VOLUME XXIII T-r . : ? ?j < r ; - COLUMBI A. 8. a SATURDAY FEBRUARY 12 1921 NUMBER 13 Dear Mr. Editor: It has bean some time since the writer gave to yoaif manyreaders an account o? his going to and frb in Ihe^^tepesl ol tie Voorhe*3e for mai ^and industrial School of Den-| mark, the Tuskegie of South Caro lina. Our first visit for mention was made to Atlanta, Ga., in cbmpany with Prof. A. W. Nfcholson^principal of ^Uie Bettis Academy of 'renton, C. The meeting was called by Superintendent of Bureau ton of W; Educ Uionv > Ctoxr j D. & together of the heajis of all the voca-j tional schools from \ Virginia to Tex$s to discuss the benefits of vocational education upon the rural life of the Negro.i the meeting lasted two November ?S-19. The sessions being held in the capitai building in the Senate chamber, and your humble ser vant occupying what he never dreamed as possible, a seat | in the Senate -of thej great State o\' Georgia, Nolens votens, we must agree with Dr. Silas X|Royd ,that Georgia is the firs| ancf foremost State in the Union, We learned at this me? ing, thatfi??t year thei?tat?^rf T?nui ?^i^rl^^ Negro education ojrer eight hundred thousand dollars, ijiouisiana appropri ated two hundred aijid jsixty^ven thou sand, and South qaroliaa wtth an appropriatali of one hundred and sixteen thousand for Negro, edu-j cation. Our speech before the gath ering was not lon?, ' Imt jw&??i this statement recorded [inth*proceedings, thai in Bamberg Jcounty^ wn?r? the Voorhees School is located, that tile Negroes in 191? Ibi* sevem tino >?d?^?1 the attention of the United States government! as never before, and soon all vocational schools will re ceive government ajid. Por next visit, December 10, was scheduled for New (York City, for the purpose of having as "face to face" talk with Dr. Wallace Buttrick, chairman of the general education board. En route ,we stopped in Philadelphia, Pa., and obtained the following letter of introduction to Dr. IButtrick: Ptals.dejlphia, Dec. 14. Dr. Wallace Buttrick, New York Citjj. ik$ Dear Dr. Buttrick: This will in troduce to you Rev. E. R. Roberts, who is the principal of [ the Voorhees Nor mal and Industrial School of Denmark, S. C, a school for jthe training of col ored young men and young women. I have known Mr. Roberts intimately for a number of years. He made a splendid record as a State Sunday School worker in ithe employ of the American Baptist {Publication Society fora number of years. His praise is in all the churches and schools in that part of the Sputa land. Two years ago, he was called to his present work as principal of the Voor hees School. I visjited the school last Kay and preached j the "Baccalaureate Sermon to a splenqid graduating class of fine young folks.! There was a great congregation present on that occasion. They have a number of unusually fine school buildings asjd there are big pos sibilities ahead of them. Their campus, for a. school of this sort, is one of the host that I have I seen in the South land. They are 1 especially in need of % new chapel tjuilding; their pres eat building being; altogether unsuitec and inadequate ior their needs, j have no hesitancy! in saying that ani money given towards their proposed new chapel building, will be the besi kind of investment. Any service yot may be able to rejader to Mr. Robert wilt be greatly Appreciated by my self. He is a m?st worthy brother true; tried and dependable. With every goo? wish, I am, Very slncj&rely yours, S. G. Neil, Bible and Field ; Secretary America] Baptist Publication Society. Before leaving jfor New York Citj we filled the pulpit of Rev. A. R. Rot insoa of the Shiloh Baptist Churci Dr. Robinson was | just recovering fror. a severe attack ok indigestion, whicl rendered him as the French say, "nor de combat" We preached in hi SECOND G E T-TOGETHER MEETING RACE CONFER ENCE PROMOTERS. Tomorrow afternoon at 4 o'clock the second get-together meeting of Colum bians preparatory to the great Race Conference" next week, February 16th and 17th, will he held at First Calvary Baptist Church. All lovers of good music and short and helpful speeches should avail themselves of the oppor tunity to attend this meeting. Come early and get comfortable seats. Bring your whole family with you.* stead, morning and night to an audi ence that filled the auditorium from pulpit to , door ; earnestly pointing to the repentance that leads to God, and to faith in Jesus our Lord. At the ; night service, seven joined for bap tism. The ?hurch was just finishing up a drive for ten thousand dollars; and they collected every dollar of the amount in one month. An after col lection of (35.00 was given us for the work at Voorhees. We give the fol lowing fronda recent letter to us from Dr, .Robinson. s? **1 am writing to report to you my condition at this time. I am consid erably improved , in health and hope, ere long, to be able to take hold and hanule my work. It is really beauti ful the patience and sympathy which my church is exercising during my illness. They are doing things for me that I did not dream they would do. Every little detail is being looked af ter and done for my comfort. They do not want me to worry about one thing,jasL they are willing to wait until I am welL This is very kind of them. Ail o? my needs are being taken care of by ; them in every way, and with great delight. Such things as I can eat they delight to furnish. All of this tends to lighten my burden and make early regain my very mons you preached at Shiloh will never be forgotten. I guess the Lord sent you here just at the time with these two splendid messages for the people, and to give cheer and comfort to me." We left for New York City on Wed nesday, December 15th, arriving there safe and sound, and found a royal wel come to the home of Rev. J. B. F. Coleman, who was for several years chaplain of the Voorhees School, which he resigned to accept the ^Presidency of Liberia College of Monrovia, Libe ria. Dr. Coleman is at present taking a post-graduate course at Columbia University, preparatory to his return to Africa. After transacting our busi ness with the General Education Board and returning to our habitat, we met the Rev. H. L. Jones, D. D., who is a graduate of Columbia University, and at present pastor of the Baptist Church at Yonkers, N. Y. We spent the night at his hospitable home en joying the many good things of life bountifully provided. Dr. Jones is formally of Virginia, and he is thinking of returning South. We have invited him to come to South Carolina, it being the garden spot of the world. Churches in the State in need of a pastor might write him. His address is No. 248 W 133d street. The Christmas holidays being near at hand we decided to return home and receive our Santa Claus under our vine and fig tree. Our next visit found us at the Tus kegee Institute, attending the Annual Farmers' Conference by specila invi tation of Dr. R. R. Moton, the princi pal, who asked us to deliver an ad dress ?n "Why the Compulsory School Law as applied to the Negro child was largely ineffective. We delivered the same before the Worker's Conference. The Montgomery Advertiser (daily) spoke most flatteringly of our speech, for we dealt with the cause rather than the effect The Annual Farmers' Conference of Tuskegee brings to its campus not only the farmers, but the heads of schools and educators from the entire South land. Not to visit the confer ence is to miss one of the greatest meetings annually held for the uplift of the race. Dr. Booker T. Washing ton laid the foundation of Tuskegee, but Dr. Moton is erecting a superstruc ture greater and grander than any leader of the race in America ever dreamed of. Long may he live to bless and be a blessing to the race. E. R. Roberts. ??UTH CAROLINA RAtt. CONFERENCE ?7th Annual Session, February 1647, Columbia, ?. C. You are cordially invited to be present at the 17th A? nuaf Session of the South CarolinaKace Conferme to be held in Columbia February 16th and 1/?, 1921... The following speakers havebee? invited tjo address the meeting: Wednesday morning, 9:30 to??~T^? Educational Di vision meets at Sidney Park Church, ?res. R. S. Wdkinson, lead ing, assisted b? Prof. T. L. Duckett, Benedict College, and Mrs. C. G. Garrett, Supervisor Schools, Richland County. Wednesday morning, 9:30 to l|:^The Farmers' Divi sion, leader, Mr. J. E. Dickson, ?. 5. Demonstrator, Richland County, assisted by R. W. Westberry, Sumter County, and Mr. F. W. Williams, Richland County. Wednesday, 9:3r\in name a few of the great evils piich are hindering the prog ress of the country: First, strong drinfcsj The public sale of strong drink j:s permitted, and whiskey is imported in large quantities. Second, the virtual existence of slavery what I would call blind' tiger slavery, be cause jthe laws of the country being It. It is carried on in an un na way. For instance, a child Pawned for a certain sum of money] in case: the owner of the child, some 01 his people, or some one in terested in his freedom fails to re deem kirn. He is compelled to work for the rerson to whom lie is pawned as I?n? as he lives,* without receiving anytnicg for his labor save the food which he eats. The son of a chief was in our mission. The chief died. The next *eek his mother carried him off and panned him for the sum of $480. A tt?rd great evil is a society known I NOTICE. A Religious Congress to bo Held at Morris College Tuesday, Feb. 22d. || On Tuesday, February 22d (George yaehington's Birthday), Rev. J. J. ?tarks, president of Morris College, Bumter, S. C, invites the ministers of all denominations in the Pee Dee sec tion to come to the chapel of Morris Coliege at 9:30 a. m. until 12:00 noon, gad hear a great se; non on "Evange lism" by a gentleman, who comes from the far north. Afterwards we will have short statements by the South Carolina brethren of all denomina tions. Come, A Free Dinner Given to All. ; The singing during the day will be done by a hundred voices. Good mu sic will be played by the best band in the State. Your soul will be filled with power upon leaving these hal lowed grounds. J. J. Starks, Pres, Morris College. Richard Carroll, Columbia, S. C, . Assistant for this day's meeting. ? _. iti ??? . f as a Leopard Society. Leopards are very numerous in this country. They give the people much trouble* attack ing their goats, sheej?, hogs and cows, carrying them off in the bush and eat ing them, but a leopard will not attack a person unless he is wounded. The Leopard Society is a set of canabals or men who eat human flesh. They disguise themselves by putting on a leopard skin and crawling about pre tending to be a wounded leopard. When he sees an unarmed person by himself. He carries in his hand a dagger with which he stabs his prey. The laws of the country are strictly against the society, and the executives are doing all they can to exterminate it. But it being a secret society, it will take- time. The people here seem to be great believers in society. T&e strongest society oat, here, from our point of view, is the Grigie Bush, or Devil Bush, as it is commonly called. The members of this society publicly ?PIPI ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Time will not permit me to describe this society in full. Hope to tell you more about it at a later date, also of our controversies with the Mohame dams. I I I have a very bright boy, which I hope you will support in our school. We have several children who need scholarships. We make $25.00 per year support a child, and some of our children are almost grown. A very small sum indeed, but somehow by the help of the good Lord we get through by supplementing the scholarship funds with a part of our salary. We have just closed a successful re vival meeting at the Zioir'Grove Bap tist Church, of which the Rev. J. O. Hays is pastor. Twenty-three accept ed Christ as their personal Saviour, among whom was a notorious infidel. This infidel was a hard nut to crack, as he would not visit church to hear the gospel preached. A committee was formed, consisting of Sisters A. Hays, L. Smart, A Moore, C. Bowens, i P. Bryant, Bryant again and Marie E. ! Burke. They went to his house, which was about four miles away. At first he made them very unwelcome. He told them he had no time to bother with them and they had better go back home. When they insisted on him, he began abusing them in harsh language. He assured them that he did not appreciate their interest at all, and that it was none of their busi ness how he died or where he would go after death. He did not believe in God or Jesus Christ, neither did he believe that there was a heaven or hell. The Bible to him was no more than any other book. He got so an gry'with them that he cried and tried to drive them from his house. But instead of going they forced him in the house and entered themselves, Singing "I Dreamed That the Greaf Judgment Morning Had Dawned and the Trumpet Had Blown." After sing ing, Mrs. Burke read a passage of Scripture and laid her hand no his head and prayed as if they were or daining him to the gospel ministry. All of the sisters prayed. At the close of the meeting he seemed to have had a better spirit toward them. ?He then thanked them for showing their interest in him, but still he claimed that he did not have time to go to church. Furthermore, he was living in a house alone and had no one to look after his things while he was away. But the spirit of God pre vailed and some time during that night he became anxious about the LOOKING OVER THE FIELD. Notes by ^Rev.. Richard Carroll. Since leaving Voorhees Industrial school, Denmark, S. C, I have spent a number of mos^t comfortabie day* with Dr. J. W. Boykin and Deacon T J. Boykin of Camden, and lastly, with Rev. A. W. Hill, D. D., and family at Aiken, the famous winter resort. I went into the country to look around Storm Branch Academy. At this school cleanness abounds. Though six miles in the country, where the Union met, th? church, - steps and surroundings were clean. In Aiken, S. C, the drug store of Dr. . C. C. Johnson is one of the most up to-date; and I don't mean of colored drug stores, but of all drug stores in \ South Carolina. His patronage comes from both races, from the lowest to the highest. Politeness, courtesy and grace abounds. In Dr. Johnson, the Baptists of South Carolina have one of the greatest laymen, with ability to preside at and on all occasions anywhere in America. At the parsonage Rev. A. W, Hill and his wife spared no pains in mak ing me comfortable. As costly as chickens are, they had chickens on the table from their own yard. Mrs. Hill is a good cook from "Old Vir ginia." She is among the young women who knows how to make corn bread eatable when only made of water, salt and meal. Good fires were in my room and the study. Bro. Hill has two diplomas; one from Benedict College and one from the Union Uni versity of Virginia, He is still dig ging away at Science and Philosophy. Say what you may, I believe he is one of the many who is struggling to do right Rev. W. Kenner lives & this city. He has just married a wife and is as happy as a lark. Both he and his wife have property and tb?y have a plantation together. t Kart Sunday I go to Bluffton, S. C, hah, Ga., with my old friend as man ager, the Rev. J. M. Glenn, of the A. M. E. Church. He, tells m? that he has the co-operation of the Baptists for ten miles around and other citizens, white and colored. So next Sunday he hopes to ha?ve a great meeting. Some Notes. The Rev. Richard Carroll states that he was partly instrumental m get :ing the Rev. G. A. Burke in the Lott Carey Convention as a missionary in Africa. Without calling names just now, he has reliable information that some money is going forward to help Rev. Burke educate ten students in the Brewerviile, Liberia Normal and Industrial school, West Coast Africa. The editor of The indicator, is right: Make the preachers, teachers and oth ers who we advertise in papers, pay for it. My writings are free, but the publisher should have pay for all ad vertisements. It is said that Mrs. Cora Boykin will - be the general manager of the Negro Baptist hospital that is to be in Columbia. She can manage the wo men aifd men folks of Baptist persua sion, well. welfare of his soul. He got up the next morning and moved everything he had to a neighbor's house, em ployed the neighbor to keep them for him, arid left home for church, declar ing that he would never return home again until he had found Jesus, pre cious to his soul, and that he did. They came in contact with another infidel, who delighted in cursing Christ. Calling Him a bastard and so forth, but now he is seeing the^ Saviour. He ran away from his home when he found that a committee was coming to see him, and went to the house of the Justice of the Peace, whom he thought had directed them to his house, and cursed''him shame fully. He dodged them like a crim inal would dodge a possee of sheriffs. But, like a possee of sheriffs, they fol lowed him until they found him, and took him by force in the midst of his blastphemy and carried him to the nearest house, where they read, sang and prayed for. him. The next day he was found looking for them to pray for him again. t I am asking Mrs. Burke to relate to you another incident which time does not permit me to do just now. Thank ing you in advance for assistance ren dered and remaining your most loving brother and everlasting frien^. G. A. Burke.