The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-03-14

the truth, or causing US to close them
so that We may not see our duty.
Second, there is no romance about this
work. There is no great sea to cross,
no ocean Of waters, 20 letters back
home about hair-breadth escapes from
cannibals or lions; no lonesome recitals
about desolate lives in heather
darkness, nor about children left at
home while mother has gone far. far
away These are the things that stir
the hearts of many. In work among
the Negroes, it is all wanting. 1t is
mere drudgery that work among them
will require, and to this the Southern
people are not yet willing to give time
or money.
Meanwhile, the people who are our
friends and neighbors, to many of
whom We are actually attached, against
none Of whom we ought to feel any
bitterness. are dying at our doors. maoy
of them without any true knowledge of
God-dying under the shadow of our
churches where the air is heavy with
our songs of praise-dying at our
doors, 10 our yards-dyiug untaught
because we are not willing to teach
them the saving lessons Of truth con-
cerniug God and the life eternal.
Aud, now before [ take my seat, [
want TO play the role Of the prophet.
| want to divine the future | see
cloud arising The hands 90 the dial
are turning backward. and portentous
sigus are in the ever-sbiftipg sky.
Something is coming to pass, and that,
too. whether we wish it or not The
hand of God is the hand of destiny,
aud He moves events along to
consummation without consulting man
as to bis puny wishes. The Negro has,
for many years, been booe of conten-
ton. Over bin our best men fought
in the parliament of debate until the
air was lurid with argument. Over
him the contention grew hotter, until
great armies faced eaca other upon
hundred fields, and dipped their hands
in each others blood Over him the
churches took issue, and North and
South were rent asander, the one
eliminating the other. Both sides
were right, and both we're wrong.
Now comes my propbecy-The very
question which once set US against each
other will yet be the means, under
God, of uniting US. Just as Herod
and Plate made friends over the
condemnation of Jesus, the North and
the South are going to come together
over the soul-emaocipatioa Of the
Negro. The wheels are moving. Five
wears ago, 1 advocated the union of our
work with that of our Northern
brethren along this line. My propo-
sition was that We take hold of the
schools set up 10 our midst by the
Northern churches, and give money to
aid young Negro men 10 learning
about God aud the Bible, aud SO
enabling them to preach the gospel I
have never receded from that position,
aud now others are coming to it. The
Presbyterian Church, North and
South. has been suudered apart for
years. Now they are uniting on work
among the Negroes. and at a recent
conference held in Birmingham, the two
churches agreed to work in unison.
Two or three weeks ago, Gen. T. J.
Morgan, Secretary of the Northern Bap-
tist Home Mission Society, made
trip through the South In Alabama,
be expressed a desire for closer
cooperation between his Society aud the
Southern Baptists in the work among the
Negroes. The editor of the Alabama
Baptist says: 1T seems to US that
the time for this has fully come, aud
a movement looking to that end would
fruit in good.' The Western Recorder
gave utterapce to the same sentiment
Behold and wo6der. Read the signs
of the time. Watch the 6oger of
God. And what day of jubilee it
will be when the Christians of this
great commonwealth are bound to-
gether once more, and that too in the
prosecution of work among the
Negroes over whom We once fought
and about whom the whole nation has
been toru into. quivering fragments !!
! God cond the hannv dow