The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-24
Rev. DR.. Leighton Wilson,
In Reply to Rev. s. G. Logan, Secretary of the
Freedman's Committee of the Presbyte-
rian Church, North. o. g., Con-
corning Cclored Schools.

we nave received tne lOhOWlng note from u
well known Presbyterian divine of this city.
inclosing condensation of the views of Rev. DR..
Wilson upon the propsiety and feasibility of
proselytzing colored people in the Sonth. The
communication explains itself:
To the Editor Of the Crescent
Dear Sri have seep an intimatiou in your
columns of desire to publish matters of more or
less interest TO the religious world. l send you
matter touching the rrepriety OF the proselyting
OF our colored people tosome Northern eccesias-
teal connection. "a sa
The writer of the article gent You is an eminent
minister OF the Presbyterian Church. South him.
self many years. in earlier tlife, missionary to
Africa; subsequently one of the secretaries OF the
foreign missionary boaId Of the undivided Pres
byterian church, and Since the withdrawal of
Southern Presbyterians from all Erastian connec-
tons their secretary Of foreign missions and sus-
teTltdtioh scheme. The article is probably the
calmest and strongest stateinent of wellfounded
opinion which has ever met ihe public eye.
have arranged the ESSENTIAL parts Of longer
article. from the Southern Presbyterian and
Index, published at Columbia, s. c.
Mr.. Logan writes Cpteri alias) to DR.. Wilson.
who is the secretary of the missionary schemes of
the Presbyterian Church; South
Will you be kind enough to give me your views
on this whole matter, and suggest any plan which
may occur to your mind by which our church can
cooperate with yours In this great field? can
assure you that whatever may be the difference
of judgment between us, your suggestions and
propositions will always be treated with brotherly
ccndor and respect.
Here is DR.. Wilson's reply:
In relation to the organization of churches and
gathering converts intD them, apprehend that
you will find, upon close Examination, that much
of the good claimed TO have been effected ia more
in appearance than in reality. You will fad, for
example, that the five thousand who have been
added TO your newly formed churches are ONLY so
many distracted from ouTsl The number of new
converts will at least form but small aud unm-
portsnt element In the hbdy OF any of your
churches. Whether any real advantage will &C.
c1ue TO the church at large or 10 this particular
people, from this change inrheir ecclesiastical re.
latiOns, is 10 my mind Dorek han doubtful
Bun have these people proved in their moral
character in consequence OF their separation from
us? Common honesty canftrans me to say that
they have sadly deterioresed
My own impression is that these people are not
yet prepared TO stand alone. Separate them from
the whites and give them a church TO themselves.
and the great danger will be that they will not
only lose sight of the great and fundamental prin-
ciples Of evangelical religion. but they will, ia
comparatively short period. land Ia outright
heathenism. This is no bnfOunded apprehension
There are already unmisiakabe evidences of this
tendency among those 81 the blacks who have de.
tached themselves from their former church con-
Dexions, and no one can tell where they will land
unless more powerful restraints are imposed upon
them than exist at present.
There is another view of fhis matter that ought
not TO be overlooked: 1t is whether you will be
able to retain these people under your influence
for any considerable length 'Of time. Vacillation
and instability are well known characteristics of
the race. They have undoubtedly left our church
to join yours from the sniple expectation that
you can confer greater outward favors on them
than we can. This is the ,oty argument used in
the case. They expect yoult9r example, to build
their churches and school honses with little or no
cost trouble 10 themselves; not only to educate
their children, but feed aud clOthe them at the
same time TO employ aby nsmber of themselves
as teachers and preachers, With little or no regard
to their qualifications for trete high and RESPONSE
BILE fuDctions and they will expect you to continue
these favOrs indefinitely. Hse moment they come.
TO the conclusion that you aJe not going 10 pro-
vice for them in all thess various ways, they
will pass as quietly aud noiselessly out
OF your hands as they have7rom ours and the
Growing misfortune VIII be. shat they may and
probably will, get out of the reach of both you
aud ourselves. If this is no shimerical apprehen-
sion, then your agents htve dtsumed q very grave
responsibility In promoting trese divisve meas
ures 10 the Church of the LORI Jesus Christ. You
will give me credit for caneoR am sure, when |
affirm that there has been 30 Suspension or abate.
ment of the interest felt b the great mass of
Southern Christians in the rod al and spiritual inn
pTovement OF the coored. PEOPLE. Ii in former
times they were actuated Ia cs,ing what they did
by a sense of duty, they aee knfuenced now by
considerations of intereE sldtsafety as well az OF
duty. This southern cbuanS can scarcely be
bsbitabe very long for titbes whites or blacks
unless the latter can be Brought under the inhu-
ence OF industrious habits, Sound morals and
enlightened piety. Precious ito the war; as you
well know, not only did "a lasge number of our
most popular preachers levote their whole time
10 the religious instftlcti0p of the negroes,
but there were searfly hny of our minis.
ters that did not dekote as mach of their
attention TO the colored tortidn of their congre-
cations as 10 the whitef The results of these
labors were the ing4thering OF something
like fourteen thousand souls into the
fold of Christ. These labors were continued with.
out material interruption not only until the break
ing out Of the war, but through its whole course.
and indeed up TO that petiod when the Southern
country was deluged fith Northern agents Of
every hue and stripe, the gyeat mass of whom
seemed 10 regard theihselvbs as heaven-com.
nissioned to fiji the mihds d the negroes with
hatred and animOsity toward their former owners.
II is utterly untrue to say there was any marked
bitterness between the whites and the blacks of
the South, ether before or subsequent to the war;
save what was called into existence nv the
class of persons just referred to. Furthermore,
doubt very much whether sny considerable num-
b of our coored church members would have
been drawn away from az, If it had not been
either from the expectation of certain secular
benefits that they supposed. y6U would confer on
hem, or from foolish ambition on the part of
many of them to exercise funstions in'the Church
Of Christ for which they Gre utterly unfit. At the
same time there is nanifeSt and growing dis
position among these people generally TO return to
the whites of the South rs shhr best friends and
wisest counselors; aud /: save no doubt ttis
would be the case with The great body of those
who have left our Church Connections, IL God
should be pleased to restore pace aud prosperity
to our PROSTATE and afflicted country
You have asked my views, ss | understand your
euer, as TO the best mode bHwhich your church
and people can cooperate y the great work of
ennghtenlng and improvin the condition of the
freedmen. would not hevs thought of obtrnd.
Ing those views on your attention. II they had not
been 80 kindly asked. You will, Of course, expect
me to use great candor in expressing those views
even If they should not be entirely coincident
with your own. Those views may be summed up
N single remark, viz; nat y regard The South
e1n Church as The chief d}ency appointed by
Providence for The dccdnsphl hDlent Of this gredl
otJect. and That The Nortke17l Church and people
can cooperate IN no nay more esectttdLy than
1rOugh the medium Of that church. The course
pursued by your own Board of Foreign Missions
Tor promoting the cause Of evangelical religion in
Dspal Europe, is precisely the course as it seems
oime, which you should adoptto promote evangel-
cal religion among the freedmen of the South.
That board rightly judged that the best agents
hat could be employed Gin Aeir work were the
lative Christians OF the county and hence they
70 of n 1ohC