The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-03-14
chrissianity Applied to Some of our
Social and zconamie Problems.
Our Duty to the Negro.
A SERMON BIZ REV. c. c. BROWN. ID.

prophet, and said, Understandest thou what
1hou readest Aud be said, How can except
some one shall guide me? And ne besought
Philip to come up aud sit With bim.-Acts
VII: 1881.
Was this Ethiopian Negro? The
answer to this question can never be
more than a guess. Some suppose he
vas Jew who had returned to Jeru-
salem to worship; others. that he was
among the first African converts to
Christianity. and was a veritable Negro.
In either case. the text will meet my
requirements, for I desire to show what
our duty is to man who needs and
asks for the gospel.
must be pardoned for using the
word Negro, and not the colorless
term ..colored person. Negro means a
distinct class Of persons, and has no bad
sense to it. If the Negroes object to
the word Niger they themselves
must set good example by never using
it. When, John B. Cough was intro
ducsng a Negro speaker at one Of his
great temperance meetings. be spoke OF
him as ..colored person. and the
Negro very properly rebuked him by
saying. 81 am. no more colored than MIR.
Cough; in fact. I was never colored at
all, but was born just as you see me. f"
But ..Nigger" as an appellative will
never go into disuse until the Negroes
set the example for The white man to
follow.
As I want to take running start,
you must allow me to go far back for
beginning to my subject
l. The Negro IS IN od. midst as a
fact. Ho,o did he gee hereP
Slavery began at very early date in
the worlds history Captives taken in
war were at FIRST put to death, and after
wards, in place of putting them to
death. it was found more profitable to
keep them in servitude Hence slavery
The Hebrew people were allowed to
possess slaves 10 Old Testament times.
Insolvent debtors, as well as captives
taken in war, we're put into bondage.
and thieves we're treated likewise. If
the slave chanced TO be native, the
law allowed him to redeem himself, and
made other provisions for his becoming
free ultimately. For this purpose every
fiftieth year was made and called Year
of Jubilee
Greeks and Romans also had slaves.
Every captive not put to death was
seroatus, preserved one, and from this
We get our word sercont. A large pro-
portion of the captives being Slavonians
Who we're reduced to bondage gave
rise to eur word slaue Negro slavery
was a sequel to the discovery of
America, though slavery already exist
ed in Africa from whence the Negroes
came, and many Of them we're bonds
men before coming to this country. aud
had for more crue masters in their old
home than they ever had in America.
In the 18th century, the Arabs we're
carrying on large slave trade on the
coast Of Guinea. and the opening up of
the mines and plantations in the New
World greatly enhanced the value Of a
slave. The petty princes in Africa,
seeing that slaves brought much money.
waged endless wars against each osher,
and sold into bondage all the prisoners
taken. Hence We see that the fore
fathers of the Negroes did much towards
reducing them into slavery.
The aborigines Of this country we're
found uoitted for the work required Of
them. aud the Portuguese began at once
to import Negroes from Africa. bought
there at one price. and sold here at
another. Tue first Englishmaa who
brought cargo to this country for sale
vas named John Hawkins. Many of
his country.nen followed his example,
and England exported about three
hundred thousand slaves from Africa
to America between the years 1880
and 100. The trade was attend
ed With great cruelty. The ships were
crowded SO that many died on the
passage, aud the dealer thought little
Of casting a troublesome fellow over
board inso the sea
The English law was an anomalous
one. for while their people we're en-
gagged in making slaves, it was ye,
Law that if slave could set his foot
on English soil. he was at once free.
They seemed williog that others should
have slaves. bat wanted none themselves.
In 1871. Mr. Wilberforce introduced
law in the House Of Commons which
looked to the abolishment of the
slave trade. This was the beginning.
and in 1908. law was actually passed
in both Houses which made the trade
illegal. Shortly after that. Law
was passed in the United States also
forbidding the importation Of any more
slaves but at that time this country