The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-16
"WEDNESDAY. july le. 1902.
MIRACLE ANpITs LESSON.


IN The Times OF Sunday was short
Il selected sermon on the miracle OF feed
ms the four thousand. BY an interest
: a.,r coincidence Rev. DR.. O. s, Buntir,
B sactor OF st. Paul's Church in Peters
I purr preached sermon on the same
3 subject DR.. Buntin chose for his text
The incident recorded y st. Luke, In
which ave thousand men. besides Wo.
j men and children. We're fed with five
& leaves and two fishes.
The multitude were assembled IN
Aesert place to hear our Lords discourse
& aud toward evening the Disciples went
Is Him and said: Send the multitudes
away. that they may go into the towns
and country round about and lodge and
4 ret victuals,' But the Lord replied:
Give sc them to eat"
Or. Buntin made practical appiica-
4 afon OF this text to certain social and
politicai conditions OF the day. He said
E,,at the disposition with many was to
put these problems aside, but that duty
s demanded that we of this generation
meet the problems as they come and ad-
dress ourselves honestly and conscien-s
eiously and religiously to their solution.
he. applied the text especially to the
negro question, saying that there were
many who demanded that the negroes
n sent away He Insisted, however,
that they could not be sent away, that
they were here and that we must dr,
duty deal with them. He insisted that
We must as q Christian people follow the
Injunction Of the Lord Jesus and min
lister to the needs OF the colored race.
He did not undertake to outline any spe-
.eific policy. but he contended that we
were in duty bound. with the lights be-
xore us, to aid the black man in lift
lnE himself up, in improving his mind
and morals and in making good cit
hen of himself. He declared that 1T
was not for us to look to the future.
Il was enough for us to deal with the
problem as It now presents itself, doing
the best that we can with the means
1t hand, using our I'VE loaves and two
fishes, doing our honest duty and leav-
ing the results to God.
There is absolutely no answer from
Christian point Of view to that arsu-
ment. Are we Christian people?
We print elsewhere in to-day's paper
communication from a correspondent
who takes a gloomy view OF the negro
question. He thinks that it is impos-
sible for the negro race to live In this
country with the white race and that
SOONER or later the negro must be de-
portcd-the sooner the better. Our cor
respondent is particularly alarmed that
negroes in Virginia are acquiring lands
and filling the soil. If we understand
him, he would deprive all such negroes
of their possessions and drive them from
bur coasts. Such a policy would be in
direct conflict with the teachings Of this
miracle as pointed out by the Peters.
burg preacher. The negroes did not
come to this country Of their own vo-
Hilton. They were captured in their own
land and brought by force into America
and sold into bondage. They were pa
tient, peaceful. amiable slaves and serv-
Cd their masters as perhaps no other
slaves In history served. During the
var, when they knew that the Northern
troops were fighting. in part at least.
FOR their liberation, they remained at
home and took care of the women and
children. while the Southern men were
Hxhting the Northern troops. Some Of
those slaves are still vito us. The rest
ar, their descendants. Many OF them
have been very foolish and some of them
have been very mean. but on the whole
hey have behaved themselves wonder
tally wslL all things being considered.
& what, then. shall we do with this null
sfltudef It is impracdcahle to send
them away 1t is impossible to quar-
Anttne. against the negro. The negro
10 here, and here to stay. and the ques-
don with us is how we shall treat him.
There can be but one logical and con-
Sastent answer from, those who profess
ma eau themselves Christians: ''Give
~ them to eat The lesson Of the
miracle cannot be misunderstood.
TIE MINERS CONVENTION