The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1917-05-26
VISITS NEGRO METHoDIsTs.
Bishop Thirkield Gives Sound Advice
to Colored Congregations.

AS per announcement, Bishop W.
L. Thirkield Of New Orleans made an
episcopal tour of the several colored
Methodist churches between Donald
sonvilIe and Houma yesterday, max
ing brief stops and addresses to the
congregations en- route, and doubling
back from Houma TO Thibodaux for
district rally last night. The prl-
mary object of his visit was to inspire
the colored people to strive with all
possible diligence for better educa-
ton for themselves and their children,
and to raise endowment funds tor
the New Orleans University, school
with an enrolment this year of four
hundred negro students. He was &C
companied by President Weldon OF
that institution, who also addressed
the several congregations, and assisted
in raising the funds.
Bishop Thirkield reminded his
members that the American negroes
had the institution of slavery as their
first school, and but for this they
might have been barbarians still.
This institution brought to them
training in law and order, the power
of sustained work, the knowledge OF
the English language, and the open
Bible, the greatest of all books OF
English. Those of their kindred who
had been enslaved in other countries
than the United States had received
these benefits only in part, and their
progress in civilization had been pro
portionately slow.
The second school opened to the
negroes, the bishop told them, was by
Abraham Lincoln when he struck
from the race the shackles Of slavery
and made them citizens of the great
est democracy in the world; and that
through the Methodist Episcopal
church alone northern philanthro-
pists had spent 100000 In negro
education, as a result Of which hun
dreds of first class teachers, preach
ers. physicians, and efficient workers
in many other professions, and vast
number of honest and ambitious Ia
| borers at all manner of manual toll
had been given to the country. He
stressed the claim that any education
that failed to make its possessor I'M
seIfishly useful was false educatlon,
and not the kind the church repre-
sented. He stated that these phitan-
thropists now thought the negroes
should begin to stand alone, and so
the church was more and more expect
ing the negroes to support their own
| institutions. Our information is that
every congregation visited IN Donald
sonville contributed to this endow-
ment fund all that was apportioned
them, and some went beyond the
amount asked. - q
In discussing the negro exodus
from the south, the bishop told his
| constituents that this is the only sec
| ton of the nation where land is still
cheap. and where climatic and other
conditions are favorable to the best
Interests of the negro race. He be-
lieves the grievances that some ne
oroes went north to correct Will
more and more be dealt with IN justice
and fairness by the citizens of the
south.
An investigation showed that where
negroes were given comfortable
homes, sufficient land for gardens,
chickens, and cows, were paid living
wage, and received the just protee-
4 ton of the law and an opportunity
i to educate their children, they did not
want to move; and these just needs,
/ he thought, would more and more
be secured to them in their own ma
tive southland.
In a private way to white members
of his company, the bishop stated that
the greatest exodus thus far was
from the states of Mississippi, South
Carolina and Georgia, where the
Vardaman, Tillman, Blease, and Hoke
Smith type of politicians had with
/ demagogical fulminations stirred up
strife among the races, resulting In
unjust treatment of the negroes. AS
vet Louisiana has lost but few of her
colored citizens because this type ID
politician has not been much in evil
4 dence here.
1t was noticeable that the negroes
gave the most loyal and enthusiastic
heed to what their recognized ana
distinguished leader taught them, and
the crowded houses of hearers that
greeted him evidenced their desire tic
be taught by their white superiors.
While in Donaldsonville Bishop
Thirkield and DIR. Weldon were
guests of Rev. P. O. Lowrey, who &C
! companied them as far as Napoleon
Vile, from whence they were con-
veyed to the other points visited by
/ C. T. Workman, in his automobile. AT
noon the party lunched with H. L.
Baker at Plattenville.