The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-08-24

/
eregations exclusively of blacks in different
| parts of the city. That on st. Paul street,
where our worthy friend the editer of the Netc
| Orleans Christian advocate regularly oficiates,
is known in our annals as Uncle TOMS Church
The place is yet pointed out just in front of the
pulpit. where St. Clare and Eva used to sit, and
weep under the eloquence of the renowned ora
| tor SO, at least, our neighbour above mentioned
! tells u.s. We have witnessed some interesting
scenes in that house.
| "Not far from the new canal, in the rear Of
the Protestant Cemetery, is Baptist colored
| church. A gray-haired, venerable colored min
! ister has oficiated there for moro than fifteen
years He informs US that his membership is
| eight hundred. Ia the rear of the fourth die
! trc5 there is large oolOred church, of the
! Methodist order, we believe, which was built
| entirely at the expense of the colored people
! At Dr. SCOTS church, Lafayette Square, it has
| been the custom for many years to gather in
| the basement largo Sunday school, both for
| adults and children, every Sunday afternoon !;
! and, after half hour spent in instruction,
there is regular public worship and preaching.
Besides this, it has been the custom Of the older
| colored members of that church to hold sun
rise prayer meeting in the basement especially
! during the summer."-N. D. Creole.
We fod tie following on the same subject
in the South CGrolinian. 1t will be seen with
regret that the editor disapprovcs the PROPOSE
ton to give literary instruction to slaves:
TEACHING SLAVES
In notice of the meeting of the Bible SOci-
ETY. in Abbeville, the Independent Press has the
following comments on en- address delivered on
the occasion. 1t Is scarcely necessary for US to
say that we differ entirely from the speaker.
South CarOiiHjan
"The address Of r A Fair Esq, was an
able one. He boldly took the position that it
is tho duty of Shareholders to place the Bible in
the hand of IheiT slaves snd have them taught
to read it, This proposition formed the basis
of his discourse. The common opinion, that ig-
norance on the part of the slave is necessary
to the perpotuaton of his bondage and the pre-
vention of characterization, he opposed By
maintaining that the Bible sanctions Slavery
teaches the relative duties of master and slave !;
that Heaven itself instituted the eystem; and
that intelligence, so far as ability to read the
Scriptures is concerned, is not incompatible
it'll the perpetuation Of the system; on the
contrary, would sustain and strengthen it. He
examined the objection, that if slaves were
taught to read the Scriptures, they would read
other books and papers, and hence be more
subject to the influence Of rebeiious instigatOrs
To this no replied if thore is any real danger
from this source let masters guard their libra
ries, as they do other property, from the pur-
Joining Of slaves.
But, lest we do Mr.. Fair injustice by on at
tempted synopsis of his address, we dcsist. If
the premises from which he argued be correct,
his conclusions would appear just If Slavery
be Heaven-iEstituted systom, it would seem
that the light of Heaven, however efulgent its
beams, could never undo it's own work. If q
sufficient amount Of religion Gun be So incorpo-
rated into this learning and into the heart as to
give them tho proper direction-in q word, if
reading slaves can be made truly pious slaves,
then there is little doubt that such q system
would be productive of happy results But
there is a question whether if the door DO thus
opened by knowledge Of letters, evil might
not rush into the heart, to the exclusion Of good.
Human nature is difficult of subj 3ction, even
to divine power and infu;noe. An quaint
ance with letters is an engine of vast power
for evil as we'll as for good"
Those who object to the education of slaves,
on the ground that their enlightenment will
tend to create INSTRUMENTATION, consult rather
their vague approximations, than the facts of
history. We appeal to the experience of every
Southern man, if instructions have not arisen
almost invariably among the most ignorant
plantation slaves. This we know was the case
with the Southampton instruction, which was
the most formidable and bloody that has taken
Place in this country. Wo occasionally hear
of attempts at insurrection in the Southwest,
not among the more intelligent domestics or
residents of towns, but among the benightcd
plantation negroes.
The reasons for this arc clear, upon q mo-
ment's calm reflection. Tho plantation ne
groes, fading for miles around them, as
far as their range Of mental vision extends,
that they largely Outnumber the whites, natu-
rally conclude that a general combination with
lhcir fellow-suffcrers on the adjacent estates
will enable them to destroy the handful Of
whites they see around them, and divide the
lands and houses among Themselves. But the
more intelligent colored residents Of towns, as
well as domestic servants generally, who, by
daily conversation with white men, acquire
ulster notions Of the relative strength of tho
two races, never entertain tho idea Of nchiev-
ing freedom by Instruction. They are able to
sec, in proportion to the degree Of their intel
! ligepco, the utter fdtility Of such scheme
end the sure destruction it mus! bring upon
them.
But this is not all. The slave sympathizes
with the master, and the master with the slave,
in proportion to the intelligence of each. How
strongly do men, thirsting for knowledge, yearn
fof the society of those who possess moro than
| themselves! Few desires Of the heart are
warmer and stronger than this, which, in fact,
/ ia the eecre. Of those warm attachments which
are occasionally found to exist between master
/ and slave. The educated slave not only loves
the intelligent conversation Of the master, but
is vain of displaying his own attachments; and
the master is proud of the attachment Of such
| q eervant.
| On the other hand, what repugnancs do we
not all feel in spite of tie most humane dispo-
sitiOns, for s.olid ignorance and brutality. We
turn away in disgust from the face in which
we read no trace of thought or sentiment
however much it should awaken our pity. Il
is not the black skin, and the woolly hair
which offend the eye, SO much as the coarse
unnloaning features, which have never been
lighted up by ray of intelligence, but rather
deforrned by the indulgence Of none but gross
appetites and passions.
We will not say that education has no ten
dency to bring about emancipation but it
will do SO lcstimately, by awakening stronger
! sympathes between master and slave, and by
appealing to all the juster and nobler senti-
ments in the whites as we'll as the colored race
1 q