The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1892-07-16

q
people who profess the name of Christi
Knowing something of the motives
which generate unbelief, do not hest
tate to say that Colonel Ingersoll, in his
moments ofsupreme power. never exerts
an influence 80 hard for the Christion to
meet and counteract as those exclusive
churches and so.called Christians who
in the name of Christ, first humiliate
whole race, and then malign, Willy and
ostracize those who try to remedy their
neglect.
These facts suggest the question. Is
there any excuse for such an unwarrant-
ed and unchristian condition of affairs?
We are told that it is result of race
prejudice, and that that cannot be jig.
nored. It is not tho result of race pre-
judice. That is mere subterfuge. fit
were race prejudice the Colcred people
would not he welcomed as they are into
the homes of the whites. There is no
such thing as race prejudice in this coun.
try, however much it may be faunted-
unless unwillingness to have the Negroes
rise in power and influence is called by
that name. In house where members
of the family had mnch to say about this
prejudice have seen Colord servants in
the parlors, dining rooms, sleeping
rooms, standing close by the table where
the master of the eouse was eating, their
elbows touching his, their hands on the
plates from which his guests we're to eat,
and never heard a suggestion of race
prejudice, or of there being any diff.
Guilty about association so 80 long as the
Colored man realized that he was subor-
dinate. I have seen Colored porters
asleep in the cars on Southern railroads,
and no one complained, because they
were servants; but had they done the
least thing to assert their manhood what
is called race prejudice" would no
doubt have been instant and violent
If there were any natural antipathy be-
tween white and black there would be
no place for Colored servants in the
homes of the whites Race prejudice is
name which has been copjured up for
the purpose of defending inexcusable
wickedness.
There is no excuse for tbs condition OF
things which have described, and the
Southern churches and Southern min
islster are most blameworthy. Why,
think of it! A person with hair and
complexion as fair as Swede's, known
to have the slightest faint of Negro blood
is thereby ostracised; and not only that,
any one associating on terms of equality
with that person, even if he be in all
respects worthy, is also ostracized; and
thus every precept of Christ concerning
brotherhood and love is systematically
violated. Which is the greater heresay,
squarely to refuse to obey our Lords
teaching concerning human brotherhood
or to question the correctness of the cur
rent belief concerning the authorship OF
CERTAIN Old Testament writings? A man
may be nine'tenths white, we'll educated
and agreeable company, but those facts,
are allowed no weight; and churches
and ministers wink at and encourage
such barbarism. There are exceptions;
but in most of thoss localities man or
woman who would venture to receive
into their homes, in manner which in
dicated approval, or social equality,
even white man or woman devotine
life to the service of Christ's poor would
lose social caste. How many times has
that condition of things received it's due
denunciation IN the churches and by the
ministers of the vicinity? Where are
the prophets who ought to denounce
this terrible unrighteousness? am not
referring to political questions, not dis
cussing outrages by which many Colored
people have lost their lives; for under
stand very we'll that there are low
fellows of the baser sort among the
blacks as well as the whites, and that
there are multitude of both races
whom decency must repudiate, and
and among. whom violence and crime
are common. Leaving those que tions,
let this other one be held prominent and
clear; let Congressman Breckenridge,
Thomas Nelson Page, the editor of the
Atlantic Constitution, and so-called
Christian statesmen of the South. and
the ministers and leaders of the various
churches both North and South who
ignore or sympatize with such monstroue
iniquity, meet this question and answer
it: If the Lord Jesus Christ were living
now, how would he treat those men and
women who leave comfort, opulence,
social distinction, and devote themselves
to the outcast and poor? Would he say,
III your service is for white Christians
you have my approval, but if you are
sacrificing to save and uplift black Chris.
tlans you have my condemnation" The
Russian peasants have in their homes a
'mall image called the ikon, which is
supposed to bring to their remembrance
the presence of God. When they wish
to do wrong they turn the face of thei,
lkon to the wall. Those both North and
South land such things are more mex.
cusable in the North than in the SOUTH
who forget that the black man, equally
with the white, is in the image of God
and a child Of God, must turn to the
wall the face of the Lord Jesus Christ
before they can justify their conduct.
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