The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1898-03-04
Learned Prelate Of the A. NJ. L.
Church Instructs Converts.
WORK Of REVIVAL MEETINGS
One Hundred and Twenty-Five Cof..
Ored Converts Instructed at
Bethel Church Last Njght...
Statistics Of the Race.

I Bishop Abraham Grant, OF the. ..Afri-
can NJ. +. Church addressed the ne "
converts of the recent revival meetings
at Bethel Church last night, and in
structed them in their duties az men,
bers OF the church.
There were one hundred and twenty
two colored converts, who listened to
the instructions, and the bishop seemed
proud of the accession whict, had been
made to the church membership by the
efforts of the workers who had teen
sent here for the purpose OF christianiz-
ing the coIored people OF this city and
vicinity.
Bishop Grant spoke to them for more
than an hour, and endeavored to i'm
press upon their minds the necessity of
leading an upright, christian life and of
adhcrn e strictly to the rules Of the
church they had just been admitted to
membership in, and exhnrtcd them to
be examples Of christian rctituue and
lights to guide others to the foot of the
altar.
The church was filled to overhowirR
and marked attention was paid to every
word uttered by tie bishop, every one
present seeming to realize that his visit
and instructions were of more tlan
ordinary importance.
Bishop Grant has a wide extent of
territory to cover. II. he has charge of
the States of Delaware. PENNSYLVANIA,
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, Massachusetts and South
Carolina.
lie looks after 700 p1Storatles and 500
congregations and has the supervision
of an riucationa. igStituli"n located at
Columbia, :. e., which at present has
800 students.
lec has been engaged in ministerial
| work tor t"enty-Sevru years, and has
been II bishop for ten years, during
which time he has labored in every
state in the Union with the exception of
three, and he has taken great interest in
the advancement OF his race in religious
and educational matters.
Ina conversation yesterday he gave
! some statistics Of the work which is be-
ing done by the colored people in differ
enI sections Of the United States
He says the coorcd people of the
United States now own over $4OO, 900, 600
worth of property, largely in the South
ern States where something over thirty
years ago they were held as slaves.
| There are 2S, 900 teachers in the United
States, all OF whom have been educated
since the war, and there are 30 600 stud
cnts in the educational institutions who
will graduate within the next two years
and BE- sent ont to educate others of their
race
n,A
colored people free from debt of any
kind
Bishop Grant says that the greatest
need OF the coI"red people is cducatiOn
and jan opportunity to earn livelihood.
The first of these is being given as rap
i'd v rs the conditions will allow, but the
latter cannot be given, owing to the pre-
judicr which still exists against the race
in MANY OF the Southern states, and he
blaInrs the government to some extent
for the condition in which he finds his
people.
''rIe country which cannot pr,vid
for its surplus labor shows that to SOM,
extent it is misgoverned.
"The colorcd people are here in America
not even by their own consent, and
have been here for 27O years; they have
become Il part OF the people tina must
remain here and help sustain the z 'vcrn-
ment.
"Thcreiorc each man be given chance
to work and earn an honest days Wages
with which to support himself sn tl'osc
dependent upon him.
::"rhis is true OF all race varieties and in
steal of having them supported in p"is
houses they will support themselves.
"rhc cnlowd people do not for
anything special, but simply the treat
nlcnt, which other races receive order
to place the race upon higher plane.
Ii this cannot be accorded them at pres
ent, they ask to BE- let Il alone an Il given
mans chance in the struggle lur cx-
stencc."
On the compulsory education question
the bishop is strongly in favor u Il law,
which will compel every pare 1t to give
his children a certain amoun Of school,
ing each year. regardless o' the home
conditions ui the parent. be irviny that
only through education can the race Ds
elevated
The membership Of A. NJ. T. Church
throughout the United >a,rs,. Africa,
and the Islands OF the Sc. nl,n,nl 500
600. There are 400 ministers, 10
bishops and II inslltutio rs Il learning,
and daring the last four y l,r- they have
raised S2UuOOO for educali ,nll parp ,-.s.