The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-03-29
Panama and Costa Rica

the Southern Baptists had a white Baptist
church in Empire, with some twenty-eight
or thirty members He further informed
us that the white people did not attend
church very readily on the Zone, He in
formed us that they had two white preach
ers, Rev. William M. Lovridge and
Rev S. Witt, who held services at
Culebra, Hartobispo, Tripolis Mata-
chin, Colon and Gatums These services
were carried on, he said, by them and their
colored helpers, or catechisers, or as some
would call them, lay-preachers. We then
put the question to him positively and
frankly. We asked him if he would favor
the work being carried on in the Zone as it
was in the states that is, that the colored
Board would have charge of all the colored
work and the white Board have charge of
all the white work. He answered unhesi-
tating.y, mo, by no means, for many rea-
sons:
First that all of the regular pastors for
Negro churches were white men and these
white men would not care to work under a
Negro Board;
Second that the Jamaicans and Barba-
dian Negroes were unlike the Negroes of the
States and would not have full confidence in
cOlored or Negro preachers;
Third, that the Negroes themselves did
not have confidence enough in each other to
allow the Negroes to manage Negro affairs,
that the Negroes were not honest, they could
not handle money honestly"
He then informed us that Mr.. Lovridge
was pastor, secretary and treasurer of his
churches, that he could not allow his mem
bers to handle the collections, that he had
tried this and that other members COM
planned that the Negro officers would not
handle the money honestly and, therefore,
advised that Mr. Lovridge handle the money
and money matters. He then began to in
form us that our Board was in debt to the
commission authorities and that because Of
the unreliability of Negroes it was essen
TALLY necessary that this Indebtedness of the
National Board be paid. We asked him how
he knew we were in debt. He said he had
visited the government office and had made
special inquiries. We asked him if the
Canal Commission has sent for him. He
said they had not We then asked him why
he should go and ask about our debts did
he intend to pay them? He said no, but
that he understood that the Southern Bap-
lists were controlling the Negro work in the
States and hence were kind of guardian to
look over and help them to keep their work
straight.
We fully explained his mistake and in
formed him that he had done our Board
some injustice in this matter He said that
he knew we were partial to Mr.. Thorbourne
because Mr.. ThOrbourne was our son-in-law
and married. our daughter. We asked him
where he got his information. He said it
had been told to him, but he could not give
MS exact authority. We then informed
HIM that neither Rev. Thorboume nor his
wife were in any way related to us; that Rev
lhoroourne was the representative of our
Board on the lSthmus. AS soon as we had
entered into conversation with Mr.. WISE
Rev. ThorbOurne excused himself and went
to look after some of his members. When
we had finished Mr. Wise accompanied us
as far as the depot, where we met Rev. Thor
bourne.
When we had hidden goodbye to Mr.
Wise we next called upon Rev. Nellis, chap
lain for the Canal Zone. On approaching
Rev. Mr. Nellis, we told him we had been
informed that he was a Baptist preacher.
lie said that he was both Baptist and a
preacher, but was not in the capacity of a
Baptist preacher; that he was in the serv-
ice at the Canal Zones chapel at Empire
and that this was Union Chapel, all de-
nominations worship there. We next put
the question to him to know the condition
of the colored work. He said that the white
Baptsts had practically no work, they had
one small congregation, and an enrolment
of possibly thirty or thirty-five members,
and these did not attend church regularly.
We asked him concerning the Sunday
school work. He informed us that the In
ternational Association had a secretary on
the Zone and and that they had an Interna-
tional Convention, but did not and could not
allow any Negroes to attend, neither could
they allow any Negroes to become members
of the Ministers Conference We asked
him the reasons. He gave them, and since
he did not care to be quoted, we shall not
here give his reasons, but it is. enough to saw
that he said Negro preachers could not be
members of the Minister'S Conference, or
Negro Sunday-school workers attend anv of
the International Sunday-School Conven-
lions. We then asked him as a Baptist. as
an American citizen and as graduate of an