Daily globe., 1883-05-13
How many centuries will it take for such
self-sacrifcing divines to convert the
world to Christianity?

WOrlu TO christianity?
CoLoRPHoB1A is a very persistent, tenac-
ious disease. In the ante-bellum days it
ragged with conspicuous virulence, and since
emancipation its force is little abated, and
IN certain quarters not at all. A certain
class of clergymen seem to be more affect
ed by 1t than any others, insomuch that
their vision seems to be so much obscured
that they are unable to discern the truth,
or to state facts without the grossest ex-
aggeration. The Rev. J. L. Tucker, D. D.,
of Jackson, Mississippi, is prominent in
this class of Munchausen "divines." The
thought, or sight of colored people seems
to throw him into distressing spasms, and
he falls incontinently into a diarrhoea of
vituperation, in which he does great vio-
lence to truth. His railing accusation is
that the morals of the negroes are deplor-
able, and growing worse; that religion pro-
duced no improvement in their morals,
that theft and Hcentiousness were more
common vices among the highest pretend
ers to piety, and especially is this true of
colored clergymen; and he calls to his aid
to support his sweeping charges the tssti-
mony of bishops and other clergymen of
the Episcopal church. But DR.. Tucker es-
says to prove too much. His charges go
against whole race, and do not apply
exclusively, as they might, to given local
tiles sunken in vice and immortality. It is
undoubtedly true that in Mississippi, es-
pecially the colored race is more besotted
and sunken in ignorance and immortality
than in any other portion of the South.
But, admitting this to be so, is it fair or
just to apply the condition of this particu-
lar locality to the whole race? 1t is not
surprising that in a race crushed, degraded,
and oppressed in slavish chains for over
two centuries, to give instructions to whom
was penal offense, it is rather to be ex-
pected, that race thus systematically i'm
bruted should be sunken in vice and and i'm
morality. Slavery not only degrades the
coiored, but pollutes the white race. And
as to the alleged universal licentiousness
charged upon the negro race, are they the
only guilty ones? Let the "saddleback"
colored ''citizens" of Mississippi, and the
South, of every possible shade answer.
There is another side to this. The Rev.
DR.. Ross. of Alabama, one of the most dis
tinguished Presbyterian ministers of the
South, combats these positions of DR..
Tucker, in letter published in the New
York Observer. DR.. Ross says their (the
colored) school examinations compare fav-
erably with the white schools, that they
command the confidence of business men,
and that many of them are among the best
farmers. DR.. Ross asks "What do white
school teachers of all grades tell US of the
untruthfulness, dishonesty, mean, subter-
fuges, utter want of honor and base in
gratitude of white patrons? Gould negro
patrons be worse?" 1t would seem that
slavery has degraded portions of both races
alike. Again DR.. Ross says: Il ask cne
question as to negro icentiousness. [
might make more than one. It bears
harder, l admit On the white North, than
on the white South. Rev. DR.. Nehemiah
Adams, one of the best divines of Boston,
tells Us in his book, "South-Side View
that in Middlesex county, Mass, during
one term there were eighty applications
for divorce, and sixty granted; and he
broadly declares that he believed the mar
riage vow was more faithfully kept among
the negroes of the South than it was in
Massachusetts" Thus are answered the
exgggerations of DR.. Tucker and his class.
The truth on the subject is destined to ul-
innate triumph in spite of the efforts of
southern Doctors of Divinity to becloud it.
The negro problem of the South may be a
hard one to solve, but it will be solved by
inevitable, irresistible progress, and the log
ic of inexorable events developed in the
onward march of time. This late subject
race seems destined to steadily rise in the
scale of civilization, and century from
the day of emancipation may see them
even masters of the situation.