The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-08-08
Churches Far From Be-
Ing Successes.
AN AKRON PREACHER
Makes an Astonishing Deciar-
alton at Toledo Convention
--Radlcal Ideas on tho
Negro Question.

Toledo, Aug. lin his address at
Walbridge Park Sunday afternoon be-
fore the Northwestern Ohio Minister
ial association, Rev. J. @. Slayter, Of
Akron, virtually pronounced the la
bors Of church organizations failures
in SO far as they pertained to the
larger sense of duty rr,r 10 rstty!
He also made the. startling declara-
tion that thes negro is bat very littlo
better off Qf any than he was in
1865.
Rev. Slayter Is a Kentuckian and a
recognized pulpit orator of ability.
He held decided views upon these
questions and was fearless in giving
them expression. He departed from
the well-beaten paths Of pulpit talks
and told the blunt truth to Christian
people.
That his remarks will cause a de-
cided sensation In church circles can
not be doubted, but he is. ready to
sustain his position by argument
His subject Of itself arrayed the
church against the kingdom OF God.
1t was, "The Church versus the King
dom Of God" He began by defining
the church in the UNCONVENTIONAL
sense, not as, God sees 1t, but as It Is
understood In practical, everyday life
He declared that the kingdom OF God
was not an organization, but a con-
dition Of the mind and heart which
was In the mind of Jesus Christ when
he said: "The Kingdom of God Is
Within You." C -
DR.. Slayter defended the kingdom
of God in the larger sense as not
only including this condition of mind
and heart but various agencies calcu-
lated to produce that condition. Ho
then declared that the ideals express
, ed in the New Testament include all
these agencies, but the church organ
izations have not followed these
ideals.
The kingdom Of God, he said, en-
braces salvation from hell on earth
and for the whole life Of man--inclu6-
ing not only his individual life, but
the institutions as well. The church
effort has been directed largely to-
wards accomplishing but one phase
Of this salvation. What Is needed
! to bring the entire Christian world
and the kingdom Of God into absolute
harmony is not q larger number Of
Christian workers in churches, but a
larger number of devoted men and
women to the promotion of the lar
ger ideal.
DR.. Slayter then took up intemper-
ance. social impurity, divorce, con,
troversies between capital and labor
and the race problem and showed that
through the applications of these
higher ideals greater good would re-
suit.
On the race question, he declared
that in the 35 years the negro has
been free he has not progressed much.
He exploded the boasted equality by
pointing to Ohio, where 1t is suppos-
ed the negro has more opportunities
than In any other state.
Rev. Slayter said that there was
nothing open for the negro in Ohio
except to become a coachman, porter
or second class barber. While he
was given the freedom of schools and
there enjoyed small measure Of
equality, as soon as he stepped from
the school room the doors Of higher
class business were closed agains!
him.
True Christianity embraced being
men and women and the solution Of
the evils enumerated above could be
brought about only through the appli-
cation of these ideals.