ITEMS FROM THE FIELD.
—An effort is being made by Rev. Mr. Roberts, of Paris, Texas, to organize a church at Dood City, where he has been holding special meetings.
—A new house of worship has been dedicated at Belle Place, La. Rev. Wm. Butler, pastor, was assisted by Rev. W. R. Polk, of New Iberia, in the dedicatory services. The A. M. A. furnished a portion of the funds for the building.
—Rev. B. F. Foster, who labored the past year as pastor and teacher at Fayetteville, Ark., will prosecute his studies at the Theological Seminary, Chicago. Rev. John M. Shippen, a recent graduate of the Theological Department of Howard University, has accepted an invitation to occupy the place vacated by Mr. Foster.
—Rev. George W. Moore, a graduate of Fisk University and Oberlin Theological Seminary, has assumed the pastoral care of the Lincoln Memorial Church, Washington, D.C., under favorable auspices. He is to supply Dr. Rankin’s pulpit one Sunday.
—Rev. Zechariah Simmons, a licentiate of the North Carolina Association, has been appointed to take charge of the mission at Woodbridge, N.C., with reference to the organization of a church. The A. M. A. has recently purchased a parsonage for his accommodation.
—The church in Oaks, Alamance Co., N.C., is building a comfortable house of worship under the supervision of Rev. J. N. Ray, its pastor, who has received $100 from the A. M. A. for the furtherance of the enterprise. Miss E. W. Douglass, an experienced missionary teacher, has been appointed to labor at this point.
—Mr. G. W. Jackson and his wife (Rose McCutcheon) are pushing their mission day and Sunday-school work at Whiteside, Tenn. They have been visited by Rev. Jos. E. Smith and Mrs. Steele of Chattanooga, and meetings of much promise have been held.
—The Clarion, of Jackson, Miss., gives an interesting report of the colored Congregational Church, organized by the A. M. A. in that city, with Rev. C. L. Harris, pastor. The church has a membership of 16 and a Sabbath-school of 63. Services are held in the hall of the Hope Fire Company. The citizens of Jackson have subscribed liberally toward the erection of a house of worship.
—Rev. S. N. Brown, while furnishing a vacation supply at Florence, Ala., has been assisted by the evangelist, Rev. J. E. Fields, in a series of revival meetings, which has resulted in an addition of twenty members to the church. This is the church which was so much depleted by the Exodus.
—Rev. A. W. Curtis, of Marion, Ala., on invitation of Rev. Dr. Raymond, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, has preached on exchange with him. This is said to be the first expression of fellowship of this kind the A. M. A. preachers have received at the South. Mr. Curtis has also accepted an invitation to exchange with the pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church South in the same city.
—Rev. Geo. W. Clark of Athens, Ga., and his people, with aid from the A. M. A., have purchased a lot and are proceeding to build a house of worship. Up to this time they have held their services in the chapel of Knox Institute.
—The A. M. A. is building a church at Pekin, N.C., with accommodations for school purposes.
—The church at Chattanooga, Tenn. (Rev. Jos. E. Smith, pastor), have built a new fence about the meeting house, which has been painted outside and inside and beautifully frescoed.
—The St. Louis Globe-Democrat says, in connection with the Press Convention: “One remarkable paper was that represented at the Convention by its business manager, R. C. Edmondson. It was The Fisk Herald, a college paper published at the Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn.; in fact, the only college paper the colored people have. It is a nice eight-page tinted paper, well printed and generally well reading journal.” The Daily World says: “The present number is of neat typographical appearance, and is filled with interesting reading matter. A liberal encouragement should be extended to this enterprise.”
—The President of the Produce Exchange, Wilmington, N.C., speaking of the school of the A. M. A., says: “The boys, after leaving the institution, get employment more readily than others, because their moral principles are higher, and because they are generally better fitted for intelligent occupation than the majority of those who profess to have received an elementary education. The people of Wilmington have great cause for thankfulness that our Negro population is so law-abiding and faithful to duty; and to take courage from the results already accomplished in a transition so violent from a life of slavery to that of freedom and citizenship in the eyes of the law. The utmost harmony has prevailed between the races for many years past, and instances of disagreement between employers and employed are far more rare than among the whites in the North.”