Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-06-29
CONDENSED HISTORY
OF THE NEGRO SINCE THE WAR
OF THE REBELLION.
He Prayed for Jubilee During Two Hun
dred Years of Slavery and Has Prayed
Twenty-Five Years for Justice. ,
From the Rochester Herd1d.

From the Rochester. Herdld.
Rev. E. Hunting Rudd of Albion,
then announced that sJudge Tourgee
had taken severe cold consequent
upon exposure in the food which re-
Gently took possession of his Chantau-
qua property and was unable to be
present. The hush which fell upon the
audience as they heard the words of
the speaker showed plainly chow great
was the disappointment. Following is
a copy Of a letter the judge sent to the
Rev: G. Il. f. Halleck, chairman of the
local committee of arrangements:
s.MY DEAR SIR: A curious mistake
led me to accept an initiation for 20
minute talk on What the Negro Has
Done Since the War. OF course, in
that time could have said nothing of
serious Importance and probably would
not have said anything along the line |
was expected to descant. / am not
weak enough to suppose my coming or
speaking would be a matterof material
consequence, but merely to show that
am not unmindful even of an unin-
tended pledge, send you some hints
of what seems to me to be the most
noted achievements of the colored peo-
pie since their emancipation.
'sFirst. The colored man patiently
endured being called freedman
though the legal estate OF the freedman
was at an end when on the 10th day Of
July, 1868, the XIV amendment of the
constitution of the United States pro-
claimed: 'All persons born or natural
lied in the United States shall be citi-
zens of the United States and of the
state in which they may reside.
.'Second. He has demonstrated that
1000, 900 of colored slaves can be trans
lated into 1000, 900 of colored citizens
of republic under circumstances of
the most irritating and depressing pow
erty and the most exasperating denial
of common rights, without single in
stance of riot, resistance to law or re-
quiring the firing of shot or the ex-
penditure of dollar to repress his
lawless inclination. 1t is a record of
good citizenship never equalled by any
people subjected to such sudden and
radical change under circumstances of
such difficulty and provocation.
ssThird. He has demonstrated ex-
clusively that the work really re-
quired to solve the race problem in
our Christian civilization is some ac-
cess of divine grace which will able
white Christian people to deal justly
with colored Christian people.
Fourth He has been deprived Of
his rights as a citizen by white Alneri-
can Christians; is burned, fayed, hang
ed and beaten, without judge, jury or
testimony land on the most fimsy and
absurd pretences; his rights of life, of
person. of domicile and family are in
vaded in open defiance of law and with
absolute impurity; after giving him cit
izenship, we refuse him any protection
by law, though more than 10000 of his
people have been murdered in as many
years in the states of the south by
the white men only three have ever
been executed for such crime. The
state has given him Jim Crow car
and Christianity has provided him a
.'Jim Crow church. Yet he still be-
lieves in Jesus of Nazareth and longs
for eqnal rights and liberty as citizen
of the United States.
"Fifrh. He has prayed for justice as
patiently and confidently through a.
quarter of century of half freedom,
as he prayed for jubilee during 200
years of slavery.
"Sixth. In return for the lessons we
! have taught him from the printed page,
he is teaching us greater and more
precious one. that duty is the keynote
Of Christianity, justice the highest
phase of duty and security of life and
equality of right and opportunity the
only secure foundations Of self gov
ernment.
'sNot the least valuable of the results
of work among the freedmen is the
| influence it has had in widening and
deepening the sense of the common
| fatherhood of God and the common
| brotherhood of man among our North
ern churches; an influence SO deep as to
encourage the hope that after some
centuries more the color line may dis
appear from the Church of Christ and
be remembered only with that sense OF
| shame we now have when we contem-
plate that most infamous Of human in
stitutions, American slavery which
hardly half a century ago the church
defended, excused or hopelessly be-
walled.
s'May God guide us to better things
and add to our charity that justice
which is the crown and witness of the
| love of Christ in the heart and the part
nership with Him in advancing the
| Kingdom of God on earth. Sincerely
| yours, "ALBIoN W. ToURGEE.
Mayvitle, n. Y. June 4, 1894.
PARNELL CITY EXCURSION.