Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1895-06-21
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.4lbion w. Tourges M Chicago Lster-Oeean.
An eastern journal says: when
Miss Wells declares that the encour-
agement given to such deeds by the
country is something to be deplored,
she conveys wholly false impression.
The people are not silent. They
condemn these practices. But how is it
possible for the enlightened people of
the country to curb a sudden outbreak
of barbarism in an obscure community
This criticism at least is not tenable,
and the excuse is far from sufficient.
Neither the Christianity, the pulpit, nor
the press Of the country. to any consid-
erable extent, made any protest or
took any special notice of the barbarous
invasion of personal rights, which is
sanctitied under the name of lynching,
until they were driven to it by months
| and years of earnest and impassioned
protest. 1t is now four years since the
Bystander began, in the columns OF
The Inter Ocean, a systematic crusade
against this new form of barbarism,
| which is one of the roots of the upas
tree of slavery. For more than two
years The Inter Ocean was the only
one of the great dailies of the country
that paid any attention to the subject
or gave any actual condemnation OF 1T.
American Christianity and the Amer
lean press have pursued the same
course toward this evil that they did
~ of fclou 4
first they denied, then they ridiculed:
then they excused. When finally
forced to condemn, they put up the
excuse of this writer: ..What can we
do about it?' What can they do?
Why. if every minister, or even half of
them, will openly pray each Sabbath
that the white Christians of the country
may be given grace to deal justly with
the colored citizens we have so long
oppressed, it will not be a great while
| until the evil is just as rare in this
country as it is in any nation of Europe.
When the states of the north delib-
erately refuse to enact legislation to
| repress this crime, when it appears not
| in "obscure communities" but invades
the most enlightened and prosperous
states, it is not to be wondered that a
poor colored girl, whose heart is wrung
by the unspeakable woes Of her race,
should bring the accusation home to
American Christians and say to them:
'.By your silence these things exist. :"
1t is because she speaks the truth that
| American Christianity withers under
her gentle rebuke. 1t does no good to
scold or blame her. She is black, but
the only way to refute her is not to ask
| what can be done but go on and do.
Take the case recently presented to us
of outrages on the Christians of
Armenia. They are not half SO serious
or as numerous as the outrages upon
the colored Christians of the United
States. Not as many are killed, nor so
brutally Not as many are beaten. nor
as many homes violated Not as many
are denied legal redress or protection
Of persons and rights. The unjust
imprisonment of a dozen or two
Armenians stirs American Christianity
to it's very center. Since the middle of
last May the public press has reported
the killing of 156 colored men by mobs
or white murderers in the south. For
these killings no man has been pun
ished. In only very few cases has
any attempt to punish been made. In
most eases the murdererS are well
known. The colored people of the
United States are Christians as well as
the people of Armenia, and very
probably much more generally and
much better Christians. AS a people
they give much more in proportion to
their means for the spread and support
of the gospel than any class of white
Christians in this or any other country.
Yet American Christians will not stop
to ask what they can do for Armenia
In every church in the land prayers
will be put up, and from every religious
body remonstranees will go forth in
their behalf What makes the differ
ence? The one is black and near at
hand, the other is only nut brown and
far away. Besides that, it is an
ignorant, unbelieving. grotesque
Mohammedan devil that does or in
spires the one, and sleek, cultured
comely Christian devil who inspires and
mocRs at the other. The one is done
in the name of Allah and the other in
the name of civilization! What can we
do? Bismillah! Why should anything
be done?
Banquet the Attorney General.