The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-10-15
The Fr.edman's AID s.c,.,y.

The Freedman's AID S,c,ety.
The Methodist church was we'll filled
by the large audience gathered We'd
nesday evening. the occasion being the
anniversary of the Freedman's Aid and
Southern Educational Societies. DR..
Hamilton was unable to be presen, MS
announced and Rev. c Il. Payne, D.
D., of New York. and DR.. Hail, OF
Watertown, filled The vacancy Rev
D. Rifenbark. of Canton, presided.
Said DR.. Payne in substance: Such is
the unity of our connectional work
that it is easy for representative of
one to speak upon the work of another.
In fact most any Methodist preacher
ought to be anle to give fair presenta-
tion of the work Of our societies. |
sometimes think a fair test for the
younng men of our church, who come
up to enter our ministry, TO know if
they are we'll grounded in our polity
and methods of work, would be a fair
presentation of our work.
| often wish we might be Methodists
in the broadcast sense, not narrowed by
local ties. We have our missionary
society working everywhere through
out the world; our church extension
society in the United States; our board
of education in all lands; our Freed
mans Aid is local and has it's own task
in educational work: purchasing prop
erty, hiring teachers, carrying on
schools; the American Bible society
supplies bibles; and the Book Concern
sends out literature everywhere; our
ministry throughout the world is one
great body of workers.
OF transcendent Importance is the
man back of an enterprise. This
thought is not always pleasant to con-
template, yet you may blame yourself
if you don't succeed. You may count
up all the forces included and reckon
them as one and yourself as twenty
He is a success who has all forces well
10 hand, and over them has complete
mastery, tet ding them to his purposes
More than ever before the world il
recognizing the need OF leadership, ant
especially is this true of the south
Leaders are needed to lead the negro
up to higher planes of life.
The grandest object in the universe
is man at the height of his possibili
ties: the meanest object in the world i
:. man at the bottom of his possibilities
! The difference in distance between tn
7 two is largely due to difference in edu
cation. Men are seen in the south VIII
are lifted to the very summit, and n
work of the church has made create
return for the money invested tina
this. Our work is among negroes an
whites, about half and half, but it mus
be borne in mind that the whites ar
20 nearly all in border states. In ou
schools in the south are gathered on'
IS third of all our students in this countr
! and though our society is seriousl
y" embarrassed by debt, yet if it's proper,
ii were sold it would many times pay i
Indebtedness.
., The result of our work is that v
have fairly started a whole race on tt
up grade to education, refinement ar
religious life. The lifting of ra
has always been Glow, and this race W
degraded by enslavement for 250 year
Yet it has made more progress in II
same time than any other race in b
tory. Our work has also revolutioniz
the morals of a race. 1t has been t.
hardest task we have had to keep t
religion and morals OF the Anglo-Sax
in close connection. But the negro h
made great growth in morality, a
when you think OF his present mol
aM state, think also of his long and terri(
sS1| degradation. For the time in which
M| work has been done it is wonderful, Il
M| no church presents in The south su
H3| examples of morality and chastity
sM| the Nj. E. church.
MV| At the Nashville exposition was
W| negro building, one of the tues, on I
.MI grounds, in which were exhihiu d
sWI sorts of industrial products, many :r
al our schools, paintings, drawings i
sMl etchings.
GMI Not long time ago uegr"
n drove an OK team into New Orle
and saw for the first time, chu
spire, which so amazed him he let
team get away. But the sight be {
awakened a thirst for knowledge
m that hoy is now one of the secreta
III of the Freedman's Aid, DR.. B. G.
son, and makes as elegant q speech