Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1911-10-06

Long, how long everybody knows,
me pulpit among colored people IN GER
.o,n sections has been very weak
thing The preachers have been. IN the
MIN merely time servers. preaching
- win applause on one side and to
swell the table" on the other. Espe-
c,allv in the south has this type OF the
minister lourished. Loud on Jesus In
the records, he has been mighty SOFT
on Jesus in the actual. or right, the
rnln,t ought to be the standard Of NOR
Atty in our form Of government. The
preacher ought not to have any hesi-
fancy in denouncing sin In high or low
places, His rule of life should be the
truth clear cut and clean under every
condition aud Cline. All men in the
sight Of God should look alike to him.
But. alas! we find no moral courage IN
the ministry today. The ministry IS
about as vacillating a. any other class
Of men. We speak particularly OF the
preachers OF our race for the reason
we are not In position to know about
the white preacher. And our re-
marks Of them are not general enough
to cover the entire profession, but
the great majority fall under our ham
mer Of condemnation. The race and
the church OF God II suffering for
strong moral ministry with conviction
and the courage to give expression to
their views. The average negro preach
er is about as much Of demagogue
Is the average white politician. No
intellectual ideal. No convictions, no
real Bible religion. The gospel they
preach is uttered with view Of In
creasing the public collection. Then
another class OF negro preachers which
Is curse to the race. II the newspa-
per fiend. It is the hypocrite who
shapes his sermon with view Of get
ting it in the press. Manly courage and
unadulterated religion ii left entirely
out OF the scope Of the sermon. with
view of conforming his remarks to
suit the white press. Every oppor-
tunity this class Of preachers have,
they are In the daily newspaper Office
publishing a sermon they never ut
tered. Some expostulation on the Inn
morality OF the race. or condemna-
ton of the negro crap shooters; as q
rule these are the subjects this class
Of negro preachers discuss. You
never hear Of one Of them denouncing
the barbarity Of lynching. disfranchise-
ment or any other public indignity
heaped upon a patient and long suffer-
Ing people. No. their one object -
sel6shness. Their one effort IL to get
some white man to say he is good
niger The pulpit should rise above
such cheap demogogy and without Of
tense to any man shell the woods with
the gospel Of Jesus Christ as taught by
the Bible.-New York Age.
A prominent Baptist divine jour
neyed to Pittsburg some months ag,
to attend some sort OF an alliance
and from what we can learn he alb
sorbed a great deal Of practical infor
nation which he purposes to radiat,
among his fellow ministers. During
oil his previous ministerial life he ha,
been using from one to two hours ii
delivering sermons Just as hundred
81 others have been doing. But in tn,
great gathering that he attended b,
heard the greatest sermon Of his lif,
preached In less than forty minutes
he also met gentleman who hat
travelled q thousand miles to make {
three minute speech, and that three
minute speech was worth ones goint
thousand miles to hear. Now these
tnlngs had a wonderful effect on oul
good brother. First. they forced hin
70 think Of that somewhat unfamiliar
text which reads thus: Il have played
inc fool; second, they caused him te
\ embrace the resolution not to play
.ne Iooi any more In the matter Of
long-W1nded sermons. From thence
Forward he determined to deserve the
i utle reverend" instead OF never
END. Not only that, but he has put
me brethren under his charge he's
president or moderator OF some
.alng OF some association or conven
& uon-on notice that hereafter they
must limit their sermons to thirty.
I'VE or forty minutes. This ID q com,
4 menoable reform but not unmixed
Win danger. II all ministers were
limited to forty minutes In which ia
ueilver their Iermons the great body
" tnem would ind their occupation
sone forever. II i man has anything
= gay ne can say 1t IN thirty or forty
Il nlnutes. while on the other hand II
g mas nothing to say ne win need
=, - nour Or two In which to say It!
however, here's hoping the suggest
Express. Is z. IA -. \, 80 ~
I. business u the life Of q nation. Re
Y As'on' education, art, science and lit
y .a.ufe must feed upon the surplus
sa.eo oy business. First Of ali things
- must have bread and without 1T
ho,, cannot build churches. school
is suses and promote institutions OF
ma, business 10 the fount that
s maAes an brooks iow and while there
4, nay !, pe eddtes and counter currents
g .ne ade Of q nation, the steady,
49, swoop Of the stream must
ne ea y onward toward the sea Of
.n cess. When nation dissipates It's
,ao.a e.ss IN factional strife and neg
s its material welfare, government
siros, mes scarcely more than casket
NM Mnicn the soul has ned and il
Nv e me people will cry for bread.