The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1869-09-01
The Religions of Races,

VIZ ~ so mi Oil tne race queStlOn as
to believe that not only is the prevail
ing civilization the exclusive property
OF the white race, but the prevailing
religion also. We do not believe that
any OF the inferior races are capable,
when cut off from all intercourse with
The white race, OF preserving the Chris
tian religion and banding II down to
posterity. Wero they capable OF doing
so, some tribe among them would appear
in possession of it today. But during
the eighteen centuries and half that
Christianity has been preached on The
earth. no community OF the dark skim
| ned races has received and retained
il.
Jealous missionaries Claim that they
hav" converted the natives Of Polyne-
, STA. Is a conversion that Is only skin
deep. as tho writer knows from personal
| observation.
The chiefs Of tho South Sea Islands
profess Christianity only for the purpose
Of increasing their trade with white men,
and their people show no capacity OF
perpe'ua.ing 1t. Besides, as race
they are passing rapidly away. The
contact OF the white mans civilization
and religion is fatal to them.
AS Tor the negro race, not tho slight
e>t impression has been made upon it
in l,s native seat Africa. by the SELF
sacrificing Efforts Of missionaries during
the last three hundred years. And the
m" rule applies to the dpscendan,s Of
the rrgroes who were brought over 10
AutrIca in slave vessels. The moment
they arc released from elaverv and III.
immediate control Of the white race,
tAey speedily relapse into tho fetish
worship that is natural to them. IT. the
so-called republic Of Hayli Christianity
has virtually ceased to exist. and III Ja-
maica it is kept up in feeble way only
among the negroes, who come in con-
tinued co.tact with white men Seve-
raj years ago community Of negroes
who had formed an isolated settlement
IN the mountains Of the last named Is-
land, were found worshping thc figure
head OF ship that they had brought
from the coast.
The negroes IN the South are travel
ing the same road. They can no more
adopt permanently the religion Of the
white race than they can build up a
government like that OF Great Britain
or evolve theory like the Copernican. n.
The natural religious condition Of the
negro is that Of fetish worshpper, and
left to himself he will always be one.
AS all example of tho general ten
dency we copy the following from a
letter received from Mississippi. The
negroes mentioned have had the fLll
benefit OF instruction in well conducted
Sunday schools:
"Fhe negroes are rapidly relap<,ng
into hopeless and irremediable hcalhen-
ism. and on this plantation they are
openly threatening to burn some old
negroes as conirora, and witches, and
arc extrncting snakes, &C., from the sick
ones. Even this morning we had quite
an exciting scene among them. They
arralgned one OF their number before
me and required his dismissal on the
ground that he is conjnror, and had
been seen gravellng up new made
grave TO get "some OBJ the dirt wrl d..
smell oh de dead body on It, to pizen
f lks w1.' 1t wac also charged against
the conjnror that the body at whose
last resting place he was digging had
hls1 N tie cnnjnror's nreeanca,' whicl.
was proof enough dat lie ought to be
kilt"