The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-11
FIGHT DENOUNCED
IN MANY PULPITS
Continued from Page one.


on the night; maybe the colored man was
too jubilant; but that does not excuse the
/ disgraceful condition of affairs.
He continued by appealing to the pub
lie to use their best influence 10 avert
race feeling. and said: THE colored
man is here TO stay; he is rooted to the
soil These millions Of people are our
wards. They came here not Of their
own yolition; they were brought here as
slaves and foisted upon this nation by
avaricious Great Britain. We should
bear with them with great patience. now
that they are among US"
At the morning services OF the Second
| Baptist Church the pastor, Rev. DR..
Bishop Johnson. preached a special SER
mon on The fatality of prejudice" He
said:
They have made Jearies the repre-
! sentative of his race and Johnson Of his.
It is too late to deny this fact now, after
all these months of SANDER and misrep-
/ reservation. If any harm has been done,
/ It has not been the fault Of the colored
! people. The civilized world knows how
widespread the feeling has been. Mr.
Jeffries was brought out to save the
white man. This he says. after defeat.
/ Hawthorne says. A hero cannot be a
/ hero unless in a heroic world That IS
the world the champion has lived in all
these months of training physically and
/ mentally He knew the senseless preju-
dice that logged his every step. and he
trained and dreamed OF the hour when
/ he might show himself the victor, He
1 knew that not only Johnson was on trial.
/ but that his race would feel the pain Of
I his defeat. That Is the way all races
I feel. Whether the man distinguished
/ himself upon a battlefield or in states
manship, the only degree pride is con-
ditioned by the ethical element that
marks its existence
ssUnxvorthy of Civilized Nation"
Rev. Zed II. Copp condemned the fight
as unworthy Of a civilized nation. and
! especially so on the natal day of our
national independence.
THE power and personality OF the
devil was most strikingly shown" said
/ Rev. Mr.. Copp "Barbarity and brutality.
/ twin mlnions Of the Dark Ages, spread
] their black plnions over the length and
breadth Of this land and stirred the ami
mallsm IN man"
/ Mai. Sylvester and the Commissioners
were commended by the preacher.
At the Tenth Street Baptist Church
the pastor Rev s. Geriah Lamkins,
spoke as follows:
The white people Of the United States
hold the reins of government In their
/ hands: the army is a white mans army
and the navy a white mans navy. White
men make the laws and white men in
terpret them. They outnumber US two
to one Discretion therefore. is the bet
tel. part Of valor. would be worse thar
a hypocrit II I should say that our peo-
pie do not rejoice at the thought Of a
colored man holding the championship
of the world, even il it is in the sporting
world.
cit Is Carried Too Far"
1T is just as natural for a colored
man 10 rejoice az Johnson's victory as It
/ Is for a white man to regret Jeffries'
defeat. desire. however. to sound q
warning note against carrying the thing
] too far II might react upon US some
! day. I am opposed TO the exhibition Of
the moving pictures of the fight because
they can do US no good, and because 1t
/ Is highly probable that an exhibition
might do US a great deal Of harm.
Second, I wish TO observe that our
/ true success as a race does not depend
7. upon prize fight victories, however exhil-
Grating It may be to some people. We
/ should prefer to be known as a people of
God, as a praying people. There Is al
ready too much materialism among us.
We are becoming too worldly for our
own good and for the best interests OF
the kingdom Of our Lord and Saviour.
Jesus Christ"
In a sermon delivered by the Rev.
i Simon P. ". Drew. D. D.. pastor Of the
/ Cosmopolitan Baptist Church, he said:
! Let me exhort you, in the name of the
| Father not TO take any part in the
strifes that are now taking place in the
Johnson-Jeffries fight question. for. in
| the first place. do not believe that these
prize fights should be allowed, as 1 am
| convinced that God does not favor gam
bling. betting. and such other things.
However. the fight has taken place.
and the championship has been given to
your gladiator; he is recognized. the
world over as such, and, therefore, do
not see the need for this continuation Of
| trouble, and you should be satisfied.
1T Is true that this matter. instead Of
remaining in the realms of sport and
ture, and II is but natural that you would
be jGbilant over the victory, but that does
not justify a reckless disregard of the
law and your duty to obey it,
"Means End of PugiIism."
At Shiloh Baptist Church last night
! the pastor, Rev. J. Milton waldron.
speaking on Lessons from the johnson
and Jeffrles fight" said in part:
Olympic games. gladiatorlal combats,
boxing matches, and other sports were
common in all the civilized countries
during the time Of the Apostles.
"The Johnson-Jeffries fight has plain
ly proven that race prejudice. though un-
| reasoning and unreasonable and con-
trary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, is
still the dominant passion In the lives Of
| hundreds Of millions Of civilized peoples,
| Suu th6t AlattiidtiSH Shtoto iutO oiAiO9S
everything pertaining TO the human race.
The victory Of Johnson over Jeffries
will result, eventually, in the suppression
Of prize fights in this country; not be-
cause the masses of Americans are op-
posed TO pugilism, but because they are
afraid other black men may prove them
selves the equal. and sometimes the
masters, Of white men in the brutal art
OF fsticuffs. Should this prophecy prove
true. we may well rejoice that the black
man whipped the white man at Reno.
Because John Arthur Johnson won the
mastery over James J. Jeffries is no
proof that every negro is a Jack John
son. or every white man a Jim Jeffries.
and the thousands Of young negroes and