The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-10

telling of the genuine warmth of the vel
come extended. Here are seven hundred
hands in one great hand and seven hundred
hearts in one great heart, and one IS
extended to you while the other beats in
sympathy with you. Mr. Broughton told
of the providence of the call that brought
Mr.. Massee, and said that a young man
from Raleigh went to Mansfield to work;
that he came back to Raleigh for his
bride; that both returned to Mansfield
and that letters from there had told Of
the preacher in Mansfield and had finally
led the church to look to Mansfield for a
pastor eve want some one to love us,
feed us, lead us" he said, "and we thank
] God he has sent you to be our shepherd.
Then Mr. Massee replied, and his words
and voice showed that he deeply appre,
ciated his welcome. 81 thank God to be
| in Raleigh" said he, "and to have not
alone an opportunity to express my thanks
/ for these warm words, but for the OF
portunity to take up such work as Is
/ here. His welcome he said, he felt was
not too hot or too cold, and not on the
surface only His father and grandfather,
and great grandfather and far behind him
MS ancestry had been North Carolinians,
and this made him rejoice to be in North
Carolina
He declared that he desired to be In
Raleigh both a man and a minister, a
fellow citizen taking part and interest in
civic life. Here he replied in appropriate
words to each class of welcome extended
him. He told of his earnest desire to
build up his people and with them to
build up the city, driving out the things
that ought not to exist. He spoke of the
great equipment for work in manhood
and in womanhood in the church, replied
in earnest words to the welcome and the
call to work, saying as he closed, 81 am
glad to be here. l am glad to be your
pastor
1t was a strong and eloquent reply and
the forceful manner of Mr. Massee struck
all his hearers. who were more than
pleased with that which he said, and the
manner in which he said it. His words
and his voice said, Il have come here to
work.
Then the choir and congregation sang
Higher Ground" and Rev. DR.. T. e.
Skinner said the solemn words Of the
benediction. The service was over, but be-
fore the congregation left many came for
ward to meet the new pastor and to say
God speed TO him.
THE MORNING SERVICES.
The day was truly Recognition Day
for Rev. Jasper c. Massee, pastor of the
Tabernacle Baptist church of this city,
and notwithstanding the fact of threat
ening weather in the morning and at
night great crowds attended upon every
service.
The big Sunday School, with nearly zoo
present, was the first to take the new
pastor In hand. After visiting the va
rious departments OF the school and get
ting some idea of the great army of
young people soon to be under his care,
he was formally introduced by the super
intendent, who called upon Mr. r. n |
Simms to speak the word of welcome for
the school. Mr.. Simms' remarks were brief |
and to the point. He assured Mr.. Massee |
that the school had looked forward to his |
company with great pleasure and now
gladly received and welcomed him as their |
pastor.
AS Mr. Massee arose to reply there was
a great flutter and waving of handker |
chiefs all over the room-"the Chatauqua
Salute" it was Gale The new pastor
was very happy in his reply and said, in
closing the language of the Irishman's |
suggested motto for the entrance way of
a new cemetery, I'VE are here TO stay.
at II a. m. the large audience room
was filed to overlooking. Mr.. Massee as
sumed charge of the services with perfect |
ease and grace. His opening prayer was |
one not soon to be forgotten, for there |
was not one IN all the company that could |
not say The remembered me-"
Before commencing his sermon he al |
luded briefly to the pleasure he felt in
standing before the people with whom he
was now to become identified. He said the |
coming to this church was not of his own
choosing. Indeed, he had found it hard |
to leave the church in Mansfield, Ohio |
where his labors had been so blessed OF
God and where the people had given him
seH and family SO much love and care. |
He said he had come to Raleigh and to
the Tabernacle church in obedience to |
what he clearly felt was the will OF Cod |
and in doing so had come as His minister
He did not want to know the faults or /
failings of anybody and warned the peo-
pie against any attempt to tell HIM of
such. 1t was quite possible he said IN the
active work that had been going on here |
that somebody might have something to |
say in criticism of somebody else but |
he wanted it kept from him. He posi-
lively knew nothing of the kind now. If |
he must find faults he preferred to find |
them for himself
II ] come to your house on visit"
said the pastor "and you commence to |
speak unkindly or n criticism Of any
other member l shall pick up my hat and
leave"
l shall try to live and love you into the |
likeness and service Of the Lord Jesus |
l am here as your minister, your SER
want, your shepherd
After reading an appropriate scripture
lesson Mr. Massee took his text, using |
the sixth verse of the fifth chapter of
Matthew, blessed are they who hunger
and thirst after righteousness for they
shall be fed.
The theme of the splendid sermon was
Food for the Hungry" and in its devel
opment and treatment Mr.. Massee was
beth eloquent and forceful. Righteous
ness, he held, was defined by God as right
relations, while the human view was sim
fxrro