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

1887 . 5.O17 49Z
$780,. 49,. .......... GolS Lab
1895. -. $50. S,414 Ito
1900. ...... 6,363 lbs
1867. .......... 9,3So 2,:i4
1870. -. .......... 1880 4,lZ4
/ 1915. $50. :. $50. .14,2S3 5,163
1920. -. .......... bib 0,933
1880 -. :. 49,. .19,228 10,1S1
/ 1899. .. :. $3.50. .26,405 1902
Here was rapid proportional gain
Of the blacks over the whites. In 1877
they were not quite 10 per cent as manJ.
in 1889 they were 30 per cent. as many.
Although there were negro MethodisiS
in all parts Of the State they were more
numerous in the eastern counties. for Tie
reason that there were more slaves in
those counties. At Edenton this is true
as witness the minutes; at Wilmington
it is more emphatically true. Hifhrr
came William Meredith, toward the close
of the last century. He was a Metho
dist preacher, but not correctional. He
came from the West Indies. He gather
ed a flock of free negroes, built a rude
meeting-house, acquired some other prop
erty which he used for purposes of rev
enue. and laid the Foundations of Metho-
dism in the place. He encountered al
sorts of opposition from the people Of
Wilmington, who did not believe mach
i'm preaching to the negroes any way, and
who persisted in believing that the Meth
odists were teaching the slaves to hope
for freedom. They jeered at him. they
interrupted his meetings, they pulled
down his Westinghouse. and finally they
put him i'm prison, but he preached so
effectively from his prison windows that
they were glad to let him go free. Final
", the battle won, the heroic servant died
full Of years, and left the work he had
undertaken to the Methodist connection
and with it the property he had accumal-
lated, chiefly from the penny collections
OF his sable Pensioners.
But more interesting, perhaps. is the
struggle that Methodism had to get a
foothold in Fayetteville. Late in the
eighteenth century this town, then a con-
siderable place, and the centre of large
and wealthy community. had but one
church organization, the Presbyterian,
and that had no house of worship. One
day there arrived in the town Henry
Evans, full-blooded free negro from
Virginia, who was mov-ng to Charleston,
s. c.. where he proposed to follow his
trade Of shoe-making. He was perhaps
free born. He was a Methodist and a
licensed local preacher. When he real
lied the religious condition of his race
in Fayetteville he decided that it was his
duty to stop and work among them. He
worked at his trade during the week and
preached ON Sundays. The whites be-
came alarmed and the Town Council or
dered him to stop preaching. He then
met his flock in the sand hills, desc
] Al -
the town council. Fearing violence he
made his appointments secrets, and
changed the place Of meeting from day
TO day. He was particular to violate no
law, and to the whites he was careful to
show the respect which public sentiment
demanded Public opinion finally began
to change, especially when it was noticed
that slaves who had come under his in
fuence were more docile for it. Some
prominent whites, most of whom were
women became interested in his cause.
They attended his meetings, and public
opinion was at length reversed. Then
rude frame building was erected within
the town limits. A number of seats were
reserved for the whites. some of whom
were so well pleased with his preaching
that they became regular attendants ON
his ministry. The preachers reputation
spread The boards were knocked from
the sides of the house and sheds were
buiIt on either hand. and to them the
negro worshinpers were relegated. Al
FIRST the congregation had been uncon-
nected. but by this time it had been
taken into the regular Methodist system,
and white preacher had been sent to It,
Rut the heroic founder was mot forgotten
A room for him was built in the rear OF
the pulpit and there he lived till his death
in 1870
OF Henry Evans, Bishop Capers said:
II have known not many preachers VINO
appeared more conversant with the
| scriptures than Evans; or whose con-
versation was more instructive as to tbei
THINGS of God. He seemed always deep
lv impressed with the responsibility OF
his position nor would he al
low any partially Of friends to induce
him to vary in the least degree from the
/ lines of conduct or the bearing which
he had prescribed to himself in this
! respect: never speaking to white man
( Int with his hat under his arm, never al
! lowing himself to be seated in their
houses. and even combining himself to the
4 kind and manner of dress proper for
< slaves in general, except his plain black
coat in the pulpit. The whites are kind
and come to hear me preach, he would
shy. hut / belong to my own sort, and
must not spoil them" Rare self-con-
troll. How often do those who boast
social advantages of far greater weight
fail Ia sacrifice to this extent their own
feelings for the good Of the cause they
represent
! Henry Evans last speech is note