Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-10-16
Bishop Jones' Reply.
SALISBURY. N. C.,

0etoeef oth, 1885,
M. W. c. Smith, Editor ChaDidhs dnhtsgsy.
SIR II sec by reference to your issue Of the
end, inst. that YOU have either carelessly or in
tentionally. placed me in false POSITION in the
matter of the DISCOURSE delivered by me in
Clinton Chapel the Sabbath previous. The
several person." who garbled such parts Of
my sermon as were most favorable to adverse
criticism in the absence ofwhat was said before
or after. were possibly ignorant Of the relation
Of a sentence or even word to the correct
meaning of paragraph. But whether your
informants acted from ignorance or base design,
you could hardly have been ignorant of that
fact. And yet without stopping to inform your
self as to my meaning or intention-which you
could have had from me personally. up to the
very date Of your issue-you rush blindly ana
with hot haste into print, to place me in false
light by arraying me against Education.
think yod knew you were placing me in
false light, and therefore did il Inaeiously and
wickedly in the interest of those VITO like your
self envy the progress of Zion, and wish to
retard it by Misrepresentation. 1t can hardly
have escaped a colored Editor, SO deeply in
terested in the education of the race, that the
first regular Annual Address of Zion Wesley
College, just 40 miles from his sanctum, was
delivered by THE writer. Thousands of copies
Of that address WERE published, and sold for the
benefit of the Institution. They were adver
tised in the Star of Zion while You were en-
ployed as its printer at Petersburg. Va. Surely
you must have seen and read it. was present
at the Commencement Of the same College, in
early June last, in company with Bishops
Thompson, Moore, Hood and Lomax. DR..
Crummell the most distinguished Colored Epis-
copaan Divine in America, who, in an address
stated that in all his career as an Educator
both here and in Africa, in all his participation
in commencement exercises here among white
and colofed institutions of learning. he never
was so thrilled with hopefulness for the negro
race, the brilliant exercises there had excited
in him. Has it escaped you that ! had the
honor on that occasion. of delivering the address
at the laying of the corner stones Of Dodge and
Hopkins Halls3
Were you out of t1e State at the time, or do
your educational flights ordinarily range higher
than the doings of mere Methodist Connec-
tional College? Mr.. Editor, you were not ig-
norant of all this; and therefore l brand your
attack on me, as wantonly, malicious SANDER,
for which there was not the slightest cause or
excuse, never having had an unpleasant word
with you in my life.
But the animous object and point of your
attack was not me- but my church organization
1t was not SO much Bishop Jones as Zion,
that you aimed to stab in the interest and fur
therance Though surely not at the solicitation
of 1.-The Presbyterians and Epscopalians.'
Hard pressed but eager for some pretext
which would afford the ghost of an excuse TO
stab the church. which, more than all Others
has carried you along, and brought you where
you are to-day, you have seized on garbled bits
of my sermon, tortured by false criticism into
the excuse for the following ungrateful but
harmless effort of a beneficiary to slaughter a
hoYa A. I...&.
those whose favor he cringngy panders 10
secure. as his last hope of courted recognition.
THE reason Zion lags so far behind now, is
because her leaders have pandered TO the igno-
rance of our people, and stood in the way Of
education. The Presbyterians and the Episco-
palians have an educated ministry, and the
result will be, they are going to have the edu-
Gated people hear them preach. By this means
the churches are going TO cut into Zion. We
dislike to speak of these things, but they are
facts, and if we do not acknowledge them, we
must lose. Nearly every village or county has
an educated Presbyterian minister with an edu-
Gated wife-if our leaders are not educated
too, how can we compete with them?' Now
have not the slightest objection to your unso-
lcited cringing and pandering for the favor OF
the few at the expense of the many. Some
mems ambition leads in that direction. | am
willing even TO take my share Of your silly at
tempt to make these who know no better believe
| las is evident you do by any fair nferental de-
duction from what you say in the above extract),
| that Methodist Ministers and their wives are
all uneducated and ignorant, SO far as colored
people are concerned, and especially Zionites
| although could find hundreds Of their wives
leaving their husbands out of it, that would
send you back to your books, nevertheless, |
am willing to take my share of the laughter,
which your silly effort provokes and especially
SO, in view of the pressure which you seem 10
feel that you are under TO interest cater to. ar
please those whose approving smiles, you SO
laboriously seek But / must insist that the
next time your waning journalistic fortunes in
dictate panegyrc effort in order TO bring our
Presbyterian and Episcopalian friends to the
rescue, that you have the manliness-if there
be manhood remaining-to refer TO my record,
and give ME the benefit oft rather than betray.
as youhave in this instance, love for the false
rather than the true.
In the above extract, you ignore all sembance
of truth, and righteousness, by telling us that
Zion lags far behind, because her leaders have
pandered to the ignorance Of our people, and
stood in the way Of Education
Who originated Zion Wesley College? Who
are its managers? What Institution of learn
ing has been established in the last quarter of a
century, of equal magnitude and of equal
promise, Differed. presided over, taught. and
run by them? Who are Hood. Lomax Price,
Dancy, Harris, Moore, Tyler, Reeves, the Gin
tons, Simmons, and host Of others-who give
tone, character, and weight TO the colored ele-
ment, in the Carolinas, irrespective Of Demon
nation2 Are they "Presbyterians and Episco-
palians,' or are they "leaders" in Ziona And
J yet we are told unblushingly that these great
! and grand men-"leaders in Zior-who have
| done and are now doing. such yeoman service
in the interest of the negro race, both North
and South, and notably in North Carolina
educatonaly. morally, and relgiously--are
''pandering to the ignorance of our people, and
stand in the way of education"
Shame, where is thy blushl
Yours for truth
S T. Jones.