The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-02-21

had lost their lives in its unhealthy eli
mate, and then gave way to Professor Nc
Cants Stewart, who made the principal
address of the evening.
Christian Education in Africa.
l wish you could see Stewart He is
of the truest African type, slight and
short, with round head, intensely black.
and in every feature, asserts his direct
descent from that "lubly coal black
Rose, whose graces, in the long ago, in
spired the song of every cabin in the
South. He was simplz but carefully
dressed, and began his sermon without
embarrassment or flourish, but with
the self-possessed ease of an accomplished
speaker. His topic was Christian educa-
tion in Africa. He swept along the his
tory of the past in mastery way, and
presented much that was favorable to his
race. He claimed Egy pit for Ham, and
declared the worlds obligation to her for
letters. Hers was the seat of literature
and science. She held aloft the torch OF
learning, then passed it on to Greece :
Greece handed it to Rome, who, in turn
carried it into Britain, and she in the
"Mayhower," sent it to America And
Egypt was not alone the home OF learn
ing, but the nursery of religion, inasmuch
as in the person of Joseph and his breth-
ren the early church, under the old
dispensation, found an asylum in her
land, and under the new the infant
Christ found refuge within her borders
And, he prophecied that, in the future,
redeemed and enlightened Africa, would
be honored as the custodian of a pure
faith, when the now Christian nations of
the earth were lost in materialism and
infdelity. He claimed also the in
debtedness of America to the negro for
development of her soil and increase of
her riches. But he recognized the Provi-
dence that planted part of the family
OF Ham in the United States, as training
them for the work of the regeneration Of
their own land.
He spoke of the college to which he
was called-of how its prospects were
frightened by the plan of removing it
from the malaria of Mohrovia, to a high,
cool, healthy region in the interior, where
they would have greater facilities for
their agricultural department, and be
nearer the heather tribes they wanted to
influence. These tribes being chiefly
Mohammedan, believing in one God and
rejecting idols, they would be found most
accessible to Christian seaching They
did not however, nee be sought !;
already, in ad-o~~e ,~sry over
lures the q; = sons
make booh-.-. -..a-, =.
them.
Prof. Browne followe4 and spoke ten
minutes. He is light mulatto, comes
from Washington City, and had had Lii
IBERIA instilled into his mind by good
mother as she taught him his religious
creed. He spoke with delicate propriety
of the condition of his race in this coun-
try ; ne felt its position keenly he felt
there was no power to elevate it in its
present circumstances here; had caught
at restoration to Africa as solving the
{ whole problem, and had consecrated his
life and talents to the establishment OF
an educated nationality there. He
would transfer to Liberia College, ideas
obtained from the Hampton Institute
and hoped its projected removal to the
interior would enable Tim to do so sue
cessfully. The advantages of the college
were not confined to men, but open to
women also. In his department he
5 would follow the teachings of Princeton
and never rest content with the intel
lectual training of his e,ddents until they
had mastered the philosophy of Dr.
James McCosh. His brother-professor
was a Methodist; but he was Presbyte
rian, and should he ever be so happy as
to have theological department, the
textbook he would use would be the Sys.
tematic Theology OF Charles Hodge. In
the invaluable instructions they had
themselves received from the distin.
guished professors in the college and
, seminary, as well as in their books, his
brother and himself would take Prince
ton with them to their distant home; and
he begged that Princeton would send
, with and after them her interest and her
prayers. He was not there, he said, in
conclusion, to ask for money; they would
make the experiment first, and should it
prove successful, some years hence they
, might return to their friends here for as
sistance in securing endowments for their
professorships.
, 1 cannot give you too high an idea oi
! the handsome department Of these men
of the singular delicacy of their ap.
proaches to the question of slavery, nor
T Of the ability and excellence of their ad
dresses. Intellectual culture showed its
, power in their voices as much as in the
3 development and drapery Of their ideas