The Republican journal., 1900-04-26

for the New England Home, needs funds 1ol
the enlargement of the work, and the
e speaker advised friends of the Deaconesses
e to contribute to the twentieth century thank
) offering, and also to remember the Home or
o hospital in making their wills.
y The meeting closed with a hymn and ben
ediction.
The Preachers Aid Society met at 4 o'clock,
: Chaplain ID. II. Tribou, President of the
Society, in the chair. The opening hymn
"There is a fountain filed with blood, was
: led by Rev Norman La Marsh. Prayer was
4 offered by Rev A. j. Lockhart. The roll
call showed n members present, very large
percentage of attendance. The bylaws
which were professionally adopted at the last
: annual meeting, were finally adopted. The
t treasurer report showed the finances of the
Society to be in good condition. The follow
ing officers We're elected: President, David
II. Tribou, Boston; Vice President j.
Frank Haley, Bucksport Secretary, John
Timing, Brewer: Treasurer, James w. Day,
Mlbridge.
The object of the Preachers Aid Society is
to aid and assist poor and needy ministers
TOT the Conference, their widows and or
phans The Society was organized in 1913
and Incorporated in 1898. OF the II original
members all are dead The Society had II
members in 1S49 but > of whom are living.
Rev. 5. H. Beal of Camden and Rev. b. b.
Byrne Of Newport, Rev. l.. u. Wardwell of
Pembna, \. d.. is the only survivor of the
petitioners for Incorporation. The invested
funds OF the Society amount to >4,294 rs, and
the fund for the benefit of claimants is
S6.4So Several new annual and life mem
bers We're added at this meeting.
The event of the greatest interest to the
general public, next to the assignment Of
the pastors to the various churches, was the
lecture in the Belfast Opera House, Thurs
day evening, by Rev. VI. c. b. Mason. u. d.,
of Cincinnati, Ohio. The opera House was
well filled and all were amply rewarded
for their time and money by hearing most
interesting discourse, eloquently delivered
by one of the most interesting men in the
Methodist denomination
The meeting was called to order by Rev
G. f. Edgett, and the speaker was introduce
ed in Il few happy remarks by Rev. II. F.
Foss of Bangor.
The speaker is a full-blooded negro
$ who by his own eXertlonS has obtained al
| education and risen in his chosen calling t,
the highest position ever held by a coloret
a man in America, and next to the highest il
4 the gift of the Methodist General Confer
ence, while it is confidently predicted tina
he will soon be elevated to that highes
place, the Bishops chair
: DR.. Mason's subject was Some Providen
tial Movements for the Evangelization o
Africa. Without Introductory remarks OF
5 eNordium he at once entered upon his sub
: iect. The eyes of the world, he said. are up
5 on Africa at this time as never before ant
She is the centre of interest of the nations OF
! the civilized globe He referred to the an
cent glorles of the nations Of Northern
| Africa, while some in Central Africa helC
high places among the peoples Of the world
: in power, literature, the arts and education
The causes which led to their decline he for
: bore to dwell upon but considered Africa
as she exists in this nineteenth century
! One important factor in the civilization OF
Africa is her growing commercial relations
with the civilized nations of the world The
settlement of the Soudan question in favor
of England, as the speaker firmly believes
: it will be finally settled, will give the world
better promise for the advancement of civ
illzatlon than the opposite result would pro
duce. The question would be safe in the
hands of England. The European nations
are all trying to get more of Africa The
l CT;
: ly growing, and this further growth will be
material help in the evangelization. Dr..
: Mason dWelt at some length on the intellec-
tual, moral and religious Improvement of
the colored people in America since the war.
The position of the negro in the past was
illustrated by the story of the Irishman who
entered horse for a race, was dstanced
and then wanted his friends to cheer for the
horse. "Faith,' said Pat, ''and didn't We
see how he kept all the others before
him all the way around'" The colored
people are American citizens and are
always ready to bear Il citizens burden,
as is shown III the readiness with which
they bear arms in defense of the flag
The evangelzati0n of Africa rests largely
uP'll lil'- itVSlV, WHO says, Here am
| |, Lord, send me- The progress of the re-
public OF Liberia was cited as an.illustra-,
ton Of the ability of the colored peopleFto
manage "a nation. Colored people are be-,
coming educated, and many are preparing
themselves for missionary work in Africa
While the laws of heredity render advance
ment more easy for those coming into the
world under favorable conditions yet, to use
the words of another, ''God Almighty,
united to human soul, can overcome the
laws of heredity." Throughout the dis
course DR.. Mason was listened to with the
profoundest interest, moving his hearers by
turns as his utterances were pathetic stir
ring or humorous
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