Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-15
] weaker race and make them morally


] weaker race and make them morally
| strong.
There Is no question coming before
the. next general convention that can
ton OF the responsibility now resting on
the church of the CHARACTERIZATION of the
colored race. If she does not rise to
| fulfill the charge that God has laid upon
her; IL she is paralyzed with the con.
| seriousness of the political and social
obstacles with which she will have to
| contend. or quails at the opposition she
is sure to evoke in her effort to be true
to her mission, then she is no true de-
| scendant of the apostolic church.
| THE negro Is here and he Is here to stay.
| The bare fact that after all these years
| no satisfactory solution of the negro prob
| lem has been reached. or even attempted
| by the church. and that today there is the
/ widest difference of opinion between not
| only the north and south, but between
northerners and southerners themselves,
| shows how vast and many sided the prob
lem is. And the problem Is greatly COM
| plicated by two facts. First. to prevent the
/ negro from being a subject race. the coun-
| try has given them the right of suffrage.
l making them the equals of the whites when
| they are not their equals; secondly, the
| negro race Is not only here to stay, but to
| increase: for 1t has doubled every forty
| years since the revolution. and If this ratio
| continues in the future as in the pas our
negro population. at the end of this GEN.
| fury. will approximate fifty millions.
Race Antagonist.
Under the presence of these two potent
influences alone. not to speak of others.
race antagonism has already developed to
an alarming extent, and it needs no proph-
! cts eye to foresee that this race diff
| Guilty is destined to become the most threat
| ening and troublesome obstacle with which
| our descendants will have to contend In
the future development of American civiil-
| cation.
| If under these circumstances, 1t becomes
| the duty of every patriotic statesman.
| north and south, to face this most COM
plicated political. social. industrial and re-
ligious problem of the times II the
| church adopts the strong, consistent
| principle of refusing to have any
thing whatever to do with the social side
| of the problem, and simplv let's it alone,
she will be free to do Christ's own work
in Chrst's own way. She will lift her
self entirely above the region of con-
| troversy. get rid of those burning differ
| ences of opinion which divide northern
| churchmen and southern churchmen, en-
able both to unite with one heart and
| mind in a work which both feel to be
| extremely important: and thus concentrate
the whole energy Of the church upon the
evangeliZation of the negro race.
AS Thomas Nelson Page finely says In a
recent article. What we have to do is to
step interference with the natural opera
ton of natural laws. Leave the question
arising in every section of the country
! to be settled naturally by the residents of
those sections, according to the economic
laws which must eventually govern,
whether you interpose for time or not.
| In other words, lend aid to make tie peo-
} pie in every part of the country more
Enlightened. more broadminded and then
leave them to settle their local troubles,
| with such aid broad and catholic pub
lie spirit and a sincere and broad SYM
patty can give them
"At the present day the colored people
} of America are led astray by mere deu'
sions as to the way in which the difference
between a stronger and a weaker race
may be overcome.
Belief Of the Ignorant.
"The most ignorant of them think that
by standing for their political rights as
fellowcitizens,' they going to coerce
recognition as social equals. and, there
fore, many of these act with blatant self
assertion and an assumption of equality
whenever the opportunity offers in public
or private. Others dream that they will
| break down the color line by becoming
| householders: and, therefore, are buying
up all the land they can pay for; others
| suppose that they can attain the some OBJ
( ject through the possession Of wealth. and
others still aim for equality by being edu-
Gated in schools and colleges. entering upon
/ the learned professions and having uniyer-
sity degrees attached to their names
i i believe from deep conviction that the
negro should have. indeed. an the scope he
needs for. sef-help and development, and
that, for such development. he should be
given equality of opportunity in all direc-
tons with the white man.,
| But no stream can rise higher than its
fountain head, and the history of the negro
race In the past forty years Is a great his
toric lesson. Though for more than gem
! Grafton, the negroes have been made the
political equals of the whites by universal
suffrage, the result has only brought out,
more plainly than ever before, the fact that
they are morally and intellectually n weaker
race. and that, even If they should become
great land owners. men of wealth and men
of education, race antagonism would only
become stronger and more sharply defined
1 THE ultimate test of race is moral SUI
periority and efficiency Of life, and this is
the only power that can overcome race an
tagonism. If a negro win for himself a
| all the elements that make up that dis
tinctive type Of character. his moral su-
periority cannot but be felt and reverenced
by all who know him, whether his skin is
white or black.
Bishop Satterlee's Suggestions.
1.-THE practical question remains to BIZ
considered, how shall the church begin this
; work?
THE first step will be to increase very
largely the numbers of colored clergy and
colored catechists.
"And here we might well learn from the
Methodists. Though they came to America
century two after our own clergy were
on the field. the Method1sts are either the
largest. or next to the largest. Christian
denomination Of America. They gained
their adherents through their practical and
effective organization, in supplementins the
I pastoral WoZk of the ministry itself by lay
orders Of zeal preachers and class lead.
} ers who were close to the people in sym
pathy and manner of living. and who gath.
cred congregations and kept them together
in hundreds of places for which regular
J pastors could neither be found nor main
tanned.
"It was a matter of great surprise to me
when 1 recently became acquainted with
the details of this systematic care that
! is put forth in perfecting 1t. the safeguards
thai. are provided In its organization, the
; qualifications required of these local
| preachers, the examinations through which
they are required to pass once a year and
| the yearly reports in detail that they are
. | required to make to their superior.
II commend this subject to the consider
! alton of the next convention, and recon-
mend that committee be appointed to
consider the expediency Of forming an or.
| ganizatton Of lay readers and catechists
| reporting to the next diocesan convention
! But the church should not stop there. She
| should carefully consider the qualifications