Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-01
CHURCH D.sSEH5IOH
Pastor -1lect G YES Hs Yer
son of D ffero ICES.
HIS FRIENDS APPLAUD
REV. S. p. DREW ARRAIGNS HIS
OPPONENTS.
Colored Baptists IN ouandary Over
Choice of a Spiritual
Adviser.

Vnolce OF spiritual
Adviser.
The troubles which have been shaking
the pillars of the Metropolitan Colored Bap-
fist Church. located on r street between.
18th and 18th streets northwest, were pub
hcly ventilated last night at meeting of
the Independent Order OF Good Samarftans,
held in the temple Of the order. on street
between I'd and Sd streets southwest. The
assembly was ostensibly rally meeting of
the order, but the most interesting feature
of the occasion was the defense made by
himself Of the Rev. Simon P. w. Drew.
who calls himself the pastor-elect Of the
Metropolitan Baptist Church. DIR. Drew
arraigned the faction in the church, which,
he stated. has conspired to GUST him from
the meeting house, and his remarks were
warmly applauded by the large number of
adherents of the preacher in attendance at
the gathering.
The meeting was set for 7:3O o'clock, and
the crowd began to gather shortly after
that time. Following long wait the min
lister arrived. He was given an ovation
when he entered the hail. 1t was about
fifteen minutes Of ten when he reached the
Injecting pitct, anu TIE regular eAeTCiScS
were Immediately begun. Members of the
Metropolitan Baptist Church favorable to
Drew, and who had evidently come to
| cheer on their leader and hold up his
hands. occupied the seats on one side of
the hall, and right heartily did they ap
plaud the remarks Of the speaker.
Following a song by the congregation
and the reading of the Scriptures, Rev. Mr..
Hawkins was called upon to offer a prayer
In the course of his invocation Mr.. Haw-
kins referred to the Rev. Mr.. Drew as "the
war horse. the battle ak Of the Lord"
and said the Lord had called the minister
mentioned to get on the train at Boston
and come on to Washington and go up to
r street and preach the Gospel to the hum
CRY souls in The Metropolitan Baptist
Church.
The Minister'S Address.
Mr.. Drew was then introduced. He stated
that his text would be found in st. Matthew
21:S, working in the Vineyard of the
Lord He said that in view of the cir
cumstances he felt that he should give way
to some one else to deliver the sermon to
the Good Samaritans. He then gave a
genealogical sketch of himself, and said:
Last Monday night there was a mass
| meeting held at the Vermont Avenue Bap-
list Church for the purpose of denouncing
the Acknowledgement of negroes In the
south. number of Baptist preachers who
attended the mass meeting went from the
Vermont Avenue Chur CHI to the Metropoli-
tan Church and there they tried to ruin a
| man who was endeavoring to preach the
gospel. If ever there was danger of a
| lynching in this town it was at that church
| asst Monday night
The speaker then proceeded to state his
connection with the Metropolitan Church
Il came to Washington January II" he
| said, by petition of the deacons and trus-
tees of the Metropolitan Baptist Church.
They also told me that their petition was
| ba cked by the congregation. I carried on a
revival meeting at the church, and it was
decided that one Sunday should be set
aside for collections for the preacher. 1
carried on the revival meeting for some
time. and when the Lord said to stop. 1
stopped.
aside for the collection to pay the salary Of
the preacher The church when l came
there was numerically dead, you know
that
A chorus of That's right" arose from
the section of the auditorium occupied by
the followers of the minister.
YES" he continued, 1.-The church was
| dead and 1 told the members that if their
church didn't increase, numerically and
| fir ancially speaking, that 1 wouldn't stay.
I told the members that l would be salts
| fed with the arrangement as to salary.
They told me that we wouldn't have any
congregation, but l told them that If
preached the house would be full.
Well when the first Sunday in February
| arrived, the church was crowded and the
COHgr6SduOH gave me dDOut SooO iOI MY
| services during the revival.
Alleges Jealousy.
when the preachers heard that I got
| 5000 for my work in the revival meeting, thai
| 1 had been paid more for a few months
work than they could get in whole year,
they got jealous at my getting the amount.
| and they tried to injure me. They tried to
| get me out and went 20 the deacons. They
M n CnSt They said
we can't vote him out. for the congrega ton
won't stand for it
That's right" shouted some of those
present, that's right, they couldn't vote
| you out.
The irate minister then told of going to
| the church one night early last week. On
| tie pavement just outside the door, he said,
he was met by a number of officers of the
church. who told him he could not go inside
the edifice. Mr.. Drew said he asked them to
go in the church then and get his bag.
When the door opened and they came
lack with my bag" said the preacher, 'one
of the trustees came to the door, and when
he saw me standing outside he called, Rev.
Drew, come in l told him I had better
not go in that night. And then the whole
congregation came out.
Il don't exactly know what did happen
next" said Mr.. Drew, 'but the first thing
1 knew there were deacOns falling all
around me, and considerable disturbance.
In the midst of it l was borne alOft by soft
place.
"A story has been circulated that three
fourths Of the congregation are against
me"
mot word Of truth in n" chimed in the
valiant supporters of the displaced minister
mot a word of truth in it,
Notice Of His Election Served.
The speaker said that last Friday evening
he was sent for by members of the con-
gregation and told that he had been elected
pastor of the church which had been the
scene Of such strenuous religion.
Il went down to the church, he con-
tinued. land I never saw such a demon
stration. Why. the members just nearly
eat me up, and they shook my hands and
well, you all saw how they carried on
broke off the speaker, addressing his adj
herents.
The part of the audience addressed as
sured Mr.. Drew that they saw 1.-The carry
ings on
The minister then spoke of the proceed
ings before the Supreme Court of the Dis