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

gress and 10 political conventions. IT
got into novels, and sometimes into his
tory, and it was usually benignly pa
triarchal. But the former class as a
class came more closely into touch with
the slave, and in n hundred ways soft
ened the harshness OF an institution
which no one knew how to soften in
law.
As the negro got more and more OF
the savage out of him, the old reStric-
ton which forbade lnm TO have separate
churches was relaxed somewhat Firsr
of all it grew to be the custom to LET
the more intelligent of the race become
preachers, il they wished it. Thus
there grew up number Of negro preach
ers some of whom had congregations
and buildings of their own. The advan-
tage OF this system was that it deyeI-
oped the negro iii the way Of religious
self-dependence, but ii was always UNI
der the close oversight of the white
preachers, which was as II should have.
been Never before or since was the
relation OF the negro and his white
neighbor so suspicious as in the years
from 1900 to 1880
All this was destined 70 be changed.
Politicians had concluded that slavery
was threatened with extinction by the
small amount Of intelligence that was
being sifted through the, bars Of bon.
dage. 1t was accordingly declared in
1880, much to the regret OF the churches,
that no free person or slave should teach
Il slave to read or write, the use Of fig-
ures excepted, or give to a slave any
book or pamphlet The purpose Of this
law was TO prevent the slaves reading
abolition documents, Il danger which
was believed to be imminent but it also
cut him off most surely from the read
ing of the Bible, and it forestalled that
mental development which he needed to
comprehend the Christian life. Rev. Eli
w. Carruthers, of Alamance, was much
shocked that Christian people should
make such laws. How dare you he
exclaims, "by your inlpious enactments
doom millions of your fellow beings 10
such a gross and perpetual ignorance?"
"A year later a seyerer blow fell The
Legislature then forbade any negro, bond
or free, to preach, eXhort, or give any
religious teaching in any place of wor-
Snip where slaves from more than one
family were gathered together These
two laws threw the negro back ON the
whites as a burden of eyangeli2ation.
and the churches were forced to give
up what hopes they might have had
that at some time the African might
have become his own missionary.
As to the preaching of the dominant
class to the slaves it always had one
element of disadvantage: it seemed to
the negro to be given with the purpose
of unfolding slavery. AS an illustra-
tion of this shall introduce the evil
dence of Lunsford Lane This slave
was the property of a prominent and
highly esteemed citizen OF Raleigh He
hired his own time and with his father
manufactured smoking tobacco by a
process known only to themselves. His
business grew and at length he bought
his own freedom. Later he added TO
lis business woodward, a grocery
store, and teams for hauling. He
bought home and had bargained to
buy his wife and children for $1,000,
when the rigors OF the law were applied
and he was driven from the State. He
was 4 preacher in the Baptist church.
and he had the confidence of some or
the most reliable people of the State.
among others, of Governor Morehead
He is competent witness for the negro.
preachers to the negroes, he said that
the favorite texts were: Servants be
obedient 10 your masters and HE that
knoweth his masters will and doeth it
not shall be beaten with many stripes"
He said; THE first commandment
was to obey our masters, and
faithfully when they or the overseers
will not do thmn,' he adds, the injustice
to say that connected with this instrIlc-
ton there was not much that was excel
lent" Now all this teaching was quite
natural. The fundamental fact of the
negro's life was slavery. To be a good
slave was to obey and to labor. Not to
obey and not to labor were sins for the
slave. A result Of such preaching was
that many of the more independent ne
groee, those who in their hearts never
accepted slavery, were, repealed from the
white mans religion. On the other hand
there were, no doubt, q large number Of
slaves who were reached by the white
preachers, through whose teaching they
We're enabled to bend in meelSness under
their bondage and to be content with Il
hopeless lot. There are many persons
to whom Christianity is still but n bur
den-bearing affair. Such quietism has its
value. 1t saves mem from discomfort and
society from chaos But it is not 50
valuable for positive purposes. The ideal
of social reform, which is associated
with the standard of Christian duty, was
not for the slave. Those very few, who,
like Lunsford Lane, did work themselves
to freedom, were acting on principles
which were not preached, and could mot
be preached, from the pulpits.
So important does it seem to me that
we should be able to see religions with the
eyes of the slave of the day that / shall
impose on your patience further by quot
ing rather extensively from the state
ments of this same Lunsford Lane. He
says:
II was permitted to attend church, and
tllis | esteem great privilege. 1t was
there / received much instruction, which
/ trust was of great benefit to me. |
trusted too that l had experienced the
renewing influences of divine grace. /
looked upon myself as a great simmer be-
fore God, and upon the doctrine of the
great atonement, through the suffering
and death of the Savior, as a source of
4 - n. N-eta .t,4-.