Book: The American Missionary, Volume 43, No. 6, June, 1889
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Various >> The American Missionary, Volume 43, No. 6, June, 1889
THE CONDITION OF THE PLANTATION NEGRO.
"From my outlook, I am free to affirm that I see nothing for the Negro
of the South but a condition of absolute freedom or of absolute slavery.
I see no half-way place for him. One or the other of these conditions is
to solve the so called Negro-problem. Let it be remembered that the
labor of the Negro is his only capital. Take this from him and he dies
from starvation. The present mode of obtaining his labor in the South
gives the old master-class a complete mastery over him. The payment of
the Negro by orders on stores, where the storekeeper controls price,
quality and quantity, and is subject to no competition, so that the
Negro must buy there and nowhere else--an arrangement by which the Negro
never has a dollar to lay by, and can be kept in debt to his employer
year in and year out, puts him completely at the mercy of the old
master-class. He who could say to the Negro when a slave, you shall work
for me or be whipped to death, can now say to him with equal emphasis,
you shall work for me or I will starve you to death. This is the plain,
matter-of-fact and unexaggerated condition of the plantation Negro in
the Southern States to-day."
WHY THE NEGRO DOES NOT EMIGRATE?
"I will tell you. He has not a cent of money to emigrate with, and if he
had, and desired to exercise that right, he would be arrested for debt,
for non-fulfillment of contract, or be shot down like a dog in his
tracks. When Southern Senators tell you that they want to be rid of the
negroes, and would be glad to have them all clear out, you know, and I
know, and they know, that they are speaking falsely, and simply with a
view to mislead the North. Only a few days ago, armed resistance was
made in North Carolina to colored emigration from that State, and the
first exodus to Kansas was arrested by the old master-class with
shotguns and Winchester rifles. The desire to get rid of the negro is a
hollow sham. His labor is wanted to-day in the South just as it was
wanted in the old times when he was hunted by two-legged and four-legged
bloodhounds."
NO FEARS OF THE FINAL RESULT.
"In conclusion, while I have plainly portrayed the sources of danger to
our people, I have no fears as to the final result. The American people
are governed, not only by laws and selfish interests, but by large ideas
of moral and material civilization. The spirit of justice, liberty, and
fair play is abroad in the land. It is in the air. It animates men of
all stations, of all professions and callings, and can neither be
silenced nor extirpated. It has an agent in every bar of railroad iron,
a servant in every electric wire, a missionary in every traveler. It not
only tunnels the mountains, fills up the valleys, and sheds upon us the
light of science, but it will ultimately destroy the unnumbered wrongs
inherited by both races from the system of slavery and barbarism. In
this direction is the trend of the nation. States may lag, parties may
hesitate, leaders may halt, but to this complexion it must come at last.
States, parties and leaders must, and will in the end, adjust themselves
to this overwhelming and irresistible tendency. It will make parties,
and unmake parties, will make rulers, and unmake rulers, until it shall
become the fixed, universal, and irreversible law of the land. For fifty
years, it has made progress against all contradictions. It stemmed the
current of opposition in church and State. It has removed many
proscriptions. It has opened the gates of knowledge. It has abolished
slavery. It has saved the Union. It has reconstructed the government
upon a basis of justice and liberty, and it will see to it that the last
vestige of fraud and violence on the ballot box shall disappear, and
there shall be one country, one law, one liberty, for all the people of
the United States."
* * * * *
THE SOUTH.
* * * * *
CHURCH BUILDING IN A DAY.
Condensed from the _Southern Enterprise_ of April 18th.
Saturday morning, the 13th instant, at nine o'clock, was the time
appointed for the laying of the corner stone of our first church edifice
in Deer Lodge, Tennessee. Rev. G.S. Pope--founder of the church, and now
General Missionary of the American Missionary Association for the
Cumberland Plateau, had been notified of the occasion, but not in time
to be present, and the duties were committed to Rev. Aaron Porter, the
present pastor. The early morning was a little cloudy, but before nine
o'clock the sun shone out, and the remainder of the day was as pleasant
as possible.
The locality of the Church is on Ross Avenue between Knoxville Avenue
and Spring Street, where four beautiful lots were selected some time ago
by Rev. Mr. Pope and the building committee, and donated by Mr. A.L.
Ross. At the appointed hour, the citizens and neighbors collected around
the foundation, and occupied the piles of lumber as seats while they
listened to the interesting exercises. These consisted of singing,
reading of Scripture, an original hymn composed by the pastor, prayer,
address, enumeration of articles to be placed in corner stone,
depositing, cementing and closing the box, remarks, singing and
benediction.
After a few moments of interchanging of views of the situation, and of
the good fellowship now prevailing in our pioneer community--all the men
present took hold, and soon raised the entire framework to its place; it
having been prepared previously by Mr. Hodge and his assistants in such
careful manner that every piece fitted to its proper place. The crowd
then retired to enjoy the good dinners some of the citizens had prepared
for them; after which they returned to the grounds, and before sundown
had the entire frame work enclosed with sheeting in diagonal style. In
addition, the frame of the tower was raised and encased. Saturday was a
day of pride to Deer Lodge, as probably the same amount of work has not
been accomplished in the same time on any other occasion in this
country.
* * * * *
ITEMS FROM WHITLEY COUNTY.
MRS. A.A. MYERS
In giving a little report of the condition of Prof. Lawrence, and of
what has been done with the assassin who attempted his life in May last,
I think I will but be answering the unexpressed wish of many of the
readers of the MISSIONARY. Mr. Lawrence is far from well. We fear he
will never recover from the nervous strain and great suffering of the
past year. He has but little use of his right arm and hand. He is now at
Champaign, Ill., and has not been able to attend trial. As to the
assassin, he walks our streets and frequents our saloons at pleasure. He
is out on $1,000 bail; whiskey men on his bonds. Northern people need
not be surprised at such justice, when Haddock's murderers are running
at large; and here we have not only whiskey and its money against us,
but secret fraternities, Southern prejudice, and sectarian intolerance.
We have hardly dared hope for justice in these courts, but rely on the
truth of the motto we have put in our church on the wall near where one
of the bullets struck--"Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the
Lord."
One of our native preachers not far from here made this unanswerable
argument in a sermon on _apostacsy_. He said, "'_If_ they shall fall
away'--means that they _cannot_ fall away, for anybody that knows
anything about the English language, knows it is a verb in the
_impossible_ mode and _everlasting_ tense."
Two ministers in Whitley County had called a public meeting to discuss
their peculiar doctrines. They became quite excited, and at the close of
the discussion, one of them prayed, "Oh God, make Elder So-and-so's
heart as soft as his head is."
A good meeting means a big excitement as much among the white people as
among the colored. This little incident, which occurred in a service
among the hills of northern Alabama, was told us by an eye witness, and
goes to show the depth of Christ-like feeling (?) that prompts _some_,
at least, of the great happiness they express. An underwitted youth
seemed to get religion in one of these times of shouting and excitement.
He swung his arms and marched back and forth shouting with the rest. To
see him so happy made the others shout the more. Amid all the noise, no
one knew what he was saying till, all of a sudden, as often happens,
there was a lull; then, as he kept on he was understood, and these were
the words he was repeating over and over: "Run, chicken, with your head
pecked off, a'n't we having a good time?"
It may not be uninteresting to hear how some of the bodily ills are
ministered to here in the mountains.
If a person is subject to headache, he can be cured by cutting some of
his hair off and putting it in a stream of running water.
In certain kinds of sickness, there must be the greatest care that none
of the covering on the bed be turned over. If it should be, the case
will terminate fatally.
In fevers, I have known milk to be strictly forbidden, but ham and
biscuit recommended by the physician.
Quite a number of people, and even those of whom you would expect better
things, employ "charm" doctors. They make passes and say over a lingo,
and it will cure cancers, toothache, or any other disease. I have never
heard what their magic words are. In fact, if a woman tells a woman,
they lose all their curative properties. But these are the words they
use to charm away the botts in horses. I think they ought to be given to
the public for the benefit of stock growers generally. Putting the
fingers on the animal's nose, they pass the hand along the head and
spine, repeating, "King Solomon plows with a golden plow. He plows deep
and he plows shallow, and he kills all the worms."
* * * * *
TOUGALOO UNIVERSITY.
The year thus far at Tougaloo University has been one of great success.
The enrollment, three hundred and thirty-five, has already surpassed
that of any previous full year, and many more have signified their
intention of attending next term, when a special Teacher's Training
Course is to be held. The necessity under which many labor, of teaching
school in order to pay their own school bills, makes attendance somewhat
irregular. The grade of the school is being steadily advanced, and under
efficient teachers and Principal, the pupils are making solid
advancement. The upward grading process will prevent the graduation of
any pupils from the normal department this year, but that is of slight
moment compared with the substantial gain of more thorough scholarship.
The industrial work of the school has this year been more thoroughly
systematized and made more efficient than before. There has been special
improvement in the girls' industrial work. Even the younger pupils enter
into the sewing and cooking classes with zest. The boys' industries
include blacksmithing, carpentry, tinning, wagon making, painting, steam
sawing, turning, scroll sawing, and farm-work in its various branches,
the care of stock, etc. It would be difficult to estimate the value that
this combined school and industrial work is destined to have on the
Negroes of this State of Mississippi. Not in legislative enactments, but
in the gradual process of education along this line, will the main
problems connected with the Negro race be solved.
The Biblical department of the school, recently established, designed to
train preachers, has as yet but one class, of three members. These are
making good progress, and they take turns in preaching at Clinton, at
the Mt. Hermon School, fourteen miles away. The training in this
department under the President, is especially directed towards knowledge
of the Bible and of human nature, earnest and practical preaching, and
the development in the preacher of sterling character. If preachers can
be sent forth who are well grounded in these things, much may be
expected of them. Says Dr. Haygood, "The hope of the black race lies
mainly in the pulpit."
The most interesting feature of the work of this year has been the very
deep religious interest which began soon after the Week of Prayer and
which has not passed away. Special services were conducted for several
weeks by President Woodworth, and the feeling was strong and earnest. It
has been a quiet work, but it is believed that it is deep. Between fifty
and sixty expressed a determination to live the Christian life. One of
the most helpful features in the Christian work of the school is the
Covenant for Christian Service, a pledge somewhat similar to the
Christian Endeavor pledge, though there is no organization. Over one
hundred have signed this covenant within the past year. The school is
growing rapidly; its outlook is most hopeful. It is already cramped for
room. Every recitation room has been full, and many crowded, this term.
One class had to overflow into the chapel. Between thirty and forty
girls who wished to come were obliged to stay at home because the
Ladies' Boarding Hall has been crowded to its utmost capacity. A new one
is very greatly needed.
* * * * *
WORK AT HAMPTON.
REV. H.B. FRISSELL.
You will be glad to know of the missionary work that the students are
doing in the community. Our graduates have started a Young Men's
Christian Association in the town of Hampton, hired rooms, chosen one of
their number secretary, paid a large part of the expense out of their
own pockets, have fitted up the rooms prettily and made an attractive,
pleasant place for the young men of the town. They have social,
literary, musical and religious gatherings there. A boys' club has been
started in connection with the Association. The colored pastors have
became interested in the work, and take turns in conducting the Sabbath
afternoon prayer meeting in the rooms.
Our Holly Tree Inn, on the school grounds, is now in active operation.
It is under the direction of our school temperance society. Coffee and
rolls are furnished for five cents, with a pleasant room and open fire
in winter. The result has been that some of our students who used to be
tempted into saloons and doubtful places, find a comfortable, pleasant
room on the school grounds where they can get what they want. We
consider it a valuable object lesson, to the students, of what they can
do at their own homes.
The work of the students in the Sunday-schools about is continually
increasing. The school at Slabtown, started by the students with twenty
scholars, had over a hundred last Sabbath. The school-room given by a
generous friend in New York is fairly ready to burst with its living
contents. During the week, teachers and normal school scholars go out
and teach the women and children how to sew.
Another Sunday-school, at Little England, is conducted very largely by
our Indians under the direction of teachers. The Indian boys hold
services at the jail and furnish music for an afternoon service at the
Soldiers' Home. You would be interested to be here of a Sunday morning
and see the happy groups of missionaries going forth in every direction,
on foot, by boat, by wagon, to jail, to poor house, to the cottages of
the old and sick, carrying the good news. Every colored Sunday-school in
the neighborhood has a large number of its teachers from the Normal
school. We consider this missionary work of the students most important
in keeping up their interest in their own people, and in developing the
Christ-like spirit of work for others.
Our school for Bible study, though cramped for room, is exerting an
important influence on this community. Almost all the colored pastors of
the place have received instruction in its classes. All the white
pastors of the place, with one exception, take part in the instruction
of their colored brethren. This school has sent out colporteurs under
the American Tract Society into the country about. With what knowledge
they have received here, they have been able to unite the office of
teacher and preacher in the country districts; they have earned their
way by the work of their hands and so secured a chance to preach. In
this way, they are able to stay in one community during the whole year.
One of these men went over to the eastern shore of Virginia last year;
worked on the railroad during the day, taught a night school in the
evening, got together a congregation, put up a comfortable church,
building it largely with his own hands, and came back to school in the
fall with money enough for his next year's expenses. One of the class
sailed last spring for Africa.
* * * * *
DEVELOPING PATRIOTISM AMONG THE COLORED PEOPLE.
REV. G.S. ROLLINS.
The security of any nation rests largely upon the patriotism of its
people. America is in danger, not from foes without, but from within her
own borders. How to Americanize the foreign element, is the problem
which confronts the people of our great cities; a question which more
directly concerns the Northern portion of our country.
Here in the South is a different case. We have eight million negroes--
born Americans. The one all-absorbing question is, how to fit them for
citizenship--how to make patriotic citizens of them.
Is patriotism in danger among the colored people? Yes, and mainly for
two reasons.
First, because of their ignorance of our country; its history,
constitution and government. Some will think that this is a danger which
will soon pass away, as the older and more ignorant ones die. It is true
that the number of those who were advanced in years at the close of the
war is rapidly decreasing, but there is an astonishingly large number of
those who were young at that time and are now in the prime of life. They
are ignorant of our National history previous to the Civil War. What
they have learned since, has been politics rather than patriotism. They
look upon our nation as two great political parties, each struggling for
the mastery. One they regard as hostile, and the other friendly, to
them. This is the extent of their knowledge of United States history.
Although they have been told that we are a great nation under a
beneficent government, such a fact is difficult for them to comprehend,
since all they see is the by-play of party politicians. They know they
have a right to vote, but how can they respect a government that does
not always and everywhere protect them in the exercise of that right?
A second reason why patriotism is in danger among the colored people:
They are not surrounded by that intensely national spirit which prevails
in other parts of our country. By this, I would not take one iota from
the loyalty and patriotism of the Southern people. The fact cannot be
denied, however, that one in the South hears and reads but little about
the United States of America. Much is written and said about the State,
but little genuine enthusiasm for the whole country is displayed. A
general spirit of distrust of the Federal Government is constantly
coming to the surface. Newspapers and men talk as if they were
constantly afraid the government would overstep its bounds and encroach
upon the rights of the States. The Southern press is ever complaining of
the sectionalism of the North. And when confronted with the necessity of
teaching United States History in the public schools, it rejects the
current school histories. It is not the present object to remark further
upon this than to call attention to the fact that there is a state of
public sentiment which is not productive of warm patriotism. Two years
ago, the writer, while attending an anniversary in a Northern city,
witnessed a scene that will not soon be forgotten. Fifty thousand people
were gathered on a public square, and at a given signal a beautiful new
flag was unfurled, and the band struck up "America." Fifty thousand
voices took up the tune. Men cheered until they were hoarse. One
gray-haired Irishman with tears shouted, "Thank God I live under the
American flag." Such scenes develop patriotism. They are rare in the
South.
In the midst of indifference toward the national government, the colored
race is developing and multiplying, and that so rapidly that it is a
most important factor in the political affairs of the nation. Like
begets like. Indifference toward the government on the part of the
whites, breeds the same in the Negroes.
Now, true patriotism is a positive power. A new generation of colored
people is growing up. Upon these rests the future of the race. These two
defects, lack of education and unpatriotic surroundings, will best be
remedied by the education of this new generation.
United States History should be a prominent study, even in the primary
departments of our schools. The vast majority of the colored children
can remain in school only long enough to get a knowledge of the
elements, and among these should be American history. What if children
cannot pronounce the names of all the cities in Siberia? Teach them to
speak intelligently of Lexington, Bunker Hill and Yorktown. Hang the
walls of the school-room with pictures of great Americans. Let incidents
from their lives be used as illustrations of moral lessons. Explain the
principles and form of our government. Dwell upon the extent of its
domain and its vast resources. Define simply the privileges conferred,
and the duties imposed, upon the citizens of our government. Four things
should be taught them: the three Rs and American history. What is needed
among all our citizens, is a great lifting up where a broad view of our
great land can be had. Make the children feel that they dwell in a great
and goodly land, that they enjoy great privileges under its government,
and they will learn to love it.
When Independence Day arrives, arrange for public gatherings of the
people, and in short addresses explain to them the meaning of the day.
Let it be a day of opportunity for instructing them in the history of
our country and in the duties of citizenship. These are some of the ways
in which the colored people may be aroused from their apathy and
indifference toward their country, and inspired with a patriotism, not
blind and spasmodic, but intelligent and permanent.
* * * * *
A NEGRO GIRL'S PROSE POEM.
In attendance at one of the ward schools of Indianapolis is a little
colored girl nine years old. She is miserable, indeed, for at home she
is ill treated, and the shoes she wears, and often the clothes, are
supplied by the teachers or some of her classmates. There is a tender,
poetic vein in her make-up, and it found vent in a composition. The
teacher took a little pansy plant to school one day and told the pupils
of the flower. Two days after, she asked them to write a story of it,
and gave them the privilege of having the pansy talk and tell the story,
and this is what the little colored girl wrote, the word pansy in the
copy being the only one dignified with a capital:
"I am only a Pansy, my home is in a little brown house. I sleep in my
little brown house all winter, and I am now going to open my eyes and
look about. 'give me some rain sky, I want to look out of my window and
see what is going on,' I asked, so the sky gave me some water and I
began to clime to the window, at last I got up there and open my eyes,
oh what a wonderful world I seen when birds sang songs to me, and
grasshoppers kissed me, and dance with me, and creakets smiled at me,
and I had a pretty green dress. there was trees that grow over me and
the wind faned me. the sun smiled at me, and little children smelled me.
one bright morning me and the grasshoppers had a party he wood play with
me and a naughty boy pick me up and tore me up and I died and that was
the last of Pansy."--
_Exchange._
* * * * *
THE INDIANS.
* * * * *
ONE DAY'S MISSIONARY WORK.
REV. T.L. RIGGS, OAHE, DAKOTA.
Early in the winter, I had a pleasant day of work regarding which I want
to write you. It was the day appointed for the observance of the Lord's
Supper at the out-station about ten miles from home, and as the river
had not frozen over thoroughly, I thought it better to go down in the
saddle rather than drive the cart. This made it impossible for Mrs.
Riggs to accompany me as she sometimes does.
I brought out my saddle camp-pouches (small square cases that strap to
the horn of the saddle) and emptied them of their camp furniture, and in
these were placed the bread and wine and also the service for the
communion. My pouches are so small that I could take but one glass and a
little china pitcher for our service. Usually I am able to take a china
plate as well, but this time there was no room.
I went early in the day, and after some little difficulty the river was
safely crossed, though my poor horse, not being shod, fell upon the ice
more than once. He was not hurt, however, and I followed the river shore
down to the out-station which is on the west side of the river.