The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-12
TIE AFRICAN CENTENNIAL.
Six Thousand People at the Big Tab
ernacle-The Days Exercises.

ernacle-The Days Exercises
Over 5000 people attended the African
Baptist centennial yesterday. Three thou
sand Of this number were visitors from diff
ferent parts Of Georgia, Florida and South
Carolina. The exercises opened at O'Clock
with an address by Rev Stephen D. Raiser
on the Evils of intemperance. He said
that there is no movement more important
than that of the temperance movement, and
none that ought 10 receive more support
from christians. The world may boast of
ITS science and arts, but until incompetence
IS conquered social and national greatness
is az stake II requires no
great amount of knowledge TO prove
that Intemperance is a monster evil. The
speaker pointed 10 the homes of the victims
Of intemperance as being houses without
windows, gardens without fences, fields
without tillage, and children without
schooling or manners He was followed by
Rev. NJ. 2. McCrary, who spoke on the
subject, Are We Advancing as a Denomi-
ton He had statistics which showed that
since the year l7SS, when a handful of
colored people established a church in
Savannah, the number in this country has
swelled to 26,060 churches, 1886 ministers
and , 996. S27 members.
After this address Rev II. L. Walker
spoke on "What is Our Duty Toward the
Baptist Institutions Of Our Country" He
made ringing speech in which lie urged
the necessity of having good officers over
the children Of the denomination Its
schools, he said, should be better supplied
with tutored boys and girls of Baptist FAINT
lies. Rev. Walker was followed by j. w.
Dungee, who spoke on the DUTY Of the
Pastor TO the Church, and was followed by
Rev Isaiah Blocker, who delivered an adj
dress on the Duty of the Church 10 the
PASTOR
Rev, j. l.. Dart of Charleston concluded
the days exercises by an address on 'Bap-
list Church Government The evening
was taken up by an interesting sermon by
by hev. Z. J. Fisher OF LaGrange.
Two of the most interesting events of the
African centennial were the dedication ser
vices of the First Bryan Baptist church and
the centennial services at the First African
Baptist church.
There were nearly 800 people present at
the dedicatory services at the First Bryan
church. Rev. E. r. Carter of Atlanta
preached the OBLIGATORY sermon, taking his
text from the 9th verse of the chapter read
by Rev. Wilkins:
But will God indeed dwell upon the earth?
Behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens,
cannot contain thee; how much less this house
that have builded.
The sermon dealt with the incidents con-
nected with the building and dedication Of
Solomon's temple, and the lessons deducted
from the erection of that edifice were ap-
piled to the First Bryan church. The exer-
cises closed by an appropriate prayer by
Rev. C. T. Walker of Augusta.
At the centennial exercises at the First
African Baptist church the pastor, Rev E.
K Love, D. D., reviewed the history of the
church from its beginning in 1888 down to
the present time.
Other addresses were made by Revs C.
G.. Holmes of Rome, W. j. White, Henry
W. Morgan, G. d. Olden of Chattanooga,
Tenn, J. G. Ross Of Jacksonville, Fla, D.
J. Wimbish of Greenville, j. L. Dart Of
Charleston, S. c., n. w. Waterman of
Townsville, r. E. Turner of Macon, Z. J.
Fisher OF LaGrange, and c. S. Wilkins of
Lafayette, Ala, who closed the exercises
with prayer.