The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-22
SOUTHERN RACE PROBLEM
4 STRONG SERMON BY BISHOP
 CALVES OF 1TEANT11.
Raee-Temperate and Sound Advice Future of the Black Race-The Recent Outrages.

Outrages.
 Bishop w. J. Gaines, one of the fore,
 most members of the colored race
 preached an eloquent sermon on the
 race question at big Bethel African
 Methodist Episcopal church yesterday
 morning to one of the largest congrega.
 tions that has ever assembled in a house
 of worship in this city. Every pew ir
 the building was crowded, and standing
 room was al a premium.
 In the audience were many white
 people who listened intently to the ser
 mon which had a special significance in
 that it bore largely on the race ques-
 tion.
 The sermon was temperate in it's tone
 and full of sound advice to the members
 of the negro race.
 The services opened with the hymn,
 Am I a Soldier of the Cross?" This
 was followed with prayer by Rev w. G.
 Alexander
 Bishop Gaines chose as his text Tim othy 2, iii; ''Thou therefore endure
 hardness as a good soldier of Jesus
 Christ"
 "This," said the speaker, lis Pauls ad-
 vice to Timothy, his son in the gospel.
 It was sound advice from a loving | friend, and came from a heart that had itself borne all the sacrifices of hard ships of the Christian ministry I have selected these words to present you some plain. and I trust, useful reflections H.; q fully the hardness which is incident to this life and especially to the life of a Christian.
 But I wish to address myself at this time, mainly to my race and say to them endure hardness as soldiers of Jesus Christ. Our lot, in the province of God, has been a peculiarly hard one "a trying one. Nearly 300 years ago, African slavery was introduced into this country, and our fathers were brought over to this continent and sold into slavery. We could neither read nor write, and knew but little of the word of God, In the providence of God, also, we were set free more than thirty years ago. When I tell you to-day that 40 per cent. of our people can read and " great strides toward civilization. When we look at our schools and colleges and understand that we pay taxes on $300,- 100000 of property, we do have reason to thank God and take courage.
 ''As race we must learn to endure hardness. We must learn not to be ashamed of honorable service. If we must work in the menial places let us not be ashamed to work there. As see it, it is just as honorable to lay brick for a living as it is to practice law. It is just as honorable to wash and iron for living as it is to get upon platform and make speeches for wo- mans suffrage!
 Can Be Great People.
 "Our race is now at the formative state. The forces are at work to make us a great people if we endure the crisis through which we are passing. Like the rude stone that must bear the chisel and hammer before it reaches the beauty of the marble statue, we must bear the dis | cipline of time and of our lot; we must l endure the fire of the storm, and by and | by, in the process of years and the providence of God, we will come forth, purified, perfected and ready to stand abreast with the greatest peoples of the | world"
 At this point Bishop Gaines took up the subject of the race question with | particular reference to the recent occur | rences at Palmetto. He denounced the | crime of rape in unmeasured terms, but | deprecated lynch law. Tn one passage he said:
 Perhaps if a man were charged with rape and I had an X-ray from heaven turned on him so that I knew he was guilty, I would be willing to turn him over to the mob.
 And now in the crisis of our history as a people, it is well to exhort you in the language of the apostle, to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ Our country has been excited from one end of this continent to the other by the recent terrible crime com- mitted at Palmetto, Ga, and the swift | and awful punishment that was neted out to the criminal
 q want to say to-day that he who apologies for the crime of rape, or has any sympathy with the inhuman mon ster who commits this crime, be he black or white, is an enemy to God and traitor to his race.
 Tn all the catalogue of crime I can imagine no deed more dastardy, no fend more foul and internal, than the beast who would outrage virtue and take from good woman the treasure )f her honor, brighter and more price ess than any jewel that ever glittered II the crown of king. I can find no words to express my detestation for such crime and of such a criminal
 Negroes Denounce the Crime.
 ''It has been said that the negroes of his country have not spoken out as strongly as they should have done against this outrage and against the monster that committed it. I want to ;ay in my place that 95 per cent. of our people stand ready to speak out from he housetops and hilltops and say, Let him die the death, who dares to lay lis hand upon the purity of woman, lespoil her of her honor, and violently outrage her person. Il we want to put the world on notice hat we will not sympathize with such m inhuman monster. We will not rest Inder the imputation. To do so would ut a scarlet letter on every black face n this country and advertise to the world that we arg race of rapists and No, no, thank God, our peo- 'le condemn and will condemn such