The Cyclopedia of the Colored Baptists of Alabama: Their Leaders and Their Work

by Charles Octavius Boothe

THE WOMEN’S CONVENTION—A HIGH POINT.

The Women’s State Convention organized in 1886, marks a new era in the history of our denomination. The present brick building on our school grounds owes its existence chiefly to this organization. They came into the field in a dark time, and at a time when the wheels of the school dragged heavily. The circumstances which sent Miss S. A. Stone before the people of the State seemed a providence. The time, the conditions, needed the heart of a woman to control them. And the Women’s Convention conquered the hardness of heart and the division of opinion, prevailing among the people, by sending Miss Stone among them. Most grandly did she conquer. Well, what is the lesson here? It is this: let the women still be encouraged, let them continue to operate. We need all our forces in line.

Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon Mesdames G. J. Brooks, R. T. Pollard, C. J. Hardy, A. A. Bowie, W. R. Pettiford, A. J. Gray, M. Tyler, S. H. Wright, E. W. Armstead, J. A. Craig and the other noble women associated with them, for the services they have rendered the state in the support they have given their Convention. The times demand that this work shall still be faithfully continued. I am glad that we are up in our ideas of woman, and the fact that we are argues progress on our part.

It is a praiseworthy fact that we colored Baptists occupy advanced ground with regard to the questions which involve the powers and rights of women. I remember that upon one occasion just after the close of the war, my mother returned from church rather disgusted because a woman had been called upon to lead in public prayer. Now, too, the singing, the reading and the praying in our congregations, are assuming forms suited to our advanced or advancing state of mind. The song is suited to the text and fewer stanzas are sung. The music is not so slow and is rendered with more harmony and life. In the sermon, the preacher aims to give his audience thoughts rather than feelings, and longs to make his hearers wiser rather than happier. He who reads the Bible to others, whether he reads in family or church, reads by paragraphs—taking in a single thought or fact at the time—in place of the old custom of reading a whole chapter in connection with which no one idea was raised into prominence. In short our gospel reformers seem now to realize that saving faith in the truth is that exercise of soul regarding truth that satisfies the intellect, impresses the sensibilities and bows the will beneath the gospel forms and gospel spirit. Of course this is not true of all our teachers, but it is true of many of them; and the tendency upon the part of the whole people is in this direction. Individual human essence leavened with the Divine essence, is the goal in the eye of the representative leader of our people. Largely we have attained to the confidence of our white brethren. In the union conference of the white and the colored ministers of Birmingham, recently held, I plainly saw that the white Baptist ministers were more at ease with the colored brethren than the white ministers of other denominations, except perhaps, the Presbyterian brethren. And I think they were not so much disturbed about the social question. I call attention to this fact in order to say that their joint work with us has enabled them to see our good qualities and concede to us the claims which belong to intellectual and moral culture. And as our Christian culture shall widen its radius and deepen its impressions upon all who may be touched by us, the prejudice and barriers incident to our color must retire behind the curtains of the past.

“Were I so tall to reach the pole,

Could grasp creation in my span;

I’d still be measured by my soul—

The mind’s the standard of the man.”

I delight to record that we are attaining to humility as a Christian grace. This is the crowning grace. Some years ago the writer called at the home of Dr. J. M. Pendleton, in Upland, Pa. The doctor was upstairs. A servant answered the door bell, and the visitor was conducted to the parlor to await the famous man’s entrance. As the visitor was in every way a very little man, and as he thought of Dr. P. as being in every way a very large person, he feared the sound of every footstep. He expected to be over-awed by the majesty and dignity of the great man. As the door knob turned he was almost annihilated. But how different the sight! There stood the noted writer in the spirit of a child. How mighty, yet, how meek and lowly! How charming, how winning was this child-like simplicity and hospitality! With the bewitching smiles and musical tones of childish innocence, he repeated, “Brother Boothe, from Alabama, I suppose.”

Rev. C. J. Hardy, Pastor First Baptist Church, Selma, Ala.

Toward this end we, too, are coming. The time has been when the best man among us would air his big words, hang out his learning (?), strut because of a fine suit, boast of his school advantages, laud his superior graces, gloat in his empty titles. Not so now. To be meek and lowly in heart, to be full of prayer and watchfulness, to be charitable and self-abasing, to be pure and pious—these things are before us now.

The old plan of collecting money for church work regardless of system and regardless of the duty associated with Christian giving, must also soon retire to the past; for forces are now appearing which will work as the leaven in the dough.

Dr. Pettiford has recently brought out a book titled, “God’s Revenue System,” wherein the author labors to bring before the people the Bible methods of giving. Arguments are presented and proof texts are given in their support. This work is being widely circulated among the churches and ministers. And the writer served a church where the following plan prevailed: At the end of each year the church appointed a committee to figure on the expenses of the ensuing year, and to help the members and friends apportion the burden among themselves according to their several abilities. Each person took upon himself what he thought he might be able to pay, and dividing his share as the church might have need, he paid it in installments. Usually the money was collected in the conference meetings. Another church came under my notice that had in it “the tithe band,” which gave a tenth of their income to the house of God. In a session of the Sea Coast Association I witnessed the following, it was what they called “Women’s Day:”

One woman, holding her money in her hand, said: “I am president of a mission band which meets once a month to learn of our duty to missions. We tax ourselves one nickle a month, and this is our donation to the work.”

Another said: “I raise chickens. One hen in my yard I’ve given to God. This money is from her eggs and chickens.”

Still another: “In my orange orchard there are some trees which I have dedicated to God. The money which comes of the sale of the fruit grown on these trees goes to the cause of Christ.” And she laid her donation on the table.

In a Christian home I saw on the mantelpiece a little box marked, “God’s bank.” Into this money was dropped at stated seasons in order that there might never be any want of consecrated money in the house. In a certain home sickness had cut off income. The missionary secretary sent to this home for money. In order that a donation might be sent in, the family agreed to leave the sugar off the table for a certain length of time. Thus a small amount was saved for the cause of Christ. Thank God, that truth on all lines is finding an echo in our souls! We are not only learning the value of money and enterprise, but we are also learning that “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.”

Wedlock is becoming more sacred. More and more the people are growing into a responsiveness to the sacredness of the marriage relation. The husband has increased in knowledge regarding his duty to his wife; the wife sees better her relation to her husband; the parents more clearly perceive what is possible and proper with reference to their children; and, therefore, we can claim thousands of homes which are sources of refinement, of love, and of purest pleasure. Music is brought in, and in many homes the family choir contributes to the enjoyment of children and parents, whose hearts feast upon mutual, sweet affection. Not long ago the writer had the pleasure of receiving the hospitality of a family in which such a choir existed. Each member had his place somewhere on the staff; either he was in the tenor, or in the alto, or in the soprano, or in the bass. Mother, father and children delightfully partook of the feast of song. Their Scripture lesson was not a long, disjointed chapter, but a single thought, namely: “The wisdom that is from above.” Its qualities were considered—they were: (1) Pure; (2) peaceable; (3) gentle; (4) approachable; (5) merciful; (6) fruitful of good works; (7) impartial; and (8) honest. This lesson was in a scheme on the blackboard, kept in the home for such purposes, thus:

Heavenly Wisdom, Its Qualities.	{ 1. Purity.
	{ 2. Peaceableness.
	{ 3. Gentleness.
	{ 4. Approachableness.
	{ 5. Mercy.
	{ 6. Fruitfulness in good works.
	{ 7. Impartiality.
	{ 8. Honesty.

This plan gave opportunity to discuss in a few words each designated quality. Each person large enough to take part was encouraged to do so. One part of the evening hour was spent in amusing literary games, like the following:

A word was suggested, and so many minutes were allowed to elapse, during which time each member of the family sought to make the greatest number of words out of the letters composing the word suggested. At the close of this allotted time, spelling was compared, and the difference as to the number of words made by each was noted. The exercise was pleasant, exciting and profitable. The writer mused: “This is so much better than gossip, unsociableness, sullen silence, and quarreling.” From the word abatement, for example, came the words: At, mat, bat, bet, tab, mate, am, an, ant, tent, beat, abate, Abe. At other times problems in mathematics furnished the wrestling point; then points in geography and history were entertained. “Name as many cities as you can containing so many thousand inhabitants, and tell where they are,” was proposed. Thus an hour or so of the early evening was profitably passed away in shunning evil and gathering knowledge for good.

We dare hope that every home will seek to improve on this line. Evil cannot be kept out of the home except in proportion as we fill it with what is good. And the quality of the home life must determine the quality of the social life, of the church life, and of the political life, as well as of the business life, of any people.

As a further illustration of the influences and plans operating among us—as a fitting conclusion—we present the following from Miss Knapp, one of the faithful missionaries of the Women’s Baptist Home Mission Society: