The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-17

mon Tor the Miilte~ IL WAS EuSiblHdIH 10
have a sermon for the slaves. On the
Sunday before the death of the old
man. as the latter service was being
held, the door of the little shed-room
opened and Evans tottered forward.
Leaning on the altar rail he said: II
have come to say my last word to you.
Tt is this: None but Christ. Three
times have had my life in jeopardy
for preaching the gospel to you. Three
times ! have broken the ice ON the edge
Of the water and swan across the Cape
Fear to preach the gospel to you and il
in my last hour L could trust to that or
ANYTHING else but Christ crucifed for
my salvation. all should be lost and my
soul perish forever" OF these words
Bishop Capcrs justly says that they are
worthy Of 1T. Paul.
The opposition that the Methodsts en-
countered in Fayetteville and Whining
ton. and elsewhere. was due TO the more
active abolition tendencies at that time
| in the church in the North. In 1855
| DIR. Coke had come to America on a
visit to the church. He began to preach
abolition, and in his wake there appeared
strong feeling against slavery which
manifested itself in memorials and re-
nongtrances to the Legislatures. Be
| fore this the slave owners in the South
| had encouraged the Methodists to
| preach to the slaves. They NOW became
alarmed for the quietness of the bonds
men and in the South generally Method
! list preachers were denied access 10 the
| blacks. 1t took some time 10 live down
| this un1avorable impression, and 1t was
| only when IT was evident that the
| Southern preachers did not approve of
| the preaching OF abolition that il was
removed. 1t was thus the fate Of
Meredith at Wilmington and Evans at
! Fayetteville, to catch the full force of
this sentiment. II was to their heroic
| fortitude chat we owe the fact that the
people Of that section were at last
brought to see that the Methodist
| church was about the work Of the Lord.
| Sometimes congregation outgrew the
| dignity Of the humber persons who first
composed It. Such was the case in Raj
| eigh. Here there was at first a large
number Of colored members, and when
the church was being built they contri-
| buted their part. They were given
| seats I'm the gallery. At length there was
an opportunity to buy a church which
| might be turned over solely to the
| blacks. Each race worked with It's
might to get the necessary money.
| When it was at length secured there was
tw0-fCld rejoicing; by the negroes. be-
cause they were to have church Of
| their own: by the whites, because the
negroes were out of the old church. The
negro church now became mission and
white preacher was assigned to it by
| the Conference. Usually an old preach
| err of n kind disposition and good judg-
ment was sent to them and tradition says
| that he never was known to lack for
| ginger-cakes, warm gloves, socks and
such other necessary articles that could
be donated through the kindness of the
| faithful colored women
OF the relation between the Baptist
| church and the slaves l have not time
TO speak with any just amount of full
ness. Suffice it to say that ii was
| faithful, earnest and Christian. From
| the establishment Of the Missionary or
ganization in 1880 it is possible to say
that this church went hand in hand with
! our own III the work for the slaves.
True ii is, that / find no record Of their
| having suffered persecution, as among
| the Meth0diSts at Wilmington, in that
earlier time but / am not able to doubt
| that before that time they were, so far
as their own slaves We're concerned, and
| in some cases when the missionary
| spirit was strong in regard TO the whole
slave population as active as the
| Methodists.
| The best product of their work among
these people was, no doubt. Ralph Free
man. He was originally a slave in An
son county. Soon after his conversion he
| felt an impulse to preach, and early in
| the century became a Baptist minister,
| being ordained to the office in the regu-
/ lar manner He never had. so far as l
can learn, specific charges, but he travel
| ed and preached through his own and
| the adjoining counties. Says Mr.. Pure
| foy: He became a good reader and
| was well versed in the Scriptures. He
was cons dered an able preacher and was
| frequently called upon to preach on
| funeral occasions, and was appointed
| to preach on Sabbaths Mt associations,
and frequently administered the ordin-
ances of baptism and the Lords sup
per- He was of common size, was per-
| fectly black, with a smiling countenance,
especially in the pulpit while preaching.
| He was very humble in his appearance
at all times, and especially when con-
| dudting religious services. Great per-
sonal respect was also shown him by
| the brethren whom he visited in his
| preaching excursions" Rev. Joseph
Magee, a white preacher, became much
attached to Ralph. They Travelled and
| preached together a great deal, and
after the IN inner of the times, it was
agreed between them that the survivor
should preach the funeral sermon of the
other This task fell to Ralph. Al
though his friend had moved to the
Southwest the colored preacher was sent
for He responded and preached with
great success before a large audience.
When the Baptists divided ON the ques-
ton of missions Ralph, with the natural
conservatism of his race, sided with the
anti missionary party, and SO became
unpopular with the others. This he re-
gretted; but a greater blow fell about the
same time, viz, the law which forbade
negroes to preach He was greatly
mortified. but submitted and with that
he passes from our view.
A more prominent negro was John
Chavis. who was Presbyterian. He