American Missionary, Vol. XXXIV., No. 5, May 1880Various
Religion
American Missionary, Vol. XXXIV., No. 5, May 1880
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
Judge Tourgee, if he _is_ the author of that remarkable book, “A Fool’s
Errand,” which every citizen of the Union should not only read, but
profoundly study, puts the case in a nut-shell when, in answer to his
old teacher’s question, “But what can be done for their (the Negroes’)
elevation and relief, or to prevent the establishment of a mediæval
barbarism in our midst?” he says:
“The remedy is one that must be applied from the outside. _The
remedy for darkness is light; for ignorance, knowledge; for wrong,
righteousness._ The nation nourished and protected slavery. The
fruitage of slavery has been the ignorant freedman, the ignorant poor
white man, and the arrogant master. Now, let the nation undo the evil
it has permitted and encouraged; let it educate those whom it made
ignorant, and protect those whom it made weak. It is not a matter of
favor to the black, but of safety to the nation. Make the spelling-book
the sceptre of national power. Let the nation educate the colored man
and the poor white man, because the nation held them in bondage, and is
responsible for their education; educate the voter, because the nation
cannot afford that he should be ignorant. Honest ignorance in the
masses is more to be dreaded than malevolent intelligence in the few.”
We express no opinion as to his method for applying this remedy, as
it would lead to a discussion of political questions with which, as
such, we have nothing to do. But that the remedy for, and the provision
against, these threatening evils, is the education of these people, of
this there can be no doubt.
We are happy to say, also, that the work already accomplished by our
schools is dissipating the fears, conciliating the prejudices, and
disarming the hostility of the Southern people, who are coming more and
more to appreciate and sympathize with the effort to educate the Negro,
and in helpful ways to co-operate with us in this work. The remedy,
indeed, must come from without; but it is beginning to operate, and the
most hopeful symptom of healthful action is that the patient begins to
appreciate and demand it.
* * * * *
SOUTHERN NEGROES IN NEW YORK CITY.
In our efforts to find out the needs of the emigrants for Liberia, now
in New York, we have discovered facts in regard to the resident colored
population in the city which were to us a great surprise. One of its
most intelligent colored men informs us that of the 20,000 colored
inhabitants in this city, only about 5,000 are of Northern birth.
A church organized two years ago, with 21 members, has now a membership
of 150, and a congregation of about 800, all of whom are from the
South. They now worship in a hall for which they pay $40 per month;
have raised more than $3,000 for current expenses; $300 for charities,
and have $2,000 in bank toward a church building. The pastor of this
church is a young ex-slave from Norfolk, Virginia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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