The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-12-07
VIEWS or A NORTHERN MAN.

The American Baptist Home Mission.
ary Society, IL few years after the close of
the war, established in Columbia the
Bencdic, Institute, III institution designed
for the training Of c0lored ministers.
The colorcd membership Of the Baptist
churches Of the SoulI. just after freedom
voluntarily Withdrew themselves hnm
the churches aud established churches q,
their own, presided over by minister.
and deacous Of their own color. For u
Time they sought the assistance in the
administration Of church atlnirs, Of the
ministers, dencons and members Of the
churchea from which they had with.
drawn. But t;y degrees this has long
since ceased, and now their coun.cls are
almost if nut wholly di,regardcd. Pro.
iesscr Becker, President of the Bcncdic,
Institute, who il q minister sent from. The
North by the American Baptist Houe
Missionary Society, has had charge of
this institution for y number Of years.
Prof Becker, Mt great sacrifice to him
self, has faithfully lnhorcd fnr The plo.
motion g; the cduca,io:.:!, moral and
religious interests of this people, Ignoring
e!t"Gethcr all political and social qu,s-
tions. In this work ho has received the
hearty and cordial appreciation of tho
Baptists Of the State, but at the same
time has arrayed against himself and the
Society which he represents the leading
Radical politicians Of the State, and
quite number of the colorcd ministers.
If it is difficult 10 solve the political
problem relating to this people, it is
much more 80 to solve that relating to
their future moral and religious status.
The Northern people will sooner or later
learn that while the colored people nf
the South are led as mere tools by cor.
rupt political leaders, and arrayed against
the white race for no purpose but to OBJ.
tain Office, all their efforts to elevate,
moralize and christianize the colored
people will be entire failures, and that
if they cannot drag down the agents
sent here to level with themselves,
their efforts to better their condition will
be in vain.
Prof. Becker, in an address before the
BAPTIST State Convention. which recently
met at Darlington, gave fearful descrip.
ton Of the decadence Of this people, and
especially Of the ministers and members
Of the church. In his address he said !:
"The Ignorance and degradation of the
! colored people appal mo. In times OF
| slavery you preached to them, and your
wives and daughters went among them
Since the war they have drawn ont from
you and gone from bad to worse, and to.
| day their condition, as to religion, is i'm
measurably worse than it was in slavery
times.
"The preaching Of tho negroes that I
have heard dues not rise to the dignity OF
| nonsense. I have not read anything
more horrible In heathenisni than exists
| among the cnlored Baptists OF this Safe.
Instead OF $4,000 colored Baptists in
South Carolina, should rather say 0O,-
600 Iagant Baptists. The North knows
| nothing of 1t.
"Thore is no more sense In the preach
ing of most Of tho negro preachers than
In the gabble OF II goose.
Il am thrusting myself upon the coll
Their leaders don't wish mo, and try to
foil me all thoy can.
The Northern people have no idea Of
the magnitude or this black negro prob.
lem. Heathenism-the bowling down to
idols-would be an advance on the con-
dition OF many colorcd churches in this
State, and II Is getting worse every day.
IL il az distast ful to me as II can be to
You to thrust myself upon this people,
bnt am doing 1t, and wisl. you to help
motor Christ's sake. will you do 1t :?
We shall do little without your help
will each Of you do your best for them in
yonr respective neighborhoods?
"The friends OF the American Baptist
Home Mission Society do not deom II
best to educate these colored men at tho
North. 1t is believed by many that it
will rdscaii-e them-if may coin a word.
We wish TO do the work In the South
The colortd Associations here arc vo.
ting that they will have nothing to do
with Benedict Institute unless it IL put
under their control; and one colored
leader here is ruling and running these
people. They demand that tho whole
property, and all the money given by the
Society, should be controlled by ignorant