The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1911-01-13

Brethren of the Baptist Ministers
Conference of the city of Nashville:
To say I highly appreciate this dis
tinguished honor which you have
again conferred upon me is only faint
ly betraying my real feeling, for
regard it one of the most distinguish
ed gifts that any one can receive,
that of presiding over men who oc-
cupy angelic positions, many of whom
can be recognized as the superior in
many points of view in the ordinary
walks of man.
| | regard this a new epoch while the
eulogizer of the life of John Ruskin
once said, 1T is NOT given to every
man to date an epoch from himself,
to turn aside old conceptions and
sway the whole current of thought
into new channel for epoch makings
are few in any race and even they
themselves seldom realize the value OF
the work they are doing and the pub
lie recognizes it perhaps last of all,
each one Of them as he appears under
goes the usual misunderstanding at
the hands of both friends and foes and
as a result of this misunderstanding
there are assertions and denia1s, at
tacks and adulations and abuse until
at last it has passed inJo proverb.
| am further convinced that a man
cannot be summed up justly by a con-
temporary thought and for that rea-
son many discOrds OF an unpleasant
nature which if continued must event
| Of
No one in the twentieth century has
suffered more from misunderstanding
and indiscriminate criticisms than
have, but l assure you that this token
of your appreciation of me as pre-
siding officer, which was so unani-
mously expressed in the election Of
me to the presiding of1cership Of
your body, with DR.. Haynes as my
very able assistant, at this particular
time is a sufficient remuneration for
any criticism which | nave had to
suffer- that | have been contentious
about matters which | believe would
if allowed to go unattached hinder
the peace and harmony which is so
much needed in the prosecution of
the work for which the conference
should stand, is fact too prominent
and is perhaps the cause of the past
criticisms, but thank God my heart
is turned towards every man for
good whether he be the perpetrator
not the slightest i'll feeling toward any
one and l hope all feel the same way
toward me. | have but one OBJ
iect in view for the prosecution of
the work of the conference for this
year, that is the glory of God and the
salvation of men. This | believe can
be best promoted by united ministry
in conference where We can relate
to each other our experiences In the
fields of labor where the Holy Ghost
has assigned u.s. That the Negro peO-
pie of Nashville are dependent upon
the Negro ministry for proper guild
ance in economic and the civic things
of life as we'll as the spiritual things
is an assured fact, and the sooner
all the ministers realize these facts
the more ready they will be to as
sociate themselves with the most
available means of increasing their
capacity for the arduous duty The
: God-called ministry is in a class
peculiarly their own. 1t is above
and beyond any and every position
occupied by man. Many a learned
mind tries to reduce it to mere pro-
fession but such q consideration
of the position of the minister is a
reflection upon its author as we'll as
it's office, for no man taketh this honor
to himself.