The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-01-12
CUSSING THE PREACHER.

On every hand the church is being
criticised. On every hand the preach
| er is being discussed. In weekly pa
per in our city physician is reported
to have taken the Negro preacher Sc
| verely to task.
The so-called educated Negro, espe-
cially seems to take particular delight
in criticising the Negro church. He
will discourse long and loud about
building too many churches ana
supporting too many preachers" but
he will hardly open his mouth against
the too many saloons which drag our
boys to destruction; he will not COM
plain about making so many saloon
keepers rich; and he will often live in
the same block with questionable
houses and never criticise them.
The Negro preacher is condemned
if he has poor church edifice, which
is called disgrace to the community,
and he is heartily abused if he has
fine building. So what shall he do?
The preacher is abused if he goes
into business, and abused if he stays
out.
He is abused if he wears a greasy
coat, and if he wears fine clothes.
His morality is attacked on the
merest hearsay by men who are known
to be moral lepers.
His honesty is attacked by men who
have court records for dishonesty.
If the preacher makes the people
shout, he is attacked; if he does not
he is also attacked. Indeed it seems
to be the order of the day in some cir
cles to always "knock" the preacher.
Why is this? 1t is based OH selfish
ness purely. The preachers lead the
people. Some lawyers, some business
men, some physicians, and others
think the preachers ought to hand that
leadership over to them. They forget
that leadership is based upon service.
The preacher leads for no other rea-
son than, at the present stage, he rem
ders best service. If others are to
lead it will not be by abusing the
preachers, but by rendering service.
And there is abundant field for such.
One frequently hears these critics
say that instead Of having the people
put so much money into churches they
ought to put it in businesses. They
forget two things: First, the preach
er's business is not commercial; and,
second, that the people put but COM
paratively little money in churches.
The Negro does not put one cent out
of every dollar into his churches. In
stead of inquiring about the SO cents,
these jealous Negroes are making a
fuss about the l cent.
p The Negro does not put enough
money into churches. And any fair
minded person can see it. What is
needed is for the business is for the
business man, the lawyer, the physi-
clan, the mechanic to get theirs not
out of the l cent the church gets, but
the other 80 cents.
The Negro church has it's hold by
service and organization. Is it not
better to organize business and learn
to serve the people rather than to con-
tinually attach the church?
The cent paid in the church brings
the best dividends the Negro race has.
This one cent has accumulated near
ly $75,000,000 worth Of property which
is the races largest social surplus. q
This one cent has built and largely
supports the leading schools for high
er education of Negroes in the south.
If it were not for church school there
would be practically no opportunity
for higher training for nine-tenths Of
the race. ...y ..
This one cent has established the
CHIEF. literary voices for the race dur
ing the 50 years of emancipation in
that the chief newspapers and maya
zines have largely had church support.
This one cent has brought together
the people and taught them how to
support the Negro in business, the
Negro in professions. But for the
church the Negro physician would
never have gotten the foothold he has.
This one cent now supports the
leading publishing plants Of the race,
and sends out yearly more literature
- inA,Sc~ ~ Avl ;~.n:~n 49, 49, &c.