The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-05-14
A CEORGIAN1S v WARNING.
An Interesting Address to the
Southern Baptist Association.
SOLUTION OF TIE NEGRO PROBLEM

Rev. Mr. Hawthorne Declares That "If
You Do Not Save tho Negroes They VIII
Destroy You A Christian Negro Is
Like Christian White Man"
WASHINGTON May II The feature OF
last evenings session of the Southern
Baptist convention was an eloquent and
earnest address by Rav. j. b Hawthorne
of Georgia, on the history, work and fu
ture prospects Of the Southern Baptist
convention. The occasion OF the address
was u report on the work of the home mis-.
slonary board among the native white
population Of the south The address was
practical announcement that the time
Tor reunion of the mort hern and south.
ern churches had not come and SO far as
the southern Baptist convention was con.
cerned was u thing of the iadefnfte future
A full understanding OF the work of the
convention, Mr. HaWt Wthorne said would
do much toward harmonizing tho north
ern and southern churches, not in one
body, because, ha said, that was not desir-
able, but 1t would bring the Baptists of
the north and south together as Christian
brothers, loving the same Lord and tho
same faith and the same baptism Mr.
Hawthorne said he appreciated the fact
tbit iiltiy DhpilStS Ht tDe north were out
of sympathy with this convention because
they believed it WAS psrpetuation Of an
institution tho occasion for the existence
of which had disappeared They imagined
Its present existence indicated sectional
feeling and hostility towards the older Or
ganization.
This, he declared, was not true The
southern Baptists regarded as settled the
questions that were thirty years ago sub,
mitted to the arbitrainent of the sword
Secession was dead slavery was dead
Both were buried beyond the reach of any
resurrecting power. No man could now
seek to revive them without receiving an
instant and Overwhelming rebuke. But
the question whethor the southern Baptist
convention should exist had never been
submitted to the arbitrament OF war; it
was not mentioned in the terms of the sur.
render. No political significance should
be ascribed to the perpetuaton Of this
body. Its existence was continued because
If tho two wings of the Baptist church
were consolidated the organization would
be unwieldy.
In conclusion Mr.. Hawthorne referred
feelingly to the negro question in the
south. He said:
Il indulge In no extravaganza of speech
when say to you that II you do not save
the negroes they will destroy you II they
were allqget to lapse into barbarism we
shall be forced to use barbaric methods to
protect ourselves, and 1 had rather see
this country frop ocean to ocean and
from lake to gulf sink thousand faith
oms deep than see such roign of diabol
ism.
II know as much of the solution of the
negro problem rs any living man." hc
continued, that is nothing at all / can
not even approximate II solution. But I
do know that the negro has human body
and human soul; that he was descended
from the first pair, and that he is one of
tho sinners for whom Christ shed his atom.
ing blood. Millions of them have sought
and found Christ, and have gone down TO
their graves with the shout of victory on
their lips. A Christian negro is like IA
Christian white man, and whether he ul-
timately goes south to Mexico or South
America, or crosses the seas to tho land of
his fathers, so long as he Is here In daily
contact with us our own security and
peace of mind and the welfare Of the state,
as well as of our sacred obligations to
God, demand that we shall give him the
gospel of Christ"