Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-11-22
BISHOP NORRIS URGES PREPARE
 FOR AFTER WAR
Bishop of Negro Baptists Delivers Impressive Ad-
 dress to Big Audience.
(By CHAS. sTEWART.)

(By CHAS. STEWART.)
 "The American negro must help himself before asking others to help hlm," was the declaration by Dr. B. c. Morris in addressing the negro Bap- tlsts of Arkansas who have assembled for the purpose of celebrating 50 years of missionary and educational work in a well organized convention.
 Sitting down depending on others to do for us what we should do for ourselves, will never be of any service to the negro ins this country. We have passed the childhood period of our race and we are now expected to measure up to the standard of man, and manhood is not measured by physical size or strength, but by mind." sa
 St. Paul church was not large enough to hold the large delegation yesterday afternoon. The occasion be- ing the annual address of Dr. Mor- ris, which turned out to be a great treat for his race and denomination. He is the leader of over two and half million negro Baptists in the United States. He is polite, courteous, diplomatic and conservative, and these qualities put him in the front rank. As he pictured the hardships experi- enced by the pioneers in organizing the convention and then the Akansas Baptist college, shouts of Go on," came from many threats, but this was soon turned into tears, when he paid tribute to the memory of those who had worked side by side with many of the men in the trenches. He said in part:
 Having come to the half century mark in our denominational work, as we'll as 50 years of our freedom, we are now facing the dawn of new era, which is to be very largely an age of Christian triumphs. For nineteen hundred years Christianity has strug- gled against great odds. Sometimes during this long period it seemed that the powers of darkness would over come the church, but the leaders remembered and were encouraged by the words of the Master, The gates of hell shall not prevail against it, hence they labored on until today finds them in such strategic position as to make them hopeful that Christian prin- cipals will soon cover the entire world.
 Social Caste Obstructs Christianity.
 "In our own country there has been a predonderance of Christian influ- ences, but these have allowed them selves to be greatly hindered by lines of social caste, which have worked their way into tile churches to such an extent that even the Prince of Peace r, ryA "a kA sfyy to race hatred and discriminating laws, but He has appeared on His white world and is convincing the world that He is no respector of per sons and is clearing the deck for real action on the part of the Christian church.
 "We are in war, and because of the principles which drew our country into it, we are going to do our full share as loyal, patriotic citizens to help to win this mighty world contest, but we shall let the world know that we will not longe submit to the inhuman prescription to which we have been subjected without most earnest pro- test. In entering protest we will do it through the church, to the end that the great Head of the church will not longer be devided by those who say that he is not able to establish justice and fair play, even among His followers.
 "In all the trials throuhg which we have come we have possessed our souls in peace, and there are no sacrifices which we are not ready to make now for our God and our country, if those sacrifices are to bring to the race, the same privileges which the law guarantees to all other American citi-. ZenS.
 "The war conditions which we are now facing are the worst that has ever come upon the world, and must be successfully met for all that we and the rest of the people of our country have is at stake, and to lose in this mighty struggle means that ours is no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave, and the religious liberty which lie so near the heart of every true Baptist will be- come a by word. The problem of the black man will be far greater after the close of the war than that of any other race, for the reason that there is far greater number of black peo- pie to be redeemed from organism than of ony other race, but God has been preparing the American black man for the mighty task, by raising up mighty army of ministers in the race who will be ready to bear the torch of the Gospel to those benight- ed people as soon as the way has been opened to them.."
 Tribute to Pioneers.
 The fiftieth annual session of the negro Baptist convention opened yes terday morning with impressive re- ligious services conducted by the Rev. Dr. s. s. Odom of Brinkley. In his remarks he maid trihl1tA to the nin-