The morning news., 1899-05-19
THE CHURCH AND THE RACE
OIESTION.


A very considerable part Of the address
which Bishop Nelson delivered at the
opening of the Episcopal diocesan oonven-
ton at Atlanta on Wednesday was devoted
10 the race question, and the duty Of the
church relative 10 that question. He ex-
pressed the opinion that it is about the
most important question the nation has to
deal with at the present time.
He didn't undertake to point out how IL
could he settled. He left that for the plat
form orators and the newspapers to do.
He directed attention to the duty Of the
Church in the matter. and explained what
ii could do to raise the negro race to a
higher plane Of civilization.
The bishop took the ground that the ne
groes are here to stay. and that 1t was the
duty Of Christian people in all parts Of the
country to use all the influences at their
command to make Christian men and wo-
men and useful citizens of the rising gen
Grafton of negroes. In his opinion negro
children should have greater opportuni-
ties for religious training and technical
education. The two should be combined to
as great an extent as possible, so that the
negro boys and girls, when they became
men and women, would have sufficient
strength of character and self-respect to
hold them in the path of rectitude, and
would be in a position not only to earn
the means of living but also to provide
homes for themselves.
IE-a dn acf t,pdartalra 10 COW that Cbris
tan people would do more good with
the money they now send to foreign lands
for missionary purposes if they were TO
use it in civilizing and Christianizing the
negro children al home, because they are
better qualified TO say what ought to be
done with the money they give so freely
for spreading the gospel. but we are GER
tain that this country presents as fine
field for missionary work as there is to be
found in any foreign land. The Chinese
for instance, upon whom a large sum is
spent annually by our churches, are NOR
ally, Intellectually and every other way
vastly superior to hundreds OF thousands
of people in this land. If all the churches
should devote the money they send to for
eign missions TO the uplifting of the negro
Of negroes would be a great improvement
morally over the negroes of the present
generation.
But this generation isn't so bad as the
crimes of a few of them make it appear.
The whole negro population must not be
judged by the comparatively small percent
age that Is bad. There are hundreds of
thousands of negroes in this state. How
many of this vast number commit crimes
in the course of a year which arouse the
lynch law spirit? When one comes to think
of 1t the number isn't large. Therefore, it
is unjust to assume that all negroes are
bad simply because some of them are but
little above beasts. AS race they are ris-
ing In the scale of civilization, slowly ii
is true. but rising.
AS they rise the race issue win become
more clearly defined. The troubles we are
having now are small in comparison with
what they win be-that is, If political
equality is insisted upon. The negro race
will always remain distinct race, and be-
ing an inferior race will not be accorded
freely equal political rights. II will demand
these rights, however, and there will al
ways be a political party which will sup
port the demand. We are therefore as yet
only on the edge of the race troubles.
They will increase as the negro becomes
better prepared to demand every political
and civil right which goes with citizen
ship
There is much in what Bishop Nelson
said about the mob spirit being encour-
aged by the outrageous delays of justice
and the pleas by which justice is de-
feated. but these are only phases of The
great race question-the question pre-
sented by the possession of equal pontica
rights under the same government by q
superior and an inferior race.