The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-02-01
THE CHURCH AND THE NEGRO.
Need of Negro Catechists Is Shown
bv the Following

by the Following.
The secular press is agltating the
question or Education for the Negro.
The following from the report OF the
Winchester conference OF missionaries
to mont Catholics is OF timely interest.
Father Elliott OF New York sad:
I'VE wish to place ourselves on record
as fayorlng the evangehzation OF the
colored people. he race problem is d
difficult one with us in politics. our
missionaries are going to be success
fu because they are the bearers OF
Cathonc truth. The Catholic Church
makes for peace and for brotheriy
love amongst races.
With her perfect democracy and
equality of man at the altar, as well
as her dOctrInces that bind in con-
science she holds the key to the soIu-
ton of the race problem. There is not
prominent public man in the south
but would desire to see the colored man
Catholic. The reasons for this desire
may net be of the highest; they know
that the Catholic Church is strong
restraining power and does not a little
to suppress ill-reguiated passions; ana
so for the sake OF public safety, II nor
for any higher reason. they thlnk lne
Negro Would be better within the lolu
of the Catholic Church.
Moreover, aions Win this desire 10
see the Negro Catholic, there is deep
religious sentiment among the colored
people that will Conduce in the strong
est kind of a way TO the accomplish
ment of this end,
That the Negroes are a deeply re-
ligious people is evident to anyone VINO
has been among them but their re-
ligious aspirations have been sadly
misdirected,
1T is a consolation to know that tor
a long time some of the noblest priests
whom God ever gave to His Church
have been laboring among the Ne
groes This work was begun by an En-
glishman, Cardinal Herbert Vaughan
The Josephites, now independent, are
laboring in this glorious field They
have many splendid young men in their
Summaries These latter need help
however, and the kind of help that
we can giVe-our praise and encour-
agement. All good priests should say
God speed to them, and send voca-
tions to them if there be chance
There are drawbacks. to be sure. the
instability of the race, and yet others.
But the converts are not hastily taken
in by the Josephites. Catechists are
trained for work here, as is done by
our brethren in China and India. Be
sides, the Josephites individual priests
here and there are doing noble work
among the Negroes
Father Price of North Carolina said:
THE Governor of North Carolina said
to me some time ago that he was as
tonished that the Catholic Church had
not taken hold of the Negro and evan
eeliZed him. The Catholic Church alone
can uplift him. This is the universal
sentiment in the South among the
white people"
Bishop Byrne of Tennessee said: Il
would say myself that the race prob
lem here is becoming very serious. and
the whites do not realize ii. They say
the Negro is of no consequence here,
and the white man can dominate him,
But the Negro is not a coward, and he
is just now realizing his power and
growing Importance, Until after the
war the Negro never did any Of the
wOr k the white man does in the North.
He is working now side by side with
the white man in all of the trades,
and in many Of the professions. We
have Negro physicians even. They all
show an aptitude for organization. The
colleges are educating many of them
to a high degree. They are capable
of a great deal of education. All this
increases the power of the Negroes.
They know this and are becoming ag-
gressive. In my opinion portions of the
South will in some future day belong
to the Negro. The Negro increases
much faster than the white man. We
must acquire influence over the Negro
in order to direct his religious life in
the right lines. Prominent whites prom
Use to assist us in the conversion of
the Negro. 1 will guarantee that every
Negro parish after two years will be
f-supporting in every well-sized city.
Negroes contribute we'll to the Church;
they are almost as generous as the
Poles
Bishop Aliens remarks were as fol
lows: In my diocese 1 also have noted
an inclination on the part of the Ne
gro to enter the Church. All promi-
nent people in Alabama agree with
the rest OF the South that in the Cath
Ole Church is the right place for the
Negro. We have creole Negroes in
Southern Alabama who are loyal to the
Church and are wonderful example
of stability. They are of a mixed race,
part Indian or French or Spanish. They
are honest and trustworthy, and an ISL
and that many of them inhabit, in the
Gulf of Mexico. is called The Isle of
Saints.