The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-01-21
Living Issues.
ATTITUDE or SOUTHERN CHRISTIANS
TOWARD THE NEGRO.

10 W4AAAAE W ONOAN
people ON terms of social equality
has been set forth extensively III Ists
by reason of the d nner in the White
House at which B ruker L Washing
ton was q guest of the Presidents
Some of the editorial comment upon
the subject has been directed against
the alleged "~unohristian' attitude
of religious persons in the South
whose race prejudice, 1t has been
said. the IrHternal spirit
which sh, I'D be the characteristic
of profe sing Christians. In conse
hence of the discussion, the Hal
eigh, North Carolina, BIBLICAL he
oorder (Baptist) sent 80 a number OF
prominent hrlstian men OF the
South u letter d signed TO elliott from
them a statements of their cOncep-
ton of the duty of Christians to the
oolored race. Some representative
replies go the letter are printed (No
vember 13). The Recorder says that
they speak for the whole South, and
state the S uthern view candldly
and clearly. President Charles +.
TAYLOR, of Wake Forest College,
writes AS fellows:
1.-THE particular question practio-
ally resolves itself, upon analyrls'
into this, Ia mlsoegenation or race
admixture between blacks and whites
TO be IN any way encouraged? Rea-
son, instinct, history, and law all an
sWer, NJ.
"Where, then, can the barrier
against race admixture be most
wisely and safely placed? At the be-
sSinnings of SOCIAL equality.
does this answer of the particu
lar, conflict with Christ's answer TO
the general question: Not at all
No Interpretation of the Golden Ru g
can ia, tify a course which Will
natur lily lead TO what is wrong.
Can We conceive of its being right 6"
encourage a system of social disorder
whose natural outcome, in the course
of time, would be families consisting
of negro fathers, white mothers, and
mulattO children?
I'VE all know some negroes whom
We esteem and like more highly than
we do some white people. There II
room FIR genuine friendship and
mutual helpfulness between the
faces We ought TO help the color' d
people in their upward struggling
toward home-getting, weAlth-mak
ing, aud better living. But we shall
make a great mistake if we think
that We can help them by enoourag-
ing them to hope for social equality
with the white race"
After declaring that the oolore1
people ''are our brethren, our neigh
bora, our fellow sinners" who are 80
be ''hrlped in the spirit of Christ, >
the R3v. w R. L. Smith, D. D of
Richmond, Virginia, says:
"Our dining-room is the test OF
equality, far more than u
parIor. Eating together ia the high
est social aos. People who eat TO-
gether intermarry. M,scegenation
in our country mean an
of civic and social hOr-
rors. Social separation is the con-
of the continued benedoence
of our Christian people in the inter
est of the negro. Nothing will so
and disastrously paralyze
sorely needed evangelism as the
irrele want and unneeded agi-
of this social issue"
President A P Montague, of Fur
man University, sums up in part the
1utv, rs ne sees it, of Christian white
Of the South TO ward members
Of the colored race as follows:
$50 evince profound and abiding
interest in their spiritual life, and TO
10 this by conference with their
preachers and with worthy laymen
BY visiting occasionally their reig
Gus services; by urging them to
send their young men, who are called
10 preach, to institute ms (iike Bene
lict College at Columbia, s. c., in
which theology is taught, not poi
5ics and by cooperating with Chris
among them in Il determined
effort TO break up gambling and the
drink habit.
"Flnally, we owe it to Christian
TO III wives and cur