West-Jersey pioneer., 1873-03-21

MCGOWAN, and John Wagg.
Notices were given and benediction pro-
nounced
FREEDEEN's AID SOCIETY.
This Anniversary was held in the Trinity
NJ E. Church, on Thursday afternoon, at 3
O'clock
Rev. B. F. Woolston announced the hymn,
''There lis fountain filled with blood, -
and Rey s. Parker led in prayer.
Rev. q. Hughes of the N. J. Conference
was introduced and made brief speech,
the substance of which was as follows:
"Hr. President and Christian Friends
am not here to make speech, but simply
to utter an Introductory word that may as
sure our brethren from distance, that we
are in hearty sympathy with this important
cause. While the time would not allow me
to say much, the responses of our brethren
to DIR. Rust's remarks this morning, will
not leave doubt upon any ones mind.
might say something on the interest OF
this work to our country; on it's relation to
our church and the general church; and on
it's relation to the ultimate triumph of the
Redeemer's kingdom.
Prorhesy is now fulfilled, and 1000, 900 OF
Ethiopia's S sons lift up their hands to God
These have been liberated and put upon
the church, and she must enter upon hel
work with activity and zeal. One twentieth
of Africa S sons are here with us. Let us
look at 'the fertility of this home field"
We may see this fertility indicated
1. In the eagerness of this people to learn
Old men and women of go and 70 years are
eager to learn to read the word of God be-
fore they die.
2. In the rapid progress which these peo-
pie make in education. No company of chill
dren anywhere can exceed them.
3. The field is renumerative to the ma
ton and to the church believe among
these Freedmen is to be developed one OF
the finest bodies of christians to be met
with anywhere. Not one of you can go to
their meetings and listen to their songs, and
prayers, and exhortations, without being
thrilled by their power. What will these
people be when they are cultured and en-
chained thus to the cross of Christ. In the
,nceess OF this cause we shall erect bull
warks against Romanism and infdelity.
There is not in these people the material to
make infidels of. When the great conflict
between truth and infdelity comes, Ethio-
pia will be right in the fight. Besides
this, when the baptism of power comes
upon this humble race, colonies will be
sent cut to evangelizc Africa. They will
say, "Here are we, send u.s."
Rev. D. Rutledge, General Agent of the
Freedman's Aid Society was then intro
duced and sal
He had entered this field Of the south, at
the call of the church, about seven years
ago. Sometimes preaching to white con-
gregations, sometimes to celored. He was
intensely interested in this work as any one
will be that goes down there. | have pre-
served few K. K. &. letters, with a coffin
at the bottom and skull at the top, that
WtTC ilduuCO w iuO "hCh S,OAiiso w PASoSii3
and thought if this would not try q man,
and interest him, nothing would. I have
taken my dinner in my pocket many times,
to my appointment because no white mans
doors would be open to us.
regard this as the most important work
of the church. l said this in the Phila-
delphia Conference, and brother was
kind enough to tell me that that is the way
all agents talk.
I look upon this work down south as a
part Of the great national conflict. The
sons were in the field while we were fight
ing the first battles, and the daughters are
in the work in fighting this second bat
tie.
When we look at the condition of this
people, common justice requires that we
engage in this work. Look at their con-
dition. An old colored man came to me and
said, "Look at me, look. Use an old cot
ton ham, for sixty year I'se been in de fiel,
and what have got? Dis ole body, and
da's got all de ress'.''
He had preached to a congregation not
half as large as this, that had given him
four hundred dollars, and that when they
were buying corn for bread, by the peck at
a time. They were suffering for want of
bread, but thank God, they don't suffer for
want of bread now.
We want to send teachers all through the
South. The colored people know that they
are ignorant, aud that is the beginning of a
good education.
DR.. Rut]ege referred to Bishop Thomp-
sons giving good advice as he thought, to
a class that was entering the Conference.
The Bishop advised them to use right words
and if they didn't know what the words
meant, get the dictionary when one of the
class breaking through the etiquette of the
occasion, said, sBishop, it isn't dictiona
ries that we want If we had them, we
wouldn't know whether to look for the
word philosophy among the fs or p's. 1t
is not the dictionary that the colored peo-
pie want, but the spelling book. There
are millions in the south, more anxious to
learn than the boys of New Jersey, but
they have no schools. Last Sunday there
were eight hundred thousand children out
of Sunday school. Wherever we have
day school we have a Sunday school.
'sWe want to educate our preachers.
These preachers when they commence
cannot read. They are pretty
good preachers, too.
He spoke of good colored brother whom
he saw go into the pulpit, the Bible was up
side down, and he said, Brethren, you will
fin my tex somewhere between de lids of de
Bible,'' and preached good sermon.
We have ministerial associations in the
South. We do not discuss the difference
between the laws of nature and those of
prayer, aad their relations; buta brother
goes into the pulpit, reads chapter, takes