p. 17 | The Situation in New Orleans by T. B. Buckner

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 29, 1911

The Situation in New Orleans

By T. B. Buckner

The article by Elder M. C. Strachan on page 7 of the REVIEW of June 8 is a timely one, and I trust will be studied carefully by our people everywhere; for the Church of Rome is slowly but surely winning the colored people of the United States to her fold. If, as reported, there are "more than two hundred thousand" colored Catholics in this country, we can safely say that at least seventy-five thousand of them reside in Louisiana, and more than sixty-five thousand of these in New Orleans. "The church" is very jealous for them, and is using every means to hold them within her fold. Much money is being spent by their

white brethren to provide them respectable places of worship. Largely because of this, the more intelligent colored people are beginning to look to the Catholic Church as their only friend.

By request of the Southern Union Conference Committee, I came to this city last December to labor for my people. When I came, I found our little colored church meeting in the front room of a cottage on the corner of Marengo and Chestnut streets. The place is really too small to accommodate the members. Because of this our visitors are few. We have tried hard to raise money to get a place of our own, and we have some building money on hand, but not nearly enough to purchase, as real estate is very high in New Orleans. We have been urged recently to make strong and decided efforts to work the large cities of the United States, and New Orleans has been mentioned as one of the cities to be worked for both white and colored. It has been stated, with much emphasis, that doors that are now open to get the truth to the colored people of the Southern States are fast closing. The readers of the REVIEW will not be surprised when we relate to you that public tent-meetings for colored people in the great city of New Orleans are prohibited on the ground that such meetings are a public nuisance. The writer, accompanied by the president of the Louisiana Conference, went to the mayor and city attorney the second time, but was bitterly refused on the flimsy pretext mentioned above. But we knew it was prejudice against us as Seventh-day Adventists, because of the large tent effort being conducted by our white brethren for the white people in the city at this time, and receiving much publicity through the city daily papers. The Catholics are taking the lead in trying to shut out all public efforts for white and colored, and they are being assisted by professed Protestants.

While Elder M. C. Strachan has solicited earnest prayers for the spread of the third angel's message among these neglected, waiting souls, I feel it my duty to make an urgent plea for financial help to purchase a place of worship as soon as possible.

The mayor of the city told me that all meetings for the colored people must be confined to church buildings. I do not know how I could make this plea for help for New Orleans more effective than to state the situation as it is, and beg your prayerful consideration. Let all help for this work be sent through the regular channels.

T. B. BUCKNER.