The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-12-04
For the National Era.
RELIGION AND THE COLoRED RACE.

am glad to see in your columns the re-
markably frank statements OF writer IN the
i Louisville PRESBYTERIAN, with respect to the
failure of all attempts to bring the coiored
population of Kentucky under the influence OF
the PRESBYTERIAN Church The admissions OF
the article are very important IN view OF their
source. The reasons of this GiOotneSS OF the
colored people, given in the article referred to,
are Just and timely, so far as they go; but
they do not fathom the depths of their antipa-
thies for white preachers. These have their
spring in Slavery. as the remote cause.-the
spirit of caste engendered by it, as the proxi-
! mate cause.
The success of clergyman depends much
more upon the social influences he may be dis
posed and enabled to exert upon the members
Of his congregation, than upon his pulpit la
bors be the latter never 50 eloqent or impress
sve. | could give many personal illustration.
of this position. in the careers Of clergymen OF
different denominations, who have come spe-
cially under my notice. But it will be only
necessary to cite the uniform workings of that
most wonderful of all ecclesiastical machinery
the Roman Catholic Church's, in proof
The Catholic priesthood well know the pow
or of social intercourse. 1t is a prescribed du-
Is which they rarely neglect SermOni@ing
merely is regarded as Il secondary cOnsidGra-
ton in comparison with it, 1t must be attend
ed to, whatever else is neglected. If one priest
is not sufficient to attend to both departments
of duty, he is furnished an assistant for that
| purpose, wherever the congregation can afford
| the additional expense, or the wants Of the To-
cation demand it. As a medical practitioner,
| / formerly had frequent opportunities for con-
{ tr-,srrur Ne o2ndSet pF. eyr- Professional clergy
VIII those of the Catholic Church enjoying
rs / un, an unusuany mxeS'.40lu l,.o.~~.1as
and am prepared to state that the latter per-
form a degree of private or social labor ten
times rs great as that performed by the for
mer, as general rule Go where the medical
practitioner may, whether in the most fashion
| able mansion or the most humble hut there he
will encounter the Catholic priest-the " ia
| ther confessor' He never suffers himself to
forget his duties in this respect. In sunshine
or rain, you find him at the bedside of the in
valid and of the dying. Adding to the oppor-
tunties for family influence thus presented the
peculiar opportunities of personal communion
at the confessional, we need not be surprisedat
their success exceeding though it does, that of
all our Protestant organizations
By this arrangement, the clergy Of the Cath
ole Church are generally more successful in
attracting and attaching the blacks to their
places of worship and their ordinances than
the Presbyterians The secret is their CompuL-
sorry attention to these duties without regard to
color-especialy in the secluson of the e0a|eS-
SiOndl, where the intercourse between the cler-
gy and the membership is not restrained by
popular prejudice as more public intercourse
would be- even in free States.
Laying down, then, the proposition that an
| mt, nfS
absolutely necessary to clerical success and
keeping it in view we may plainly descry the |
cause of failure complained of by the writer in |
the Presbyterian paper referred to- White
preachers will not, under the outside control of
present prejudices against color avail them
selves of these indispensable appliances. They
will not seek the Preside of the cOlOred man.
and enter into that familiar communion with
himself and family, his wife and little ones
soindispensable to confidence and regard, which
arc the forerunners of success in the pulpit
The colored preacher alone will do this
AS you have suggested, the proposed plan of
the writer alluded to-that of the whites en-
ploying cOlored preachers to minister to the
colorod people-would not succeed much bet
ter; failing rs preachers thus set over their
brethren would to secure to any considerable
and permanent extent, the needed confidence of
their respective pastoral charges. The history
Of the efforts of the Methodist denomination to
bring the colored people under their influence
has proven this. Their plan is to appoint
white presiding elders over the colored
stations who are expected to regulate and d.
rect the mnstratiOns of their white clerical
brethren, while the latter are expected to foot
the bill Of their sustenance. So much dissat-
istaction has this plan given, that large num-
bers of these people have seeded from the pa
rent church, and formed independent organi-
cations of their own, under the name of {" Afri-
can Methodist Episcopal Church. These are
found in large numbers in Baltimore, as in sew
eral other cities and they, mostly succeed bet
ter than those who have remained in the parent
church. | think | may safely say, after care
fu inquiry, that the resulting loss of numerous
houses OF worship raised at their ewn expense,
mainly, (of which the whites have taken care
to hold the deeds is all that prevents gen.
eral declaration of Independence on their
part-a consummation which | have ever IA
vored and one which | regard as devoutly to
be wished, the discomfort views of Frederick
Douglas among the Justly influential leaders
OF their own race, and some of their sincere
white friends to the contrary notwithstanding.
Speaking of the mode in which the Metho-
|
this toO-confdng race, reminds me of some in.
stances Of injustice of similar character per-
petrated by other denominations in this city
Let one example suffice: at the intersection of
two of our streets stands neat Gothic struc-
ture, known as n "colored church." The con-
gregaton which assemblies weekly therein is
preached to 10y white clergyman, who is paid
Tor 1t by them, while talented cOlored men, who
are abundantly qualified for the station listen
TO him
After studying theology for several years, a
worthy colorcd man, who had right to antici- |
pate being placed over this flock, became dis
couraged ut the frequent postponements of his |
ordination and banished himself in despair |
to Columbia, Pennsylvania, where he hired |
himself rs lumber merchants clerk His |
family becoming dissatisfied, he finally re-
moved back to this city, and now teaches school |
for livelihood next door to the very church |
from whose pulpit rank injustice had thus
cruelty excluded him! That he il, however.
doing more good for his race than the reverend
teacher who supplantcd him can possibly effect,
Tor the above and other reasons,) should be to
him source of some consolation-albet. such
result should form no excuse for his opprcs-
sors. Meanwhile the seeds of dissatisfaction
are taking root in the congregation and they
will one day furnish another confirmation of
the impracticability of all plans of religious
instruction which contemplate placing preach
ers OF the expressing race over the congrega-
tons of the oppressed In using the term
oppressed | design to include the free as
well as the enslaved each being the subject of
oppression in his turn and in his degree
j. E.
Baltimore N0rcnber 1881