The Washington bee., 1912-02-10
BISHOP OF A. M. E. CHURCH
A Sickening Scramble.

Between now and the end of Tune
| the great General Conference of the
| A. n. +. Church will have met and
passed into history. Representing az
It does the largest organization oi
/ COlOred people in the world. this con
: ference will attract great crowds OF
ipeoPle, both interested and curious
| and will be the subject of editorial
| and conversation for many months tc
| come. Already it is the subject ot
! newspaper comment and converse
ton IN many quarters, but in addition
| TO that II has become the objective
| point OF about as sickening a scram-
bic as ever worldling engaged IN.
| 1t mas been my intention for a long
time to say something somewhere
l about certain dOings in the A. NJ. Z
Church, but for various reasons
| have delayed saying it, so far as the
public press has been concerned. 7
/ have, however, been saying a good
| deal here and there privately, by way
OF conversation and letters to men
/ have known from boyhood. and
from the replies to my letters I am
permitted to feel that I have been
able to contribute part-a small and
inCOnSplcuOus part, OF court, but new
ertheless a part-toward that read
Justment of affairs, in the A. NJ. Z.
Church which IS certain to come I'D
III the next general conference,
though It will take several general
conferences, aided by the whitening
hand OF death, to bring about its full
cOnsummatIon. Observing a recent
call on the part OF one OF the church
editors for a regulation" by the
coming national conClaves of Meth
odism, OF graft and Mormonism in
the church, l have determined to offer
as my contribution this week a copy
OF letter sent BY me a few days ago
to young man who will be at the
next General Conference of the A. NJ
+. Church, and whose voice will be
heard there as certainly as grass
grows and water runs. The letter
reads in part as follows:
Dear Doc: 1t IS a question in my
mind as 10 whether | shall ever at
any time in my life receive a letter
which will find a warmer welcome
than did yours of recent date Be
sides the pleasure of hearing from a
very likely fellow who retains his
sterling qualities in spite OF the fact
that he is a preacher, your letter
brought forth whole host of recol-
leCtiOnS. like q song OF other days
Back along the road to yesterday it
took me to the time when we were
the leaders of the Jolly bunch who
n rNi0
enjoyment and the scandal of the
parsonage yard. Then suddenly |
brought up with a jolt. Know what
happened2 | thought OF the two kids
we used to call on over in Red Hill.
You remember them, I'm sure: they
had that terrible father whom we
used to refer to as an institution.
Ha, ha, ha. say, Doc, though
freely admit that you were the NOR
ahst end of Our hardship III those
days, | do not believe that even you
ever thought the worst would come
that you would actually turn out to
be a preacher. =
$50 you are to be a delegate to the
General Conference of the a NJ. Z.
Church, eh? Well, good evening |
am glad you are going, Doc, for it
gives me chance to ask you one or
two of the questions / have asked
others. Before I ask nv questions,
however, | will relate an incident.
One evening in late August, 1910, |
was standing on Fourteenth Street,
this city, talking to several gentlemen
who were getting ready TO attend the
great "B. NJ. C." of the Odd Fellows,
in Baltimore. After listening for a
time to the real dope as handed out
by the gentlemen, I asked How can
you fellows be so sure about pulling
things off as you say you will? I un-
derstand the delegates will number
several hundred Won't they have
anything to say about it? 'Aw, the
delegates be burned answered one
OF the gentlemen; the delegates will
do as they are told Now I want to
ask if you are going to dc as you
are told: And if you are. what have
you been told? Why are you going
to the general conference anyway?
Are you going there to "fabbergaste'
and elect 'nigger bishops? or, are
you going there to legislate and
elect Negro Bishops?
4 Will define, IN inverse order A
Negro Bishop IS a churchman. identi-
fed with the Negro race. who has
been duly elected by delegates law
fully assembled for that purpose;
who has been ordained by the proper
authority, and who represents in the
fullest sense the terms imply. Chris
tianity, scholarly attainment. moral
force, and dignity among men. The
'nigger bishops are the make-be-
lieve boys. They are the fellows who
adopt the clothing and simulate the
dignity OF the real thing; who rant
and swagger at the drop OF a hat;
who traffic in pulpits as the modern
Hebrew syndic traffiCs in metals.
both base and precious; who slip and
slide around meath the cloak OF night
like second story artists; who, al
though their travelling expenses are
paid by the Financial Department,
never fail TO accept the collection,
however small, lifted by the pastor