The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-03-17
GheQatelIiaetteer
,,o1nndi.,n ln lhC Noutll.

,p,,m ,bo Now York Tribune Of Tucsdnyl
The subject before tho meeting OF Meth
oli.l clergymen at No. sos Broadway
"o.,crday, was one bearing on the reIa'
;ion. Of the Methodists Of the Southern
CSnrch to their brethren Of the North.
The Rev. Mr.. Lee, Presiding Elder OF the
Atlantic District Of the Georgia Confer
ence. gave an account Of the work OF the
yoTtbern Mcthodists among the freedmen
and Of the financial and political difficult
lies they have to contend with. Mr.. Lee
i here rs the representative OF the Freed:
ncn's Aid Society, with the hope OF
awakening greater interest at the North
in tbe missionary work Of the South
BEFORE the slaves were enanclpGteu,
Mr.. Leo said, the Southern MethodisIs
pridcd themselves on their concern ioF
the spiritual well-being OF the nesrGes'
but after the war and the formation I
Of the Colored Methodist Church 'hey
gave themselves no more concern on
,hc;r account. Consequently, when the
Ssrthcrp Methodists undertook 70 cd
,'Sn,s arj improve the moral ma.
,,.1o II tbc negro, Southern Meth
odis,s gave them the cola ShouIuer,
onI there has been no fellowship between
,bcm in the sane localities. The South
crn Slcthodists had feeling that the
Methodist Episcopal Church North had
no good right to extend It's ministrations
arross Mason and DixOn's line, When the
missionary work began, the Northern
Church at the South had $4,000 white
and 10000 colorcd members. Since the
war, 100000 members have been added,
and tho membership is divided now into
about 100000 white and 100000 colored
communicates. On the border. the color
ed and white Conferences are kept wholly
distinct, and the colored churches are al
lowed to work almost independently. In
more southern districts the Conferences
are mixed, but the churches themselves
arc kept distinct. In Georgia the North
crn church has 40 white and 67 colored
ministers. As a rule there arc no churches
with mixed membership. White pastors
are in charge Of colored churches usually
when q school ia attached to the church.
Some few colored ministers arc well
qualified 10 take care Of the schools.
Mr.. Lee had considerable to say about
the prejudice which exists South against
the negro schools and missionary work
as tending to inculcate the idea OF social
equality. Within year an accomplish
cd colored female teacher on the Flint
River abandoned her school owing to the
repeated threats Of the white residents.
A white lady who has been teaching for
eight years in the South in that time had
received only two calls from white people
OF the ncighbOorhOod, who showed any
interest for her work. Along the lines Of
railroad, Mr.. Lee says, the negroes are
becoming cnlighted, but he knows from
much travelling in the interior that there
arc places where farm hands scarcely
know that they are emancipated. In
many places the men are paid only $40
per year each and the women $50. Each
hand is supplied with rations for him
self or herself, but not for their
families. Under such conditions it
is impossible for them to do much
toward supporting their schools and
churches. The Southern Grange move
ment serves to regulate the low price Of
wages, and its influence is felt mainly
throughout the slave belt. Many ne
groes arc virtually in state Of peonage.
The State School Superintendent Of
Georgia is making an effort to keep the
schools open three months in the year.
This covers a part Of the cotton picking
season, and practically the school season
is much shorter. The county Supcrin-
tendent refused 10 take colored teachers
from the Atlanta Normal School, on the
ground that they had sat at table with
their white teachers and had received So
cial. equality notions. The school-houses
and churches are very cheap,the churches
not averaging value OF more than $500.
The negroes in the Cotton States own
Sl,5OO,000 Of church property. The
Methodist Church South is the most in
iIuential among the white people, and Mr..
Lee says it cxerts strong political in
huCnce hurtful to missionary labor.