The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1941-04-05
OlrarlRH StRtzlR
lnH4 l44l
By R. R. Wright, Jr.
Bishop of the A.M.E. Church

My phone rang, and voice in New
York said to me in Louisville, CDR.
Charles Stelzle is dead" l was so
shocked, it was several seconds before
l recovered my proper composure.
was assured that it was the DR..
Charles Stelzle, my friend and humani-
tvs friend.
While had known DR.. Stelzle many
years, it was only after | became active
in the Good Neighbor League in 1886.
that | came to value his friendship and
trust his advice. Many hours we
spent together discussing the race, its
history, its hopes, its aspirations,
struggles, disappointments successes.
etc. He came to America as an immi-
grant OF poor parents. He knew the
hardshlps of New York's East Side,
poverty and the struggle of the So
called working element. A machinist
by trade, he early joined the labor
union and fought side by side with his
fellow workers for better conditions.
But he was interested in the souls of
the workers as well. He became a
preacher. He organized a workers
church, the Labor Temple in New
York, and interested himself in all
phases OF labor improvement. He be-
came advisor to the Federal Council
of Churches of Christ in America on
labor conditions. Then he became in
terested in the Good Neighbor League,
and that was when | met him, and soon
discovered something in him withwhich
fell IN love. He was so quiet. so
simple, so kind, so genuine, so much
interested in the things in which l was
interested. Long hours l spent telling
him the story of my people and long
hours | listened to him tell the strug-
gle OF Labor, and his hopes for a better
world.
l went to Africa; we corresponded.
l returned and saw his name in MANY
colored newspapers. Upon his invita-
ton | went to talk with him in his
New York office, and in his quiet wav
he told me of his hopes. 81 want to
help if just some little Bit" he said, "to
inform, perhaps inspire: colored
americans are citizens; they are
Americans. They should think Ameri-
can, they should act American, make
that their habit, he said to me for
perhaps the twentieth time. l told
him how l had read his articles in six
teen papers that week, and he seemed
pleased: do you think l am writing
the right things ?" he asked. "Yon
see, L want so much to help. For I
realize that there can never be Demo
crazy In this country, to say nothing
about Christianity, unless all peopie
nave the opportunity, and inclination
TO do their part. And the colored
people as we all know are pushed
farthest back"
DIR. Stelzle talked with me with
great enthusiasm about his new ven
lure into the race newspaper world.
and showed me letters of appreciation
from Colored editors, and was hannv
that he was beginning to touch thou.
sands of colored readers with his
weekly articles. He showed a remark
able grasp of the finer aspects of tba
lie OF colored Americans and an under
standing OF the struggle which few
outside the group have.
cannot refrain therefore from writ
ing these words of appreciation of him
VINO loved humanity-one of Gods
hoolemen,-and to express the hone
that the Column he started so briIIi1
antly IN colored and labor newsna nnrs
all over America will be continued bv
someone who will feel moved to take I1 ~
the task which Charles Stelzle has sp
well begun and has left unfinished