District Convention was a brilliant success, and I believe all the others will be. These Dis- trict Conventions must be subordinate to and

auxiliaries of the Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia. While they should have every officer

necessary to make them perfect in their organiza- tion, they should keep no money in their treas-

uries ; but should turn over all money above cur- rent expenses to the Treasurer of the Missionary

Baptist Convention of Georgia. They should print no minutes as District Conventions, but their

minutes should be brought to the session of the Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia, read

as their reports and turned over to the Recording Secretary of this Convention to be printed in its

minutes under the same cover. I recommend that a committee be appointed to divide the State into four districts.

VIII.—OTJR MISSIONARY WORK.

When we shall have organized the four District 3

34

Conventions in Georgia we should endeavor to put one strong missionary in each district. At

present we are doing next to nothing along this

line. The first duty of the Gospel Church is the spreading of the glorious Gospel of the Son of God.

This is the marching orders which it received from

Olivet’s brow—to preach the Gospel “to every

creature.” That command still comes ringing down in divine sweetness from Zion’s glorious

hills to us, and he who died for us says: “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments,” and that His Father is glorified if we bring forth much fruit. The matter of spreading the Gospel

is not left optional with us. It is lifted out of the

realms of free sovereignty: it is a positive com- mand coming from the glorious Head of the Church. We ought to be ashamed of our record in the missionary work in Georgia. It is getting

so that a missionary is looked upon with con-

tempt, and he is side-tracked when he visits our

churches. Our preachers are growing careless, cold and indifferent about this first of all Christian

duties. There must be a change in this thing. When the pastors allow their people to slight the mission cause, they will soon learn to neglect

their pastors. Every duty neglected makes it

easier to neglect the next one. If “each victory

35

will help you some other to win,” each defeat will help you some others to lose. Every neglect lays

the foundation for another. We ought not to em-

ploy men on the field because nobody else wants

them, and because they can get nothing else to do. We ought to put good, strong men on the field

and pay them a living salary. We ought to honor and magnify the missionar}' position and make it

desirable for strong men. We ought to stop prom- ising these brethren and make no effort to pay

them. We ought to regard a debt as being more

sacred, and thus inspire confidence in those whom we employ. Our Convention has no credit even with its best friends. We cannot to-day borrow a dollar. This is a burning disgrace upon a Chris-

tian organization. It is just awful to think of it that a band of Christian ministers can’t get

credit; that nobody has confidence in preachers of the truth ! I wish to say right here with all the

power of my soul that it is too shamefully true and too universally believed and said that

preachers will not pay their debts. I have had a large and long experience along this line, and I hang my head in shame when I am forced to con- fess that nine preachers out of every ten with

whom I have had dealings will forget to pay a debt. If this is true of the pastors of the churches,

what must be the state of the churches which they

lead ? Truly, this is a lamentable state of things. Let us be better men, more self-denying, braver, truer, and more reliable. I pray for our improve-

ment along all proper lines. If we do not, the

cause of Christ will continue to suffer in our hands and we cannot give the world the Gospel.

IX —OtTR STATE SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVENTION WORK.

It is a deplorable fact that nine-tenths of our ministers give no attention whatever to our State Sunday School Convention. There is something

radically wrong about our brethren in this mat- ter ; they claim to be interested in the salvation

of souls. It is their lifework to save souls. They claim that they hold commissions from the King

of Glory. Now, is it not good sense to adopt every means of accomplishing the largest results ? Of saving most souls ? Wouldn’t a fisherman adopt

the means that gave the assurance of catching the most and best fishes ? The Sunday school gives as- surance of the richest yield of harvest. It is much easier to save a child than it is to save an old, rough and tough sinner. Then the child is more

valuable to the cause when saved. An old person never amounts to much to the church when saved.

He may make out to get to heaven, but will never

37

succeed in carrying many others with him. Then, again, you could save a dozen children

while you are working on one old tough sinner. Why our brethren will not betake themselves to the work of saving the children, who are to com-

pose the future church, is indeed a mystery to me. They ought to meet in our State Sunday School

Convention and help devise plans to further the cause of Christ among the young and to give en-

couragement to the young people who are en- gaged in this blessed work. 0, brethren, let me

appeal to you in the name of the precious chil- dren, in the name of the church and in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord, to take an interest in

our Sundajr school work. Attend our Sunday

School Slate Convention and help us do the mighty work. Loud and long the Master calleth; rich rewards He offers thee.

X.—OUR NATIONAL BAPTIST PUBLISHING HOUSE.

The National Baptist Publishing House at

Nashville, Tenn., has marvelously illustrated what

the Negroes can do. This enterprise was started in 1897 without a dollar. To-day we are pub- lishing all of our own literature, Sunday School song books, hymn books and Bibles. We have

bought a $10,000 building and have a $15,000

38

printing outfit. We give employment to many

Negroes and all of our writers are Negroes. This is the glory of the enterprising Negroes of the

United States. The thirteen Sunday schools con-

nected with my church take the Negro Baptist literature and they are just delighted with it. Each year your attention has been called to this

literature and, yet, I regret to say that some of

you do not take it. I was made verily ashamed to hear Dr. Boyd state to the Arkansas Baptist Convention last November that the small State

of Arkansas, with only a handful of Baptists, bought more of our Negro literature than the great State of Georgia, with 250,000 Negro Bap-

tists ! I was made ashamed for my State and

for my Convention in more ways than one while I sat in the Baptist Conventions of Arkansas.

One trouble with the Negro Baptist preachers of

Georgia is that they have learned to make big speeches, preach great sermons and pass bombas-

tic resolutions, and the whole thing generally ends there. We need more race and denominational pride and get a move on us. We want to go on

doing something, Why is it that you do not take

this Negro literature ? I want you to take it. Give Dr. Boyd your orders to-day, and begin with

this third quarter to take the Negro Baptist liter-

4

*

*

ature. Stop acting the whitewashed hypocrite

and patronize your own people. The other na- tions of the earth set you this example daily. Why don’t you profit by the example they set

you ? Do you not know that this literature is making a name for you and giving your denomi- nation a standing in the world ? Let me respect-

fully and earnestly urge upon you to take this lit-

erature, and begin with the first of June, 1899. I recommend that this Convention make a liberal donation to our publishing house, and thus help on the glorious work.

XI.—OUR FOREIGN MISSION WORK.

I would impress upon you that phrase in the great commission, “In all the world.” Jesus

Christ did not use words without a meaning. He meant just what he said : “Preach the Gospel in

all the world. ’ ’ Let us not disgrace the great com- mission which we hold. We cannot preach the

Gospel in Georgia, however faithfully and earn- estly we may do it, and claim to fulfill the terms of the commission which we hold. Georgia is not

all the world, and our commission says, “ Go into all the world.” Duty is not performed while aught remains to be done which we can do. We should seek to have an interest in the Gospel

preached “in all the world.” That is, have an

40

interest by our money and prayers in those who preach the Gospel all over the world. We should spend some money upon the missionaries on every

mission field in the world. We may not be able to go in person all over the world, but we can help

those who go. I would call special attention to

our mission work in Africa. That is the land of

our ancestors. We should be profoundly interested in its redemption and the salvation of our breth-

ren. Our Board has been greatly criticised and

embarrassed because of the want of money to meet its obligations. The criticisms have been unfair and unjust. The Board has done the very

best it could have done under the circumstances.

The fault is ours. The blame should be laid at the door of the churches. We have been hard task-

masters, demanding that the Board should make bricks without straw. We have not given the

Board money with which to pay the missionaries, and yet we have been loud and emphatic in con- demning them for not paying the missionaries.

The Board is composed of some of the best and ablest statesmen in our denomination. Rev. L. G. Jordan, our Corresponding Secretary, is a match-

less man. For zeal, earnestness and activity he

has not a superior in the country. He is a conse-

crated man and perfectly adapted to this work.

He is a godsend to our work. I recommend that he be given all the time he wants to represent our

Foreign Mission work. We must not think of giving less than $100 to him for Foreign Mission

work at this session of our Convention. The

great Baptist family of Georgia ought to give ten

times more, but we cannot afford to come one cent under $100.

Nothing must get in the way of our giving

Africa the Gospel. Divided on whatever subjects we may be, we must be united on this. Let us bury all of our differences in the desire to preach

Jesus to the perishing millions in Africa. It is a singular coincidence that the same two

men were pittied against each other in the splitting

of both our State Sunday School Convention and

the Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia

—in this Convention in Macon in 1892 and in the Sunday School Convention at Milledgeville in the

same year. They were united in office again at Augusta in 1897, and separated again in Macon,

the scene of the first battle in February, 1898.

Every indication shows this last separation to be final. A thirst for popularity and ambition, for honor and office, made it possible for the Home

Mission Society to get in its dreadful work of sep- aration. While I have regretted, and do very

42

much regret this, necessity has laid upon me to

heroic^ meet the issue as I find it, and God help- ing me, I will not shirk a plain duty and seek to

shun no dangers which lie in duty’s path. It is a

strange thing to me that some of those who are lying to the Southern white folks on us, saying that we do not want to co-operate with them, when thet- joined to help remove the venerable Dr. David Shaver, the scholar and theologian,

from his position as teacher of theology in At-

lanta Baptist Seminary to the sorrow and pro- test of every student, without a moment’s notice. The ground of this removal was that he was a

Southern man and the teachers were paid by Northern money. Your humble speaker then en- tered his protest as an alumni of that institution

and has since been in disfavor with the Home

Mission Society—accused on the one side of being with the Southern white folks and now accused of being with neither. Strange world this! Dr.

Shaver is still alive and the record is not de-

stroyed : let those who doubt this statement call it and its author in question. We believe in fair

play in everybody. Why don’t they tell the

white folks the truth ? We do not seek to conceal our position. We are against the present co-op-

eration and we want it known. It has been a

43

mystery to me how our Southern white people were led into this co-operation trap by the Home Mission Society. They claim to know us better

than the Northern white people and yet they had to wait for the Home Mission Society to come

down here and tell them how and when to co-op-

erate with us. They knew that there were differ- ences between us and that we were divided in our Convention and divided in our educational work.

Why didn’t they investigate the matter for them-

selves and come to some intelligent conclusion as to who was wrong and then have acted ? If they made any investigation at all, it was all ex- parte and should form no basis of final action among intelligent, God-fearing men. Why did

not they presume that there were some honorable

truthful, God-fearing men on our side of the ques- tion? We have not been able to understand this one-sided action of our white brethren. We sim-

ply claim that our side should have been heard before final action. We do not and would not complain at the decision, but we insist upon it that we should have had a farce of a trial at least or a formal hearing. Since we did not, we feel and always will feel that they have treated us wrong. Doubtless the Home Mission Society led

them into this injustice, which ordinarily, they

44

would never have done. The money was never disposed of until the Home Mission Society got into it. Hence we can but conclude that it is their

trick.

And now, brethren, I must not keep you longer,

I feel that I have greatly taxed your patience in

this tedious discourse. The apology that I offer for keeping you this

long is that my soul was burdened with these

things which I have said to you and it is a great relief to me to express them. I feel lighter and

better now. I thank you very much for the pa- tient hearing you have given me, praying the bless- ing of Almighty God upon you, and upon our

lives, examples and words in Atlanta, and upon all that we shall do and say in this Convention

and wishing you every possible good. I now call

this, the twenty-ninth annual session of the Mis- sionary Baptist Convention of Georgia to order. The Convention will please come to order.