The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-05-31

HdSLOr ana Editor.
Jacksonville Fla, June @ 1901.
The terrible fire that swept over Jack
sonville, Fla, on May 8 and left l5, 600
people homeless and destitute, destroyed
the meeting house, Bible and Institutional
School buildings, parsonage, church. tene-
meslt houses, furniture, fixtures and free
circulating library of 1900 volumes of
Bethel Baptist Church Strangers Home
of that city. Bethel was an Institu-
tionaP church, and the only one of its
kind among the negroes of the South; 1t
sought to make Christianity living and
practical reality among the colored people
OF that section by teaching them morals,
industry and temperance as well as re-
ligion.
"Of this church and its pastor, Booker
T. Washington, the great negro educator,
says:-'I have personal knowledge of the
work being done in Jacksonville, Fla, by
Rev. j. Milton Waldron. In connection
with the usual religious work in his
church, which is an unusually large one,
Mr.. Waldron is pushing the idea of insti-
tutional church work in connection with
industrial work. To my mind he is meet
ing more nearly the actual needs of our
people in their church work than any pas
tor in the South that 1 have come in
contact with. Our people not only need
to be taught religion, but how to weave
it into their daily lives, day by day, and
this Mr.. Waldron is doing in most earn
est and practical manner. feel sure
that any help given to him or this work
win do lasting good among our people.
s'The Rev. Mr.. Waldron and his work
,1<x-< ~~-.1.x-
officials of Jacksonville, and by the lead
ing daily paper of Florida, The Times
Union and Citizen. and some months ago
The Boston Transcript and other widely
known papers of New England, spoke in
terms of praise of this church and its
work, and commended it to the earnest
consideration of all those who were in
terested in the elevation of the negroes
of the South.
t"The Baptist societies of the North and
West, at their anniversaries at Spring
| field, last week. endorsed the appeal of
this church for help and recommended it
and its pastor to the favorable considera-
tion of its constituents.
THE losses of the Bethel Church
amounted to over $4,000, and its pastor
and the greater part of its members lost
everything they had by the fire, but they
did not give UP in despair. Without a
Edollar, and with most of it's members toe
poor to pay for meal, the church met
before the smoke of the ruins had cleared
away and resolved to rebuild its church
and school building and to enlarge the
scope of its educational. industrial and
religious work, and it was the first of the
twenty -one churches destroyed by that
dreadful fire to erect temporary meet
| ing house and begin the work of saving
the lost and helping the suffering and
destitute.
1.-The insurance upon the property of the
church, amounting to 12,400, went to can
Gel the debt upon the property, SO that
these poor people have nothing left them
but the land where their beautiful brick
and marble meeting house and school
once stood. This building ought to be re-
built, and this Institution, which has done
so much to lift up the negroes Of Jack
and religiously ought to be undertaken
again and enlarged This church has sent
| its pastor. the Rev. ]. Milton Waldron
| (who is also president of it's SchooD, to
| New England to raise funds to assist
| them in rebuilding.
| "The Rev. Waldron is asking for money
| to rebuild the church and school building
machines, typewriters, printing material,
presses, books, etc, for the Bible Insti-
| tute, sewing, cooking, night and business
| schools Money for these objects may be
| sent to Rev. j, Milton Waldron, care of
| Y. M. c. A., State and Dwight streets,
| Springfield, Mass, or Mr.. H. G. Aird,
cashier of the State Bank of Florida,
| Jacksonville, Florida. Books, sewing ma
chimes, typewriters, etc, may be sent to
Mrs NJ Nj Waldron chairman of Relief
| Committee, No. 62l Florida avenue, Jack
/ SOnyille. Florida -