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SATURDAY, FFfiftUYRY 13. Wco
The Slave With the Golden
Tongue: the Story of
Richard Allen
By EMORY 45. DAVIS
Director Public 'Relations,
AME Chufch
(Written 'rrchtsivt'ly for ANP 1 )
Drip of the most remarkable per¬
sonalities in the field of religion
whs Richard Allen, founder of the
African Methodist Episcopal
Church, who was born 200 years
ago this month.
His life was full of ironic twists.
A slave with a golden tongue,
Allen converted his master who
became conscience stricken and
allowed him to purchase his free¬
dom and that of his brothers.
He became an evangelist, preach¬
ing mostly to white congregations,
but became the father of the old¬
est Negro religious denomination
ill “America.
A religious leader with an eye
on the practical welfare of his
followers, he also founded an in¬
surance company, the first institu¬
tion of its kind established by Ne¬
groes in the United States.
Richard Allen was born in Feb¬
ruary 14, 17(10 in Philadelphia,
slave of Benjamin Chew, an attor¬
ney, who later became attorney
general of the State of Pennsyl¬
vania and chief justice of the High
Court of Appeals.
Allen was sold to a Mr. Stockley,
Dover, Del. along with his par¬
ents and three other children in
17(17.
It was during his teen-age years
that Richard Allen had an aware¬
ness of sin and salvation. “During
which time I was awakened and
brought to see myself, poor,
wretched and undone, and with¬
out the mercy of God must be
lost.”
“After nights and days of fev-
vent prayer he was converted, “my
sins were a heavy burden. I cried
unto him who delighteth to hear
the prayers of a poor sinner, and
all of a sudden my dungeon shook,
my chains flew off, and glory to
God, I cried.
Immediately, he began exhorting
with great eloquence his com-
panions and family and joined the
Methodist Society. He attended
the Methodist class meeting in a
forest near Dover, under the lead¬
ership of Benjamin Wells.
Allen described his master as a
tender, humane man. Allen, how¬
ever felt he was giving too much
time and interest to the Methodist
services and not enough to his
slavd^f&b. Feeling that he was
n<Blacting his chores, he volunteer¬
ed not to attend so Often.
rfHlis master decided that Allen
i$jd his companions should
“strive to be good,” and urged
them to continue attending wor¬
ship services.
Later upon invitation of Rich¬
ard Allen, Freeborn Garrettson, a
Methodist Evangelist went to
Stockley’s house and preached.
Stockley was converted.
The newly-converted master be¬
came conscience-stricken about the
ispue of slavery and consented for
Allen and his brothers to pur¬
chase their freedom for $2000 in
continental currency.
'This Allen did in .777, the same
year of his master’s conversion.
Allen began traveling and
preaching and for several years
supported his misionary crusade
with odd jobs. He traveled
throughout Delaware, New Jersey,
t ' Pennsylvania these Interestingly travels and most enough, Maryland. of his preach¬ during
ing was to whites, many of whom
marveled at the power of his
preaching, and were converted. He
ofttimes traveled with Methodist
circuit adders.
He attended the Christmas con¬
ference of the Methodists in 1784
at "Baltimore when Methodism in
America was formally organized
.
and saw Francis Asbuvy consec¬
rated America’s first Methodist
Bishop. set
' “Many of the ministers were
apait In holy orders at this con¬
ference, and were said to be en¬
titled to the gown, and I have
thought religion has been declin¬
ing itrtfre church ever since.”
The next year, Bishop Asbury
asked Ailed to travel with him,
however he warned Allen that he
would not be allowed to “inter¬
mix with the slaves, in the slave
countries, lounuiw, and I would -— frequently * -
have to 'sleep in his carriage, and
he would ,, allow I,-------- me my victuals and and
clothes.
“After some discussion with
Bishop Asbury, Allen made up his
niind, “I would not accept of his
proposals.” traveling min¬
He continued his
istry settling in Philadelphia in
February,of 1786. Here he joined
St. George Methodist Church on
Fourth St., preaching to the slaves
at 6, a.m.- on Sunday. He was a
class leader of “Black Class No.
1” and developed ft into 42 mem¬
bers. Irtchided was one, Sarah
Bass, who later became his wife.
Referring to the African ‘Slaves
as “Adams’ lost ’race," Allen dis¬
covered that few of them attended
public worship. He felt the slaves
would respond more if they had a
house of worship of their own.
His efforts to establish a
place met with strong ^opposition
and threats of expulsion from St.
George’s ministry.
The growing attendance of the
slaves at St. George Church
brought about a change in seating
Slaves were required to sit in the
seats around the waR *r.d later
ordered into the gallery.
One Sornlay, after service had
begun and the congregation had
knelt for prayer, one of the trus¬
tees ordered the slaves, who were
in the gallery, up off their knees.
Although they offered to leave
the service after piayer, they were
pulled from their knees during
prayer by t’ustees of the church
who objected to their kneeling in
the gallery.
"We all went out of the church
in a body, and they were no more
plagued with us in the church.”
Despite the fact that Allen ‘and
his companions had subscribed and
solicited funds for building St.
George Church, they now were
faced with the task of soliciting
funds for their own house of wor¬
ship.
A Philadelphia physician, Dr.
Benjamin Rush, and a prominent
Methodist laymen, Robert Ralston,
who served as treasurer for the
fund drive, gave Allen consider¬
able help in securing a meeting
place. Richard Allen and Rev. Ab
solom Jones solicited $300 on the
first day.
Threats of expulsion still came
from St. George’s officials but
Allen felt that the Methodist doc¬
trine suited his people best, or¬
ganizing his group to accept the
Methodist discipline of church gov-
ernmwit.
Allen purchased an old frame
blacksmith shop and hauled it
the lot Of Sixth near
had carpenters repair it and
July 29, 1794,. Bishop Francis
bury dedicated it as Bethel
can M E Church, preaching
dedicatory sermon.
Subsequently, the
Conference tried to maintain
trol of the church and
Allen from preaching by
ing ministers who demanded
horbitant salaries, one
preaching only five times a
for a cost of $200.
After months of
threats and intimidations from
Methodist Conference, a
vania Supreme Court '
freed the church from the
odists Allen served as pastor,
Bishop Asbury maintained a
sistent interest in the
group and its problems.
Richard Allen’s interest in
plight of the early slaves
beyond their religious needs.
along with Absalom Jones,
liam White and five others
an insurance society, known
the “Free African Society”
was chartered in
May 17, 1787.
The premium (subscription)
one shilling per month, with
ments to the needy of three
ings and nine pence per week.
mands on the Society during
yellow fever epidemic of
bankrupted it. Benefits for
and children of deceased
bers were provided.
From early September of
into January of 1794, Allen
dered heroic service during
yellow fever epidemic, burying
dead and arranging nursing
ice for suffering victims.
He received a letter of
mendation from Mayor
Clarkson, Jan. 23, 1794. Dr. Ben¬
jamin Rush worked with Allen in
the process of “bleeding” the suf¬
ferers. “We have bled upwards of
800 people, and do declare we have
not received to the value of $1.50
therefor.”
By 17% Allen had organized
the African Evening Free School
which met at Bethel, in an
to stamp Out illiteracy.
Richard Alien became the first
---------
A ME bishop when the church was
formally organized in April, 1816.
He whs the father of six children,
four boys and two girls. Allen
died in 1831 and his wife Sarah
died 19 years later.
Mementoes of Allen’s life and
^perience are enshrined at Mother
Bethel AME Church, Philadelphia.
Among these ate first pulpit desk,
Said to Be hand made by him; the
first pulpit Bible from which he
preached and his tomb which many
hundreds will visit during the
Episcopal Church Photo
THREE EPISCOPAL BISHOPS confer during coffee break
at the final quarterly meeting of the Church’s National Coun¬
cil in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last month. Host bishop is the
Rt. Rev. Donald H. V. Hallock (center) of Milwaukee, and
(ieft) the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the
U. S., the Rt. Rev. Arthur Lichtenberger, and (right) the Rt.
Rev. Stephen F. Bayne, Jr., who became Executive Officer of
the worldwide Anglican Communion on January 1, I960.
Agriculture Aids Hard
Pressed Farm Families in
More Income
By SHERMAN BRISCOE
USDA Information Specialist
Many hard pressed colored farm
families in the South are putting
to good use credit aid from the U.
S. Department of Agriculture to
help them develop income sources
, in addition to cotton and tobacco
and other crops now in surplus.
This opinion is based on obser¬
vations made during a recent field
trip into South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, and Mississippi. In these
States Farmers Home Administra¬
tion county supervisors and their
aides took me to visit more than
a score of Negro farm families
that have received loans from this
USDA agency.
The loans in some cases were to
help sharecropper families buy
farms of their own, in others they
were for enlargement or develop¬
ment of uneconomic sized units
into family-sized farms. But in
most cases the credit aid was ex¬
tended to assist farm families in
establishing additional sources of
income.
Through the years, most Negro
farmers have depended mainly on
cotton or tobacco. These crops
once required enormous amounts
of hand labor. Twenty years ago,
the average farmer spent 170
back-breaking hours plowing, chop¬
ping, and picking one 500-pound
bale of cotton off two acres of
land.
This time has been cut by more
than half. The average grower
now gets close to a bale to the acre,
and some get more than two. To¬
bacco yields have increased simi¬
larly.
But demand has not kept pace
with production. Therefore, few¬
er acres are now required to pro¬
duce the Nation’s supply of these
crops. So, farmers are trying to
develop alternative enterprises on
their unused acres. Most of these
farmers are going in for livestock
—hogs and cattle; others are try¬
ing their hand at truck crops and
poultry.
However, it takes mony to get
established in these enterprises on
a sound basis. And many small
farmers find it difficult to obtain
from private sources the funds
they need. So, they turn to Farm¬
ers Home for credit.
Last year an estimated 94,600
white and colored farm families
obtained loans totaling $333,500,-
000 from this agency, bringing the
total number of borrowers on the
rolls to 178,500 during 1959.
Along with the loans go advice
and counsel to help assure success.
And most of these borrowers are
successful. Last year 36,000 repaid
their loans in full. Altogether the
agency collected $310 million.
About 12 per cent of the borrow¬
ers are colored farm families. It
is estimated that in the 22 years
the agency has been established,
275,000 colored farmers have ob¬
tained loans from it totaling more
than $300 million.
The borrower families I visited
recently certainly are making ex¬
cellent use of the credit extended
them. In Mississippi, Assistant
County Supervisor D. E. Magee
took ine to visit Mr. and Mrs. Bud
Gray who were sharecroppers un¬
til the agency made them a loan
20 years ago to buy a 74-acre
farm of their own.
In recent years, the Grays have
obtained enough additional credit
to develop 48 acres of pastures and
begin raising beef cattle to sup¬
plement their income from cotton.
The additional income has enabled
three - day celebration February
14-16, marking the 200th anniver¬
sary of his birth.
THE SAVANNAH TRII5UNE, SAVANNAn, GEORGIA
them to make long-needed repairs
on their home.
George H. Paris of the Alabama
State office of Farmers Home and
I visited Jack Wilson of Camp
Hill who has been digging and sell¬
ing kudzu crowns ever since the
agency made him a loan 18 years
ago to buy a tractor. Off his own
and neighboring farms, he digs
and sells 140,000 crowns a year.
These bring him a gross of about
$1,100. The kudzu crowns are
planted by farmers across the
South to help reduce erosion.
‘Without hogs and my kudzu
business, I’d give up,” says Mr.
j Wilson. “I just couldn’t make it
off cotton alone.”
In Georgia, Program Loan As¬
sistant Josephus Johnson and I
made our first stop at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Leroy James near
Montezuma. Cotton is beginning
to take a back seat on the farm
of this young couple, as income
from cattle, hogs, peanuts, sweet-
potatoes, and custom work with
their corn picker and other equip¬
ment moves to the fore. Their
machinery alone earned them close
to $2,000 last year. *
South Carolina’s Henry H. Ne¬
smith has graduated from Farm¬
ers Home to other sources of cred¬
it, but he and Mrs. Nesmith re¬
main on the rolls as a prized ex¬
ample of top farmers.
Three Farmers Home officials
accompanied me to the 125-acre
farm where hogs and cattle are
taking more and more of the load
off cotton and tobacco.
“We made this loan reluctantly,”
said County Supervisor Edward I).
Player, “because the land was so
poor, we couldn't see how they
were going to pay for it.”
But the Nesmiths did pay for it
within four years—36 years ahead
of schedule. They did it by fol¬
lowing improved farming methods,
and by raising something more
than cotton and tobacco.
All the farmers I visited and
many, many more have alternative
enterprises so they are not depend¬
ent entirely on the traditional
crops of cotton and tobacco. This
kind of adjustment seems to de¬
termine whether or not a family
has a future in agriculture.
Patronize Our Advertiser^
T&zngs Ton Sfconli Know
\ at.
KENNEY?*..
...Former medical director
OF JOHN A. ANDREW MEMORIAL HOS-
X
PfTAL. TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE, ALa/hE
TRF/n-FD BOOKER T. WASHINGTON A ND G.W.CARVER/ HE
DIED JAN.29,19150 AT AGE 75 IN MONTCLAIR , N.J .
*•-- v -
CoArr/jJ^AjrAL f^A-ru£-& s~ '——
WITH BILLY GRAHAM II AFRICA
by TOM McMAHIN. Ketlglon Editor, The State. Columbia, S. C.
ACCRA, GHANA. It was near¬
ly 10 o’clock at night. ‘Clusters
of window shoppers eyed shirts
and lamps in an imposing Accra
department store. On the sidewalk
nearby sat a Woman selling bread.
Beside her slept four little chil¬
dren. Unwrapped loaves lay in
a tiny in the dusty street.
In nearby market areas which
would soon hustle with activity
scores of men slept in doorways, on
porches and on the pavement. They
had come to Ghana from neighbor¬
ing countries hoping to earn a
meager living by carrying head
loads and guarding buildings with
their bodies.
A few hours earlier, 15,000
Ghanaians, including the Lord
Bishop of Accra, had thronged
the brand new seaside sports
arena to hear an American
evangelist proclaim Christ’s love
as the answer to mankind’s hate,
greed and frustration. Dressed in
strikingly colorful tribal habits
and religious garbs, people had
come on foot and in hundreds of
taxis, modern buses and “mammy
trucks” with plank seats and fas¬
cinating motto signs.
Magnificent public and commer¬
cial buildings rising all over this
bustling capital reflect the inflow
of foreign capital and a new sense
of values centering ®n education,
trade and prestige. Prime Minister
Kwame Nkrumah’s picture is ev¬
erywhere, even on the tie pins of
his followers.
A few miles up the winding
Kumasi Road, astride a mountain
ridge, nestles the magnificent
country house of Nkrumah, who is
hailed in government - controlled
papers as Africa’s Messiah, the
symbol of a new religion called
Africanism, who, they say “may
well be the second Christ who
cometh when the. babes in the
womb are suffering from Strotium
Ninety.”
Evangelist Billy Grahnm called
on Nkrumah at the close of his
two day visit here and was cor¬
dially received. Graham told the
Prime Minister that every great
nation has cherished religious free¬
dom. Nkrumah said that continued
freedom of worship is one of
Ghana’s goals. Churchmen say
there is full freedom to propagate
Christianity in Ghana but the gov¬
ernment frowns on anything that
suggests political interference. In
front of the Parliament Building a
statue of Nkrumah bears this in¬
scription, “Seek ye first the politi¬
cal kingdom and all other things
shall be added unto you.” Christian
leaders protested the obvious para¬
phrase on Christ’s words seeking
first the kingdom of God, but
they were told in effect to mind
their own business and let the poli¬
ticians handle public affairs. Mis¬
sionaries and even some national
leaders are deeply concerned about
the future of Christian work in
Ghana, especially where Europeans
are concerned. Thinking moderates
appear to share the apprehension
although nearly everyone is cau¬
tious about discussing the matter.
A student of public opinion said
the smiles on Ghanaian faces mask
deep worries. An African
said, "Christians may have to
choose between Christ and the na¬
tion,” and he addl'd quietly that
he himself had seen dictatorship
ih another country.
On the other hand, some lending
churchmen say that the detention
and deportation act and ex-post-
fhoto laws are only temporary ex¬
pedients necessitated by the un¬
rest and violence of the fret' na¬
tion’s infancy. One cited the West
African tradition under which the
chief and his elders are responsi¬
ble to the people, hut only they
have spoken, criticism is treason.
Others ’say that Africans can’t
take criticism gracefully.
If time is short for Europeans
helping the African Church, a
strategy of careful enlistment and
training of key national leaders
seems wise. The major significance
of Mr. Graham’s tour is the po¬
tential impact on educated Afri¬
cans—practically all of whom are
educated in mission schools, hut.
comparatively few of whom are all
out soldiers of the cross.
Billy Graham had spoken to 20,-
000 Ghanaians and was about to
address 8,000 others in Kumasi,
the capital of the cocoa region,
when a violent rainstorm broke
up the meeting. Associate evange¬
list Leighton Ford preached to
16,000 others. Overall, 3,000 deci¬
sions for Christ were recorded,
about half representing first time
professions of faith in Christ.
Many left the Kumasi Service
quickly when the skies dropped
out, ’but hundreds stood for 30
minutes in the downpour. Others
crawled under the platform and
bleachers while a doughty hand
with chairs over their heads
marched around singing “God sent
the Rain,” and “Stand Up for
Jesus.” The public address system
shorted out and the meeting final¬
ly dispersed. A man who had
trudged over 54 miles of bush
trails to attend said it was worth
it just to see such a throng gather
for worship.
Copies of Time magazine were
burned here a few duys ago in
protest of the magazine’s critical
barbs. In another recent Incident,
the ruling party burned a casket
to symbolize the burial of the op¬
position party which lost the elec¬
tion in Kumasi the day Graham
was there.
Ghana is on the march. Leaders
boast that a formidable Navy and
Air Force Will join KhiUmah’s al¬
ready sizeable Army. Jet runways
are being rushed to completion at
the airport public housing is being
pushed. The new $26,000,000 uni¬
versity is a showpiece for all
Africa.
P'rightening indeed are the ar¬
ticles, pictures and cartoons in the
government press. But most dis¬
turbing to Christians is the Prime
Minister’s open encouragement of
the fetish priest and the way he
is being glorified, recalling the
days when Rome defied her rulers.
Meanwhile Graham continues on
his way, preaching to multitudes of
a Christ tVho belongs to Africa
as truly as He belongs to America
or Europe or Asia and calling
men to surrender totally to Him.
THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM
Wi q *
■:
PATIENT AID. Dr. E. C. Marique, president of the National
Medical Association explains that patient aid is still the heart
of the new program of The National Foundation. Listening are
Mrs. Thelma Austin of the Links, Inc. and Mrs. J. A. Jackson
of the Order of The Eastern Star. Funds from the New March
of Dimes will offer patient aid to persons of all ages stricken
with paralytic polio and to children crippled by arthritis and
certain New March birth of defects. Dimes Jan. Help 2-31. thousands to walk again. Join the
,
Muhammad’s Temples Plan
Feb. 26-28
Today, Muhammad's Temples
Islam formally opened headquar¬
ters for preparation of their an¬
nual convention which will bo Feb¬
ruary 26th, through February 28th,
at the Chicago Coliseum.
Messenger Elijah Muhammad,
whose headquarters arc* also in
Chicago, has been the subject of
articles in most of the major news¬
papers and magazines about the
country during the past year.
Currently the representatives of
NBC’s “Meet the Press” are nego¬
tiating for possible live' interview
of Messenger Muhammad by the
Nation’s top reporters on the last
day of the Muslim Convention.
Messenger Muhammad returned
from a forty-five dnv inspection
and observation tour of the Mus¬
lim countries in Africa and Asia
on January fith. The high point
of this trip came as he made the
pilgrimage to the* sacred holy cities
of Islam, Mecca and Medina. He
was accompanied on the trip by
two of his sons, Herbert and
Akbar. The younger son,
served as his father’s Arabic
terpreter.
CLYO
Mrs. Richard M. Houston
Services were well
on Sunday, February 7 at
Mark Baptist church
with Sunday School. At
morning service the
was delivered by the
Rev. R. F. Thompson.
at 5 p. m. Mission meeting
held and at 6 p. m. the
met at the church. Mrs.
rah Johnson is president of
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PAGE TREE*
Messenger Muhammad announc¬
ed at the opening of the Muslim
Convention headquarters that his
topic during the convention will
deal with what he has seen, what
he heard during his Muslim world
tour and what the American Ne¬
gro must now do for himself.
Prior to the convention, Mes¬
senger Muhammad will speak rt
the Shriner’s Auditorium, Los An¬
geles, California, on Sunday, Feb¬
ruary 7th, at the invitation of fha
local community there.
A convention headquarter*
spokesman said that because of h
chain of events locally, nationally
and internationally nnd because of
the constant desire within the Ne¬
gro to better himself, our precon¬
vention survey indicates this con¬
vention wii! draw the largest and
the most historic number of peo¬
ple ever to vist such a convention.
A highlight of the convention
will ire a Bazaar which will giv*
all business people an opportunity
to display and sell their wares hi
free exhibition space provided rt
the Coliseum, Saturday, February
Mission and Mrs. Irma Davfi»,
president of BTU. Mrs. Rich¬
ard M. Houston is secretary.
Services were well attended
Sunday at Union Spring A. M.
E. Church with the pastor, Rev.
j, M. Dingle, delivering the
morning message.
Tremont Temple
The pastor’s 13th anniver**-
ry celebration will be held ftb.
15 to 21. i L*