The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-04
THE GOSPEL OF SERVICE.
REV. sILAs FLOYD's PRACTICAL
TALK TO YOUNG COLORED MEN.

At Anniversary Exercises of Young
Mems Christian Association at
Georgia Industrial CoIIcge-The
word Servant Defined-Some of the
Things Rev. Floyd Told the Stu
dentS-The Exercises in MeIdrim
Auditorium Attended by Crowds
of COlOred People.
The annual exercises of the Colored Col
hge of the Young Mems Chris
tan Association were held in
the MeIdrim Auditorium last night.
As on Sunday, ait the bac-
calaureate service, the hall was crowded
with hundreds of colored people. A paper
was read by C. G. Wylly, one of the
Students, on the "Y. M. c. A. Movement
Among Colored Men" The college choir
sang two anthems, and there was a cor
net duet by two of the students.
The feature of the evening was an adj
dress delivered by Rev Silas x. Floyd of
Augusta. Sunday-schoo missionary of the
American Baptist Publication Society for
Georgia and Alabama. Rev. Floyd ranks
men of the country. For more than three
years, he was one OF the field workers
Of the International Sunday-school Con-
vention, and had charge of the work in
all the Southern states. For two years,
4 he was pastor of Tabernacle Baptist
Church at Augusta, one of the largest
and most influential churches in the South.
He is also, classed among the most pop
s. uIar colored speakers at present on the
aatform His address last night was
plain and practical and full of much
helpful advice to the colored people. He
took as his subject, THE Gospel of Ser
vice" and. among other things, said:
The word Servant" is, generally
speaking, a very unpopular term. 1t is
So because it is. for the most part
usually understood to be synonymous
4 with the word slave, and is commonly
applied only TO a person engaged In some
4 form Of domestic employment. But 1t is
high time. l think, that we all should be
4 trying to rid the word servant of the
4 odium and unpopularity and apparent
degradation which attaches to 1t, and it
4 Is high time, also, that we were all try
4 ing 70 raise the word servant to the
4 dignity and nobility that belong to it by
right The President of the United
States is himself a servant; the Govern
or Of the state of Georgia is a, servant.
the lawyer is a servant; the school teach
or is a servant; the physician Is SER
want the drayman is servant; the car
penter is a servant; the cook is a ser
want; the washerwoman is a servant the
merchant is a servant; the farmer is a
"a &c artyn Mt thaa
railroad president is a servant; the bank
er is servant So you see that every
man in whatever vocation, no matter how
ofty, no matter how humble, every man
Wno is doing any part of the worlds
work is a servant. And we must not
EEL that it is a disgrace to be a servant
Or to be called one. There is no stain
;. pollution, no mark of degradation, i'm
aerent in the word servant And we
must all learn first of all, in order
properly to comprehend the full power
md force of the gospel of service, that
The disgrace comes, if disgrace there is,
pot in the name, but in
me kind of service. There are
some kinds of work that are disgrace
illi as, for instance, Bookkeeping, run
nmg gambling house, and the like. But
mere is nothing low, nothing degrading.
lothlng disgraceful in honest toll in hon
est labor, in honest work of any kind,
"hether 1t to be to boil an egg properly,
Q sweep floor well, to make a. horse
shoe 10 pastor a church, teach a school,
" mold even a government job.
At the risk of being somewhat tiresome
% you, l will now indicate some special
mes OF service in which educated young
zen and educated young women are, by
Ie demands of the times, called upon to
sage Inc great majority of the negro
1e Is poor. The great majority of the
$40 race Is ignorant. The great major
Vi the negro race is only serni-civil-
81 Inc race needs to be taught: the
nee needs ITO be trained: the race needs
@cllcai help in this Its crucial period
sm ms country. And some one must be
AAg TO stand up and tell them the
sn as 10 some things. And we might
wen De plain and frank and straight
ward IN discussing OUT condition. The
~ 'ul is no time for theories, for Wis
h. s auu creams; we might as well face
ome things.
au.o one thing, the negro must be
80 81 noe to despise the humber voca-
be NE. He most be willing to take
b. t'oTeSt places and then make them
ndo.ss,eSt oy filling them well He must
sbor,r,' ehat there is no disgrace in
b. q g.. VI Tue UanuS. Vt Is better TO
.n class boot-maker than II Is 10
lo-rate school teacher. II Ia better
s,,. a nrst-olass farmer than IL is 10 be
red p7'dlied politician. The young COL
Mo other things being equal
NIL PNshes baby carriage
bod da. pies a needle for a liveli-
he v o,,.5 to be honored far beyond
ho5 aI woman who perhaps teaches
the s then comes home and sits I'D
er+., 'front.' room to play the piano on.
o,. company, while her ala No, bsr
kthes 81 me back yard washing the
bsrA OF IN somebody's kitchen work.
support her heightened daugh-
n, another thing. the negro must be
mr,, we value of money. Somehow
ton y, SET out OF our heads the foolish
hes wa, 1' God has special contempt for
ht - special love for poverty. Dives
heco,Ne h not because he was rich
hsa,sse ne was bad Lazarus went
hpss MOI because he was poor but
agvr,.-"as good. II is true that, in
scopr,,,, the negro has done well
ing money and property. but
M, one of us who doubts that.
Ia 0PeF care and saving. the me-
pug country could have done twtoa
~. ue mas done In the last thirty
w q, must quit throwing away our
ana 'shlos and excursions. on hap
in M, luherals, In swell weddings
he irs,'s an We eat and all we wear
bJoi'nem plan. Some on W. have
ig,B,, our oofflns for ten fifteen