New Pittsburgh Courier from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 20

a LTi ej el a 1 1 7:1 'A 1 CA.TUHDAY,1 FEBRUARY 23, 1933 IIOII iLiae Days of TFkyY'oufch Go To Som Church OSF0RT SHOWS NEGRO SCHURCH IS LARGELY SELF SUPPORTING Intensive Studyr by Two Sociologists Reveals That Chnrch Is Only Institution Negro Can Really Call His Own. Th cities included in the If T. 1 1 A Houston Texas; Chicago, 'wave? Peach Conn til. ant B. C.J and Fort Btmd County, Texas.

i 1 NEW YORK, Feb. 23. The Negro church in the United States is in the main a self supporting institution, owned and controlled bv Negroes and "the outcome of the Negro's own ar iegro cnurcnes just pubiisfied Religious Research with the and Joseph WHUam Nicholson, are Ta autbora, Benjaiain Elijah Mays Ihcmxelvea Megro ministers and CJologiata, the tormor having the A. tt tia.TTnlvrBtv up rVilnn crr and tlia latter the h. D.

of Northwestern In preparing the prttint report thejr devoted two years to an Intensive study of the ftagro churches tn twelve cltlea and Tour rural counUes a total of 609 urban and 185 rural churches. From the daya of slavery to the present, the authors assert, the church has been the one Institution tktll III. WarA his own. "The church was the first community or public organization that the Negro actually owned and conuouea. Ana it is possibly true to this day that the Negro church Is the mott thoroughly owned and controlled public Institution of the race.

The study found that nine tenths ct the local churches were self sup porting and that even of the others "in the majority of cases the amount received from outside sources was so negligible that the churches would continue to exUt if the outside help.were entirely cut tar." On tha other "hand. 71 Ter cent of an the. churches Included In Cie itudywere found to be In debt, altiivusa In tearly half the cases the indebtedness amounted to less than $5,000. criticised on the ground that "except In rare Instances it is static, non progressive and fails to challenge the loyalty of many of the moat critically minded Negroes," while "the financial load of the churches Is carried in the main by less than half the "It was discovered tftat in the urban church between 25 and 48 per cent of the members ordinarily attend regularly, and that about 43 per cent support the church financially. Thi rural church receives proportionately better support, in that 7 pr cent more of the rural members actually are regular contrib utors." For urban churches a membership of between 500 and 2.000 would ceem to bring the beet results.

"The study tende to show that as the membership Increases above 2.000 wm per cent oz auenasnce, nnan U1 a. 1 ship gradually decrease." SrH WotUTm Best rT BEAUTY I I laaprov roar Appcsrmac TP1I follwrln; Apex Bjraty Preparations are just what i just inff jam bare cea loosing lor to M0 pi prove your hair and akin. APEX GROWER rr ar. tia en CIOSSATTX4. Far atlpaaah the hair with ta a mmml.

ll 11 III .11 I Hi, ess apex rues cbcaks lACKrOVDUS Ow at aS Ammm ammwy "4 M4nf ataaoa mrtm APFX nAIR CO. Zatdlaaua A Arctic Av Atlantis C2ryt N. J. aa diiwm ly mMH APEX BLEACH frwkw, i fc a pirn Urn, I wawti likwMk I IK BMkBS a akha aaWaW i cy Pcla 1X3: study are a follow! Atlanta, i. I 1 Detroit, Cincinnati, Ohio; nfrnmru Coumtv.

Ala Orannr.fyttrn by the Institute of Social and title, "The Negro's Church. NOTICE To Newsdealer and Correspondent You are respectfully request to address all 'communications to THE PITTSBURGH COURIER Instead of addressing man. to Individuals. We ask this in order to avoid delay. Pittsburgh Courier Pub.

Co. Overchurchlng was found In both the clUes and tha rural districts studied. of churches In close proximity to one another and often of the same denomination, ma' with only a 'handful of are doing the same type of work; in many Instances they are doing it poorly, and in addition are competing against one another In the twelve cities, covered by report, no effective method is being worked out to make fewer but better churches possible." The authors flud that "the vst majority of the pastors are poorly trained academically and more poorly trained theologically." In the urban churches 80 per cent of the pastors were not college graduates, while more than 90 per cent tf the rural ministry had only high chool education or less. The situation Is, however, improving. "The leadership of the urban church represents a decided change in its status as compared with former years.

The younger men bring to the ministry better collegiate nnd theological training. They are holding, in proportion to their numbers, more of tho self supporting churches than the untrained. Although the total number of theological tu dents has decreased, the number of college trained men among those in the semlnsries has increased. On the other band, there are some discouraging signs. The number of college men contemplating the ministry is small in comparison with the same type cf men entering other professions." Stenographic notes of a hundred sermons la the urban churches showed that more than three quarters of them were "abstract, other wordly, and Imbued with a magical conception of religion." The proportion of such sermons in the rural churches was considerably higher.

"One of the strongest proofs, however, that the other wordly. highly emotional type of preaching Ij passing Is found in the difficulty the minister often experiences in getUng the people to shout and say. "The shouting, highly emotional sermon cannot survive except in an atmosphere where the response Is spontaneous and warm, and two years observation during the period of this study would lead one to believe that the 'shouting' sermon is rapidly on the wane. A minister has to work too hard to get a verbal response or shout. It was really phetic to watch a college graduate try to shout his audience during thrs' distinct 'ntervals in his sermon picturing a graphic scene ir hoaven where his hearers would meet again their beloved dead.

Thore were two or three but for the most part the audlenc appeared Indifferent, and each time the minister had to retreat. Summing up their conclusions as to the Nejpro church, the authors "Like other institutions, it has glaring defects, and improvements In many spheres are greatly needed. It Is equally true, however, that there are hundreds of Negro charch js that operate sufficiently well to merit the commendation of critical minds Certainly the Negro church has been the ainlng school that has given the massesj of the race opportunity to develop." Ruby Z'irerling, the Broadway vaudeville leader, says, "Just to prove that variety at Loew's State is not cor.ftned to the stage the front of the house boasts of a a 'Judge' and a Weiss guyf SUNDAY SCHOOLS CHRISTIAN ENDEAVORS MISSIONARY SOCIETIES B. Y. P.

U. RELIGIOUS CLUBS SERMONETTE By BEV. JOSEPH GOMEZ, Minister, St. Paul A. BL E.

Church, St. Louis, Mo. A profitable field of study these days would be that of the personalities and messages of the ancient Hebrew Prophets. Haggai is particularly pertinent. Contemporary of Zechariah, his work was intensely practical and important, and in the short time alloted him, did more in awakening the conscience and stimulating the enthusiasm of the people, than any other prophet.

Conditions then were almost identical to these of our day. Distress and famine were common experiences. For sixteen years the people of Israel had neglected the rebuilding of the temple walls, and now twenty years after their return from captivity they were sorely pressed. Hear the words of Haggai: "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat but have not enough; ye drink but ye are not filled; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put into a bag with holes." Can we find a better description of our day anywhere in holy or profane literature? Here is the very parallel of our modern over production, poverty in a land of plenty, collapse of our gigantic financial institutions. And what is the remedy as suggested by Haggai? Las ten "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood and build the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord." There is work and hard work, rebuilding of the temple Israel's fount of inspiration a return an standards of faith, trust, and duty that have proved invaluable in all' the years of their glorious history.

There is a period of success that may be likened unto our post war inflation. The antithesis of that is the deflation of our present status. There is a normal life, a normal standard of hying, which is basic prosperity. Even as Haggai we point the nations to their broken altars and neglected temples as the cause of their distress, and call for a return to basic truths, and prophesy anew that then the glory of the latter house shall be greater than that of the former. I THE LIGHT HOUSE tfy REV.

A. a 4J)AMS I I shall mention the plan used by a certain church, to overcome the effects of the depression, before I conclude this series of articles. I wish to call your attenUon to the Bible and the essential place it ought to be permitted to bold during this depression. It is very timely, that I should emphasise the Bible, the book of God and eJsus Christ, when men are marring It with their foolish conceptions. Such men as Langaton Hughes, the would be skeptical poet; Rev.

J. Raymond Henderson, the flimsy, modernistic religionist; Prof. Mel vln Tolson, the double minded braggadocio of the Columbia University, and Ernest Julian White, the illogical critic of the national military home of Dayton, Ohio, who are continually perverting and confusing the teachings of Christ. I certainly will be pleased when the opportunity presents itself, so 1 can especially inform Mr. White that the Bible is scientifically in harmony with science and convincingly show him.

how ridiculous is his reasoning. Let us forget the bewildered wranglers for the time being and turn our attention to the Bible, the greatest of all books. In these days of economic problems, we need its light. When conditions are so hard that they seem to be unbearable, we need the Bible'a comfort. When despair prompts us to do something desperate, we need the enlightenment of the Blessed Hope of the Bible.

It is required during these critical times to refrain from certain luxuries and even curtail certain necessities. But it is necessary at all times and under all conditions to make use of the matchless teach ings of the Bible. In other words we should never feel that the Bible is not needed. The Bible is not a book of mere human opinions and OGnntiGGuGG OeiPQuiioims By H. W.

SCHYVALENBEBO The well bred man should never grow stale. One sure way to invite trouble is just to look upon it. We need a Presidential cabinet made of seasoned timber. You never have to work hard to make a fool of yourself. Never look down upon folks unless you travel by airlines.

a The rarest thing now about a day in June is a blushing bride, You are on the road to success if you are always on the level. The fastest ninning some autos do is to run up bills at the garage. Every man has a show in life, usually with his wife as leading lady. Gossipers and convalescents are people who live to tell ail about it. The public has a feeling too wall upholstered.

HLU K. Edited by W. P. BAYLESS MbBMbIbHsbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbsb is theories. It is! a book of living words of practicable principles.

The Bible is a book of spiritual teachings, suitable for to remedy all condiUons of this world wide depression, which are seriously affecting our existence. To verify the truth, that the Bible is a living book, I refer to John 6:63, which reads: "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." The Bible teaches the brotherly spirit and good will. It summons to helpfulness by request ing us to "Bear ye one another's burden." The Good Book also teaches charity, but with justice, it strikes hard i at the moral and social defects of the capitalistic monopoly, which 1 responsible for the present condition of poverty and suffering of the world. If the principles of Christ's instructions were appropriated would come Immediately an adjustment of society, business and the distribution of the common resources of the world. If Negroes were not so imbued with the spirit of the false religion of the white man.

this time of the age, is a great opportunity for courageous preachers of the truth. What the world needs is a knowledge of the instructions of the Bible. But, since the depression has affected the church as it has all other institutions, it seems impossible for the present group of Negro preachers to do anymore than their hypocritical white brethren. Hence, if this is the status of re ligion, church and the ministry, the only hope is Christ. Therefore, the Bible is the record of Christ and the story of Gods' purpose in all generations.

If the Bible were made applicable in all personal living, an end of hard times, poverty, unemployment. Injustice, wrong, war and every form of evil, would be witnessed. (More Next Week) i that the seat of government is THE NEW NEGRO AND RELIGION Writer Claims His Religious Feelings Can Be Divided Into Three Groups Or Attitudes. (Reprinted by permission of Opportunity Magazine) "New Negro" is an expression used so frequently that it deserves at least an attempt at definition. Ordinarily one may takt it to mean that stratum of colored Americans who were ushered into this world around the beginning of the present century, who have enjoyed greater opportunities for higher education and cultural development, and who ought now to be evincing some of tat 9 fruits of these "blessings" in their lives and ther position in this country Viewed from this angle, the more we observe the New Negro the less we see about him that is decidedly new.

Politically, economically, even socially ha stands about where his lathers stood. It is sometimes argued he has actually lost ground. Tho same old walla of prejudice and discrimination which his parents found so hard to climb are sUU standing across his path. Therefore it Is only natural that in most respects bis progress should be extremely difficult and very slow. In at least one particular, how ever, the New Negro is radically different fom previous generations he is head and shoulders above them in culture and higher education.

Ther was a time when our few high school graduates and fewer college students were looked upon valiant young warriors who had won a rreab victory after a long, hard fight each. Was hailed as a prospective Savior of his people. Today we hav these champions with tts. in abundance and even superabundance. Whether or not the New Negro's education has materially helped blm is.

of course, another question, and like most other questions may be 'answered in more than one way. There are naturally those who hold that his culture and education have helped him greatly, and that all our future progress Is thereon. But there are also those who are less inclined to optimism. They maintain that culture, and education have not produced the effects our parents prayed for by a very, very great deal; that they have served mainly to fill the New egro witlt a colossal conceit, the unds for which it is difficult to di over. They point out that in securing his higher education he has often been both impractical and unwise.

He has laid too much stress on fraternities and athletics, on social affairs and the trivial elements of college life, and not enough on suiting his education to his needs. Our less optimistic observers also point out that there is a general lack of seriousness and purpose about the New Negro as he secures his educati which in the face of things is nothing less than sad. It Is shown that most of our young men who enter medicine or dentistry do so not because they aspire to lives of scientific labor, but because they are looking for lives with little or no labor at all. These and similar considerations cause many to join with, Dr. Du Bols in declaring: "We seem to be producing somewhat more than our share of fools." But to decide this question is properly beyond the scope of our topic.

The fact remains that the New Negro is superior in education and culture to any of the generations of the past. It is these which distinguish him from other Negroes and give him just title to the adjective "New." What then are this New Negro's religious feelings? How does he react to the religion and church of his day? In answer hb may be divided into three groups or attitudes: The Shammlsts. The Materialists. The Sincere: numerically both last and least. The Shammlsts The Shammlsts are comparative ly few in number.

They are so named because their religion pres ents Itself essentially as a system of sham. They freely and rather loudly profess to be religious, but they maintain that it is of the ultra modern, highly intellectual variety that few Negroes beside themselves can appreciate or comprehend. One often meets them in two or threes around the com munity churches, the more radical sects, or some of the. exclusive semi religious cults. But never In numbers larger, than two or three.

If a given religious movement can attract more than that number ox Negroes at any one time something must be wrong with. it. and so they come, out. As a matter of fact, the Sham mist is not moved by any religious motive, but rather by the more irreligious motive but rather by that membership tn a more radical movement makes him appear Intellectual, "deep." It offers an escape from ordinary Negrodom. from which so many Negroes seem anxious to escape.

And thus religious movements along with others their guot et these, jeosle a mm Livj (Editor's Note Will the Negro Church meet the challenge of present day Negro youth The author of this article now at Tuskegee was formerly a student at the Harvard Divinity School.) who look the part but live it not The Materialists Quite different are the Materialists. They have no use for spir itual things. If given the chance they will freely admit it. They may or may not be connected with religious institutions, but if so it is purely for practical reasons. They look upon ministers as para sites and tricksters.

They regard church goers as benighted, sheep like fools who keep alive ah outworn custom, sacrificing both tbeif efforts and earnings at the shrine of some unseeing or mythical god. If they have jobs that are not dependent upon the public, and thus are not so much concerned about what others think, they re main rue to their deeper feelings and keep away completely from the church, often looking down upon it with the utmost Should they come to church at all it is purely for social, reasons; some times because they wish to be en tertained. They feel as they ob serve what happens in pew and pulpit as a psychiatrist must feel when he watches a group of maniacs at play. This attitude is espe cially prevalent among those who when in college took Bible But if their living happens to be derived from the public by busi ness or in some professional field, theey force themselves to take part in church work solely for whatever advantage the contact may bring, Thus one frequently sees a young lady singing loudly In the choir. She wants the church to send her off to a I musical school.

A young man will be very active in. the young people's society or will even suffer to teach a Sunday school class. He hopes that for these worthy labors he will be aided financially in betting through school. One often sees an athetis tic doctor passing the plates at col lection time. Dentists become deacons; lawyers serve as trustees; the druggist! and tailor assist in rais ing funds.

Tet in all this activity there isn't a shadow of religious sincerity. They are working solely for selfish aims. Let a man be moved by a dream of a business project, no matter bow wild or impractical it may be, the first thing he does is to make for the churches, as a mule heads for the stable at feeding time. With the fall I election came the politicians, each desiring to say "a few words." When one considers the extent to which the Negr6 Church has bceu preyed upon by our so called business and professional leaders ha is not surprised at its lack of progress. The wonder is that the church has survived.

Its serious reflection on the morals of our et a when such duplicity can be so freely indulged in without causing even' a semblance of shame. It is site to say that by far most New Negroes are Materialists. The reasons Jfor it are of course quite plain. The recent period of popular religious criticism with its weakening and rejection of many prevalent ideas; the New Negro's rising intelligence, his disregard for dogma, and particularly with race prejudice, have all served to undermine the faith of the present generation or to prevent them from developing what faith they did not have. Then there is a decided tendency among them to look upon all religion as a superstitious and debased hangover, from an ignorant and ignoble past.

In bis effort to get away from Ignorant orthodoxy be has gone from one to the extreme. As he felt the old religion to be the acme of Ignorance, be thinks athetlsm is the height of sense. He has leaped from gods to no gods. The Negro Church because, of its Ignorance has not understood the New Negro's mind. It has contented itself to stand on unbending orthodoxy and defiantly has watched its younger element drift away.

In the blame for the present trreligion. the church must apportion itself generous (Continued next week) Heard at the Seventh Avenue Roxy: "Thirty five cents! Can you break a "Sure, will three sUckels al" 9 up for I treasures In heaven, where neither moth," nor rust doth corrupt, not break la! Lay Claims Poet Shows That 131 Christ Then Christ's Time's Out By JAMES Professor of Social Science, Morris Brown College 'Sacrilegious "infidelic," "awful," 'terrible," "sham ful," and a million other suck terms are just a few of those I have heard used recently in referring to Langston Hughes' poem, "Good Bye by a hasty, unthinking and narrow minded herd of peoplt rlles ious." seems to sive fair and proper description to the poem, and with the help of sound reasoning it Is my purpos to say that the rest ox them may make an unfair indictment against our poem composer. At the outset be it known that this scribe Is a firm believer in the Christian faith that it is not his purpose to show that all of the poem is right and fair, but to show that much of it is not wrong and unfair as an indictment against the church that was jdesignated by Christ Himself and men as well purport His philosophy here on earth, and not as an incrimination against Christ, the Saviour, the Re deemer, the Friend, tne Humanitarian and the Personification of His whole philosophy of Uf "Brotherly The foregoing paragraph introduces you with another purpose of the writer, that a just conception of a part of this "poebV' depends largely upon liberal interpretation of its meaning. Do those ef you who) are my acquaintances judge 'me by my disposition sjnd decorum in my private room when no one else is around or do yon judge my whole nature In accordance with me in my social relationships with others outside this domain? Do you criticise what I think about and do in private, provided it Is wrong by trying to look inside of me or dor you usually ao against me on the jMLsis of my disregard for conventions and codes as you observe them without effort? You have' already answered the latter portion of both queries with a strong "Tes, I do." Is it then not likely that Langston Hughes, although kn (Swing the real philosophy of Jesus Ch 1st has conveniently used His nan: analagous with the church that is the exterior of Christ the interior) bow that He has passed from active human life. In order, to awaken us so called Christians who have abused His institution, the church, a.

sense ot our lurking and faltering duty to It? And speaking of liberal interpretation of the poem, do we not find it even necessary to pit ce the same upon certain passages of scripture? We agree that. the feeding of the five thousand, and the parting of the water of the Red Sea are somewhat legendary, all jfor the benefit of those minds that could not grasp the true power Of Jesus other than by the use of such parables. Let us then deal as fairly With Hughes as we do with Bible authors, and give the free Interpretation that he refers to the church rather than to Christ. i When the idea first came to him, would you not imagine that it was less rash and raw, but that the more attempts he madd to write his poem, the more involved be be came? He probably found it hard after a period to personify Christ as an Institution and thus the sac rilegious treatise. How; many times have you! acted more rashly nan you originally planned after becom ing involved? Religion has jaot failed! Christ has not; failed for His two word philosophy love" snau always live IX humanity is to move on.

but the church is tending In a downward direction. It has, since shortly after the sojourn of the Master here among men. The ponlncaie ef Pope Orairorv (590404. A. D.

was "Make the world accept the primacy of the church," Surely this included the domination of tha state that was tempore as wen as the church. wmcn was (to bel snirirnaL Downitigtownlnd During the depression we are iuc'oiir tees to $15X3 per month a savin TO YOU cl tZ Ll i car year. We are now campaigning for funds with which to improve the YOU CAN HK1.P. WeTOit only boy and gtrU OF GOOD CHARACTER who aw rcidy fcr LEAS'1 EL tU CTAXXXNCC Tr Prtnclpal and where thieves do through nor steaL" IfortAew T. W.

Mif.Q8sor If the Church In U. S. A. 1 OLTVE1S SLADE sac rU(EREUTI0NS DAY OBSERVED IN I.IANY CITIES Race Relations Day was fitting observed on Sunday, Feb. many cities throughout the United States.

Pulpits were exchanged be tween white, and minlsten. Through the leadership of the the various meeting! Toledo, On were quite successful. Rev, Reid, Rev. B. I Caudill and Dr.

M. S. Collins wirt responsible for successful meetian in Huntington, Reporti from Boston. New TOrk City, 1 dlanapoiU Chicago, Cleveland ant Buffalo Indicate remarkable prof ress is being' made in develop better race relatons. In Chlcaft the Rev.

Waymsni Ward deUre ed the principal address over 'i nationwide NBC hookup. do you not know that most ef ttt struggles in medieval history grrt but of conflict between church ul state over Gregory's platform or influence In. the chnrch? And et you not know that the church lesd lug up to the days (and after la some degree) was as great (if sat greater) a defender' of. monardiis government as the stater WW is monerchial government, you ink It Is case system classes ats masses lords and serfs mastor and slaves the domination ot Us weak by the strong. Was that Christianity? Was thai ''Love thy! neighbor as thyself," Christ said? A thousand times, so! And are we not still guilty ot many of these same abuses sni more la trils modern era? You kno we are.

And, by he way reader, that lltical Institution Commnniian that you blame for making fool out 4 Hughes (you say) is really noon Christ like, with its sJtrulstio piriform than many of our political institutions tbat exist side bfU wth Christianity. So maybe Hugb is not so unchristian after all. And remember without soom guilt you readily turn a deaf ear to accusation, but I believe we hat paused, atj the command of Hugiai to study 4ur situation. Retaembtr further, tl at when a man is 4 hep less fool, we do not take time to remind hlsn of it I re peal! not Christ but the church (and Hughes associated the two) falling anf shall fall completely lees we, as cnnstians, stop" us merous abuses of which ws art guilty at this time. You know what they are.

Hughes simply had the "gw to challenge us for our falterinf. identification with Christ's Institu tion, the church, and we are rest sible for it It might have been rac but so was Luther's. end Carrai method considered is their day. and so was all other such technlqi used In stirring mankind to a sea of his negligence, oversight, dutfr etc and po win It always be. When moderation and conserra tlsm radicalism Is necessary.

Hushes was the radical. Hughes simply said if the cnuru taken es whoie is th unit States is Christ, that Christ's tin was out So the challenge' eomee to us. The gentleman at issue evokM the wrath and awe of maox wia Oood Bye Christ but did he also engage some ef our long employed brain I ask you then, is there not ton virtue in such a poem?.