Читать книгу: «The American Missionary. Volume 44, No. 01, January, 1890», страница 2

But, my friends, as we felt in those days, and feel to-night, there is still no help for us but in the Christian solution of this problem and in the Christian destiny God has given to us. Liberty and faith, the two elements, must be conjoined. For us to deny the rights of the Negro now is to say that God did not make man in his image. It is to say that liberty is not a sacred right, but a selfish acquisition; that government does not exist to establish rights, but to protect privileges, and that mankind are not brothers, but foes. It is to turn the shadow upon the dial of human progress backward toward the ages of oppression and chaos.

And just there is the problem that confronts us, South and North together. What shall be done in this dire extremity? I remember years ago hearing of a fire in Charleston in which that beautiful spire of St. Michael's took fire and some one had to be found to go up beyond the reach of the hose to put out the flame kindling and flickering there. No one was found until a Negro stepped forth and climbed that tower, taking his life in his hands, and put out that flame. And when he came down again, one man said, "Name your reward," and he replied, "Let me but be counted a man." And that we have got to do, or God will shake down our civilization and our Nation as he shook down that spire of St. Michael's in the earthquake three years ago. It is certain to come unless we follow the line of God's appointing that this must be a free Nation, absolutely free, free everywhere. As yet, emancipation is but an outward and formal thing. What we wait for now, is the emancipation of a true and an elevated will in the South, and Christian citizenship. Into that, this Association pours its strength, its money, and its life. It took half a million lives to emancipate the slaves outwardly, and it may yet take hundreds and thousands of lives—our lives—our children's lives—poured in upon this problem, that so we may lift the Negro to that point where he feels himself, and where we feel him to be, a man—taught to labor, protected in the enjoyment of the fruits of his labor, without which the strongest arm grows palsied, trained in a strong, self-reliant Christian manhood, holding the reins firmly on the neck of all passion—a man. And that we will do; and the very greatness of the problem, I believe, is our redemption. It was the greatness of the crisis that thrilled the Nation's heart when the war burst upon us. It is the very greatness of our present problem that calls in trumpet tones to men and women and children all over the land; "Come and help solve this problem for Christ."

A few weeks ago, in one of the beautiful towns of Northern Illinois, a young man, the only son of his father and mother, hearing at Sabbath evening the alarm of fire, sprung forth and took his place upon the burning building and there did the work of a fireman. In the attempt to put out the fire he was hurled headlong and in one moment his life had gone hence. A few weeks afterward, as a friend was talking with his mother about it, she said, "Our son was always so swift to heed any call of need or duty, it seems to me as if he heard suddenly some call from God from some farther clime and sprung forth and was gone from our sight." Blessed, heroic faith! But, brethren and friends, fathers and mothers, we need that same faith for our living sons and living daughters, to send them forth into this work of God. When the Christ child was on the back of the giant Christophorus crossing the stream, how heavy he grew as the giant plunged his way through the waters. God weighs heavily upon this Nation this greatest of all national problems, what to do with these despised ones. But bear the burden we must, and bear it through we must to the farther shore of a Christian solution, or we and it will go down the flood together. There is no help for us except in this solution which makes brothers of these men.

I see a possible issue in this large Christian faith of our land; and I see the time coming when the black and the white shall dwell together in a mutual helpfulness, with a more complete national feeling, a deeper dependence upon him from whom alone comes strength, less display of material resources, but more faith in God. That time must come. And then I see the army enlisting for the conquest of that dark continent of Africa, shrouded in gloom, so long robbed of her children, but now at last finding that, like Joseph, they were taken from her that they might come back to save life. So our Nation shall be not a mirage awakening the hopes and aspirations of mankind but to mock them, and leaving the sands of human experience still more arid and barren; but it shall be a mountain of God, its base resting on the eternal foundations of law and liberty; its summit drawing down from the willing heavens the streams of prosperity which shall enrich all the lands of the earth.

THE SOUTH

FIELD NOTES

BY REV. FRANK E. JENKINS.

I reached Little Rock, Arkansas, late one Saturday night and on Sunday morning found my way to our church service. Arriving a few minutes late, I found the service already begun. It was a fine looking audience and as quiet and orderly as any New England congregation. The service was well arranged and conducted in a very happy manner. The sermon was thoughtful, earnest and inspiring. The pastor, Rev. Yancy B. Sims, is a graduate of Talladega College and an honor to his Alma Mater. On Monday I visited, with the pastor, several of the homes of the people. What a contrast between these refined homes and the hut of the slave quarters of twenty-five years ago! The ladies of this church had just finished a silk block for a quilt which a home mission church in Washington Territory is making from blocks made in each State in the Union, with the hope of selling it to increase its fund for building a house of worship. It was a beautiful block of rich material and the most delicate workmanship. The faces of these ladies showed great delight in the thought that they were helping others who needed help.

"Do the colored people vote here without opposition?" I asked of an intelligent colored man. "Oh, yes!" he replied. "And are the votes always counted?" "Yes, except in a pinch!" was the answer. This is much better than in most places which I am called upon to visit.

From Little Rock I went to Paris, Texas. This growing city has a population of about twelve thousand, five thousand of whom are colored. Our pastor here is a graduate of Fisk University, as also is his wife. The need of our church work in this city and in the State is two-fold, direct and indirect. Our Congregational churches are quite as useful for toning up other churches and their ministry as in the direct work done by them.

Dodds, Roxton and Dallas in Northern Texas were next visited, and in each a small church is established and doing a good work.

At Austin, I found our Tillotson Institute rapidly filling with students—bright and earnest. A girls' hall is greatly needed here at once. This institution with its unlimited opportunities in the great State of Texas ought not to be cramped in any way, but to be given every facility. Who will give it at once what it so urgently needs? I found several intelligent people here greatly desiring a Congregational church in the city—the school-church being too far away to reach the mass of the people. Said an educated colored man to me: "Our most intelligent people cannot endure the ignorant worship of these old churches much longer. We want Congregationalism, but if we can't have that, we must look elsewhere. We must have something to hold our educated young people from falling into infidelity." And so they must, for that is a coming danger.

At Helena, I found a most interesting state of things. Our church is in a country place called "The Colony." The church and the colony began their existence together, and a more prosperous community of colored people it would be hard to find. They own several thousand acres of land, and are in every way ahead of their white neighbors. The school house of the latter was a poor tumble-down affair and the children were untidy, while the school house of the former was a neat, painted and well-kept building, crowded in school hours with bright, enthusiastic children—clean and polite. The teacher was from Talladega College and has taught here for five years. His school is pronounced the best in the region for white or colored. The pastor of this church has charge also of the Congregational Church at Goliad.

Corpus Christi is a curious town on the Gulf of Mexico. It has about 6,000 people—Americans, Mexicans, Negroes, Italians, Greeks and Chinese. The Negroes here hold an unusual position, being regarded as in every way superior to the Mexicans and Italians. Our pastor here is popular with all classes and has been chosen an alderman of the city, and is treated with as much consideration as any other of the City Council.

Our church is one of the oldest Congregational churches in the South, and has had a very interesting history. With the exception of the Roman Catholic church it has the best house of worship in the city. On Sunday afternoon, Rev. Mr. Strong, the Congregational pastor, and myself attended service at the Roman Catholic church. We went into the body of the church and took a first class seat, and the fact that one was colored did not even draw attention to us. It was taken as a matter of course. The colored people of Texas are taxed for $20,000,000 of property. In the cities they make up about one-third of the population. An enlargement of our church work in this State is greatly needed.

Straight University in New Orleans, La., is an inspiring place. I found the buildings packed full—seats full, chairs in the aisles, in the corners and on the teachers' platforms—all full. About one hundred and fifty applicants had already been sent away for want of room, and they were still coming, as many as ten often being refused in a single day. They were here not only from the States, but also from Mexico, the West Indies and Central America. I saw here some remarkable work in moulding done by a student in the fifth grade, who had never been trained, but who seems to be impelled by real genius. Straight University has a unique position and opportunity. Its influence is now great; it is destined to be boundless.

From the Chicago meeting I made this trip. The meeting was inspiring, but what I saw in the field, of character-building and the uplifting and refining of a race, was more than inspiring—it was thrilling.

At Dodds and Roxton a few hymn books are needed. A dozen or two Gospel Hymns or other singing books for each church would do great good. Papers for the children are also needed. They should be sent to Rev. Mark Carlisle, Dodds, Texas.

Papers for the children could be well used at Paris, Texas, Rev. J.D. Pettigrew; Dallas, Texas, Rev. Mr. Holloway; Helena and Goliad, Texas, Rev. M. Thompson; Corpus Christi, Texas, Rev. J.W. Strong.

REVIVAL AT WASHINGTON, D.C

BY REV. GEO. W. MOORE.

There have been over forty conversions reported and thirty have been added to our church on profession of faith. There is a revival now in progress at the Freedmen's Hospital as a direct outgrowth of our meetings. Several of the young people of our church, including some of the converts, were instrumental in leading a number to the Saviour. I am planning to assist them in dealing with inquirers there, to-night. There have been revival services in three other churches. The meetings held in our place were indeed a season of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.

Our chapel was crowded on Thanksgiving morning; the sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Grimke, pastor of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church, followed by an address by myself. The pastors of the Berean Baptist Church, Methodist Church and the Lutheran Mission were on the platform, the Plymouth Church holding a service of their own. In the evening we held a Thanksgiving praise service, in which about one hundred persons, including thirty-five of the converts, gave short thanksgiving testimonies.

Last Sabbath I baptized fourteen by immersion and received twenty-seven into the church on profession of faith, and three since, making a total of thirty. Rev. Eugene May of Osage, Iowa, one of the delegates I met at the World's Sunday-school Convention this summer in London, gave us a powerful sermon on the characters of "Dives and Lazarus Contrasted." In the evening I preached a sermon to the church on "The Christian Armor" and we had the Lord's Supper. Last night, after addressing the young Christians on "The Way to God," as illustrated by the worthies of Hebrews eleventh, we had them testify on how they came to Christ, the one thing they did and what they got. The answers were all intelligent and to the point. Decision was what they did, and Christ was what they got, were the answers put in various forms. At the close of the meeting I asked a gentleman, a member of another church, the Berean Baptist, who always attends our special services, to say a few words. He testified to the help and inspiration he had received from the meetings; that he had never listened to clearer testimonies of conversion than those given by the converts, and that they were doubly blessed in having "our pastor," "yes," he said, "I will say our pastor, for he is pastor to this whole community and city, lead you to Christ, and train you for service." His remarks were warm and sympathetic, but too personal for me to report more than the above, which is but the key-note of the kindly feeling that many of the best Christian people of other churches have toward us, as they have seen our little church come up from almost nothing to its present position of service in this community. It has been the Lord's doings and it is wondrous in our eyes. We have already begun the work of training these young disciples for service, while we have our nets still spread to catch sinners for Christ. Our motto for the year is: To win souls for Christ and to train them for His service.