Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-03-20
The Southern Negro Discussed by
Northern Men.
( From the Richmond Dispatch. !

HI
Yesterday, by special Invitation. represent.
atiyes of the international SundaySchool
Committee addressed the students. of the
Baptist Theological Seminary (colored) OF
this city. Rev. c. E. Corey, D. D., pre'
sided. B. F. Jacobs. esq of Chicago made
the opening address and evoked shouts of
applause from his audience. Hon. Thomas
Reynolds, of Peoria, Ill.,, followed. He
spoke of his profound anxiety as to the flu.
ture of the colored people of the South. II
knew the South we'll before the war, and
whenever 7 came South found white aud
black worshipping IN the same churches and
listening to the same preachers. Row l
come and am amazed at the change. In all
my travels throughout tho South / have
been painfully impressed at the great sepa-
ration of the races in all religious matters
You no longer 60 TO white churches and
you very seldom hear a white preacher.
You have set up for yourselves and the
whites are giving Themselves apparently no
concern about the perils which threaten you.
Since I have been here have asked some
of my white brethren about it. They ac.
knowledge the gravity OF the situation and
say we are sorry, but we can't he!pit. The
color line is drawn and the colored people
in some places ere drifting into barbarism,
but they will go their own way and we can't
help it, For Gods sake I bag you, colored
brethren, to save your people"
Professor Vassar (colored): 1--WE are not
going into barbarism even if left alone. We
can take care of ourselves. The outside of
my head is likeyou head. The pictures of
Africans in books often show peculiar
shaped head but look at this congregation.
Our heads are shaped like yours, and they
will hold as much as yours inside We are
not an inferior race and we ERE not going
into barbarism. and the white man that told
you 30 told you wrong"
Hon. Mr.. Reynolds: 81 have been fur.
ther South than you end have had better
opportunities to study this great question,
and tell you there are sections where the
worse kind of superstition prevails among
the colored people They have cut loose
from the whites and the whites ere accept
ing the situation and saying, we can't help
it the negro will have it So And in these
very sections before the war the whites held
themselves responsible for giving their SER
wants religious instruction and were doing
q good deal in one way and another have
heard things and seen things on this line in
the South which if you could hear and see
would cause you to open your eyes very
wide"
B.F. Jacobs, esq Here is one of the
things that you colored brethren should
think about: There arc one million colored
youths growing up in the South without
ever going into public school or Sunday
school, million 10 the blackest ignorance.
Isn't there danger there?"
Professor Vassar ~ believe the colored
people arc better off now than they we're 10
slavery"
B. F. Jacobs, esq Brother, we are not
discussing that-all that we are anxious
about is the making of your freedom worth
to you all that can be made of it. My friend
Reynolds has proved his devotion to the
coored people in thousand conflicts. He
is known all over Illinois as black repub.
lican, Abraham Lincoln abolitionist, and he
talks az he does here because he has studied
the situation and sees danger ahead"
Rev. C. 81. Corey. D. d.: II came to this
city twenty years ago, when Richmond was
ruled BY General Candy. | had scarcely
looked around before j. B. Jeter, Il, K.
Ellysou, ]. L. NJ Curry, and A. E. Dicker-
son and others like them came to me and
pledged their sympathy and cooperation.
Jeter has gone to his reward, but the others
live and have done all they possibly could for
me and my work. Everywhere in Virginia
and the South I have received from the
whites as we'll as from my colored friends
nothing but kindness. In speaking of what
the whites are doing for the colored people
you ought not to forget the millions they
are contributing annually to The support of
public schools in which colored youths are
taught"
Dr.. A. E. Dickinson "Yes, friends, you
ought to consider that, and if you are going
to deal fairly and squarely with this cues
ton you ought to think of some other tbings:.
I can give you the names of white men all
over Virginia and the South who are help
ing in many ways the colored people. 1t is
not put in the papers or published in annual
reports, bur it tells nll the same for the up.
lifting of the race. know one old Confed-
crate who is paying the tuition cf eleven
coiored men at college, and he makes no fuss
about it. Think Of that And then think
of another thing. 1t is these abominable
politicians who are at the bottom OF all this
trouble. AS soon as mayor is to be elected
or Congressman or president the wretch
es who trade on your votes go to work to
mage YOU believe that I am your enemy
and that you :ought to be my enemy, and
that you are not loyal TO your race If you
vote with me. Until we can kill and bury
eyery such politician as that this color
line will continue to give us trouble"