Evening star., 1869-11-29

Last evening. Rev. J. Sel.a Martin, pastor,
G..i.ers,! a sermon on Z" Caste, )" inth Fifteenth
street colored Pre>by terisn Church. The church
vas flied to oyerfOwing, ther. being in ,he
..ieEcc about one hun'lred white persons.
Among those present. we noticed Nessrs. a..
King. VIM. Syphax, and A. Jones, Trustees of
the COlored Schools. and Prof. W. Wilson one
OF the Trustees OF Public Schools. The services
", commenced by singing the hymn Here
eaIes and angry passions cease" &c, after
which portion Of the ith chapter Of Galatians
was read, and the pastor led in prayer. The
.For there Is neither jew nor Greek; there is
neither bond nor free; there is neither male nor
female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" He
commenced 10y saying that since the commence
ment OF the world there had been a disposition to
make distinctions and classes, and it was prOba-
bly, natural for such to be made. They know
but little Of that Egyptian civilization
which confined the knowledge of letters
to particular classes, but this they know
that in consequence general ignorance pre-
vailed. In India there were four classes OF so
cety. 1st. The prestly, who are said TO have
sprung from the head of Brahmin. 2d. The SOL
dier. from his heart. Sd. The merchant and
husbandlnen. from his thighs. and 4th, the work.
ing class, from his feet. These castles are 80
fixed that il is impossible for them to mix. each
confning himself to his own caste and prevent
ing others entering il.
The speaker gave a number of illustrations.
referring 10 the operations OF caste in Great
Britain and elsewhere. Caste prevails in Amcri-
ca. and il had been argued that because of
slavery the cOlored race had been brought to
christianity. III when the first cargo of negroes
had been brought from Africa they had been
taught the doctrines of the Bible he would be-
lieye this, but such not the case; the slaves
were caught, worked. and found 70 be profita-
bic. and the argument was invented afterwards.
Then theology and profits went together. IL
NAV have been Proyidential to the race that
Africans were captured and enslayed, but il
was also providential that they had been
was that of the Aboltionists, who want the ne
gro TO he free; don't want them to be enslaved
because Of tender conscience, but will not let a
negro come near them. Such a one had visited
him and said that the time had not come for
mixing up. He denied that they, the coOred
race, wanted To mix up with the whites; they
would choose their own associates; he would
ask no man 10 come into his parlor that he be-
l1eved did not want to come, and he would not
20 into the house OF white man who did not
want his company. If these Abolitionists were
sincere they would say that the colored people
were like the white, and would choose them as
associates Then there il the moderate class
Conservatives-prudent, wise men, who wish
the laws enforced, but do not want the fifteenth
amendment adopted. These are harder on the
poor whites than they are OF the negroes. Then
there are the radically wrong men-DemOcrats-
who believe that the negro has no business here:
men who seem to be destitute of respectable
parentage and OF proper education.
The tendency of christianity, the speaker said,
was to abolish all castes. In England 1t does not
apply to color, but TO money. In America it is
fast dying out. Where it existed a few years
ago in the North il is not TO be found now.
little girl applied for admission to the schools.
and the trustee gave her a ticket, which was
presented, and she was received into school
without any interference on his part. Her
mother was not particular as to her child going
there, nor was she a coward. They now say that
the child black. That is for them to determine;
but his opinion is that he is the father the child
Is cOlored. and he went there to show them that
such was the fact and they said that no colOred
child could be admitted there. He claimed that
his child was regularly admitted, on n regular
ny "A m rppu ~
His child WAS not, however, the first colOred
child who attended that school, and when he
stated that colored children had been attending
the school, they searched the building and picked
out two SpaniarI,s, much darker i'm hue than
those to whom he referred, and whom neither
Trustees nor teachers have Vet found, although
his congregation, as also himself, know that two
OF the pupils were colored. Now let them turn
out the Spaniards, if il Is question of color;
but the fact il, il is question of class and not
color. His child was i'm the school, and he would
not take the responsibility Of withdrawing il.
Let the Trustees expel her if they choose, but
he would then take another course. He would
defend his rights and those OF his race. Under
the law the rights of electors are not limited,
in his opinion, and applying that we'll
known rule. that in of doubt the law
shall be construed on the side of freedom
whites. He had been charged with having
raised the issue, which Was not the case. Col
orcd children had been in the schools some time
Mr. Richards informed him that he had exam
lied a school in which there were colOred chill
dren, and he had left them there. He thought
the Corporation Attorney w0uld properly an
>wer the questions submitted by the Board bat,
be his decision as it may, il was only question
vi time, for Congress will sit in few days, and
after the glorious speech OF President Grant to
General TAFT, of Hayti, there was but little
take. In this, God will be with them, and the
Administration also. The time has come,
through the power Of Christianity, when caste
a. caste must 60 the wall.