The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-28
THE PROFESSIONAL REFORNIER
IN POLITICS IS A FRAUD
So Declares DR.. Whitaker and Gives Reasons For
the Faith That is in Him The Preachers
of Other DAYS.

Gred yards away. But, of course, for
a few nights. very few people attend
ed it. and it looked as if the revival
prayer meeting would be a failure in
drawing from the other. This is what
they did: They advertised, or put out
the report there would be a candy
pulling" at the new place the next
prayer-meeting night, to which all the
young people were invited; and sure
enough at the next meeting, after a
/ few songs and prayers the molasseS
was boiled and real old-fashloned
candy pulling" with its attendant
plays and frivolities. was enjoyed by
/ the young people, who were made to
understand that future prayer-meet-
! ings would be run on the candy pull
! ing PLAN" and so, they succeeded in
gripping the older meeting.
Another device used to be resorted
! to, in the country, to-wit, appointing
singings on the day another denomi-
ma had preaching. / have known a
/ singing school, controlled by one de-
nomination, to run all summer just to
scatter the congregation of another.
! Finally, they got to combining sing
! ing schools and calling them union
singings and they would so arrange
the times and places as to break the
congregations Ol NAlOSC
progress they would hinder.
1t seems so strange that men, who
claim to be the disciples of Jesus,
should try to cripple the efforts Of
others who are endeavoring to extend
his kingdom; but, it is a matter for
/ rejoicing that the days of denomlna-
tional narrowness and bigotry are
! giving way. and better spirit is tax
! ing possession of the minds and
/ L, who them
the children of God. There may be
IA few narrow minded bigots left, scat
tered about, here and there in the
land who think of nothing else than
trying to dissatisfy people with their
churches and get them to join others.
There's something so mean about the
business of PROSECUTING | hate to think
of it. It's about on a par with a
mans trying to persuade a woman to
! leave her husband and run away with
! him, claiming that he's a better man
! than her husband.
( The idea of people saying to others,
/ you are wrong and can't be saved
i unless you belong to our church and
believe as we do! That ours is TIL
CHURCH" the Apostolic Church, the
! only true church, and we only are
able to teach the truth as it is Christ.
is simply ridiculous, and entities all
who thus boast to cells in the lunaJic
asylum.
Peter had to have his exclusveness
and narrow mindedness driven out
before he could adjust himself to the
great command, go We into all the
| world and preach the gospel to every
i creature" He was a hard-sheil in the
truest sense until that sheet was let
down from heaven, having all man.
ner of beasts upon it, some of which
the Jew could not eat, and God said:
"Slay and eat!" He refused at first,
but when that sheet came down the
third time he understood its meaning,
as we'll as the meaning of the whole
circumstance. and the result was his
eyes were opened to the truth; that
God is no respecter of persons"
May the light continue to shine
brighter and brighter until the gospel
of Peace and brotherly love shall sub
due every land, and bring every
higot and narrow minded sectarian to
/ understand that 'he that feareth
accepted with him" that such, and
only such, are the real body of Christ
In my young days there We're
great many illiterate preachers, some
of whom (if living and preaching
now) would hardly be acceptable in
any community; though, in their
4
oracles, indeed.
Soon after the Missionary and the
Primitive Baptist churches pulled
apart an association of the latter was
held, near Hickory, formerly known
as Hickory Tavern" distinguish
ed minister of the Missionary church
/ was sent as a fraternal messenger to
/ that association for the purpose OF
trying to infuse into the Pr mitive the
STi1 sif Association
was held near a fine spring, and a
gentleman who told me of the circum-
stances, gave me a very graphic pic
ture of the spring, the surroundings,
the appearance of the preachers, all
| of whom were clad in homeSpun, and
especially of the moderator, who
Will call Micajah Hawkins.
When the association was in SEES
sion the fraternal messenger, repre-
senting the Missionary church, was al
lowed to preach, or make a Missionary
speech; and no one could have per-
formed the duty better than he did.
He described the Son of God as a
missionary, sent from heaven to
bring the glad tiding of great joy to
a sn-cursed world: attended to
ChriSts work, suffering death, resur-
rection and ascension; and finally,
with great emphasis, he spoke of the
of his going to prepare a home for
us, while we. on our part were to
$50 into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature" In short,
he made a first-class missionary talk,
winding up with an eXhortation to all
present to obey the dear Lords last
| request.
While he was talking, the adher-
ents of Micajah Hawkins, with hats
on, hung their heads, and had the
appearance of men who were en-
during a great torture. ever and anon
shaking their heads in disapproval OF
what the preacher was saying. AS
soon as he finished. up rose the Mod
orator of the association and up came
the heads of his followers, and he
! began as follows:
somewhere between the lids of
the Bible you'll find my text, my
brethren, and eff my memory serves
me right it reads thus: My sheep
/ know my voice. My name is macajah
Hawkins, and I live AWAY over the
mountains, down by the side of the
Nantihala river, and 1 was never
down in this low country before. And
when 1 was about to leave home my
/