New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-03-14
A Dispute Among Churchmen.

: Dispute Among Churchmen.
The New York Independent and the NJ.
| Orleans Southwestern Adcocate ara no.
, agreeing very we'll together on the eiv;,
rights bill question. In a word, they A..
calling each other rather hard names. Tbs
.Adroeate let's fly the following ''stingerr in
its edition of the eleventh of March. II i,
from the incisive pen of the chief editor
Rev. j. C. Hartzell
BISHOP FOSTER AND THE ''INDEPENpEyr,
At the late session Of the Louisiana cor.
ference of our church, among other cues.
tlons discussed was one involving the re.
latlons between our c0lored and white
membership. Bishop Foster spoke, and in
the course of his remarks said:
I'm the question of your right to seats in
our cnurch, we want you to understand
tnat inc general conference never hss
undertaken to interfere with internal work
ings OF congregations. 1t prescribes that
the preachers shall have their rights. and
tnat the people shall have theirs. Tbe
pews IN the churches are the peoples. /
have been kept out of Methodist churcbas
many times. The pews were rented by the
people. A colored congregation has q right
70 say, we a9n ON want white people in our
| A'V P1cNlulng elders have
the right to preach in your pulpit 3, because
they are offices appointed to them. The
general church makes no distinction in
her laws between her white and col.
ored members. All are the same to her
She goes to all the people to put her
arms around them and help them. coma
to your city; and in spite Of the prejudces
In the midst of these prejudices, it is a
great thing for me to shake you by the
| hand, walk with you on the streets, and EAT
| at your tables. 1t ia nothing to me for I
| feel we are equals before God. l come tn
help you and the church comes to help Won.
We can not take you into the parlors Of this
city, nor influence all the public sentiment
your part and the help of your friends All
proper blessings now Kept from you will bs
yours"
Inc above was reported In the South.
,cestern by the secretary of the conference.
The New York Independent OF February
l8 quotes par is of the above, and makes il
the occasion of q long editorial, in which
work Of the very meanest type. All dis. s
cussiOns which have to do with the sin Of
race caste with an honest view of riddino
our churches and nation of it, are to bs
commended. But the editorial referred to
was SO manifestly prompted BY unworthy
motives that whatever of truth it contains
must be considered as NO part of the au.
thor's real sentiments. There was a time
when the words of the Independent were
accepted as the conscientious views of ain.
cere men. That time is past. The Con.
gregational Church years ago rejected it as
it's representative organ, and lis influence
has steadily gone more and more against
the religion of Christ, in it's practical ap.
glication to the great questions of the day.
hon ho n1vve1 MI 70 hn@z T.
gress the influence Of the Independent was
thrown against it, And especially because
it proposed at first to include public schools,
And yet here is this enemy of tho civil
rights bill, wonderfully indignant because
by quoting portions OF a bishops address
on the color question, he can, he thinks,
make a point against him and his church.
Now that the civil rights bill is a law in
spite of the Independent and it's allies, it ia
poor taste to even criticise in gentlemanly
way those who conscientiously and PRAYER.
fully are struggling with one of our chief
national sins.
The animus of the independents TRADE is
seen by the intensely personal character of
its remarks. Bishop Foster is addressed
simply as Randolph s. Foster" as if he
were criminal of the worst degree, un-
worthy of any title by which he could be
suspected OF being gentleman. Bishop
Foster is gentleman by birth and by edu-
cation, and few men have more thoroughly,
for years, commanded the respect Of the
great Church to which he belongs, for his
conscientious devotion to the truth, fer his
pure Christian life and for his intellectual
power. This effort of the independent, SO
far as it regards Bishop Foster personally,
Is simply contemplate. 1t lacks the first
principles of honesty and fairness. After
speaking of the prejudices and difficulties
the colored people and their
friends, the bishop said: II come to this
city and in spite of the prejudices of this
loouthern? people, do you all the good |
Gan. In the midst of these prejudices 1t is
= great thing tor me to take you by the
hand, walk with you on the streets and eat
II your tables 1t is nothing to me, for II
eel we are equals before God" 1t did not
suit the purpose OF Bishop Fosters critic toI
quote this.
AS to the right of a congregation, whiteI
II black, to exclude from their house onE
account OF color, we can not accept the5
egal grounds. but this we doubt, only in 40.
ar as each individual pew holder has absos
ute control over his rented property. Al
my rate 1t was in this legal sense thai
3ishop Foster spoke, and while we can not
'ccept 1t and would not hesitate to de.
lounce its application in any case. where an
fort was made to separate Gods children
Iii.
ace caste, still as between Bishop Foster
no the Independent, the one is gentle.
nan stating what. he may conscientiously
eileve to be true, and the other is time
erver, lighting the civil rights bill to.dayI
nd thus striking the colored people: andh
o'morrow putting the worst possible con-
truction upon any difference of opinions
men may exist between those who devotsM
heir lives and best talents to the eIeyatiopM
+ that people.
Evidently the independent is ignorant OIL
nf ch1rch and her work in the South. The e
iethodist Episc opal Church is the only
'nurch IN America that is really graphing
nth the question of race caste. The Afr.
an Methodist chuyches and the Colored
lethodist ChurchFof America can only
7ork among colored people and in no way
leet the issue. just so with the Southern
tG tnr church; having stripped herself
ner coiored me mbership, she lodges the
uesclon. VI these churches each devotes
sen 10 its particular class, and so far as
10 question OF race caste is concerned thew
re not graphing with it, As to the othen
functional churches. they have p0
'rength among the colored people. If va
'ok now at the denominations whos&
1urches are independent we see there had
cen no attempt to solve the problem. Tha
;" congregational churches in the South
re- thoroughly separate. The Baptis1
lurches are the same. These churchel
ave not even had the question raised
nong them. The division is IA cleaT
III ana positive in all of them TO-DAY al
the times OF SLAVERY. VIII the /ooss