The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-08-16
NO. 90.

great sums Of money, and for the devoted
men and women who have given their per-
sonal services. That some cranks and
marplotS have appeared among them i'll
the course of twenty years is no mOreSan
argument against the great work itself
than is the discovery of an occasional hyp-
Ocrit and ScOundrel i'll the pulpit an argtl-
ment against Christianity,
During most Of the time that, this work
has been going on i'll our midst, ATS promo
ters have had little countenance or encour-
agement from us. Many times they have
been opposed and deSpised and made to feel
our contempt. In all truth and common
sense, there is no reason Tor dlscOHnting i'll
any respect white man OF woman simply
for teaching negroes. 1t is utterly absurd.
| believe it to be also sinful. Let us con-
slider our attitude to this subject for a mo-
ment. We have the negroes to cook for
us, and if they do not know how, as is often
the case, our wives and daughters teach
them. We employ them i'll all sorts OF
ways. When elections come on we ask not
only their votes but their social lnfiu-
ence" Candidates from Governor to cor
oner, do this earnestly, invariably, and
I without social diScredit. We sell goods to
them. We practise medicine for them.
and it is all we'll enough. In all business
| relations, except teaching, so far as l can
|
er as employers OF employees, we think it is
all fair, and so do our wise neighbors. How
utterly and childiShly absurd is it to make
an exception if one teaches Il negro child
| how to spell, to read and to write. Will
some master i'll such fine knowledge ex-
| plain just wherein it is very nice to sell
| goods to Il negro OF to buy from him. OF to
practise law for him.. to give him medi
cine, but d thing abhorrent to teach him
w no 90 laaVp that no cor taaah
Of what shams we.are guilty Think OF
people going into raptures over David Liv-
ingstone, explorer OF Africa and pioneer of
Christian civilization, and then turning up
their noses at a teacher, not because he is
ignorant, or bad, or ill-bred, but because,
forSooth, he teaches Il negro school.
A word more l add ut this point if the
be st results are to be achieved, both for
the white and the black man, in the edu-
cation of the negro, then Southern white
people must take part i'll the work of teach
ing negro schools
Let us take courage preiudiceS that
must hold their own both against con-
science and common sense must die after
a time. Great changes occur i'll the life
time of one generation, and the law of NOR
tality buries the bitterest prejudices in the
grave.
WORK OF THE CHURCH.
There are signs of progress. In May,
1888, at the late General Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church South, the
College of Bishops, in their quadrennial
message to the Conference, earnestly re-
commended some adequate provision for
the better preparation for their work OF
colored preachers and teachers. The Com
mittee on Education reported in favor of
the plans suggested by the Bishops, and
the General Conference, without dis
CpntinOr rot a1O ba of fIa
committee. The result SO far is the APP
pointment of q Board of Trustees, the
sending forth OF general agent, the seec-
ton of place and the election of two OF
the best men in that Church to serve in
the Faculty of Paine Institute, Augusta.
Georgia. For seven months the general
agent and the president of them dis
tlnguished and able ministers of that
Church-haye worked hard with small sue
cess.
1t may be considered 'unparliamentary,
but take leave to ask, Did the General
Conference mean anythingby the action it
took on the subject of negro education in
Nashville, Tenn, i'll May, 1882? If so.
what did it mean ? Surely we have not i'll
this history case of conscience like this
too much conscience to repudiate duty.
but not enough to do it-iust enough to
use good words. If that General Confer
ence represented the Church, i'll its action
on the subject of negro education, how
are we to interpret the non-actiOn of the
Church when asked to do what the Gener-
al Conference put into words? If it did
not represent the Church. what is to be-
come of a Church that does not even put
INTO words the recognition of an obvious
duty? What, finally, will be the attitude
OF this Church, if it shall drop the work it
sOemnly declared through its bishops and
It's General Conference that it ought to do
and that it promised to do? 1t will be
discredited and it will never recover from
the wound given to its own heart by its
own hand. Other Churches in the South
have small occasion to glory over the
Church whose action | have discussed
For none of them have done anything
worthy of special mention few of them
have gone so far as to talk of doing any
thing.
And what will be the result, in the life
of these Churches, if God should see that
by taking no part in work that angels
would be glad to do they have made them
selves unworthy to be trusted with that
work? Can the Churches of the South
consider any question that more deeply
affect the very roots of theirlife?
1t is one Of the sad things connected
with the problem of the two races living
together i'll this country, that not few
good people OF both races have deSpaired
of its solution The author OF the Decla-
ration of Independence wrote,it is said III
lIo2. this prediction : \ othing is more
certainly written in the book of fate than
that these people are to be free nor is it
less certain that the two races, equally
free. cannot live in the same govern
ment. | am not surprised that Mr. JEFF
terson made both predictions. AS to the
first there WAS at that time in Virginia
and other Southern States a strong party
that favored the emancipation of the
slaves. AS to the second prediction he had
studied French philosophy more than he
had Christianity. If this country had been
prediction would have failed-the slaves
never would have been set free by the
will OF man. Had they been set free, the
second prediction would have been full
filled, for Ill pagan OF intidel country the
two races could not be equally free and
live in the same government. They would
not have been set free had this not been IL
Christian country as it is Christian
country, the two races "equally free' be-
fore the law, can live in the same Gov
and the problem Of their free
citizenship can be solved.
AS to this whole subject, full of diff
oulties as those best know who have per-
sonal relations to it, there is one platform
on which Christian people can stand. Our
problem with these millions of negroes in
our midst can be happily solved. not by force
Of any sort from without the States where
they live; no more can it be solved by
repression within these States. 1t can be
worked out only on the basis of the Ten
Commandments and the Sermon ON the
Mount. On this platform we can work out
any problem whatever, whether personal,
social, industrial, political, national or eth
zeal, that providence brings before us. On
any lower platform we will fail and always
fail.
A Remarkable Case.
DIR. HARTMAN-Dea Sir: am induced
by sense Of duty to the suffering to make
q brief statement OF your remarkable cure
Of myself. | was most miserable sufferer
from tln Xn1,iAIIS 4