Daily national era., 1854-08-05
DAILY NATIONAL ERA.
PRoGREss OF LIBERAL OPINIONS IN THE
SOUTH.


1t is with great pleasure that we record evi-
dences like the following Of the liberalizing
tendency Of public opinion in the Southern
States. II will be observed, with much inter
est, that q church for colored people in New
Orleans, presided over by the editor Of the New
Orleans Christian Advocats is called Uncle
Toms Chureh and "the place is yet pointed
out, just in front Of the pulpit, where St Clare
and Eva used to sis and weep under the eio
quence Of the renowned orator"
The extracts, though long, will be full Of in
terest TO every friend Of humanity:
INSTRUCTION OF THE COLoRED PoPULA-
TION OF NEW ORLEANS.
aFew persons abroad, indeed, comparatively
few of our own people at home are aware of
4 the efforts made in New Orleans for the mem
tai, moral, and spiritual improvement of our
colored people. Many tf them are. taught
orally to repeat passagesof Scripture, hymns,
and catcchisms and these instructions are
carried on systematically from week to week,
and from year to year. We can point to many
estimable ladies and gentlsmen, who could well
afford to srend the present hot season at the
| North, or in Europe, or on the Lake shores, az
summers, and especially their Sundays, in
doing good at home la this olass--a class by
no means small-those who devote their efforts
to the point Of inducing our oolored population
to attend on public worship and to receive bib
i lical instruction, are worthy OF special notice
i We have said much, at different times, in
regard to public recitations in our numerous
educational institutions but in none Of them
have we experienced . purer delight than when
we have seen scores of negro children, neatly,
and sometimes tastefnly clad their bright
i eyes and ebony faces presenting q marked CON-
trast-all, as with one voice, responding, 10
/ loud and almost boister0us mirth, TO the in
structions Of their teacher.
Much Of what is learned-by the adult ne
groes as well as the children-is in immortal
verse; The deepest lessons Of practical theol-
cgy are sometimes epitomized, as all reading
| people know, in a stanza or couplet, or even
in mere line, from such Christian poets as
Hebsr, Wesley, Watts, a Doddridge, q
Steele a Montgomery, or Cowper. Indeed
the vocal music Of the negro churches and
Sunday schools is their chief attraction and
the different Protestant denominations have so
adapted their measures to this peculiar feature
Of the African intellect, as to blend instruction
with psasure--the improvement of the under
/ standing with the indulgence of emotional ex
citement-the enjoyment'of weekly holyday
with stated growth in useful knowledge.
aThere are phases of this important Chris
| tan enterprise on which we should like to
dwell-for example, the fact that we are thus
4 training in the South, among the genuine
friends of the negro race, a corps of teachers
legislators, ministers and other good citizens
for the Liberia Republic, confident that Proyi-
donce will in due season prepare the way for
more general exodus in that direction than
our statesmen foresee; and another fact con-
nected il this, that Notwithstanding the local
laws discourage the teaching of slaves the
| knowledge Of letters, yet there are many own
ers who teach their own servants to read, re-
garding the law as dead letter, so far as their
own property is concerned We merely state
| q well-known fact without taking any issue on
the deep and intricate question, - TO the expe-
disney of the practice. But. on thsss nsttsrs--
| which arc coDtroycrted, Is yet not only among
our citiEens generally, but among different
members Of the same oonmunions-we have
not time or space to dwell Suffice it to say,
that nos ouly in our city, but in Natchez, Mo-
bile, Charleston and other large towns, and
on the plantations generally, especially those
owned by enlightened Protestants there are
provided the most ample endowmeDts for the
support of public worship and religious train.
ing for the negroes expressly. Oar numerous
readers OF the four leading bodies Methodists,
! Baptists, Episcopaliaas, and Pre- byterians-
know that these means are vigorously employ
ed throughout the Southwest for elevating the
thoughts Of the negro toward his Master in the
skies, thus exemplifying the philosophy Of the
inspired penman, that the best wey to render
servant faithful to his master, is TO teach
him the truths Of revelation
"When we first saw New Orleans, in s36,
there was, as far as we know, only one place
OF worship for the blacks. 1t was in the little
frame chapel, belonging to the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, on the lower side of Gravier
street, short distance below the site of the
St Charles Hotel. Ola Sunday afternoon, that
building and the large yard in front would be
alive with the jauntily dressed worshppeis and
their children. Now, there are numerous con-
gregations exclusively Of blacks in different
parts Of the city. That on ST Paul street,
where our worthy friend the edter Of the Neto
/ Orleans Christian AdDotdts regularly dictates,
is known in our annals as Uncle Toms Church.
The place is yet pointed out, just in front Of the
pulpit, where s.: Clare and Eva used to sit and
weep. under the elcquence Of the renowned ora
tor 90, at least, our neighbor above mentioned
tells US. We have witnessed some interesting
scenes in that house
Il NV tAi ffofh sho hoW onhott al VIC hcnt VI
tho Protestant Cemetery is Baptist colored
church. A gray-haired venerable oolored min
ister has of6clated there for more than fifteen
years He informs Us that his membership is
eight hundred. la the rear Of the f,nrth dis.
tr,ct there is a large colored church. Of the
Methodist order, we believe, which was built
entirely at the expense Of the oolored people.
Al Dr. Soott'e church, Lafayette Square, ithas
been the custom for many years 10 gather in
the basement large Sunday scaool, both for
adults and children, every Sunday afternoon J;
and, alter q half hour spent in instruction,
there is regular public worship and preaching.
Besides this, il has been the custom Of the older
c,lored members Of that church TO hold q sun
rise prayer meeting in the basement especially
during the summer
We find the following on the same subject
in the South Caroiinian IL will be seen with
regret that the editor disapproves tho PROPOSE