The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-12-04
BEFORE GOD Ind MAN.
DR.. Chapman of Anderson Preach
es Mastery Sermon Against
Lynching.

Anderson, Dec. 2.-It was brave,
strong sermon that DR.. Chapman
preached at the First Baptist Church
last night on the subject OF lynching.
There was very large congrega-
5ion present, with an unusually large
proportion of young men, in it, and
The attention and interest throughout
were SO close as to be at times IN
tense. There were present four pas
tors in the pulpit, and it is safe to
say that the ministers Of the gospel
throughout Anderson County are
more strongly aroused than ever be-
fore to the necessity of their doing
all in their power to render impossi-
bic the recurrence of such disgraceful
crimes as Anderson County's lynch
ings of the. past. With proper aid
from the local press and the leaders OF
our best thought in the county, they
ought to succeed.
Dr.. Chapman stated at the outset
that it was his intention to avoid any.
thing sensational in the discussion OF
This painful and difficult subject, but
throughout he was plain, fearless and
earnest. He used the surgeons knife
where he thought he ought 80 do SO.
The speaker made the usual refer
ence to the laws delay, and the repug-
nance TO bringing modest, suffering
woman into court to testify, aud urged
that South Carolina adopt legislation
similar to that of some other States to
Insure the speedy trial of CRIMINALS
whose crimes call for speedy e2pla-
ton, and for constitutional amend
ment providing for the taking of GER
tain class of estimony out of court.
He was especially strong in his denun-
ciation OF the shyster methods OF
a certain kind of criminal law
yers, men who sacrifice the love OF
truth to the desire for success, " So
called, and who will do almost any
thing to win cause and save criml-
nal,s neck If public Indignation had
been directed against them, and, IN
the pastors opinion, if q few of them
had been lynched instead of their
miserable clients, it might have oeen
less hurtful to the commonwealth.
But more than all else. what is
needed to preventSthe repetition OF the
recent disgraceful Anderson County
crime is the fear of God. The spirit
of the mob is bloodthirsty and
demoralizing. It is imbued with the
instinct of the beast of prey, and has
before its eyes neither the fear of the
law of man nor the fear Sof God. We
need men who with the fear of God
before their eyes will stand fear
lessly for the right. A vivid con-
trast was drawn between the Newman,
Ga, burning episode and the recent
occurrence at Gainesville, where the
perpetrator of heinous crime was
brayely protected by the officers Of the
law, speedily tried and legally exc
cuted. The effects of the former upon
the county where it occurred are
deplorable; the effects of the latter
far reaching and inspiring. 1t is a
solemn thing to take a human life,
even for the sheriff, under the form Of
law; how is it when the deed IS done
IN open de6ance-of Gods law and Of
man'ss Men of Anderson, - said the
speaker, :" I could weep for you every
time I think Of the recent crime you
have done. / say it not IN anger, but
In love. could weep for you, for
every one OF you SJano To-Day peIole
God and before man as a murderer. y
In the audience were many men
whose relatives and friends were IN
the mob; without doubt there. were
men who had taken part in the lynch
inc, for many went from the city, it
is said: and The effect was intensely
marked. It was not the less SO as be
dwelt upon the brutalizing effect upon
both races of the stockade farms, Of
the grinding ont Of human life upon
the altar of human greed: and the
preacher spoke earnestly of the high
duty that rests upon rs to try to civil
ize and uplift the inferior race, whose
future is so largely dependent upon
our Christian charity.
DIR. Chapman's effort meets with
strong approval here: more sermons Of
this kind will mean less lawlessness.