Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-07-08
Harlem Negroes
Great Churchmen

From The New York Times.
White folks know Harlem's Little
Africa chiefly as a picturesque sec
ton of the city in which multitudes
of negroes from scattered parts OF
the oil dand the new world live, work
and play according to their particular
lights-a place of blazing cabarets
where Jazz and the dance are an ire
sistible lure to the adventurous trav-
eler. This is the Little Africa that is
viewed from the window OF a taxi
cab or from the interior of one OF
these garish palaces of mirth and mel
ody.
Yet there is another aspect of the
colony that the casual, hurried Wis
itor does not notice or take stock OF.
It is the serious, deeply religious side
of colored town as reflected in those
institutions, its churches, which give
to it strength and poise.
And, after all, the churches are
what the large majority of the col
onists are interested in. Negroes ev-
erywhere are noted for their religious
fervor. With them religion is nee
essary and integral part Of life. They
demand churches-plenty OF them
Hence there are churches every
where; great granite churches which
will accommodate several thousand
worshipers; miniature churches and
hastily improvised places OF prayer
hidden in the upper story OF t1at-house
or dwelling. And there are few empty
pews. Religion in Little Africa is
flourishing; it is not decadent. The
cry is ever for more churches.
st. Philips Protestant Episcopal
church on One Hundred Thirty-fourth
st. is the wealthiest colored church
in the world. The Rev. Hutchens Z.
Bishop has been it's rector for 80
years. Founded in 1918, the present
beautiful stone church was built in
1910. It is the fourth church since 1t
was founded.
The church owns $1,000,O00 of real
estate in West One Hundred Thirty
! flfth-st.
The church has a large male choir
of men and boys, and the organlst,
Paul C. Bolin, is known as a COM
! poser of church music. The organ
cost $4,000. There are three assist
ant rectors, one of whom, the Rev.
Shelton Hale Bishop, is son of the
rector. The congregation numbers
1000. The church is proud of its
many activities 1t has Sunday
school class of 915, IL girls clubs and
basketball team, which has won
many silver trophies in contests with
collegiate teams.
One of the largest and most pre-
tentious negro houses of worship is
the Abyssinian Baptist church and
community house in One Hundred
Thirty-eighth-st. The church, dedi-
Gated in 1922, cost $328,000 and is of
Gothic and Tudor architecture. 1t
claims membership of 5000 1t
has IL paid workers and go volun-
teers.
Until a few years ago negroes had
few large churches of their own. With
the great increase in population of
the last few years came a demand for
| larger and better houses of worship.
In recent years negroes have been
rapidly acquiring church property
which formerly stood in white neigh
! bOrhoodS.
A few years ago the large Christian
! Science temple on One Hundred
! Twenty -ffth-st. was acquired by ne
groes. 1t is now the New York Ma
! tional Baptist church.
The negro invasion has not yet ex-
tended as far south as this church.
Recently the Mount Olivet Baptist
church acquired a handsome Adven-
fist church at One Hundred Twienti-
eth-st and Lenox-av. And the indie
pendent Methodist Episcopal church
has purchased a church at One Hun
dred Fortieth-st and Edgecombe-av.