Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-04
RELIGIOUS WAR IN AFRICA
a Church Split.

Despite the protestations of the theorists
and the speculations of pretended philan
thropists, the man and brother" cannot
get along, as it would appear, among them
selves. This fact has been clearly and in
disputably demonstrated in Nashville, du-
ring the past four or five years. He was
enfranchised, and the road to political pre-
ferment and pecuniary prosperity was
opened for him even to the exclusion of the
duly qualified voter. When work and indi-
gence stared him in the face, his necessities
have been relieved. Soup-houses were
opened; raiment and sustenance were fur
nished atthe city's expense; churches were
established; Loyal Leagues were organized
to give them wisdom and counsel; bureaus
with more drawers than were needed by a
cabinet council were established; teachers
were secured. and Dinah, and ScipiO, and
Sambo, with all the little piccaninines, were
adopted as the genuine uncles, aunts, and
nieces and nephews of ''Uncle Sam, and
the hour of 'juberlee" they thought had
come
But the change it brought about did not
| elevate SambO. Their condition is more
unfortunate, more lamentable and more
demoralized to-day than at the commence
| ment. Ragged, dirty, without homes, they
! are Laying about the streets with nothing
to do and no disposition to do it if they
had. They are begging, pilfering, holding
carnivals In dens of infamy, and gathering
for nutriment the garbage and refuse of the
| purlieus and the cutters. There are some
| few exceptions, but this is the general re-
suit as applied TO the aggregate of them.
| Their franchise has debased them; their
moral culture, in which their former friends
could take no active interest. has been a
| failure, while their religious and social con-
ditiOn Is the very reverse Of advancement
Their schools have amounted to nothing,
while the operations of the 'freedmen's "
agents have been a farce. Their very reli-
| gious institutions amount TO nothing, while
their Savings Banks have in most in
| stances proven swindles to them. All ex-
periments have proven that the only part
of Sambo that can be changed to a SEM
blance of white is the wool on de
top OBJ his head"
A case in point is afforded by the condi-
ton of the First Colored Baptist Church of
the city. The members have been at log
| gerheads for some time since. On Tuesday
night last things out there assumed
| somewhat threatening shape. Some time
| since they attempted TO organize an order
| of Samaritans. Some funds were contri-
buted to this object On the election OF
| officers the younger ''bredderen' were not
satisfied with the result and declared that
they would not remain under the officers
elect and demanded back their contribu-
tons. Nelson Merry, who has presided
for long time over the spiritual welfare Of
that flock, opposed, ,,as we are informed,
this course Of the younger members. The
latter then cried out for the removal OF
Merry. Proceedings became irregular and
boisterous; the flock grew clamorous, and
doors were closed. The wrangling finally
in a measure subsidized, and they dispersed
They will meet, we learn, again tonight in
force. As Tuesday night was the skirmish-
ing on the outpost, the general engagement
will likely be had tonight. As they have
it in their own hands they should settle
" desc unpleasant tings' at once.