Daily globe., 1883-05-21
THE COLOR LINE.

The Virginia Episcopal Council Commit
tee, Composed of White and Black Min
listers, Report gainst Colored Bishops
Interesting Opinion on Race Relation
| ship.
RICHMOND, Va, May 19.-In the Virgins
Episcopal council to-day, committee re
! ported on the subject of the bishops ad-
dress in relation to the relations of thai
church to the colored people of the United
States, as follows:
We believe that the true, the only solu
tion to our church's relation to the coIored
race is to be found in giving them The
right, and encouraging them to exercise
the right to the separate organization they
have asked, and it is natural that they
should request separate congregational
organization. The race difficulty, in a
local point of view, is real one. The col
ored people recognize it as clearly as the
white, and are prepared to act according
ly. A white pastor to colored congrega-
ton is not and cannot be such a
pastor as the congregation demands, and
really needs. He may visit the homes of
the people, he may go in and out of their
families. but there is no free, unrestrained
recognition of their families by the bar
rier between his family and the families
of the congregation, which render that in
tercourse unreal. 1t is by no means mu-
tual recognition. Our white congregations
have no intention of asking colored men
to be their rectors. IT is not spirit of
| resentment, but desire for more than a
! semblance of church relationship. That
the colored people will ask that their pas
tor shall be of their own race, what is true
of their own congregations, in its princi-
| pic, is true of the larger congregation.
| The intercourse between the
white and colored ministers and
| laymen in councils and convention, is not
while they are so few in number and their
| churches so feeble as not to have a lay
epresentation-it very surely will not be
| as real as it ont to be. There is cordial
! welcome to every colored man who enters
our council, but all of US know that, under
| theipresent csrditien Of things our colored
brethren, thoughz.M~they have every right
| upon this floor, we do not feel that they
have the same measure OF influence which
we would all desire for them. However
much this or any other diocese might need
| p bishop, and however graft
| fed Intellectually and reIigiously
the colored men might be, whom we could
find, we know we would neve1H make q
choice Of colored bishop to 90 in and
out amongst our families and congrega-
tions. We prefer white men for the same
reason that the other race would take the
colored man, rather than an Indian. We
submit that, in order to have this work
thoroughly done, there must be thorough
organization and such organizationsaa viii
not make this body of our population fee
that they are merely patronized. We trust
the council will agree with US, thai
our deputies to the genera
convention will use their best efforts tc
have colored people encouraged to prepare
for an organization which will be their own
subject of course to the general conven
tion, but independent and separate and un
der the fostering care of the general church
to design and execute for themselves such
plans as should conduce to their moral ant
spiritual we'll being.
The report is signed by the three coloreG
ministers on the committee, the commit
tee stating that especial regard was had tC
the carrying out of the views of the col
| ored members.