St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-25
COLORED BRETHREN TALK.
The Religious Condition of the Ne
gro in the South Discussed.

The services at Westminster church last
evening were well attended, not only by
members of the Presbyterian conference,
but by many outsiders, attracted, no doubt.
| by the announcement that the freedmen's
| cause would be discussed, and that a num-
| Der of colOred ministers from abroad
would speak. The moderator. DR..
Crosby, said he was glad to preside
on an occasion like the present one. when
the colored brethren could be present and
take part in the divine services. Color, he
said, made no difference in PERSONS low
ing the Lord and following the paths of
righteousness. He paid high tribute to
the sagacitv and understanding of the
colored brethren, and told of some very
effective sermons he had heard delivered by
cOlored ministers.
| DR.. Allen was introduced. He said he
was Southern man, anu had always
thought that the colored race could
never learn anything, but he was
glad to see that they could, as they
had demonstrated Dr.. Allen was formerly
! Shareholder, as his father and grand
| father before him, but his views have
| changed greatly since that time, and last
| evening he paid a glowing tribute to the
colored race. He said the negro race was
now only twenty-three years old, and cited
| instances OF the progress it had made.
The Rev. MI. Davis of South Carolina.
colored brother, was next introduced. He
spoke at some length upon his
| travels as minister, and said that
four years ago. being then not 81
years Of age, he had left his pastorate and
| home in Utica, n. Y, to go to the South
land, where he thought work was needed.
Rev. Mr.. Davis Is nice-loSking colored
man, with remarkably sweet and tender
voice, which held the audience still and ST.
| lent during his remarks. He told about
| the condition Of the negro in the South
and said that what was needed there was
| proper leaders. MD
The Rev. Mr.. Mabra of North Carolina
was next introduced. He made several
humorous illusions to being limited to
ten K.inutes. He dwelt upon the work in
the South so far as it had fallen under his
own observation. His remarks were fire.
| quently lnterspersed with the genuine
Southern negro dialect. for Mr.. Mabra was
born slave and remained SO until released
| by the war. The speaker had the large
audience in laughter a great portion of the
| time. His illustrations were comical in
| the extreme, showing that the reverend
brother possessed a large amount of humor.
| Rev. Mr.. Hood of South Carolina. a fine
| looking man, was next called. He said il
was facts that wOnld bring the condition of
his race to the light. His father and
mother were slaves, and the remarks Of the
| gentleman touching upon them were pa
| thetic in the extreme. He told how he had
come to begin work at Beaufort, S. c.,
| where it was then needed as bad as
anywhere in the state. He had hated the
state because his father and mother were
slaves there, but when he saw the ignor.
ancs and almost heathenism that prevailed
there he determined to stay and do what he
could to dispell it. Lack Of schools in the
South, he said, was one thing that kept the
race in ignorance. This, with the absence
OF home training, he thought, did much
damage. Mr.. Hood is powerful speaker
and carried the audience with him.
| Rev. MIR. Ward of North Carolina said
he realized the fact that he belonged to that
race despised by all men. 1t matters not
where we are or what people we are with,
| said he, we are always sure to be forcibly
reminded that we represent that race.
| Even in this room have l been reminded
of it, by being designated as a
Presbyterian niger; only in fun.
of course, but still the sting
was there. We do not mind it when it is
| made by an uneducated person, but
where it is made by an educa-
ted man it is hard to stand. \
In the South we are in a degraded condi-
tion, and what l would impress upon YOU
is our need Of schools and churches.
Even in my own church we have no lamps.
| no light, any more than few pine knots
thrown Oh the open fire. Still the peonle
gather there, and when they come in the
darkness and rain to attend services thew
must be in earnest. The speaker told what
progress had been made in late wears and
spoke OF the inconvenience that were ey-
perlenced.
Rev. Brother johnson of Columbus. s.
e., commissioner to the assembly. said
he fully corroborated what had been said
by his colored brethren. He said one of
the great problems at the present time was
the one concerning the negro. The cues
ton Is, how shall their race be elevated to
high standard of citizenship? am glad
to say that the Presbyterian church has
found the true solution of the question.
The only way to do it is to place more
churches and schools at our disposal.
Rev. Brother Williams of South Carolina
said he was not prepared to make a speech
bu. this question of educating the negro
was one he was all ready to speak on. The
Rev. Mr.. Williams made telling speech
in which he touched upon great needs of tbe
negro race in the South. He said he was
glad he had been slave, as it gave him an
insight into what the people of the South
wanted. Ignorance, he said. still hold tho
negro people as firmly as slavery had done
and would continue to do so until hatter
educational and church facilities were fnr-
nished. He told of his work in South Caro.
lima, and thanked the Lord that he wac
able to make good report. Mr.. WiII,am,s
is no stranger to hard work, and less than.
one month ago worked in a brickvard with
II s.