Document text
Forms to be Filled out ,for Each Interview
FOLKLORE
FORMA
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Frank Byrd
mngtEss 224 W. 135th St. New York City
DATE November 14, 1938
SUBJECT THE "KINGDOM" BANQUETS --FATHER DIVINE CULT.
1. Date and time o7 interview November 8, 1938
NEW YORK
2. Place of interview
3. Name and address of informant Reported by Frank Byrd (staff writer)
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
STATE
New York
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
NA.NiE OF WORKER Frank Byrd
ADDRESS 224 W. 135th S. New York City
DATE November 14, 1938
SUBJECT THE "KINGDOM" BANQUETS --FATHER DIVINE CULT
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Father Divine's banquets are famous. They have been for.
many years now, ever since the inauguration of the religious cult at
'Sayville, Long Island. Not until recently, however, has this writer
availed himself of the opportunity to sit through the numerous courses
of one of these colorful, gargantuan feasts. It was, to say the least,
an unusual experience.
About nine o'clock in the evening the official feasting begins.
Gathered about the Father are his legal satellites, staff members,
personal attendants, followerw and sympathizers. The table is modeled
somewhat after the accepted seating arrangement of Christ and his
disciples ut the Last Supper, with the exception of the fact that
where Christ seated twelve Father Divine seats hundreds. Interested
outsiders are segregrated to side tables. They may eat at the huge
winding banquet table only when they become members of the movement
or come as invited guests of the Father or his followers.
The table is heavily loaded with froth fruits of every
description, whole hams, chickens, suckling pigs, legs of lath, pig's
knuckles, pork chops, baked breast of lamb, beef -stew, corn, cabbage,
kale, spinach, potatoes, rice, celery, sliced tomatoes, large bowls
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of chopped lettuce and green peppers, cakes, pies, pitchers of chffee
and milk. It is a gourmands dream, a hobo's heaven.
When the meal is well under way, Father Divine rises, beams
(as only Father Divine can beam) and says in that crips, energetic way:
"peace, everyoneI Righteousness, Justice and Truth, Good Health, with
Good Manners and Good Behavior for you By so doing and so being, we
will have a righteous government in which to live. Is everybody happy?"
Judging by the almost uniformly beatic expressions on the
faces of the angels, everybody was more than happy. And if there was
any further doubt of it, the tremendous volume of answers in the
affirmative was enough to dispel any possible lingering doubt. Not
tat there seemed to be any doubt in Father Divine's mind. He seemed
quite sure of what the answer would be. In fact, while the "Thank
you Fathers", "We're so happyls "Yes Father, you're so sweet" and so
on were still filling the air, the good Father appeared impatient and
not a little annoyed at not being able to go on with his piece. After
all is quiet and serene again and the angels have resumed such mundane
activities as polishing off an unfinished pork chop bone, or sopping
up some fine, brown spare rib gravy, Father takes up where he left off
and, apparently inspired by his own voice, warms up to his Message with
all the fire and enthusiasm of a seasoned politician. Scribbling
frantically at his elbow are a battery of alert stenographers who are
busy recording, verbatim, every word of their leader for the subsequent
edification of followers who were unable to be present, and, of course,
for posterity.
Well, this goes on for one, two and well into three hours.
I ask if this is the usual proceedure. The answer is yes. "Maybe
longer" I am informed of course the speaking does not go on uninter-
rupted for all this time. Speeches, as most speeches should be, were
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occasionally interrupted with sudden outbursts of song. Two of the
most popular were: "Father Divine is The Light Of The World" and
"Father's Got Me In The Palm Of His Hand."
Many of the faithful even bring their musical instruments
along with which they make additional extollations of the virtues
of their diminutive leader. In between times, new converts imbued
with the spirit or full of gratitude, get up and make open confessions
of their great sins before they were taken under the protective
influence of the Divine wing. Some of these stories are hair -raisers,
others gen4inely pathetic. One apparently well educated white woman,
a Californian and member of the Divine movement for over three years,
she said, sang Father Divine's praises to the highest. She said that
a perpetual craving for alchol had almost robbed her of her reasoning
and not until she had quit her job and come to join Father Divine
could she find and release from it and any continuous peace of mind.
"You appear to be quite normal." I ventured. "How do you
find this business of sexual abstinence?"
"It doesn't worry me at all any more." she declared. "Of
course, I'll admit that when I first came here, it bothered me a
little, but with the help of Father, I've mastered it completely.
Now, all men seem like brothers to me. I don't think of them in a
physical way at all."
She seemed quite earnest and sincere and continued to explain
to me how happy she was in the work of the Kingdom and in being
a servant of "God".
"All I want in life," she said, "is to continue doing his
will."
During these spasmodic testimonials, the angels, whenever
they feel the spirit, break into song, speak in unknown tongues, shout
"Thank You, Father.", declare "It's wonderful" extoll the sweetness
of life and each other and vow undying love for and servitude to Father
Divine. Even when they feel the urge to express themselves, they offer
further proof of being only" His" children. They raise their hands,
like children in a school -room, wave them frantically and, if they
are recognized, rise and speak. If not, they remain dutifully quiet
and polietely yield preference to some other brother or sister. They
may all sing at once but only one at a time attempts to talk.
Sometimes, when one is given the floor and feels too full
of the spirit to adequately express it in words, he simply begins
to sing. The tune is recognized and taken up by the others and the
hall is soon and full and throbbing with music. Those with instruments
improvise on the straight melody or often "come in" with only a soft,
studied obligato. This may happen twenty or thirty times before the
meal officially comes to a close.
Father Divine modestly accepts credit as composer of some of
the Kingdom songs but in other cases, lyrics are made up by different
angels to suit well-known Negro spirituals, operatic arias, or lust
plain Tin -Pan Alley tunes. In all of them, however, Father Divine
is the lyric theme. They apparently never tire of singing their
lord and master's praises.