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

If they remained such. To speak the
truth, there was not, i'll the seventeenth
century. much interest ON the part of
the whites in North Carolina in reli-
gious matters. People who carNd so lit
tie for religion for themselves would
hardly care more for it for their slaves.
More than this. there was for time,
n well defined notion among the slave
owners that slave who was church
member could not be held in bondage.
This notion grew out of a principle
which was common to the legal con-
cept OF Europe at the time that ne
groes began to be enslayed; viz: that it
was allowable to enslave a man who
was a pagan, but that it was not allow
able to enslaye a man who was Il Chris
tian. Now, reasoned the cautious mas
ter. If a slave is such because he is not
a Christian, does he not perforce be-
come freeman when he becomes a
Christian? To the master there was
enough of doubt in the question to i'll.
duce him to put his veto on missionary
work among the slaves. The result was
that the missionaries through the Socie-
" for the Propagation of the Gospel in
foreign ports brought the matter to the
attention of the authorities and secured
legislative action that promised that
converted slaves should not be freed by
reason of their conversion. The Lords
Projectors of Carolina, in view Of the
same state of feeling, made a decision
in their Fundnentl Constitutions TO the
same effect. This ought to have set
tied the matter, but it did not do so,
for in 1909 Rev. JAS. Adams. one of the
few faithful missionaries whom the So
ciety for the Propagation of the Gospel
sent to Carolina, wrote that the mas
tiers would "by no means permit their
slaves to be baptized having a false
notion that a Christian slave is by law
free" Al few of the negroes he found
instructed in the principles of religion,
but they were not baptized. Nine years
later the same conditions existed still
in perquimans. and there is good rea-
son to think that they were common
throughout that portion of the colony
which was at that time settled. To
this general statement there is an ex-
ception to be made in favor of the
Quakers and the Baptists. The former
were never pronounced slave-owners,
and cannot have come into close rela-
tions with large number of slaves; but
it is entirely probable that they were
careful to instruct in the Christian re-
Iigion all the negroes they owned. In
fact, William Edmundson and George
Fox, both of whom came in the Seven
teenth century to the 4Alhelnarle section
of North Carolina, were notably
careful to instruct the slaves, inasmuch
that in the Barbados they were falsely
accused of stirring up the negroes to in
surrection. As for the Baptists, ] have
been able to find no evidence as early
as the Seventeenth century. They were
certainly in the eastern part of the
colony by the end of the century. It is
well mp to the days of the Revolution
that we have any definite information
about their religious instruction or
slaves. In 1888 it was asked in the
kehuckee Baptist Association what
should be the duty Of master toward
q slave who refused to attend family
worship. The answer was: 1T is the duty
of every master OF a family to give
his slaves liberty to attend the worship
of God in his family, and likewise it
Is his duty to exhort them to it. and to
endeayor to convince them of their duty,
and then to leave them to their OWL
choice" The phraseology Of this answer
is such that we are led to think that
q very humane position had been taken
by the Baptists some time before 1888
I'm the Seventeenth century there was
considerable progress in the attitude OF
all the churches toward the slaves. II
is the established church which has Tie
served its records best. From the re
ports to the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel it is possible to see the
progress with some degree of accuracy
But even here there is break Of ab0n
twenty years, i. e. from 1715 TO 1875
In the latter year, we come upon re-
port from a missionary, Mr.. Marsden,
who had been in the Cape Fear section
and who said that he had baptized about
1900 men, women and children, be-
sides some negro slaves" In 1742, IN
New Hanover county, where there were
said to have been 1000 whites and 1000
blacks, another missionary reports thar
he had baptized 307 white and blacks
Here, it win be observed. the proportion
was small, but it gradually grew. till
the time of the Revolution, SO that ]
should say that at the latter date it
would be safe to expect that about one
sixth OF the baptisms reported by all
active missionary of the establishment
would be slaves. This was. in a sense,
an excessive estimate, for the .Episcopa-
lians were the largest shareholders. and
they could be expected to have more
slaves baptized than the smaller slave
holders. On the other hand, it is wor-
thy of note that the other churches were
at this day far in excess of the Fpisco-
raGans in numbers and in activity. 1t
is probable, therefore, that they made
up in this way as much as they lost in
the other.
Although all the churches in the prov
ince were more or less interested in the
conversion of the blacks, it was thor
oughly understood that it should be
done by absorbing them into the various
organizations of the whites, and not by
letting them have churches of their
own. ] must think that this was good
thing; for although it was done because
the masters were afraid that if the ne
groes had separate organizations they
would become conspirators, it is also
evident that it was good thing to have
these people, newcomers from the jun
giles Of Africa in close contact with the
whites. Thus the more civilized were OF
sure benefit to the unciyilized, and
Il l. a. L. Al