The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-10
BISHOP LEE TALKS BACK,
The Colored Prelate Refutes
Some Remarks of Bishop
GoodseIl.
SHOCKING NEGRO DEPRAvITY
Sixth Days Session of the African
Methodist Episcopal Con-
ference.

The most exciting session that the Afri-
can Methodist Episcopal Conference has
yet had took place yesterday morning,
when Bishop Lee made an address upon
1.-THE Relative Condition of Colored and
White People in the United States"
Most of the audience belonged to the
colored race, but there were few white
people present, including Rev. DR.. Nelson
and Chaplain McCumber, U.S.A. These
gentlemen were among the foremost in
applauding the enthusiastic manner in
which Bishop Lee took up the cudgels for
the people of his race. After declaring
that an unchristian spirit was shown by
white church members to their colored
brethren, because of the color of their
skins, the speaker turned his attention to
some remarks that were made few
months ago when Miss Ida B. Wells, the
colered lady orator, was in San Francisco.
''Bishop Goodsell said then that he
could give thrilling evidences of negro
depravify' as a justification of lynchings
in the South said Bishop Lee. could
we not also give thrilling evidences of
white mems depravity?' Every white
man would not be lynched, however, be-
cause few white men had given instances
of depravity. They seem to condemn the
race because of the occasional acts OF few
individuals who are not yet out OF barbar-
ism.
"They talk-Bishop Goodsell and others
of the necessity OF protecting white women
from colored men, There is no protection
for black women against either the white
hand or the black, but / would like to
ask if they ever knew of house of wor-
ship used by a colored congregation with
in the walls of which two young girls were
done to death within fortnight?'
The applause aroused by this pointed
allusion to the Emmanuel Baptist Church
tragedy having subsidized Bishop Lee con-
tinued his address in exhorting his people
to be modestly persistent in asserting their
rights and to remember that the world
would be likely to take them at the valua-
ton they placed upon themselves. He
commented on the moral worth of the
ministers of the Pacific Coast, saying that
they compared favorably with ministers in
any part of the country. 1.-The general
work of the California district is in a
fourishing condition. Throughout the
last year there was an average of one new
church, or one new parsonage, built per
week. | am glad, indeed. that the work
has increased financially and spiritually"
Part of the morning session was occu-
pied by the reports of officers. The presid-
ing elder, Rev. o. Summers, reported a
fourshing condition of the church. Rev.
J. E. Edwards of Oakland and Rev. E. T.
Cuttman of San Francisco told of progress,
and Rev. S. S. Freeman of Pasadena re-
counted good work done by the Sunday
school Union. He also commended the
corresponding secretary of the union, Rev.
G. s. Smith, and advised the brethren to
give literally toward the reconstruction of
their Sunday-school headquarters at Nash
vile, Tenn, which were recently burned.
The afternoon session was devoted 10 the
reports of various committees, including
the educational report and the report OF
the com mittee on the state of the church.