The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-01


saulr uane .C':': by DR.. t. II. :ffy, is
the granddaughter, was first published IN
tins lily. uion the press OF the Spirit
OF the Age IN January, 1855. the RCv.
r T. HELM, .. D., being Is edito". Dr.
Helm was s.atiopcd at EicGt3n Street
church, ,hs city, during t,.c wears 1912
and 1850. From Raleigh nc WAS sent to
Front Street @hl"cn, Wilmington, : .',nai!..-
ing there Two years--1S51 ana 1859. Wiz
mlngton, until the Ge'I1rJl conference
in 1850, transferred That city a. Wcii
all the territory south or the Cape Fear
river, had belonged to the South Carolua
Conference, and been supplied with South
Carolina preachers, but in 1851 the North
Carolina Conference supplied Wilmington
and the other transferred territory, Wlsh
preachers and Rev. K. 7. Helm was the
first North Carolina preacher sent 70 W.T.
mington. His reception was anything but
cordial in fact, many of the members
OF the church were so incensed because
o. the transfer. they did not treat then
new preacher with common clvlllty
They did not hesitate to let him see and
feel their dislike OF him on every occa-
sion. Before he arrived, the parsonage
lad been almost entirely stripped OF Is
furniture SO that tor while he and his
family had to Put up with many neon
Weniences as well as ind!gnities. 1 hap
pened to be in that city soon after DR..
Helm entered upon his first years Ia
bors, and was invited to dine with him.
At the dinner l noticed that he used his
pocket knife, and was told that the ladies
of the church had taken almost every
thing out, even the knives and forks, eX-
cept such things as We're old and worn;
leaving only two knives and forks, two
cups and saueers, and such plates and
dishes as / saw on the tables, most oi
which were broken. But he was jolly
and remarked that it would be all right
before the year ended and that if l would
come again later on he would insure that
there would be plenty OF knives and
forks and everything else. 1t took only
a few weeks for him to show the Will
mington Methodists that North Carolina
had one preacher at least, who was the
equal of those sent them from the Souta
Carolina Conference, and before the frs,
year had ended. some of them would not
have given Helm for any of the preach
ers they used to have.
In 1856, as l have already stated, ~
began to edit the Raleigh Christian Ad
vocate and continued to do so until 1862,
when he was succeeded by Rev. w. E.
Pell.
Dr. Helm was a vigorous writer and
made a good paper and this writer, hav-
ing become the publisher of the Advo,
cate in 1858. had the best of opportunl
ties of arriving at a proper estimate of
his fine abilities. Added to this fact that
he was good editor and an eloquent
preacher, he was a ready and strong de-
batter, as was manifested in a three or
four days debate which took place at
Banks Chapel, in Granvine county. be-
tween him and Rev. George w. Purefoy
upon the subject of baptism, some time
IN the fifties. Hundreds of people went,
day after day, to hear the debate, and
the verdict was that Helm did not come
out of the fight second best Dr. Hefiin
WAS a native of Granville county,
think but his home at the time he edited
the Advocate was in Franklin county
about five miles west of Franki;nton
During the war he moved to Texas and
became the president of a female college,
/ have heard. Rev. VIM. Z. Pell was the
editor of the Advocate until the close of
the war, when it's publication WAS s,is-
pended, and he began the publication OF
the Sentinel, paper which boldly and
fearlessly defended the Southern people,
in those day of reconstruction. when the
country was filled with carpet 3aggers,
and the scalawag element, which had
filled the swamps during the war, as
deserters, was holding high carnival. AS
a political editor, DR.. Pell welded
vigorous pen, and the rascals soon began
to fear him; for he was merciless in his
denunciations of villainy, and bold IN
defense of the rights of an oppressed PEG
pie, who were being robbed of what the
war had left them. During the Legisa-
ture OF 1868, l kept boarding house,
and, around my table / could hear from
boarders, some of whom had been de-
serters or Union men," how deep-seated
was the hatred they bore against the
Sentinel; but I could see from their APP
pearances they felt their unftness and
uEworthiness for the positions they held
and that every word uttered by the Sen
tinel cut like a two-edged sword, taking
off the hide of rascality and at the same
time probing the meanness and rotten
ness of that combination, which had been
formed of the worst elements which the
demoralized condition of the country
afforded.
In the year 1867, Rev. w. II. Cunning
gim as the agent of the Conference be-
gan the publication of 'The Episcopal
Methodist" of which the writer
was the business manager. and Dr.
H. T. Hudson. the pastor of Edenton
Street M. E. Church, the editor. The
unsettled condition of the country aE6
the lack of mail facilities, added to the
losses sustained by fire, so crippled the
enterprise as to threaten suspension of
the paper; but DR.. Hudson, the editor,
bought the material and the publication
of the Methodist was continued by the
writer until the Conference held at
Statesvile in the fall of 1868, when Rev.
]. B. Bobbitt purchased it and afterward
changed it's name to the Raleigh Chris
tian Advocate. In the course of time our
esteemed fellow citizen, R. T. Gray, ESQ,
bought an interest In and became as
sccate editor of the Advocate but after
wards sold his interest therein that he
might give his whole time to his law
practice.
Leaving the Advocate history right here.
go back to Wilmington to explain what
may seem strange to the reader In the
conduct of the MethodiSts of that CITY