Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-11-06
" COlor Blindness"

The Free Press of October 9TH has animadyerted
somewhat severely and unkindly upon the Holston
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, then
in session in this city 1t says " At the Sacrament
administered, Thursday at the opening OF the
Northern Methodist Conference in this city, num-
Der of colored communicates were at the altar with
their white brethren That those ministers trans
ferred from Northern Conferences should accept the
advice of the editor of the New York AdUocate was
not strange; but we did not expect to see men
reared in the South take the lead in introducing ne
gro equality, &c.
A minister of the NJ, E. Church, South has been
ventilating himself freely this subject and quo
ting from the columns of the paper named above.
The same ministers, as I am informed and believe,
took the above extract into the pulpit and read 1t to
the congregation to show them what the Yankee
Conference" was doing in the way of negro equal
ity.
Rev Mr. Bates, the person referred to, claims to
have been quiet man during the rebellion, and
though Southern man, yet TO have taken no active
part in favor of the rebellion Yet it is not difficult
to account for his venom against the Yankee Con-
ference as he is pleased to term it. public speech
he made in favor of the cause of the Confederates,
in Jefferson or Cooke county; report which he,
with Others submitted to the HOlstOn Conference of
the NJ. E. Church, South, expeling some of its best
ministers for loyalty his training with the rebel
soldiers in Jonesboro, Sunday, as is alleged, to
teach them how TO fight Yankees; and his common
dation of local preachers for praying and preaching
in favor of rebellion, will sufficiently explain how
quiet he was then and how aniable he feels to-
wards a loyal Conference. In view of this record,
if there a0ere no other reason his statements against
us should be taken with some few grains of allow
ance; because he as prejudciay ,et1ess 1t is said
that be was caued in McMinn county for talsehOod.
To put the mildest construction the case he GER
tainly nlisrepre8ented a conversation he had with
me in Knoxville few months since.
Since that deverance in the Press of October
5th Rev G.. Austin is out in another, in the same
paper of October 3Oth on the same subject ringing
the changes on negro equality, and virtually charg
ing the ministers of the Holston Conference with
"stooping to deception and hypocrisy" If Mr.. Aus
tin entertans such opinions of the ministers of his
own Church, am at a loss as to whether to COM
misserate him for his misfortune to be indignant
at his continuance, voluntarily, with such men as he
describes.
If Mr.. Austin had taken pains to ascertain the ex-
act facts in the case he might perhaps, have been
spared the utterance of his severe structures
AS to Mr.. Bates he was present and saw the af-
fair complained of. He knows that no cOLored per-
sous oere nu:ted to the sacrament ruth the t0hites
he kpoaoS that the Conference did not seek the
citation complained Of If he wrote the first article
and not unlikely he dd-or if he gave the infor-
nation as there published, he purposely misrepre
scented the facts. One would infer from the state
ment made and published that the obectional thing,
was by invitation, arrangement and Of set purpose
by the Conference. Yet such was not the fact at
all, and Mr.. Bates kneie ii agaS not The facts are
these: Two or three colored preachers came up to
the altar to receive the sacrament at the same time
the whites did. They not invited publicly, or
tarily. What was to be done2 Tell them to go
back and wait until their turn came? Would Mr..
Austin Mr. Rates have dona'so2 IF they would
let them say so. But let them not represent upon
the facts occurring at that sacrament that the NJ E.
Church her ministers in East Tennessee are seek
ing to introduce negro equality. close by submit
ting to Mr.. Austin and Mr.. Bates few inquiries
l. Do they believe the colored man has a soul 2.
Do they believe Christ has redeemed the black man?
3. Do they admit the black man will go to heaven?
4. Have they duly considered the doom of those
who offend of those little ones which believe
in Christ ?" THOMAS Il. PEARNE.
Knoxville, Tenn, Nov. l, 1867.