The guardian., 1954-04-10
Bishop Walls

bOarQ OF Livingstone college,
as it is largely through his ef-
forts that the college is one of
the most outstanding colored
colleges of the day" Another
welcome address was Sby BiSh-
op Lewis o. Hartman, former
editor of Zion Herald, who
substituted for Dean Howard
Thurman of Marsh Chapel of
Boston University. You have
Just heard Mr.. James say that
Bishop Walls belongs to the
A.ME. Zion Church but I say
that the Bishop belongs to all
Methodism. Speaking of the
Zion Herald he told how the
paper defended William Lloyd
Garrison where the populace
wanted to hang him because
he spoke out so strongly ag-
ainst slavery.
After another selection by
the church Senior Choir with
Mrs. Ethel Woodhouse Taylor
as soloist, presiding Elder of
the Hartford District, Rev.
Henry B. Norville of Brooklyn,
NY, told how the New Eng
land District decided that this
district should have the op-
opportunity to hear what the
bishop had told other districts
about his trip around the
world and selected EoSton' S
Zion Church. This was fol-
lowed by two splendid Selec-
tions by the Metropolitan A.
ME-. Zion Church of Hartford.
Then came the presentation
of the speaker by Rev. J. w.
Findley, presiding elder of the
Boston District, who said it
was to him a great honor and
privilege to introduce the not
ed churchman to such a tre-
mendous audience, Bishop J.
w. Walls. - great scholar. au-
thor and world traveller, mem
Der of the Central Committee
of the World Council of Chur-
ches which met in Lucknow,
India.
The Bishop received hearty
ovation when he rose to speak.
He told the vast audience how
he had risen from a sick bed
and had had to come against
the doctors orders. Il had a
temperature of 104 and the
doctor said that 1 should stay
in bed" he said.
The Bishop spoke on World
Tensions. He said in part:
This is a time of high ten
sions, trials and tribulations
in the world, and we as Christ
ians must be on our toes to
meet the handicaps today. we
must be at our fighting best.
Since 1947, I have recrossed
the ocean four times, for Wis
! ist at conferences on the con-
! t1nent, and also visited Cam
ada, northern Africa, in Egypt,
and spent four weeks in Eu-
rope, travelled through Ger
many, and it was here on the
the continent that I saw the
skeleton of World Peace, being
formulated at Geneva, Switz-
erland. I had travelled in the
wake of devastation from the
effects of that war, and saw
the misery of suffering caused
by it with World Wars leaving
their blight on Europe. In
Palestine, Bishop Walls said he
spent the night in the home
of an Arab friend and heard
and learned many things of
the struggle going on in the
Holy Land. And that when
he was leaving his friends son
said to him, tell our side of
the story when you get back to
America"
In India he met a member
OF the Senate, who proudlJ
proclaimed the fact, "he had
been jailed twice, in the cause
for which India fought for her
freedom" A man over there is
proud of the fact he was Jail
ed because Of his convictions
and his fight, for freedom. We
heard the great scholar states
man and premier of India Pan
dit Nehru address the World
Council of Churches Conference
for two hours, at New Delhi.
India. AT New Delhi address
ed more then 100 young children
who had travelled there from
allover India. 1T is, he said,
because Of her belief in Peace
India throughout the centuries
has been conquered by other
warning nations, until today you
see the strains of mixed blood
in the natives who range in
color from pale skins to deep
black, yet all are Indians. In
our Western World we believe
that power is culture. but this
is not so. we could never reach
in centuries the culture that
Asia has had throughout the
centuries We do not know re-
ligion, in comparison with what
they Of the East believe In.
but l find that all the world
accepts one Saviour as the
/ a.