The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-03-13 00:00:00

IMPROVEMENT OF THE NEGRO RACE

On Sunday next two sermons will be preached, with the
approval of the Lord Bishop of Chester, in the morning
at St. Silas's, and in the evening at St. Luke's, by the
Reverend Alexander Crummell, an African clergyman of
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of
America, for an object which cannot but be interesting to
every religious mind and every lover of the human race,
The reverend gentleman himself, of whose talent, unob-
trusive worth, and piety we have previously had occasion
to speak, has been for some time ministering amongst his
unfortunate African brethren in New York. His congre-
gation has been in existence for ten years; but their
want of resources, coupled with the discouragement thrown
in the way of every effort to ameliorate the social condi-
tion of that race by the citizens of the model republic,
extended even to efforts for the salvation of their souls,
have been sad drawbacks to the progress made by them
in a field where so much good is in prospect. They have
had to worship in hired rooms. Their poverty, and the
want of support from extrinsic sources has denied them
the outward and visible possession of a temple of the
Lord; and they have more than once been compelled to
suspend their service, from inability to pay the rent of a
temporary place of worship.
Mr. Crummell has been sent to this country to endea-
vour to interest British Christians in the cause of his
suffering brethren, the coloured people of New York, a
class numbering 20,000 persons, yet proscribed in that
boasted land of liberty of the privilege even of approaching
the throne of grace in the company of a white man. It
has been proposed to purchase a site in New York for a
church, and to erect an edifice of the plainest structure,
capable of holding from 800 to 1,000 persons; and to
enable his congregation to do this, they appeal to the
benevolence of the British nation. To promote this
object, the sermons referred to will be preached by Mr.
Crummell on Sunday next; and we trust will not be
preached in vain. As a nation Re have shrunk from the
great work of bearing the blessings of freedom .to the
African ; but as Christians, we are bound to break through
the hard and selfish doctrines of political economy, and
to aid in the work of bringing the unhappy African race
to the knowledge of the Saviour who died for us all— for
black as well as for white.
We may remark that Mr. Crummell bears with him to
this country letters and testimonials of undoubted cha-
racter ; and that any collections which may result from
his labours of Sunda) next, will be remitted to a commit
tee of management sitting in London. It may be added
that the object which he has in view has received the
hearty sanction of, amongst others, the Bishops of Oxford,
Norwich, Llandaff, &c., the Earl of Harrowby, Lord
Ashley, Sir Robert H. Inglis, &c., and we will only add
our warmest thanks to those of the clergy who have al-
lowed their congregations an opportunity of contributing
towards such a noble object.
On Sunday last, Mr. Crummell. after reading prayers
at St. Silas' Church, preached at Wallasey Church in the
afternoon, when the sum of £ll 10s. was collected. In
the evening he preached at Christ Church, when great
interest was excited on the subject of his mission.