The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-06-06

with Ave places to be parceise6 OUT. the
race for the Secretaryshin or the Sun,
day School Union promises to be the
stellar attraction at the next General
conference Of the A. M. e. church Id
Norfolk, t1ext May. A. DR.. w. p.
Chappelle, the present incumbent,
stands pretty good show for. the
Bench, for which he Is an avowed
candidate, the issue made prominent
by Mr.. Ira T. Bryant, the choice OF
the practical element of both minis,
ters and the laity for the Secretary
ship, seems very likely to safely land
the brilliant young man into Or. Chap
pelle's brogans at the Nashville pub.
fishing house. AS Is we'll known to all
who keep in touch with the manage
ment OF the A. M. b. church, SO per
cent. Of the Dollar Money Is kept In
the Annual Conferences and distribut-
ed among the mission preachers, or.
phans> and widows. The conditions un-
der which the workers. In the mis-
sion fields must live and labor are
something terrible, and 1t takes a lot
Of religious zeal for any minister to
endure, theme They are compelled to
preach the Word as-best they can IN
ramshacle meettnghouses,N to congrega.
lions, small and difficult to reach be-
| cause OF their widely-scattered places
| or residence. The support is poor, as
wages are low and money scarce. The
collections are frequently so meager
| that If the preacher did not resort to-
| manual labor to supplement- his means
| he could not exc out enough to keep
soul and body together. These self
sacrificing men are the real church
builders. They grub out the founda.
tfons and make the waste places OF
| earth to give forth tangible results,
| leading the way, as pioneers of old,
| for those who must follow them to
| reap that which they have sown.
Passing over this phase of the stu
| alton, it is further fact that the
"Ch1ldrens Day" money COLLECTED: from
| these poor missions and from the con-
ferences of which they are an integral
part, goes to keep up the Sunday
School publishing house at Nashville.
Despite the almost discouraging con-
ditions in the mission fields, some of
the men therein engaged, send in sur
prisingly, good collections from the
Childrens' Day appeals, which involves
additional. sacrifices on their part and
an unnecessary burden to an already
overburdened community It Is Mr..
Bryant's contention that the Sunday
School Union is sufficiently strong to
stand on it's own feet-that the reve-
nues which come into it's Golfers from
the volume of business done, are-or
ought to be-suf1cient to maintain the
department, without laying any claim
to the money derived from the Chill
drens' Day collections in the various
conferences, 1t is his proposition to
take over the Union, and set In mo-
ton such a thorough-going business
administration, that the money now
pouring in, from these, collections be
allowed totremain in the annual con-
ferences and added to the SO per- cent,
mentioned $9bove, that goes to the as
sistance Of 1.-The poor fellows out In the
mission Acids, and to the widows and.
orphans who must look to the church's
bounty for a portion of their support.
II this Chfldrens' Day money is not
actually needed to run the Nashville
house, to have it go there any longer,
looks like direct robbery of people
who do need it, and to continue the
custom savors of either bad judgment
on the one end, or bad management
on the other. 1t is not for US to
butt in" with unsought advice or to
pass inxidions- comments upon the eX-
listing administration, but 1t would
appear to JUS to be the part of wis
dom for the A. M. e. Chuch to take
Mr.. Bryant at his word and give him
a chance to make good" AS q strict.
ly business proposition, any policy
that Wil& save money and cripple no
department, of the church, is worth
looking into with care. If Mr. Bryant
can deliver the goods and place the
Union on se1f-supporting basis, the
entire 100000 members of the de-
nomination will be immeasuFeably
stimulated and benefited. If he fails,
he will be forever eliminated from
The equation Of church leadership To
accept such a responsibility, he surely
must know what he Is talking about,
and the church will do we'll to give
him its best ear. If DR.. Chappelle is
favorably considered for elevation to
the Bench, he cannot regard the
change as reflection upon him; so
everybody will be happy The min,
lstry will reap the dividends accru-
ing to it, the laity will secure long
| merited recognition in an executive
department calling for business ca
pacity peculiar to the layman, and
an illogical situation will be made to
conform to the accepted rules OF good
sense and the eternal fitness of things.
+ Give Ira T. Bryant the chance he
| seeks. If he fails. to live up to the
plans and specifications he offers, it
will be ''up to him" to forever hold
| his peace.