The Episcopal Mould: January 23, 1864
The Episcopal Mould
Christian Recorder: January 23, 1864
Turner joins the ongoing debate of a name change to the AME Church and the proposed hymn book.
Having very carefully read and noticed several suggestions and hints which have been thrown out, for the grave considerations of the members of the ensuring General Conference, some of which, in all possibility, have been quite premature….especially those by the very learned M. M. Clarke, giving shape and limits to an Episcopal Mould, which, with all due difference to my ministerial brethren, I most solemnly fear the A.M.E. Church has not a man to fit, …..though, I give utterance to such an expiration, for it might be construed as an outrage upon the learning and piety of the ministers of the A.M.E. church. But I am inclined to think, that no personage has trod upon…this green earth in eighteen hundred years, who could fill, symmetrically, and where qualities, generically could be summarize to this unearthly mould. However, if the distinguished members of the General Conference can find a man answerable to its exactions, I shall, if living, hail him with the most engaged welcome. And should anyone pressure any encroaching upon the fitness of our ministry in all the mould…..let him now speak, else forever hereafter hold his peace.
As it regards changing the appellatives of our church, particularly the term AFRICAN, which has been so ably advocated by our eloquent brother Lynch, who, by the process of his inductive philosophy, never fails to give a polish to whatever his lays his pen or tongue to, I am not prepared to shadow a conclusion. I have had the same subject under months of consideration, and would have written upon it, but for the thought, that would only be a useless expenditure of time, merely to purchase the contempt and indignity of many, who, from a failure to give it an examination, would never see the good consequent upon a change. But I am, by force of experience and common sense, compelled to take sides with brother Lynch, in saying, that the term African, should be stricken from the name of our church; not because I am ashamed of my ancestors, for unlike the most of my race, I feel proud of the term negro. When I am walking the streets of a city, and hear someone say, there goes a negro preacher, or a negro chaplain, I feel a peculiar exaltedness. I say, thank God, that a negro can be a preacher or chaplain. But my objection to it, is upon the ground, that it circumscribes the extension of the doors of our church; limiting it to a particular race, giving to the world in color, if not in fact, the idea that none but Africans are admissible. I do not advocate a change in initials; let it still be the A.M.E. Church; but follow the prudent example of the example of the Lutherans, Calvinists, or Wesleyans, viz., by embracing the name of our church founder, and instead of African Methodist Episcopal Church, have Allen Methodist Episcopal Church. I would even prefer, Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church. It was recently asked by one, how would it do to change the name to Methodist Episcopal Church of Color? Well it would not do at all; it would be, rather adding worse to bad: have Acceptable M.E. Church, i.e., to accept all who come, irrespective of color or cast; and then we would still have A.M.E. Church.
Some, possibly may ask what arguments have you to furnish favorable to a change of the word African. Give us your reasons; we are not prepared to see as you do, likely. To such, I would say: read the article written by Rev. James Lynch, in the Repository for Dec. 1863. A young divine, who, in age is much my junior, yet in ability much my senior. Again I say, read it; his arguments are not only pointed in the Repository, but are chiseled in the tablets of reason.
The main point, however, which I had in view when I commenced this letter, was to call attention to our hymn book. Prior to the meeting of our last General Conference, the Baltimore Annual Conference passed a revolution, requesting the General Conference to revise and improve the hymn book. The General Conference… considered the matter, and appointed… whom they judged adequate to the task. Two years after its adjournment, on inquisition I learned, if my memory is correct, from Bishop Payne, that I was chairman of that committee. I commenced upon said information and some thought appropriate to call a convention of the members of this committee, to meet in the city of Philadelphia. At which time and place I thought, we could select from the members of the committee, a few of the most competent to revise, improve, enlarge, and systematize its arrangements, and at our next meeting compare notes and accept the most suitable for the church, which might have been done in three days, one day for our first meeting, and two days for our second. I farther thought, if none of the committee would assume the responsibility, for I knew it would be an arduous job, I would, by their permission, work on it myself, two years, and present the moiled to the General Conference of 1864, for adoption or rejection. Because, I knew then, as I know now, that we had the poorest hymn book of any Christian body in this country. Our hymn book no more answers the wants of our members, than one Bishop could answer the wants of our entire connection; when we have three (Bishops) now and want three more; for I hope the next General Conference will never adjourn until it gives us three more Bishops.
But as soon as it was known to some, that I contemplated calling this committee together for the purpose of adjusting the hymn book question, they begin to tell me of other chairmen, and some to inform me, that they would not attend if called up. And of course, knowing as I well did any inferiority in rank and qualification to all whom I learned were members of this committee, I suggested it the better part of valor, to stagger back into silence….It may be unpardonable presumption in me to question the acts of the General Conference, but with the highest consideration for that grave body of divines, I must say, a little more consideration on their part, would have stopped the fallacy of appointing a large committee to execute such a job. In some instances, many hands make light work; but in such a case as that, many hands make no work; one competent man was sufficient; two at the most. The fact is, some man should be detailed or set apart for that express duty, and receive his pay from some fund, and let him travel so as to consult the best choristers in the nation, white or colored, and select and compile from every hymn book in the nation; besides, employ such poets as Bishop Payne, A.W. Wayman, J.R.V. Thomas etc., to write a few sacred odes to be inserted in said hymn book, after a strong criticism by some of the most able choristers in the nation, for we must remember that we are young and poor, in point of literary matters. The goal of our ambition hitherto has been, to preach eloquently, set the people to shouting, singing sober songs, etc. But that day is fast receding; it will soon be gone. We must begin to show ourselves poets, by writing poetry for our church, theology for the growing ministry, books for our Sabbath schools, comments upon the Bible, sermons, books, etc. For instance, we want such divines as M.M. Clarke, to give us a work on Biblical Criticism, drawing largely on the original, viz: Hebrew and Greek, J.P. Campbell to give us a standard work on Theology, J.M. Brown to give us a work on sermonizing, A.L. Sanford an Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures and Edward Davis of Ohio, an unassuming, but able divine, to give us a Theological Compendium, and others whom we have not named, to come up accordingly for they can do it, and should do it. It must, and will be done by some—if not them; contrabands will come and do it, if we don’t.
But let us recur to the hymn book; our hymn book is behind the age. Many of the hymns are really obsolete, while others are never sung. Indeed, three hundred could be thrown out, because they are there in the way of others that ought to be there. And the arrangement is very poor. It could be three times as good, but the objections are too numerous to attempt to estimate. We need a new hymn book, and the General Conference can do all the legislation necessary to effect the object in ten minutes. It only requires a motion to authorize some competent person to take it, and adopt it to the wants of the church, and the whole matter is settled. For one competent person is better than fifty not competent; fifty men will fizzle over it for years, and do nothing. But one feeling the weighty responsibility and knowing that his reputation is suspended upon his own personal labors, will go to work and accomplish the object.
I hope I have said nothing too acrimonious to be charitably received; but what I have said, was said from the impulses of a heart which beats warmly for the prosperity of my church.
Very Truly,
H. M. Turner
Chaplain 1st U. S. C. T.
Portsmouth, Va., Jan. 13th, 1864
Army Correspondence: September 3, 1864
From Rev. H. M. Turner
Headquarters 1st U.S.C. Troops
Near Point of Rocks, VA
Christian Recorder: September 3, 1864
Turner writes on the need for AME ministers to write more for the Recorder and updates on his regiment.
Mr. Editor:--There is not much of interest going on in our immediate portion of the army, but as I promised you to correspond for the RECORDER, I wish to keep good my word, or as much as I can, practically, in connection with my other duties; and yet it is not without some diffidence that I correspond at all, especially when I see from the articles recently published, that they are nearly all the productions of soldiers.
The ministers of the A.M.E. Church must either be asleep or absorbed in some deep mathematical problem, which has so engaged all their intellectual forces, that a few leisure moments can’t be spared to write an occasional article for the benefit of your many patrons.
The RECORDER has an extensive circulation amongst the colored troops in this department. Its approach is watched with the utmost vigilance, and when it makes its appearance, it is seized and read with eager avidity.
That portion of our divines who stay at home, could do an incalculable amount of good by sending us through the open columns of the RECORDER a short sermon, occasionally. Unless our ministers come to the RECORDER’S assistance, it will go down in the estimation of the better-informed class of readers. But they say the editor this, and the editor that.
But I say the editor has now more to do than any two men ought to do. He is the General Book Steward for the entire connection, having all the Conferences to visit—more than any one of our bishops, - -Minutes, Hymn-books, Disciplines, &c., to publish revise and correct. Money or no money, this must be done, or else there is a whine and a growl through the whole church. The RECORDER must be published every week, and some able leader of editorial is looked for, and valuable productions abounding with the chasteness of grammar, rhetoric and logic—ever and anon darkened and lightened as the case may be with interspersed phrases of Latin, Greek, French and German.
I now ask, Is there a man in the connection who could do it without help? No, sir! He is not yet born.
Allowing this to be an established fact, let every minister in the A.M.E. Church who has the ability, write something for the RECORDER, while the rest work peculiarly.
If we had fifty young men in the ministry like R. H. Cain, B. T. Tanner and Henry J. Rhodes, the RECORDER would shine like the morning star. Yes, its balmy dews would emit a flavor in this very army, that would tell in the salvation of many as precious souls as any for whom Christ shed his blood. But there is a natural characteristic about our people, the issues of which are deplorable regretful. That is, unless there is some bone of contention at stake, it is next to impossible to arouse them. Since the days of the Bishop Nazrey controversy, there have been few contributors, and now the bishop is gone.
The Canadian affairs are settled, Bishop Green’s party having failed to be recognized and Clarke’s mould having been filled with two additional bishops. I presume we need look for nothing of much consequence for some time, unless it be an occasional criticism, fault-finding, or a big worded challenge from an awful empty stomach. But I hope this evil will be remedied by a plentiful supply of rich articles, coming flush from the pens of our ministers, on all subjects calculated to enlighten the mind, and Christianize the hearts, of our soldiers especially.
Nothing would be read more pleasantly and to more profit in this department, than a good, plain, yet practical gospel sermon.
Our regiment is once more favored with quarters, where we can have some leisure hours from duty, to spend in mutual benefit, such as drill practice, preaching, prayer meeting, choir-singing, reading, spelling, writing, &c.
Our inestimable Lieut. Col. Wright, having been promoted and taken from us, to command the 10th U. S. Colored Troops, leaves with the warmest regards of all in this regiment. Men who are brave and noble-hearted never fail to climb the ladder of distinction and fame with rapidity.
This naturally involves the command of the regiment upon Major Perkins, as the colonel is absent, caused by sickness.
Major Perkins is a tall, spare-formed gentleman, with features quite prepossessing. He has neither constitutionally nor assumptionally any of those austere, haughty, tyrannizing qualities, which are too often exhibited by men who are his inferiors. He has a voice mellowed by a sense of his high position. No effort is necessary to discover that he is kind, affable, easily approached and tender in his restriction, though, as a disciplinarian, he never varies, but is positive, pointed, and over to the purpose; possessing none of that sneaking treachery, that would smile in your face one moment, and the next in some surreptitious manner tear your vitals out. May his life long be spared to command the brave troops of color.
We are surrounded here with a retinue of brave regiments. 1st, 4th, 6th, 10th and 22nd Regts. U. S. Colored Troops.
The Johnnies take good care not to come into these quarters, and it is well they do not, for they would certainly find very inclement times in this part of old Virginia.
Most of the regiments, however, look much smaller, particularly my own. It often makes me feel sad when I remember how large and stalwart it once appeared, and how thin its ranks now appear to former days.
The canal, --which is known as Butler’s Canal, and which has been in process of excavation for some few weeks, is progressing finely; the rebels, though, harass the working parties occasionally, by complimentarily saluting them with a few shot and shell, at such intervals as they may propose.
The general in person visits the party almost daily, which is a source of great encouragement to those who are all the time periling their lives.
We will close this communication, as the pickets are gone to fire in another direction; we have not heard them lately. It possibly may be the prelude of a great contest. Should it be, they will have a sweet job of it.
I have the honor to be,
Yours very respectfully,
H. M. T
A Call to Action
A Call to Action
Christian Recorder: October 4, 1862
Christian Recorder: October 4, 1862
Turner writes in response of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
Keywords: Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, Essay
Mr. Editor:--The time has arrived in the history of the American African, when grave and solemn responsibilities stare him in the face. The proclamation of President Lincoln, promising in the short space of a hundred days, to liberate thousands, and hundreds of thousands of human beings, born under, and held in subjection to the most cruel vassalage that ever stained a nation’s garment, has opened up a new series of obligations, consequences, and results, never known to our honored sires, nor actually met with through the long chain of a glorious ancestry. We live in one of the most eventful periods of the world’s revolution—a period virtually speaking, that “kings and prophets waited for, but never saw.”
A generation has passed from among the living since men upon this continent first dared to speak in defense of human rights. But generations have passed since the God of heaven was first besieged by billions of entreaties, dispatched from the earnest hearts of millions of tortured souls, from every vale, hill and dale, where defrauded humanity felt the grind of oppression’s wheel. And amid all the din and dash of legislative and congressional enactments, determined upon the consummate extension of its transitive duration, a circle of darkness shrouded the scheme, and hurled the traffic to the ground, amid a dense rolling fog of dismal confusion, for which a parallel is not to be found.
But now, while many of those warm-hearted philanthropists, prompted by considerations purely divine, are lying in their graves, and while thousands of thousands of prayer-offering saints, whose supplications were heard in the skies as a mixture of anxiety, torture, want and grief, have passed from the troublesome scenes of earth to the land of immortal birth, their labors, toils, and efforts combined, have, by gradual incursions upon the powers of injustice, through the instrumentality of their continuous and circumfluent lash, pushed on despite the oppositions, the dawn of freedom and the morn of liberty.
And now, we are verging upon a time very unlike the previous days of our American existence. The great quantity of contrabands, (so called,) who have fled from the oppressor’s rod, and are now thronging Old Point Comfort, Hilton Head, Washington City, and many other places, and the unnumbered host who shall soon be freed by the President’s proclamation, are to materially change their political and social condition. The time for boasting of ancestral genius, and prowling through the dusty pages of ancient history to find a specimen of negro intellectuality is over. Such useless noise should now be lulled, while we turn our attention to an engagement with those means which must, and alone can, mould out and develop those religious, literary, and pecuniary resources, adapted to the grave expediency now about to be encountered.
Thousands of contrabands, now at the places above designated, are in a condition of the extremest suffering. We see them in droves every day perambulating the streets of Washington, homeless, shoeless, dressless, and moneyless. And when we think of the cold freezing days of a coming winter, at which time the surface of the earth not unfrequently will be concreted into a solid mass of congelation, our sensibilities of humanity sink under the dreadful apprehensions consequent upon such direful privations.
Every man of us now, who has a speck of grace or bit of sympathy, for the race that we are inseparably identified with, is called upon by force of surrounding circumstances, to extend a hand of mercy to bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. And no one can now screen himself behind the nice matured scrupulosities which have in so many instances redounded to a plausible excuse, to the ever garrulous but never performers, in that, after giving assistance to the contrabands, they would again be returned back to slavery, and thus we would be found as having lavished our charitable expenditures upon a human chattel, destined to a state of perpetual vassalage; the morality of that thing, however, has not only been questionable but grievously condemnable.
But the proclamation of President Lincoln has banished the fog, and silenced the doubt. All can now see that the stern intention of the Presidential policy is, to wage the war in favor of freedom, till the last groan of the anguished heart slave shall be hushed in the ears of nature’s God. This definition of the policy bids us rise, and for ourselves think, act, and do. We have stood still and seen the salvation of God, while we besought him with teary eyes and bleeding hearts; but the stand still day bid us adieu Sept. 22, 1862. A new era, a new dispensation of things, is now upon us, to action, to action, is the cry. We must now begin to think, to plan, and to legislate for ourselves.
Washington, Sept. 26th, 1862
*(To Be Continued)
*Though Turner meant this article to be continued, there is no evidence that he in fact continued this article.
Mr. Editor:--The time has arrived in the history of the American African, when grave and solemn responsibilities stare him in the face. The proclamation of President Lincoln, promising in the short space of a hundred days, to liberate thousands, and hundreds of thousands of human beings, born under, and held in subjection to the most cruel vassalage that ever stained a nation’s garment, has opened up a new series of obligations, consequences, and results, never known to our honored sires, nor actually met with through the long chain of a glorious ancestry. We live in one of the most eventful periods of the world’s revolution—a period virtually speaking, that “kings and prophets waited for, but never saw.”
A generation has passed from among the living since men upon this continent first dared to speak in defense of human rights. But generations have passed since the God of heaven was first besieged by billions of entreaties, dispatched from the earnest hearts of millions of tortured souls, from every vale, hill and dale, where defrauded humanity felt the grind of oppression’s wheel. And amid all the din and dash of legislative and congressional enactments, determined upon the consummate extension of its transitive duration, a circle of darkness shrouded the scheme, and hurled the traffic to the ground, amid a dense rolling fog of dismal confusion, for which a parallel is not to be found.
But now, while many of those warm-hearted philanthropists, prompted by considerations purely divine, are lying in their graves, and while thousands of thousands of prayer-offering saints, whose supplications were heard in the skies as a mixture of anxiety, torture, want and grief, have passed from the troublesome scenes of earth to the land of immortal birth, their labors, toils, and efforts combined, have, by gradual incursions upon the powers of injustice, through the instrumentality of their continuous and circumfluent lash, pushed on despite the oppositions, the dawn of freedom and the morn of liberty.
And now, we are verging upon a time very unlike the previous days of our American existence. The great quantity of contrabands, (so called,) who have fled from the oppressor’s rod, and are now thronging Old Point Comfort, Hilton Head, Washington City, and many other places, and the unnumbered host who shall soon be freed by the President’s proclamation, are to materially change their political and social condition. The time for boasting of ancestral genius, and prowling through the dusty pages of ancient history to find a specimen of negro intellectuality is over. Such useless noise should now be lulled, while we turn our attention to an engagement with those means which must, and alone can, mould out and develop those religious, literary, and pecuniary resources, adapted to the grave expediency now about to be encountered.
Thousands of contrabands, now at the places above designated, are in a condition of the extremest suffering. We see them in droves every day perambulating the streets of Washington, homeless, shoeless, dressless, and moneyless. And when we think of the cold freezing days of a coming winter, at which time the surface of the earth not unfrequently will be concreted into a solid mass of congelation, our sensibilities of humanity sink under the dreadful apprehensions consequent upon such direful privations.
Every man of us now, who has a speck of grace or bit of sympathy, for the race that we are inseparably identified with, is called upon by force of surrounding circumstances, to extend a hand of mercy to bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. And no one can now screen himself behind the nice matured scrupulosities which have in so many instances redounded to a plausible excuse, to the ever garrulous but never performers, in that, after giving assistance to the contrabands, they would again be returned back to slavery, and thus we would be found as having lavished our charitable expenditures upon a human chattel, destined to a state of perpetual vassalage; the morality of that thing, however, has not only been questionable but grievously condemnable.
But the proclamation of President Lincoln has banished the fog, and silenced the doubt. All can now see that the stern intention of the Presidential policy is, to wage the war in favor of freedom, till the last groan of the anguished heart slave shall be hushed in the ears of nature’s God. This definition of the policy bids us rise, and for ourselves think, act, and do. We have stood still and seen the salvation of God, while we besought him with teary eyes and bleeding hearts; but the stand still day bid us adieu Sept. 22, 1862. A new era, a new dispensation of things, is now upon us, to action, to action, is the cry. We must now begin to think, to plan, and to legislate for ourselves.
Washington, Sept. 26th, 1862
*(To Be Continued)
*Though Turner meant this article to be continued, there is no evidence that he in fact continued this article.