The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-22

M ason found reason for his statement
that thirty times thirty years had passed
SINCE the war. mean the last war, me
said. mot that little skirmish we had
with SPAIN" The obliteration OF old
prejudices, the growth Of the spirit OF
brotherhood put us one thousand years IN
advance of the days of the war. Siii'
DR.. Mnson had some words OF warming 10
utter and they were protest against tne
prevalent theory that manual education
Is ell that the negro Is fitted for, all una.
he is worth. When the pastor OF tnis
church makes slip in his argument or
falls into error. he does so while spsak-
ing to people who can detsct the tauit.
They can often anticipate his argument.
The man speaking to educated people is
perhaps addressing an audience which
can make better argument than he can.
But the negro. through no fault OF his
own, is not able to detect error In the
statements Of those to whom he looks as
teachers. He accepts all that they say as
the truth and goes away with 1t In his
mind. IL used to he the idea that any
body could teach young children. Now,
we select the brightest minds for the
training of the young.
The belittling of the value of peop'e
has been..the hiding place OF the oppressor
from time mmsmurial. My old friend
Julius Caesar when asked why he had
sold lot OF slaves whose faces were as
fair as any / see before me, declared that
he had sold them for all they were worth.
1t would take hundred years for them
even to become good house servants for
Roman citizens. The other day when |
sailed under BROOKLYN bridge. i thought
Of what Caesar would say IL God would
draw aside the curtain and let him look
down-or look up-at the work of the
great-g great great-grsnd children of grand
children of that people whom 1t would
take century to educate into house
servants for Roman citizens.
A little later l stood with my little boy
on the platform IN Boston where had
stood the great anti-slavery orators anu
1 thought 1t was only ~ years ago that
Wendell Phillips said there that the groan
of human spirit found al answer 10
human hearts on the other side of the
world. For that statement, he wa
dragged from the platform. Yet only a
few short months ago we heard the groans
OF that poor people on the island yonder
Who had been the victims of the misrule
OF soulless nation for three and half
centuries, and the boys who wore the
blue and the boys who wore the gray, the
boys with white faces and the boys whose
faces are black stood shoulder to shoulder
at ri Caney and San Juan. We are
moving on, thank God.
DR.. Mason pleaded eloquently for
Justice to the negro. He did not believe
in talk Of equality. 1t was justice not
mercy that would bring about the settle
men of the case of the gro. :
The afternoon session was devotei to
the Sunday school anniversary address,
delivered by Jesse l.. Hurlburt, d. D., of
New York and the educational anniver-
sary address delivered by IL. +. Irefethen,
president of kent's Hill seminary.
Bishop Vincent made one of his enthusi-
astic speeches On "The duties and posi-
bilitses of ministers in educational mat
ters'i in place of B. p. Raymond, presi
dent of Wesleyan University, who was
unable to attend the conference
Bishop Vincent received a message an
nouncing the transfer of Rev. DR.. &. W.
Gallagher to the New England confer
ence. The local preachers association
held its regular annual meeting electing
as president, Rev. b. 5. Leard; vice
presidents. Rev. NJ. X. Mayberry, Rev.
W. H. McAllisuer. Rev. e. b. Davis;
secretary and treasurer, Rev. Joseph
houghton; executive committee. Rev.
Messrs. III. X. Mayberry, Il. Nelson and
A. A. Callahan.
The anniversary services of the mission
airy society occurred tonight In the Con-
gregational church with an address by W.
L. Smith, ID. ID. of New York.