The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-19
CLOSES WITH
RECORD FOR
GREAT WORK
Convention Of 1907 Has
Been One of Most Not
able Ever Held.
NEGRO QUESTION
KNOTTY PROBLEM
Dr.. Thomas Nelson Page Re.
views Session With Particular
Reference to Delicate Mat
ter OF Adjustment of
Work Among the
Colored People.
NEGRO QUESTION
KNOTTY PROBLEM

i SOAN|A M = w HAS.
BY THOs. NELSON PAGE, ID. LIT,
Lny Deputy from Diocese OF Wash-
1nRtOn.
Inasmuch as this is my first General
Convention. can say with great truth
that 1t is the best one that ever att
tended. have, however, heard men
| who have been in many conventions
say that in their Judgment It was one
or the most striking OF all the bodies
of men that they had ever known
assemble, in that they were liberal and
yet conservative as to all important
matters. and I can certainly say that
| / have never known any body OF
men to apply themselves SO untirtng-
| ~ to the work in hand. Day and night
| they have been at 1t from the time
the convention assembled. One thing
that has struck me particularly Is the
fact that they had In mind abso-
lutely the transaction OF business Will,
the greatest dispatch and with the
least amount of talk. No man would
have yentured to indulge iii anything
like rhetoric on the floor OF the house,
and had he done SO he would not have
held the attention minute.
4 very striking characteristic among
them. representing as they did all
grades of churchmanship and many.
conflicting interests. has been the uni
versal readiness to make concessions to
each other, and to work together with
absolute harmony In everything which
appeared to them for the good of the
church and of religion. There has not
been an lll-tempered word spoken dur
ing the whole session. nor an acrtd
criticism made. The fact is. the con-
Il haa ted snf! 20
OF gentlemen of a. very high order OF
intellect and. inspired by an unselfish
zeal to do ali in their power, fndivid-
l.ually and collectively. to further the
work for which they. met here.
The Negro Problem.
If were asked what one thing has
impressed me most about the conven-
ton, would say that 1t was the spirit
OF breadth. of good feeling and of
approached the delicate and difficult
questions touching the adjustment OF
the church to work among the colored
people.
Particularly has this been the case
among the deputies who have come
from the North. Their open minded
ness and earnest desire to reach the
best solution of the matter has i'm
pressed beyond measure all of us from
the South. The question has not been
free from difficulties. because we have
all felt the church needs to do mors
than it has done toward carrying its
teaching to the colored people. We
have al. been imbued with the earn-
est desire to do better In the future
than we have done in the past.
My own opinion Is that the CHIEF
and the Arkansas and PENNSYLVANIA
plans We're not accepted by the cons
.vention were. first. that the appoint
ment of colored missionary bishops
would result in separating the church
into two divisions. and, secondly. that
we thought the colored people In tha
church were not yet ready for such
a separation.
While one element of them werc 4
mens another Element. including
number OF men who were held in the
highest esteem by all who know them.
did not wish to be separated. as was (
expressed by some OF them, and they
desire to keep as closely as posslbla
In touch with the whites. 1t may not Il
appear to some that this contact iS &
very close, but it Is much closer than
superficial observers would suppose.
To mention one distinguished name,
Archdeacon Russell. of Lawrenceyille.
is a man who all who know him esteem
most highly. His work. Which speaks
for itself is making its mark among
his people to an extent. whtch5is att 1s
wide attention.
Absolutely Unfounded.
l myself voted for suffragan bishops
at last, because 1t appeared to me the
best OF the several methods that were s
suggested to meet present conditions.
and deplore, rs most persons do, tha
statements made on the floor OF tho
hat at tfy.aS oh
scorned BY the colored people because
they were not In fact real bishops.
The Bishop Of London. over whom
such a fuss has been made, and prop
a sufrragan sI bishop, and the appointment !
nifty to the church to see how far such
stsp W Sc of RSsISS shurea among ss
The suggestion that the church de-
sired to Jim Crew ", the neegr0' 70 ,ss 20 usa
this connection, is absolutely unbound
ed If we must use this eNpression, the
Jm GgoWea " In Air'ea ahS
his color and the personal charaeteris- 4
tics OF a vast body Of them That Is:
these things made a sulf between mn MN
and the personal good will and friend,
ship OF the church people and OF Others
IKE them haye g,, bssn pt to 9pSsraidsns sridRs
swlQen lNlS Eutls pul w .'Ntes5SS
II is possible that the Episcopal
Church will never appeal to the srea.
body OF the negro race, but I believe tt
will appeal to the better class aInons
the negroes, who by character, train
ing and education shall as the yearL
go on, come to stand for their upper 9ss
Class. And the orderrd worship e of tbs
neal to them, and have It's effect, on
them in contributing to uplift them.
Difficulties Ia Way.
TO speak frankly, the two chief q
ficultles In the way OF bringing ths