New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-03-19

worship they had renounced. A sin will
them was a sin, even though it should b,
, gilded
: The evil is small one, when il goes M
further than to permit church members Il
wait at balls, who would be disciplined
should they participate rs dancers, But
there are deeper depths and darker shades
to the question.
1t is no longer trivial matter when man
stands behind a bar or n table and pours ont
Intoxicating liquors for men to drink. whom
a man gives his services in gambling hell
preparing the tempting viands which HELM TO
draw in the unwary to paths of destruction
or when he stands behind gamin. table
acting as the dealer, in some came where
men are cheated and made bcggars or where
a man or woman is found giving service in
bawdy houses, mnistering TO the luss of
those who 60 "likc an OK to the slauohter
till dart strike through his liver"
Such things are tolerated BY the colorcd
preachers of Cincinnati because the positions
L have described are usually well paid. and
those who hold them sometimes give freely
of their gains to the churches. Let sucb
man march regularly up with his donation.
when. called upon, and no clergyman will
dare attack him.
Notorious cases might be cited of evil
doors, whom the Church does not ONLY moi
reprmand for their evil courses, but patron
ICES and hOnOrs because of contributions to
its treasury. These preachers have surely
never read this Scripture, "The sacrifice Of
| the wicked is abominaton."
| This pandering to vice is shameful, and as
| notorious as shameful, and its results in de-
| baucbing the moral sentiment of the commu-
nifty much to be deplored. One deacon. when
reminded that man to whom he had given
commission to collect money to pay the
church debt, was dishonest man, and might
shame the congregation by his manner of
raising and disposing of money, replied, 81
don't care how he raises the money, or how
much he steals, provided he brings some to
our treasury"
One preacher urged contributions by say
ing that the Lord always repaid, before the
week was out, those who gave literally; for
the young men at the hotel assured him there
was one way in which they always got their
money; but the words zone way" were said
with peculiar smile and jerk Of the head
which explained them. That one way was
by dealing in policy.
This man is great revivalst, and boasts
OF having brought hundreds of souls to light
in the past six months. "Woe unto We,
Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrtcs for We
compass sea and land to make one proselyte.
and when he is made, We make him two-fold
more the child of hell.''
The ladies (?) who dwell in houses of i'll
fame as servants, the gentlemen ca who fill
similar positions in such places or IN gamb-
ling hells, cannot be attacked, for then their
gifts to the Treasury of the Lord will cease.
They are not attacked, but are given the
chief seats, and by their base presence do
more harm than thousand roaring, stamp
ing rcvivals can undo. The young men and
women OF the congregation. thus sec vice
VIII N Il, =,
only pauper vice that must be frowned down.
An elder in one of the churches declared,
when member was brought before him on
charge Of notwithstanding, that "colored
people are too poor to take q high moral
stand. When the white people, who follow
the same business as brother Blank, cease to
violate the Sabbath day, then | will enforce
the law in his case"
Thus, our young people learn, not that
goodness Is gain, but that gain is godincss,
Ihey learn that Il vice which yields n good
income is no vice, especially when a part of
That income Is given to the church. We have
quartered in this city, a small army of these
ministerial cormorants. If our moral stand
ing bore any proportion to the amount of
preaching we hear, then we would be the
most moral OF communities; but, as | have
shown, we too often have given to lis q stone
| instead of the bread of life. We have seven
Baptist churches in the limits of the city.
when we could not more than dcccntly sup
port one. Four Methodist churches starve
ON what would barely support and pay the
| debts of one
| Money, money, is the incessant demand,
and the pous elders and dcacons welcome
money, however gained, and for The sake of
| the money welcome the givcr, however vile.
| These men claim the sole right to make
ana MAINTAIN the standard of morals. They
affect to bewal the low state to which we
have fallen, and declare that there is q ten
dency to fall farther.
Ii they wish to check this tendency, let
them dare TO speak out on the points l have
indicated. Let them dare to saw that service
in houses Of ill-fame and gambling hells IS
degrading to the individual who engages in
II, and corrupting to the community. Let
them dare to say that the money of the oamb.
Ter mas Dcen dishonesty obtained, and that
the gambler is 4 dishonest man. Let Them
cease gong out OF their way to honor ganib.
lcrS, VINO III some cases even are invited to
address the people from the pulpit. Let us
nave no more open adulterers filing official
| positions i'll churches of which thew are not
even members, placed there simply because
ihcy ostcntatiously go forward and put down
their money for the support of The sanctuary
Let our ministers teach that no necessity can
excuse participation i'll wrong-doinc, Let
them teach their congregation to accent pow
erty rather than to engage in these corrupt-
| ing avocations.
Ii church or two should fail and come un-
der the hammer, it will be all the better for
the community, which is literally begged to
death. Those that remain would be stronger
IN membership, and what is more, stronger
IN the strength which moral purity gives.
| am friend to Elder Fossett. and do NOT
consider him sinner above other men of his
calling. L arraign him, and through him the
colored preachers of Cincinnati, for teaching
by implication that man NAV pursue mn
reproved by the Church ayocations which
both the law OF God and of the State forbid.
| LAYMAN.
Prominent individuals who took part in the
| CHILLICoTHE CONVENTION
are seriously discussing the question of an
other meeting of those who Endorsed the
action of last summer. All the acts of the
Republican party in this State seem to indi-
cate the assumption Of It's independence of
the colored vote, and many of those in direct
opposition to the stand taken last August
announce their readiness to join us to-day.
The spring elections are approaching, and
from the evidences have received the same
''passive policy" of Indifference will be Dur.
sued. l had little idea the famous mob of
December, called convention, could damage
the Civil Rights Bill enough to kill it. but
moderated the mischief there was in it. Full