New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-06-11

! se"sS.s WV Spult VI Trccm1SOnrv wa
hostile to the principles of the Church q
Rome. The intention of the one was to en-
tighten the mind; the object and policy q
tne other was to retain it in ignorance
When Freemasonry flourished. the power O
the Church must have decayed.o
L have adverted to those historical fact
not in condemnation, of course of the Ro
man Catholic Church, but in yindication q
the claim OF Masonry to perform this particu
Jar ceremony, and to establish the fact th,
Church, though now opposed to the Order
ior many years during its early history, re
Sarded Masonry rs n handmade.
NO, my friends, Masonry is not envious OF
taious oi the power or influence of an,
o,hcr society. With the Supreme Architec
ABOVE as her Grand Master, and the HOl,
Bible here below as a guide for her s. aitl
ana practice" she bids godspeed to all insti
tuilons. Enter the door of Masonry, ant
you VIII there find an order to curb the in
temperate passion, to restrain the spirit Of
ambition, and to teach charity and forbear
ance to individuals, justice and integrity to
governments, humanity and bcnevolence to
nations to Danish from the world every
source OF enmity and hostility, and to intr O.
duce those social feelings on which depend
IN high degree, the peace and order of so.
ciety.
Z
among the colOred people of this country has
been of untold benefits, not only in bri1eino
them to knowledge of Jesus Christ, but in
countcractng the debasing influences of slay.
cry and The slave laws; saving them from a
moral degradation that is fearful to cOntem.
plate.
The slave laws recognized no obligations
either morally or intellectually to redeem
them from ignorance and darkness, or to i'm
prove their hearts and minds by the teachinn
OF Christian love and fellowship. They were
totally neglected, and had no rights that
white men were bound to respect, either OF
religion or politics. The Constitution of their
country, which secured liberty to every other
person IN the land, was to them dead let.
ter. 1T Is true the Church did not 90 so far
as to exclude them by canon, but practically
they were excluded from all its benefits, and
I Their presence was barely tolerated in seclu-
ded parts OF the temple. They were not
only the civil and political Pariahs of Ameri.
can society, but also Of the Christian church
Their claims for personal liberty and polti-
cal recognition and fellowship under our re
publican form of government were denied
them with supreme contempt, only equaled
by that OF the the denial of the Church OF
Christian fellowship and equality, and where
they were recognized at all, it was only as a
'S'.noity w a tutCldSc DeltCT IlILpu tncl
Tor profitable service to their masters.
The Christian church at first only tolerated
American slavery, but alas its ministry fell
aud from mere liberation it embraced and de.
| Tended it /; to the colOred man there was but
one text from which the gospel was preached
Servants, obey your masters" His ma.
ture, so susceptible of religious instruction,
was blunted by false doctrines. What was
the love OF Christ, as practically shown him
by the white Christian, but mOckery. How
was he, poor, ignorant and blind, under such
teachings, to grow in Christian knowledge
and truth? What was the Christian minis
Try to him but a band Of moral towards and
hNpOcrites, who had one gospel for the white
man and another for the black
My friends, it was such a deplorable state
OF affairs as have described that compelled
the colored people to establish Christian
churches, and l am sorry to say it, but it was
the want oil confidence in the Justice and
truth OF the doctrines preached to them by a
white ministry in Christian churches, and the
belief that the ministry itself wore false to
their Christian duties and professions, that
led them To the unchrstian desire to have
| separate churches, to be known as /" colored
churches.'
slavery and the church permitted this
they reasoned that the negro was highly
eiioli'udl w iisttiIt. lIaI his crude and
ignorant idea OF God and religion would re-
suit in style and method of worship that
would serve as safety-valve to the eXhu-
berance of his animal nature. They did not
care how grOtesque his behavior, or how
false his conceptions Of what was proper and
right to be done in the house of God, so long
rs the service did not partake of a nature to
weaken the hold slavery had on his body and
mind. Protesting white Christians stood by
and cared not what excuses were regarded
by these poor ignorant people as a proper
service to be held in the church of Christ.
The services at the NEGRO churches" was
''iun' for them-''as good as a circus"
Another potent reason for their flvOrinn
such establishments for the colored people,
WIS the hatred of the presence Of the negro
in their churches. 1t was the convenient
and smart method of getting rid of disa-
"reeable element in the white churches.
Well the colored man left the partitioned-off
corner in the white mans church, where he
was not wanted, and went to the hut and
lowly pine board meeting house, there to
know aud serve God in the manner that his
feeble light and instinct might lead him, and
that great God who notes even the fall OF
the sparrow remembered him.
What was permitted by the church and
slavery as Il harmless amusement, by which
the slave might pass away the idle hours OF
the Sabbath, served rs the beginning of a
moral and religious education that las been
of incalculable benefit, not only to the form
er slave, but to the whole country. The
work that His ministers failed to do for the
poor benighted slave in the church, He him
self did in the hut and cabins, and if to-day
the colorcI man shows greater suscepti-
biity to religious teachings and influence /;
if he shows Il more ready and abiding faith
in the doctrines of Christ, it is because God
saw his lowly condition in mind and body
i'm the hour of slavery and darkness, and
saved linn from the evils of his own fury.
As | have stated, these churches proved a
great blessing 10 the colOred people. They
were not only places OF worship, where
themselves and children could be morally
and mentally educated to limited extent,
but also a place where, collected together,
their united prayers were OAeIed to God
and all mankind for dcliverance from oppres-
sive bondage. In these churches none other
than sentiments Of Christian love and respect
for superior authority in the whites were
ever permitted to be uttered. 1t was here
that the Bible was first permitted to be read
by the slave. Few had the hardihoOd to car
nv the slave law, forbidding the slave to be
taught to read, SO far as to deny this privi-
lege.
The colored people themselves soon dis.
covered who among them were best suited to
lead, and to-day, perhaps, we would moi
have that eloquent leader, and truly great
man, Frederick Douglass, and many others,
but for the opportunities these churches al
forded them. The eloquencc and capacity
of the colored man in this new field showed
itself to such degree that the attention OF
his white Christian brother was drawn to his