The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-05-28


Churches VIII Work in Harmon
i'll Different Fields
AT the recent annual session OF tn
East Carolina Diocesan council heI,
in Elizabeth City, following recon
mendations made by Bishop Strange
IN his annual address to the council
there was a resolution unanimousI
adopted recommending to the genera
council of the Episcopal church which
meets in Richmond next October. III,
placing of all negro parishes under
missionary jurisdiction with neg~C
bishops over them.
At the council of the North Caro-
lima Diocese held in Tarboro a short
time ago, the same recommendation,
practically, was made to the General
Council.
This separation of the negroes from
the whites has long been a mooted
n Interesting question. 1t is believ-
ed that the proposition is being more
widely received as being a right step
as 1t becomes better known. A sig
nificant fact in connection with the re-
commendation is that it is very gener-
ally supported by the leading negro
rectOrS n other prominent men of
the race. 1t is believed that the ar
rangement would be more satisfactory
and more beneficial to the members
of both races.
Bishop Strange, recently in Chicago
when he delivered the Hale Memorial
sermon at Grace Episcopal church on
Church Work Among the Negroes
in the South" gave expression to his
views and ideas on the subject and
these with slight changes, are exactly
as he gave them before the council
in Klnston. In his Chicago sermon,
after giving a history of the church
work among the negroes and reciting
the obstacles now in the way, which
lead to restlessness and want of salts
faction, he continued as follows:
What ought we to do to meet these
conditions? Let us turn aside for a
moment to consider the general con-
ditions of the negroes and their rela-
ton to the white people. We have
today about the same relative proper
ton Of blacks to whites in the whole
country as we had in 1860-about u
per cent; and We have nearly the
same in the south, about 40 per cent.
What is to become of the negro for
the next fifty years? No man would
dare suggest an answer looking far
Their ahead than that: God only
knows. Some say he will a~malgamate
with the whites. Many thought so im-
mediately after the wal who do not
think or say so now. No; after forty
years the separation between the races
is clearer, wider and more distinct }
than ever before. The thoughtful
black men do not desire amalgamation
and the white men will not have it. |
Some say the negro will be colonized
| think that there is less reason in this
answer even than in the former. The
negroes do not wish to go; and we
cannot force them. Think of depOrting |
fOrcibly nine million people! No; as
DR.. Booker T. Washington says: "This
problem is not to be solved by depor- [
tation or by amalgamation.' The
negroes are here to stay with us, and |
the bulk of them will stay in the |
"The negroes are dividing into two |
distinct classes more decidedly, it i
to me. than any other national /
ity in our country; and | hope they
will continue to keep and increase this |
distinction. A minority are improy- !
ing, are taking advantage of education
are advancing in morality and indus |
try, are acquiring property and be-
coming worthy citizens These few are |
setting a standard, and are giving US |
nope OF what the negro cal and may |
become. The majority are not improv- |
ing, but rather retrogressing. They
are looking On liberty as license; they |
are thinking that a little education
will give them the privilege of living |
without manual labor; they are maxi |
ing higher wages the way to less work |
rather than the way to a higher stand |
ard Of life; they are shiftless, immoral.
and criminal. Now, as 1 study this
race SO dividing in the great labora-
tory of nature, under the law of God
works on so justly, ofttimes ap-
..arently SO cruelty, always for the
general good of man, l look forward
the hope that this smaller, higher
class viii increase, and that the larger.
lower class will decrease.
sHhat we white men of the north |