The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-05-03

he had gone to his home for breakfast. o.
course, it was a peculiar time of day will
us to have breakfast, but we started out fol
his home. When we sent in our card anC
letter of Introduction, Judge Brown took
us into the sitting-room and was ready fol
full and friendly conference. After ar.
ranging some other preliminaries concern
ing matters, we then dived into conditions
We informed Judge Brown we had some
knowledge of his father who was for years
pastor Of the Baptist church in Providence
R. ]. This caused an appreciate change
in the Judge. We told him we did not
know whether he was a Baptist, like his
father or not, but we wanted to talk conf
dentially with him. He assured us that he
had full faith in his fathers religion, but
conditions on the Zone had made it such
that he was not in active cooperation with
Baptist work. Here we met with that Curl
Gus phrase that seemed to be peculiar to the
Zone and that was, 81 do not care to be
quoted" | sighed, and said, every we'll,
Judge" But as he was high up in authori-
ty ! ventured to ask, "Why not quote you?"
He then gave me to understand some rea-
sons why, and we readily agreed. How
ever, he said that we might quote this fact,
that in his judgment the work of the white
ministers on the Zone, or especially the rep
resentatives of the Southern Baptists,
among Negroes was an afterthought, that
it was not the original intention to give
time to this, but assured me that there was
one little white Baptist church on the Zone
not numbering over thirty-ive members,
and to make up this number they had to go
from Colon and Panama City to find them.
We then called his attention to certain
things that were going on and certain
things that were being said.
Judge Brown was very positive in his be-
lief that our Board should continue this
work. He said that he did not believe that
the government should pay any of the
preachers Of denominations, but since it was
doing it, all should be treated alike. Each
denomination should have fair show He
felt that Negroes could best attend the Ne
gros spiritual and religious needs. He said
he had visited all the churches and was
constantly engaged in religious services
and religious work. He then told us how
that the Baptist church for colored in Colon
had, in his judgment begun to fall away
and was fast losing its grip upon the Ne
groes He told us of the good work of Prof.
Curr and recommended him very highly,
because of knowing him personally.
After a considerable interview with Judge
Brown, we returned to Rev. Mr. Elliot's Of
tce and found him still waiting for us.
Here we went over the work very thorough
ly, and when we put some things to him,
here came our old, familiar phrase again,
Il do not care to be quoted" Laughing,
we said, "Rev. Elliot, we have never heard
one phrase more repeatedly used than the
one we have heard on the Zone, I do not
care to be quoted" He laughed heartily
at this, and said, "There are but few of us
here IS Americans and we all want to be
on good terms with the Others" He then
said ne was a Presbyterian to the manner
born, but that the Presbyterian church as
Presbyterians could not succeed among the
whites on the Zone and the only way they
could have religious services would be to
have union service and he was sure the
White BaptistS were in the same condition.
lie said that the white Baptists, like the
PresbytcrianS, had lost out and would not
be able to succeed among the whites, and
that 1t was mistake to try. He said that
the Negroes were so numerous, and ma
turaly inclined to be Baptists, that he
thought if the National Baptist Convention
could put two, three Of four men, like Rev.
IhourboHne, on the Zone, they would do a
work. He said he had preached
- A.CF' ILOuI OOuIIl6 CHURCHES q great
number of times and was always glad to
nave an invitation. AS a proof of this, he
Volunteered to preach Rev. Thourbourne's
nnual missionary sermon Sunday, March
9TH. Thus arrangement was made for him
Q spend the day in Panama City with Rev.
-hourbourne and family.
We learned many things from Mr.. Elliot
which we do not care here to put on paper
the work. Mr. Elliot, however,
vas very loud in his praise of the work of
'rof. Curr and his school, He said that it
vas indeed pity that there were no per- ]
lament organizations to take charge of this 8
chool. He asked if we had not met Prof. {
urr, to meet him and his wife, that his wife {
'as an excellent lady and that he would $
ave no hesitancy in recommending him c
nywhere. =
After spending considerable time with t
ne Reverend, we set out to see more of the f
win cities Cristobia and Colon. However, t
began to tell us that it was time a
} go back to the home of Lawyer Caring c
IN, that somebody was vaitinr for nc =