The Portland daily press., 1892-11-29
FREEDMAN's AID.
Progress of an Interesting Convention in
This City-The Negro as a Student and
Citizen-Addresses by Drs. Rees and
Mason-C Collections Taken in Portland
Churches Entertainment
Last Evening.

| Misunderstanding Entertainment
Last Evening.
The Freedmans Aid and Southern Ed
vocational Society is the great organlza-
ton which the Methodist Episcopal
Church North put into the field imme-
! diately after the war to combat the ter
| rife illiteracy of the South. In doing
this the Methodist Church North moved
into field which the Methodist Church
South was not covering. About 1874 the
ryquestion caused division in the
| great Methodist Church of the United
States, and that separation has continued
to this day. In all the South the South
ern branch of the church at this day has
only two small schools, while the North
ern branch has 46 institutions of learn
ing, with 1000 pupils, and is yearly
sending out 12,0 900 educated teachers to
work in educating the masses. The
work of the Freedman's Aid is for the
poor whites as we'll as for the negroes of
the South. While the Northern branch
of the Methodist church is doing all this,
its bishops, like Mallilieu in Louisiana,
and Goodsell in Texas, both Northern
white men, and its white professors are
SO thoroughly ostracized that in no
Methodist pulpit of the Southern
branch, except in Atlanta, are they eyer
invited to preach, and socially the doors
of no Methodist Southern home are open
to them.
The object Of the meetings which are
being held here is to call attention to the
work of the society and stimulate re-
newed interest in it. Sunday contribu-
tions were taken up in the churches, net
ing as follows: West End, $11; Chest
nut street, $135; Pine street, $2l.5o; Con-
gress street. $40; South Portland, $40;
Westbrook, $50; a total of $323.50.
Yesterday forenoon the convention
opened in Young Mems Christian Asso-
ton Hall. Rev. D. B. Randall presided.
Rev. George D. Lindsay was chosen sec
rotary pro tenn until the arrival of the
regular secretary, Rev. T. F. Jones of
South Portland. Prayer was offered by
Rev. J. B. Lapham, presiding elder of the
| Augusta district.
Rev. Mats. Hughes then introduced
Rev. w. H. w. Rees, D. D., and Rev. M.
c. B. Mason, D. D.
The special work of the morning SEES
sion was to consider book written some
i ,,c,,+bc ono b1r d. Pow D u Eocto,, ono
of the bishops of the Methodist church.
The bishop took the ground that the col
ored Methodists should be encouraged
| to unite in one colored Methodist Epis-
copal church.
Rev. Matt S. Hughes read paper
written by Rev. John Collins. q He gave
sketch of the book. Mr. Collins agreed
| with Bishop Foster. -
MI. Randall then called up Rev. Geo.
D. Lindsay to speak on "Organic Union
of Episcopal Methodism,'' but Mr.. Lind
say declined to speak on a subject re-
garding which he had no special infor-
nation. He called upon DR.. Rees to
speak, but DR.. Rees said that DR.. Mason
should be heard first. DR.. Mason was
given thoroughly Methodist welcome.
DR.. Mason spoke ably and eloquently
in favor of a united church.
Rev. DR.. Rees followed DR.. Mason. He
belived it should be remembered that
Bishop Foster is not New England pro-
duct He stands with the Southern
bishops on this subject.
| Mr.. Randall said he was member of
the general convention of 1874, when the
Southern church went out. Bishop Fos-
ter's position is the same as that of
Bishop Soule then, He spoke strong
| ly against Bishop Fosters book.
Rev. MI. Pottle followed, endorsing
what Mr.. Randall had said.
Rev. Matt. S. Hughes eloquently sup
ported the position taken by DIR. Mason
in his address. He was followed by
Rev. Charles Munger of Old Orchard,
who spoke in approval of what had been
said. The s'color line' must be kept
out of the church of God.
At the suggestion of Mr.. Randall, a
series of resolutions expressing disap-
proval of the sentiments of Bishop Eos
ter's book, presented by Rev. George D..
Lindsay, were adopted by the conven-
ton. The resolutions were debated by
Rev. I. Luce, Rev. Mr.. Lapham, Rev.
| Mr.. Hughes and others.
In the afternoon the session was re-
sumed at the Pine street church.
Rev. Dr. W. III. w. Rees, ID. D.,
of Cincinnati, following the opening de-
votional exercises with an address
on the mission of the M. E.
church to the whites of the South. He
said: The great M. E. church is not
shut up to the North. The boundaries
| of her field, are the lines of human
habitation. The field is the world. The
world is her parish. She has mission
| to the whites of the South because, l, God
has commanded it, His commission IS,
'.Go We into all the world, and teach all
nations. And in obedience to the
Divine &C., We have gone into that
land. She has a mission, 2. because
the cast spirit of the churches on the
ground render it impossible for them to
1