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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (July 24, 1915)
The Monitor A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Eight Thousand Colored People in Omaha and Vicinity, and to the Good of the Community The Rev. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor $1.00 a Year. 5c a Copy. Omaha, Nebraska, July 24, 1915 Volume I. Number 4 BISHOP ALEXANDER WALTERS ADDRESSED ENDEAVOR CON GRESS IN CHICAGO LAST WEEK Takes Optimistic View of the Unify ing Power of Christianity. Chicago, July 13.--The fifth world’s and twenty-seventh international con vention of the Society of Christian En deavor was opened in the Colliseuin, July 5. It closed July 15. Among the distinguished members of the convention was Rishcp Alex ander Walters, who addressed Ihe body on the subject, ‘‘Christianity, the Solution of the Race Problem.” He spoke in part as follows: “I admit that race prejudice is deep seated, stubborn, and .one of the hard est things to eradicate in all the world. The learning and culture of the Greeks and the Romans were unable to erad icate race prejudice. Even Christian ity as practiced in the ages past has been unable to conquer it. Rut in or der to know whether Christianity will in the future overcome and destroy race prejudice, we must take a retro spective view and see what, deep rooted and gigantic evils Christianity has overcame and destroyed. Chris tianity met and struggled with the monster paganism -throttled it and strangled it to death. When the strug gle began paganism had learning, court influence, wealth and prestige on its side; while Christianity had pover ty and was without learning or wealth —•but it had the Christ-life—the divine life—divine love, an inherent force on its side, and with these qualities it has conquered paganism. Christianity has slain the Goliath of Slavery. "When I study the history of the past it appears to me that Jehovah has, throughout the ages, carried forward His great work of reformation and civ ilization by the selection of one great truth at a time, and making it para mount until it found lodgment in the hearts of men. “First. It was the great truth of the Fatherhood of God, that was put forward. Said Jehovah, ‘I am God, and besides me there is none else. I am the Father of all living and have universal dominion.’ It required cen turies to make the world accept this truth, but with the acceptance of this truth camb the overthrow of ancient idolatry. "Second. The second great truth presented to the world was the Christ —the life and light of the world He said of himself, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’ To Pilate’s ques tion, 'What is the truth?’ Christ an swered, ‘I am the truth.’ Men said, ‘We care nothing for your pretentions, and we will not have you reign over us.’ The struggle for mastery began at the beginning of the first century and has continued until now. It is ad mitted on all sides that Christ has con quered. The spirit of the Galilean is today the controlling influence in leg islation. Christ is the inspirer of all Think on These Things ALL MEN SHOULD AIM TO BE “Men who never shame their mothers, Men who never fail their brothers, Men who stand for country, home and God.” DAN DESDUNES, BANDMASTER Director of the Popular First Regimental Band Now Giving Municipal Concerts. the reform movements of the world of which we hear so much. “Tyrannies, race discrimination, the burning of Negroes at the stake, op pression of women, ignorance, pov erty and crime coexist with the Chris tian religion in different lands. Still 1 am sure that the vital forces of which I have spoken, that mighty power which has uprooted gigantic evils, will overcome these evils. “Third. The third great truth is the recognition of the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the world. He is counseling, guiding and controlling in the affairs of men. We are just be ginning to understand that the Holy Spirit is the executive of the God Spirit—that He is the Eternal Spirit— the vital force in the world. We are getting our eyes open to see this great truth—and to see the need of the pres ence and power of the Holy Spirit. “Fourth. The fourth great truth is Redemption. The sacrificial death of Christ to save the world. His atone ment. At last the truth of redemption has found lodgment in the hearts of men and a place in literature. Re demption is an established fact and men are being saved through this great truth. ‘‘Fifth. The fifth great truth is the brotherhood df man and to establish this fact and make it workable is the work of the twentieth century. The brotherhood of man is the acme of the teachings of Christ. Handicaps. ‘‘With oriental people their handicap is race rather than color, because they have not been favored with leadership and have not made the same progress that European people have made. They are considered inferior, and thus de nied equality. With the native African it is color and race that are their han dicaps, and being still further back than the orientals in the race of life it will require a longer time to achieve an equal place in the human family. It is Christianity, and Christianity alone, that is to level the barriers and (Continued on second page) DEATH OF JUDGE GIBBS OF LITTLE ROCK, ARK. Had Distinguished Career. Little Rock, Ark., July 13.—Judge Mifflin W. Gibbs, one of the early pioneers of the Negro race, died at his home in Little Rock on Sunday, July 11, at the ripe old age of 93 years. He was born in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1822, and in early life was appren ticed as a carpenter, which trade he followed for several years. His first appearance in public was in the cause of abolition and it was while engaged in this fight that he met Frederick Douglass, with whom he spoke at many public meetings. In 1849 he went to California during the gold rush and there established, in part nership, a large mercantile store. in a few years he came back East and married, and on his return to the West settled in Vancouver, British Columbia. He here had the distinc tion of getting and completing the contract to build the first railroad in British Columbia. He also became prominent in the political affairs of Vancouver. He returned to the states in the late ’60s and settled in Ober lin, Ohio, so that his children might receive their education at Oberlin col lege. The little village of Oberlin was too progressive for a man of his active and acute business mind; so, leaving his family there, he went to the grow ing Southwest and settled in Little Rock, Ark. Here he studied law and grew to be a power in the politics of that state. In 1872 he was elected a municipal judge of Little Rock, be ing the first man < his race to achieve this honor. For i generation he was a delegate at large from Ar kansas to the Republican national conventions and was one of the “Old Guard” that went down with Grant. He held, four high federal offices un der as many Republican presidents, the last being that of United States Consul to Madagascar. Judge Gibbs was a man- of philan thropic heart as well as keen intel lect and derived his greatest happi ness from his benefactions to any and all enterprises which sought the bet terment and uplift of his people. In his honor the city of Little Rock named a high school after him a few years ago. He was also a consider able and able writer for newspapers and magazines and was the author of "Shadow and Light,” an autobiog raphy which is really a contempora neous history of the colored people as he saw it and knew it. He is survived by three children, Mrs. Ella Gibbs Hunt, wife, of Hon. William Hunt, United States Con sul to St. Etienne, France; Horace Gibbs, an Illinois business man, and Mrs. Harriet Gibbs Marshall, wife of Counsellor S. Marshal, of New York city, and founder of the Wash ington Conservatory of Music.