Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-23
AMONG THE FREEDMEN.
The Work Which the Presbyterian Church
IL Doing.

is Doing.
ADDRESSES LAST NIGHT AT THE NEW YORK
AVENUE cHURCH-THE WORK DESCRIBED BY
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND BY coLoRED
MINIsTERs-DR. SANDERS TELLS A STORY.
There was a large gathering Of people in the
New York Avenue Church last evening on the
occasion Of the popular meeting devoted to the
subject of the work among the freedmen.
There were many women in the throng, and the
presence Of Hght-colored gowns and the waiv-
ing of fans was in striking contrast to the staid
and prosaic appearance Of the gathering that
fills the church every day at the regular sessions
of the general assembly.
Rev. DIR. Charles L. Thompson an ex-mod-
orator of tine assembly, presided at the meet
ing, and there were a number of sharp, pithy
five-minute addresses. In addition there was
an interesting program of music rendered by
the Temperance Choir of the Fifteenth Street
Presbyterian Church. This is the only col
Ored Presbyterian church in the city, and its
temperance society is one of its most flourish
ing features. The exercises last evening we're
opened by the rendering of anthem in ex-
cellent style by q chorus of about twenty
voices.
DIR. THOMPsON's ADDRESS.
In his opening remarks DR.. Thompson said
that it was very proper that the memorial an
niversary of the freedmens board should be
held in Washington, city redolent with the
memories OF great deed in freeing millions Of
slaves. 1t was also proper in q sense, that he
should preside over the meeting inasmuch as
he was for four years a member of the board
whose efforts and successes were very dear to
him. In view OF the vast field for work pre-
sented by the southern states he must say that
they had not done all that should be done in
making citizens of freedmen. The Presbyte-
rian Church had hardly come up to the mark
set by the churches of other denominations and
yet the board had done all it could in view Of
the help that 1t received from the church in the
way of money and men. In our midst are
seven or eight millions OF people. freedmen,
but citizens as much as any of u.s. who must be
raised to the same level, intellectual and moral,
as the rest of the community. The
work is a great and noble one and worthy of
devoted. faithful effort. In closing his brief
Introductory remarks DR.. Thompson referred
feelingly to the loss sustained by the board in the
death OF Richard Allen. 'who has gone to his re-
ward and to whom the Presbyterian Church
must ever be grateful for the share he took in
tho work among the freedmen
AT the close of DR.. Thompson's address Rev.
Mr. Murray, prominent colored minister,
read the First Psalm which was followed by q
prayer for blessing upon the work delivered
by Rev. DIR. Hodge OF Lincoln University.
DIR. GIBSON.
The first regular address was made by Dr.
Gibson. Office secretary of the freedmen
board. He said that he had spent seven years
of his life in the work among the freedmen.
and there was an appropriateness in his ad-
dressing meeting which is usually addressed
only by workers in the field, for before another
meeting of the assembly he would probably
have severed his present connection with the
board. He was soldier in the war himself
and desperately wounded in battle, and vet if
| the question had been asked of him then, when
leaving the field with shattered arm and a
mimic ball in his shoulder whether the end in
| view was worth what it cost he would have
| answered even then that the civil liberty OF the
| slave was worth all that it cost to the
| nation and to the individual. The work
of educating the freedmen was never
| so encouraging as now nor the prospect SO
| bright. Speaking of the work accomplished by
| boarding schools. Dr.. Gibson said that there
are now sixteen senIinaries for freedmen, with
| accommodations for 1900 students. The cost
| of educating coiored girl in u seminary OF the
| first class is but $50 year; in the second
| class il is but $40. The relations existing be-
| tween the board and the church and the board
| ing schools have improved vastly within the
| past four years. During that time they have
| approached nearer and nearer to the point
where they are self-sus taining. and the value of
! the property at their disposal has doubled in
was being done he could not but see the truth
of the prophecy that Ethiopia should stretch
out her hand to the Lord and that this. the
darkes. country the earth. would rise to
praise its Maker.
REV. W. II. COLES.
Rev. ". Il. Coles. colored minister OF Aiken,
s. c., was given ten minutes to address tn
meeting. and in the time allotted to him he
spoke entertainingly OF VIVA. had been done in
the years since the war in making moral and
intelligent citizens out OF the 4,OOO 900 OF hui
man beings who had been freed of their bond
age by bloody war. The good work that had
been accomplished, he thought. was due IN
tirely to the planting of churches and schools
i'll their midst. The pioneer work that had
been done i'll the early DAYS must still be kept
up, for there IS still mach unoccupied land to
take up. With million and more OF colored
children who had never had the opportunity of
education. and with an imperfect school system
lasting bu. a couple of months in the year the
work is indeed great ard important one
That more had not been accomplished, he
considered. was due to the fact that u COM
petent leadership needed. There Il
persistence of leaders who are not competent.
men who do not realize the importance and
significance OF their labors. What il needed in
the south is a competent, consecrated and
educated leadership. and then the colored peo-
pie of the south will have liberty that will be
the bon dage of ignorance.
REV. J. A. SAVAGE.
Rev. ]. A. Savage Of North Carolina. also a
colored minister. continued the discussion of
the work in the south. His address was quite
a witty one, but earnest. too. and full of good
advice to what should be done to make the
freedmen worthy of their freedom.
At the close OF Mr.. Savage's address DR..
Thompson said that the work might be said to
have reached the high-water mark when he had
the chance TO introduce a colored president of
university as the next speaker. Rev. Dr.
Sanders, the head Of Biddle University, Char
lotte, n. c., is one of the best known educators
of his race, and his appearance last night upon
the platform was a welcome one.
REV. DIR. SANDERS ADDRESS.
He spoke convincingly of the need Of an
educated ministry in the south, for there is a
growing class of young people who are having
the benefits of an education and who are likely,
as result to repudiate the teaching of ignor-
ant men. To illustrate his point he told story
that pleased his audience immensely.
certain colored minister in the south, who
had probably not taken very much time in the
preparation Of his sermon. was telling his con-
gregation on one occasion that after consider
able care be had settled the problem of how the
children of Israel had crossed over the Red
sea. They went over the ice.
But" piped up one of his young hearers,
81 have been studying geography, and that
says that the Red is near the equator and
it's too warm to have ice there -