The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-13
SECOND PARISH CHURCH.
Rev. Dr.. }. c. merrlu breaches On the
solution Of the Negro Question.

heY. j. e. Merrill, d. D., dean of Fisk
university, Nashville, Tenn, preached
at the Second Parish church Sunday
morning. His sermon was upon the ne
gro question and was very Interesting
and valuable.
The sermon began with reference to
the solidarity OF the United States on ac-
count OF which 1t is impossible to have
one tenth of It's population, va the ne
groes Of America remain ignorant ana
vicious without untold injury to the
Republic.
The condition of the negroes of the
South in many respects is most depIora-
ble Their political disbarment, their
exclusion from social life, trade dlserimi,
nations against them are bad enough, but
worse than any or all OF these is their
Ignorance and now the vice and super
slbition which grow out of ignorance.
There Is bright side, however, and
this is well for the people OF the North
to know. The uneduoated negro is the
solution of the problem. The equipment
Of leaders to lead the race out of it's de-
graduation is one of the most hopeful
signs Of the times Such institutions as
Fisk university, the oldest and most in
tiuential OF the schools of It's class, are
rearing a constantly increasing company
OF young people who almost without ex-
ception are working toward several bene-
hoient results.
The South, the place for negroes, Is one
of these results. Ten or Is years ago
graduates from institutions like Fisk,
used to speak OF the North as ''God
country" and turned to the north star
to seek their careers much as their faith
ers had done to obtain freedom. All this
Is changed. Providence has made it
necessity both for the race ana the region
that the bulk of the African race of
America should abide in the south land
Where the mass Of ones people dwell
there should it's leaders be found and the
better equipped and the more far sighted
the graduates of the college and UNIVERSE
y are, the more clear IS their conviction
that they should stay among their own
people and lift them up.
A race consciousness is another out
come Of this type OF education. Every
year 1t IS becoming less a feeling Of re-
greet on the part OF the bright negro
youth that he was born black. In fact a
commendable race pride abounds. and
why nOCl Fifty years ago and less the
whole race were chattels. Many then re-
garded the negro mere brute. denied him
the possession OF soul. Today negro
artist Is one OF three Americans whose
paintings purchased by the French gov
ernment hang in the Iuzemborg. One
graduate OF Fisk stands in the front rank
Of the younger socioIogists of America
another as an army surgeon in the late
war with Spain, was chosen to read
paper before the national convention
or surgeons in New York city in June. /
Another carried of the honOrs of Har- T
ward Medical school and another OF Yale I
Theological seminary q ieST years ago, /
and all these are holding snviable posi- /
lions IN their respective vocatiOns Elf I
teen years ago, did a negro church wish
TO have social, no home was large
enough to entertain It. where now 20 I
homes are equal to such "a function. The +
col0red man and woman Of culture can
white friends spurn our company we can
lind compantonsh1p equally as good
among our own and can be content"
Even the great disabilities which are +
being put upon the negores are being /
used as a stepping stone toward their +
success. OF the 400 graduates Of Fisk /
over 200 are teachers, nearly 100 prlnci-
pals ia high or grammar schools or pro- F
fessors IN colleges; 1000 to 20, 600 negro /
boys and girls are taught annually by
those who have received their education
at the same institution. These things are
so because the white people OF the South
insist upon separate schools for the ne
gr0es and the white teachers of the South
do not deign to teach negro school or
permit q northern teacher to be en-
plOyed in q public school OF negroes.
Many a negro man owed his success IN
trade moreover, to the fact that at GER
tain white stores certain wares can not
be bought by the black man. Even the
unrighteous disbarment OF the black
man at the polls until he can read the
constitution and has paid taxes, a thing
Of which he would not complain If the
ignorant white men was treated the
same is a mighty incentive for his be-
coming educated and thrifty. Each
year also some of our brightest gradu-
ates enter business and as the years go
by they are winning conspicuous sue
cess.
The higher education, it has been said,
makes the negro worthless. Ja1ls are
the destination which they reach New
err has there been baser SANDER Prof.
DeBois, our negro sOciolog1st, has tabu-
lated the entire output OF negro colleges
and finds that not one of the 5000 who /
have received such diplomas IS charge |
upon the community. FISK university /
keeps a close tally of its four hundred
graduates and is ready to challenge any
northern college to show an equally large
per cent pursuing in their life work the
vooations for which college training fits
them.
An Anglo Saxon sense of justice GER
ba1nly Oughb TO see 20 10 0htte 5nls hlSher
education is made possible for the select
ed few, who are to become leaders of
their race. No college worth the name
in the North attempts to educate It's
pupils with the income from tuitions.
The sons of milliOnaires are bene1c1ar1es
after they have paid their buttons for
from two to three times as much as they
pay for their schooling. Everybody is
glad that colleges last year had $780,
600, 900 given to them for endowments
an4efap n CHI MID
be content until colleges for the negro
have an equipment which will enable
them to fit their pupils for their high
mission. The sons and daughters of ex