The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-13

side. AS soon as practicable they ought
TO be put In a position in which they
can develop an Independent Presbvte
ran church-life, adapted to their race
idiosyncracies, and untrammelled as far
as possible by merely anglo-saxon IDEAS
They will then be able to adapt them
selves to the peculiar wants of their
own people as they never can while
closely allied to the whites, and become
a power in working out their own reli
gious destiny.
The Thing Now Needed
But large work remains to be done
for them ere they will be ready to as
sumo and maintain this position. They
are poor, ignorant, and inexperienced.
Many OF them have to be instructed in
the elements Of the gospel; to be gathered
into congregations, and to be nurtured
and built up in the knowledge and faith
OF the scriptures; men of their own race
must be sought out and trained as
preachers. A great work of ingather-
ing and upbuilding has to be done among
them, and the church of the future to be
erected little by little, obtaining strength
here and there, until finally the goodly
structure shall be ready for independent
action, and the colored General Assem-
bly, of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States be the recognized repre-
sentative of this whole department of
work.
This is the view adopted by our high
est ecclesiastical judicatory several years
since, after protracted thorough. and
exhaustive discussion. This is the view
as remarked above, which is consonant
with the feelings and judgment of the
negroes themselves the wisest and most
tar-seeing of whom regard their ecclesias-
tlcal relation with their white brethren
as temporary and transitional. and not
to be continued longer than their present
weak and dependent condition renders it
necessary.
To this end our Southern PRESBYTERIAN
Church has been looking for number
OF years. In 1874, the colored Evange-
!lstlc work, as a separate and coordinate
branch of labor, was organized, and the
Presbyteries instructed and urged to
give renewed and more earnest attention
to this interesting field. These exhorta-
tons have been reiterated from time to
Tune and number of Presbyteries have
lnaugurated and are prosecuting the work
with some vigor and success The
hitherto insuperable difficulty which has
met them, is the want of means to sup
port the laborers in the field and to un-
dertake new enterprises. Not one has
found itself able to raise within its
| bounds funds sufficient for the mainten
ance of the work; and amid the already
frequent calls upon the Churches for
collections in behalf of our established
benevolent agencies, it has not appeared
wise to ask for another. The General
Assembly has, indeed, with unexampled
llberallty and earnestness, authorized IFS
Executive Committee of Home Missions
to appropriate without limit from the
Sustentation Fund for this object. But
when the Committee has come to the
practical consideration of the question.
they have found that this fund has not
Tor several years been sufficient bv one
half to support the work it was DESIGNED
to sustain. While, therefore, they have
endeavored as best they could, to re-
spond to the demands made upon them.
they have never been able to encourage
Fresbytenes to enter vigorously upon
organized effort, with the assurance that
needed aid would be forthcoming when
called for. This most needy and i'm
portant branch Of Christian work is,
therefore, in danger of paralysis from
the want OF means to foster it. If the
Committee had at its disposal so small
an annual sum as from $4,000 to So
OOO, 1t IS believed that a movement MIGHT
be speedily inaugurated whose far reach
ing effects cannot be estimated. It is
this profound conviction which has led
the Executive Committee to authorize
this appeal to the people of our own
Church, and to our brethren and friends
who sympathize in these efforts and wish
to become colaborers with us. There
are, perhaps, in our own bounds warm
hearted Christians who feel the impor-
lance OF this movement, and are able and
willing, without diminishing their contri.
buttons to other objects, to spare some
thing for this. 1t is probable, too. that
among our brethren in other parts 81
the country, there are not few who will
esteem it both duty and privilege To
and IN this benevolent service which. as
a church, we are at present unable tC
carry forward in the measure reouired
by the exigences Of the case.
Reasons for Action in this Matter.
These are many and obvious On1r