The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-01-08

While in Greenville walking east
ward on McBee Avenue. making nv
way to the Atlantic Coast Line de-
pot. bound for Columbia, | was
thinking "backward' where ] made
my first appearance before the white
baptlst" thirty-hVe years ago in the
fliSt Baptist church. when the late
| %. } a .Hoyt was president Of the
convention; and thinking forward"
or Springfield Baptist church. where
was pastor nearly four years about
thirty Years ago: then. looking 'up-
ward" saw u si"n Bantist
Courier" Thinking or the many
times I had walked into the Office on
another street where the late Mr. w.
w. Keys was associate editor and
manager. and remembering that his
son, Mr.. j. &. Keys. was in The
Courier, holding the same position
his father held, | went in TO say
good morning." then turned ah-
rup1ly to go ON to the station. He
called me back and said. Hold on
a minute, have you got one Of DR..
Browns books, Thoughts Towards
sunset. YOU can get one for two
dollars" | replied Il have no mon
ey.' he said, II can trust you," and
he instructed some one in the office
10 give me a copy Of the book. When
/ boarded the train / began to read
first, "A Word Prefatorial."
laughed much. l next read Chapter
IA Vision of the New Utopia"
then | cried, and said TO myself, "A
means Of grace. "A laughter and
cry, what a blessing" Then I be-
gan to think of the great blessing
of laugh in the right place and a
cry, and / went farther thinking Of
the blessing of n thouhgt and an
emotion-I closed the book and be-
gan thinking backward" and for
ward" and Of the present. then
turned to a colored Presbyterian min
lister sitting opposite me and said,
"Oh, that every Christian, every
preacher, man woman, colored and
white, would get Thoughts To-
wards Sunset and read. and that
every pastor and every layman would
travel with the Bible and this book
in his grip" was tired. worn
out to frazzle" Havinl worked
day, ! needed spiritual. intellectual
and physical dope" and 1 found it.
] needed a laugh and cry, | needed
to think backward" and Toward
Sunset" and | found the balm in
Thoughts Towards Sunset" No
man writes like DR.. G. G.. Brown. no
man speaks like him; he speaks as
man born close to natures God
and endowed by nature; ne must
have lived and walked with nature,
among trees, swamps, valleys, hills
and mountains, among cattle and
horses, and with people white and
black, grew in wisdom and Dol
llshed after the similitude of bal
ace in the school, college and in
the pastorate. Now he is walking
and thinking Towards Sunset" He
must have loved to preach the gospel
that saves and makes men wise un-
to salvation; for thinking Towards
Sunset" his sympathy goes out to the
old preachers of the gospel that have
g1ven their lives in the Masters SER
vice. What - noble thought, what
greater thought can man have for
humanity when he thinks and prayS
and solicits aid for the old men, es-
pecially for the deprepit preachers
who have suffered and lived the
Christ-life on earth--or for little
children. When he is gone, all
thouShtful' men and women who
think backward" as well as forward
will remember him, for thought is
immortal and eternal and we will
have the fruits of our thoughts
whether Toward Sunset" or sunrise
or the MONDAY tide. Oh, if / had
Il million dollars and could place this
book in the library of every thought
ful reader in the Southland. When
my daughter saw the book she said
to me, Il want that book" / told
her TO read mine; she said NO. |
must own it and will get one for
myself"
In the flesh l am a colOred man.
in thought l commune with the best
thinkers of the world and think
Gods thoughts; perhaps what I have
said about this book will have no
effect upon white readers, but ]
write as the spirit moves. If this