The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-09-11
A NEGRO SERMON IN DIXIE
QUAINT CEREMONIES At THE oRDINA.
TION OF A DKA CON.

r AAVN Vt ~ DhhSVNs
Double .tougaed, Kitchen. nro Christaans
vigorously Denounced-But, Despite %.
we're Reproof, the Young People CourtsA
and GiSgied All the While.
In the negro churches In the South the ser
vices are conducted In n manner which finds
no likeness up North. The colored church. In
its position toward its worshippers. has .
stronger hold even than the country church
North has on the rural population. The negro
preachers have n standing and power in their
respective communities to parallel which one
has to go back to the days Of Cotton Mather
and Jonathan Edwards. when the clergyman
was the greatest man intellectually. as we'll as
the most powerful man socially. In the Purt-
tan community. Students OF social growths
and customs might make an interesting study
OF tho Southern colored congregations and
colored pastors to bring out points OF likeness
between the old Puritan mixture Of religion.
business, and society. with the same combinar
tion in every Southern colored church.
Up In the Virginia mountains In Greenbrief
county. recently. the colored church was hold
ing a formal session. It was an important
occasion. as a newly elected deacon was to be
installed. The members OF this church during
the daytime wero walters In the 'neighboring
summer hotels. small farmers. household SER
wants. or stable and field hands. The hours
for the church service on Sunday wore fixed
to accommodate tho congregation. so the moro
important service was held in tho evening In.
stead Of tho morning. and began at o o'clock.
after the walters and household servants
duties OF tho day were over.
As in tho old Puritan church. the scats wore
arranged according to tho rank. wealth. and
social standing of the members. which coin
clded in tho church and the world outside.
The head waiter Of the hotel was one OF the
deacons. A small farmer. who owned his oVA
place and was n freeholder. was another. Al
agod colored man. who had q little shop, was
another deacon. and the other members OF the
Board were Of corresponding standing. They
were leaders In the colorcd community Of
Greenbricr county. sat in tho front seats In
church, and aided In conducting the services.
They treated their fellow citizens in the way
the New England squire and the leading NOR
chants and shipowners treat tho small farm
ers and the impecunious laborers. The rest
Of tho congregation accepted their demeanor
as a matter Of course.
In the church these mon had a dignlied
bearing. a presence commanding to their
fellows. and a pose which. when they were in
contact with the white people. disappeared.
White people are not welcomed to the church,
p pe i. G91 by its sHns snd fths, NO DFs stsnds snfs OF IT s saall
Exists among MOI themselves. They prefer ,the
people ut a social gathering Of their own would
dislike tho intrusion. Of q colored man. for in
we'll We as the religious esntre Of negro COM
munity Sv and it it, ~ SSanday evening service Is the
Sunday evening service to these colored poo
. people in New York sIty. and an east side
ment mingled with the social. The colored
people for miles around gathered IN tho
work. Those who could come in time walked
n from distant farms and had supper with
t the,r s spianqs i9 on mt the r' eRu xl,Ia Steps A and s on ne
wore his best suit Of clothes or her best gown.
nn. andSn ana ra seisofs The s1 hats q bors @sI1sEnow IN
Criticism might be made Of the at and the con-
dition OF the apparel. which made it likely that
q white man or white woman had at some time
had made changes to add to the color and to
make tho gown more pronounced.
young women for miles around began to as
semble. Sometimes they drove up with . bor-
Of station. had a horse and wagon Of their
own. In church they occupied the front seats.
f Deacon soai Board rd'' courtship scwse were condueted as
thheash SitS mere @@irth; there = : oeStsiS;
sciousness.too. more regard for public opinion.
S wouId pS SR h tsG arm G'a aroun sieP ese 'S Ssu NEWS Wom mann
but before permitting it to remain she would
first Gisgle and rcpulse him in order that the
might see that she WAS trying her best to avoid
the inevitable acQuiescence. but eventually
he lovingly squeezed her hand.
At"oclock the services began. The preacher
luenco. tall. and 50 black that his, ndmixturs
OF white blood hardly showed. He had Il black
sbnYen chss nna 0 The c Gn1n HS %as almost Ti,n ei iilied
when the services began. He prayed in q way
which showed that the evening session was an
important ono and that he did not mean to
have tho climax come too soon. There, was
singing and then tho sermon. Tho subject
| the responsibility OF II member Of the Deacon
Board. The clcrgymans English was good.
mlst n6ir If Ia Gr%fV Wmrl,s .I hs s avid e nj ,ve strugsIeI
against successfully, except in moments OF
great rarncstncss.
tioa sat nj the head Of their ,rtws with their
wives and children. eXcept inc children WHO
had grown to be young mon and young women.
church. in tho rear Of tho church were the
young men and young women. VINO Wm,Sporsu
! ing tho solemn rchuk"s of tho clergyman: who
| reminded them that this was not an ordinary
church service. but IN important OCCASION
when the new member of the Deacon, board
was to DO installed. ,Jcaiouslrs nnh rlyalries
The young man who had brought tho young
woman found that. some other young man.
the most OF her time uud attention.; Ihe con.
| Cregntion was accustomed to THIS sort OF
episode. and tho preacher rebuked 1t as q
matter OF form. "
again of the Puritan Church. where tho pastor
DISCUSSED all SUBJECTS, including tho Affairs OF
individual uemb,r7 u the congregation. The
Grcenbrier Clergyman %retorrod to some dis.
satisfaction in tho church oyrr. the, result OF
the election for deacon, and. called tho unsat-
isilcd ones kitchen-lrc Christians. Hc must
have been reading about MuGwumps some
where. for his description OF thu, kitrhen.fire
Christians would have answered fairy Vol
Tor deacon t was the dpty OF every on" to be
evening, and that any man who stayed az
homr aud spent n comfortable evening AROUND
lis kitchen fire aud then found fault with tho
res III Of ne election for deacon vas not a
everything was comfortable and pleasant. with
n warm nre In the Kitchen, a comlortRbls char
70 sit beside it In. and a good upper. Kitchen.
fro Christian was continually finding, fault
with tho real Christians vino tried TO discharge
their duty according TO their lights, and went
around In a double-tongued way stirring up
fhIAn lar MN