The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-13
At Celebration of Seventieth Anni-
versary of Central Christian Church
He Delivers Reminiscent Address.
THE CHURCH IN PIONEER DAYS
MILD FORM OF PROSECUTING EARLY
DISCIPLES WAS IN VOGUE.
Word Picture of indianapolis Seventy
Years Ago-What the Church Has
Accomplished Speakers.

'I have never been a believer In saving
all the roses and lilies for the dead. 1t
has always been a pleasure to me to strew
the pathway of the living with flowers.
The people of the Central Christian
Church of to-day are worthy successors of
those pioneers of seventy years ago, and
of those who between that time and this
have kept it alive and made it grow and
congregations in the city of Indianapolis
nor in the State of Indiana"
Thus spoke John S. Duncan In present
ing to the congregation of Central Church
some facts in connection with the history
of the organization. Mr.. Duncan was one
of the speakers at the celebration of the
SEVENTEEN anniversary of the church.
which began yesterday morning. Mr.. Dun
cans was the principal speech last night
and large audience listened and ap-
plauded.
At the opening of his remarks he de-
scribed what he was going to say by re-
lating an incident that happened back in
slavery days. An old planter one day
called one of his older slaves and said TO
him: "Pomp, 1 want you to tell that old
niger preacher that has been preaching
round here for some time pase to leave
the neighborhood and quit his preaching,
or I will set the dogs on him. He keeps
you men and women wrought up that
l am not geeting good work out Of you."
Pomp's reply was 'Massa Steve, he amt
no preacher, he's just 'zorter.' The
master wanted to know the difference be-
tween a preacher and an exhorter. Mas
sa Steve,' replied Pomp, "a preacher he
done takes a text out of the Bible and
breaches from dat text. He begins with
the fustly and he closes with the twenty
fustIy, and every time he says somethin'
about dat tex: but 'zorter, he take no
tex, tall he jest roams.'
IN PIONEER DAYS.
Mr.. Duncan declared his intention of fol-
lowing this plan. He talked of the earlier
history of the church and of the sacred
memories this anniversary has brought
back. Seventy years ago to-day" he
said, "a number of pioneers, some from
Kentucky. some from Virginia and some
from Ohio-all at that time Hoosiers by
adoption-organized the Central Christian
Church There were twenty of them nine
men and eleven women; the women in the
ma jority, as they always in works that
are pure and noble and holy The follow
ing Is the language they used as shown
by the record: 1t has been the custom. and
we think the duty of Disciples or followers
of the Savior, from the time His kingdom
was first set up in the world. to meet and
form themselves into congregations or
churches, for the purpose of worship.
Therefore, we whose names are here regis
tered, in like manner agree to constitute
ourselves into a church or congregation
designated by the name of the Church of
Christ at Indianapolis, taking the New
Testament as the only system of our prac-
tice, agreeing 10 make il the rule of our
lives and as such 10 the exclusion of all
others. and as often as We can meet on the
first day of the week, to do for the pur-
pose of worshping God
How full of meaning that declaration of
faith was and Is" asserted the speaker
Taking the New Testament as the only