San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-07-11
NEGRO IMMORTALITY,
An Earnest Plea to and for the Race
The Duty of Preachers and
Church Trustees.

A colored minister writes 10 tne
New Orleans Times-Democrat as fol-
lows: 80
To the Editor of the Democrat:
While the republican, the demo-
cratic and prohibition parties are
agitating the politics of our country,
NV mind is diverted to the moral
status of my people. believe that God
rules the destiny of men and nations.
The Bible. and both ancient and mod
ern history, teach us that sin and
wickedness have ever been the cause
of the destruction of all nations that
have come to naught,
The following 1 recently clipped
from the Times-Democrat
MONTGOMERY, May 11.-Rev. $. J.
Odom. a colored minister living about
seven miles from the city, and who
has charge of three churches, was ar
rested and brought to the city To-Day,
charged with criminal assault. His
victim is member of his flock. There
is much indignation among the
negroes and members of the minister's
churches. He protests his innocence.
ATLANTA, May 11.-Rev. George
McDuffie, colored, was hanged today
in Greensborough, for the murder OF
William Cheney, also colored. Nc
Daffie, though married, was enamored
of Sarah Haines, whom Cheney was
counting. He waylaid the couple on
their way from church, and shot
Cheney down.
Now, nv motives for attempting to
disclose my views concerning my race
is purely from the love which L so
al -, 20 hnr hQ0anSp |
believe that if our thinking men and
women would both publicly and pri-
yately exert every influence within
their power to improve the race NOR
ally, that it would finally do more to
elevate it than all else combined. AS
general thing, our people do not con-
slider the sacredness of the marriage
vow. We know that divorces are Sc
cured among all races of peo-
pie, But it is notorious
fact that husband and wife of
my race will part very often for a
trivial affair, and without obtaining a
divorce, very often will secure license
and marry within few months after
separation. And too often they are
connected with some church. That
the Christian ministers are response
BILE to a great extent for this immoral
condition cannot be successfully de-
MED. They forbear very often to eX-
ercise the disciplinary laws of the
churches. 1t is said that if a member
of church INDUCES in buying lot
terry ticket, or in voudouism, or in fu-
ture telling, he is generally looked
upon as not being faithful to his re-
Hyion. But if a man and woman is
believed to have undue familiarity
with each other, it is looked upon as
next to nothing, providing they at
tend church regularly and pay their
church dues.
Again, there is no class distinction
among US. One with few hundred
dollars can rank anywhere. There
are politicians of whom it has been
reported that they have been married
three or four times within ten years,
and all of their wives are still living.
There is one who secured a divorce,
and married within a few months
time thereafter. The woman he mar
ried was said to rank with the best
society, and it was known she &C
cepted this mans visits long before he
divorced his wife. She has met with
no opposition in society whatever.
Could any such characters find any
association in respectable white fami-
lies? Would any true father or hus-
band allow his daughter or wife to
associate with such characters? What
will be the destiny of my people if our
ministers and politicians, who are
the leaders of the people, constantly
prove unworthy of the trust reposed
in them.
declare and VOW that a man or
woman should not be allowed to hold
any office in church or state who is
without a good moral character. I
don't mean to say that he or she must
be Christian in order to prove faith
full to the trust confided in them, but
man or woman incapable of self
control and leading lives of immoral
ity should not be intrusted with any
responsible office. Not until the mem
bers of our churches shall rise up and
denounce any minister or leading man
they know to be living an immoral
life can we expect change in our so
ciety.
Let us exercise our wisdom as white
people do.
Is there on record any white minis
ter who, as head of a family, that has
ever waylaid q man and murdered
him for a woman with whom he was
enamored?
o, my people, is it not fact that
our Christian ministers are not all as
chaste as they should be? There are
pure and holy ones, we must confess,
but too many serious reports rest very
often against some.
Il l. - Of