Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-21
NIGHTLY MIXED.
An African Bishop Descants on
Separate Car Law.
HOW 1T OPERATES SOMETIMES.
The Annual Address of Bishop Grant Mt
Denison Full of Meat for His Hearers
Penitentiary for Life for Mur-
derer He Thinks Encouraging.

Special to the Gazette
DENIsoN, TEX, Nov. 20.-The annual
conference of the African Methodist Epis-
copal church of Northeast Texas is over
and will doubtless be promotive OF mucn
good. The annual address of Bishop A
Grant, d. D., was deliveredTeSterday. he
said:
Brethren-It is my pleasure to announce
that we have just closed one OF the most
pleasant sessions of the Texas conference
at Palestine that have ever attended. we
did not know whether to call IL cdinpiaeet-
ing or a conference. In the midst OF our
business and at all of our services the
spirit of our Heavenly Father seemed TO DC
present with US. We had a glorious Tine
There were enough people in attendance on
the Sabbath to cover an acre of ground.
Many came forward to be prayed Tor, ana
several Joined the church. The financial
reports surpassed any previous returns.
The missionary reports doubled the pre-
ceding year. Education never before re,
ceiyed such material aid. There seemed
to be more attention paid to missionary
work than in any year in the last ten. Now,
we come to meet what l have said all the
way long to be the most lively and energetic
conference with all the push necessary 10
make the work a success. Those VINO VS.
tied us last wear said this conference
seemed to have more life, push and vitality
than all the other conferences. take 1t Tor
granted that we are to have very pleasant
session; for you come up looking tidy, and
because you are now ready TO make your
reports and to feel good over them. we 90
not have to report this year as we did last
wear. | think we had to report that five
| had fallen out of the ranks. l have not
heard that one of our members mas passed
away. God has blessed US. c Peace har-
mony and tranquility seem to enaVe run
along our lines. From communications
| that have received from different pastors,
for N
| spiritual work of the church surpasses any
| during the past four years. Successful
| reyivals have been held in many of the
| charges, and the ministers have been de-
| voted to the work. We have mad Two
| churches burned down since our last session
from unknown causes, one at Terrell and
| the other at Wills Point. Brother Wilson
| Nichols went to work Immediately and
erected another at Terrell, which IS nearly
| completed. Brother Johnson, who mad
| charge at Wills Point, went back to the old
| school-house to worship. He has not COM
| menced to build yet.
| You live in a very rich portion of this
| state. These fertile plains are seen all
| along the highways. From here to Hearne
| YOU can see from one hundred to almost hYe
| thousand bales of cotton along the rail-
| roads We spend too much time IN the Gull
| tiyation of cotton. We ought to devote
| more to raising meat and bread. You
| should press upon the people to grow corn
to feed the hogs, so that they may have
meat in the smokehouse for themselves.
They should have potatoes in the bank,
meal in the barrel and good shoes on their
children's feet to walk to school.
| 1t is my pleasure to say that the general
interests of the African Methodist Epls-
copal church, in all its different depart
ments, is looked upon by the bench OF
bishops as being in better condition than
ever before in, our history. When you reao
the reports of the financial secretary, that
| he had raised S91, 600; that 600 have
been disbursed by the different conferences
| for missionaries, for needy charges, and to
| our widows and orphans and to our lnstltu-
| tions of learning; when you look around
and see that the negroes OF the AFRICAN
| Methodist Episcopal church have dlsbursed
S91, 900, and accounted for every cent, IL
demonstrates the fact fully that we are ca
pable of self-government. The man that
| can govern his finances can govern anything
| else Before we attempt to govern the
church. let US learn to govern ourselves.
| 1t takes skill to govern in state and IN
| church. Women have the happy faculty OF
| knowing how to govern. They are in this
respect entitled to more consideration than
they receive They govern the home, tral n
| the children and rear them IN the pain OF
| duty. Women can govern nome Win as
much ability and skill as the man
shin or the helm of state. There is feel
| ing among some men that women shouId De
their servants. They have nursed, washed.
| dressed US and kept US clean, and taken care
of US until we have become able to tase
care of ourselves; and yet according TO some
narrow-minded persons, they are not able
to advise u.s. 1t is amuseing to hear some
preachers say: ssNo woman can lead class
| in nv church," when it has been demon
strated that women make the best class
leaders. Give woman her place in the
church. and recognize and appreciate her
ability, mark out her work and tell her
what to do, and you will find that you will
find that you will have prosperous church,
There is not church of the 26O in Texas OF
our denomination but that the women have
raised five times the amount of money tt
build them as the menl o that We could
| ! utilize the force Of women in our religious
work as the Catholics do. Through their
zeal and devotion, the money flows as a
solid stream, which they collect, into the
Catholic church. They visit the depots
! and are seen at government places, recelv
, ing money, talking to souls, and represent
/ | ing the interests of their church. we
, | should learn to do likewise.
I am happy to ansounce that the f1nanc1a
= department Of the African Methodist Epis
copal church is in q better condition to-day
than it has been in our history. 1t does moi
owe a dollar, and it has given $1,000 for edu
cationA purposes 30 institutions OF learning