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SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST, ' THE CHRISTIAN HERALD, of Alabama. in.- 0F Tennessee. ESTABLISHED I 8 21. Table of Contents. Fiist Page—Alabama Department: Address of W. Wilkes; The Religious Press. Second Page—Correspondence: An Evan gelistic 1< ur; Baptist Inconsistency ; The Average Minister ; Church News; A Work oi Grace; Reminiscences of Mercer; Jot tings By The W ay. Missionary Departs ment. Third Page—la It You?—poetry; Bits of Advice, etc. The Sunday -school —Idolatry Punished: Leeson for September 11th. Fourth Page-Editorials: Prayer for Gui teau; We uns and You’uns; Inconsider ate Criticism ; Glimpses and Hints; Geor gia Baptist News. Fifth Page—Secular Editorials: German Emigration ; Books and Magazines ; Bap tist History and Biography; Georgia News. Sinh Page—The Household. Anchored In Heaven—poetry ; “Live While You Live, ' An Address to Young Men; “He Giveth His Beloved Sleep”—poetry ; September— poetry (illustrated). Obituaries. Seventh Page—The Farmers’ Index: Farm Work for September; Second Quarterly Report of the Department ot Agriculture; Colton Statistics. Eighth Page—Florida Department: Facts and Figures; Baptist News; Mission Re ceipts ; A Good Mission Work. Alabama Department. BY SAMUEL HENDERSON. ADDRESS OF REV. IF. WILKES. We cheerfully yield up our space this week to the following address by Rev. Washington Wilkes, delivered by appointment at the last session of the Alabama Baptist Convention. It handles the subject discussed with an ability, dearness and force which those who heard are free to pronounce ex haustive. Perhaps there is no subject now confronting the religious people of this country that surpasses it in its present and prospective importance. Bro. Wilkes has given it much thought, and has cuee>reded quite well in invest ing the whole question with a practi cal interest that must produce a pro found impression. We have often wished that many of those earnest, telling thoughts that are thrown off at our great denominational gather ings, could be caught up and impris oned, so to speak, in our newspaper literature. This, in part-, we aim to do in the publication of this address, at the instance of a large number of intel ligent men who heard it, as we could' not yield our space to any matter more profitable to our readers. Evangelization of the Colored Race. —“God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth.” This wonderful family of Adam is diversified by differ ent languages and orders, colors and castes. Nor are these differences the result of climate or accident; but of divine purpose and providence. As one star differs from another star in glory, and variety marks the whole physical world, so also of the social and intellec tual world. But all these countless millions of human beings are subjects of the same divine government; accountable to the same awful Judge; and destined to a state of endless existence. The Gospel is appointed to be preach ed to “all nations” —“to every creature.” Yet not to all at the same time. For the spread of Christianity was to be progressive and expansive. It has its analogy in the seeds sown in the field, the grain of mustard cast into the soil, and the leaven placed in the meal. Salvation pours its blessings through the dispensation of the fulness of time. The Jews had their dispensation till the beginning of the fulness of the Gen tiles was brought, in. Since then, the nations of the Gentiles have had and are having their gospel visitations ac cording to the prophets. Creation was the work of six days. Redemption the work of something over four thousand years. And the evangelization of the world will be the work of all the future, as it has been of all the past part of the Christian dispensation. But the object of this address is to consider one branch of the subject only. And that is the evangelization of the colored people in the United States ; and more especially, of the Southern States. ITS IMPORTANCE. The importance of the work cannot reaeunably be denied. On the contra ry, I believe, it is generally ackonwledg ed. It is a part of the great woik of the ‘world’s evangelization. It is em braced, therefore, in the commission. The gospel looks to every kindred and race for a people to be taken out for the Lord. This link in the chain oi divine purposes must not cannot, with impu nity—be over looked. It has an impor tant bearing'on the whole framework of our American compact and interests. It sends out its appeals from the shores of eternity, and lifts up its cries for the knowledge of the way of life. ITS GRANDEUR. Nor does its importune! outmeasure its grandeur. Christian lienevolence gathers increasing glory with its des cending steps to do good. What were all the honors of Egypt with which Joseph was crowned, compared with the peerless grandeur of character, evinced in the tender words he uttered to his weeping father’s helpless and un worthy children, when he said, “I am Joseph your brother.” And Moses but the mere mention of his name in clines us to turn away, as he did at the burning bush, for the glory that covers his character— refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. And for what? For suffering and service with the people of God! John the Bap tist, preaching the gospel to the rude multitudes in the wilderness; Paul the apostle, becoming all things to all men ; the Son of God himself, exchanging celestial honors and glories for a broth erhood of adversity with fallen human ity ; these are among the instances which illustrate the true grandeur of character, when self forgets itself in the interest of immortality. A DUTY. To promote this work is no less a duty than it should be a pleasure. Common philanthropy unites with Christian obligation to impel the friends of an improved state of human ity to favor this mission. If the law of Moses was comp, nsative in its pro visions for the well being of manumit ted servants among the Jews, surely the law of Christ cannot be Jess gener ous in its provisions for the spiritual good of freedmen among Christians. The seeds cf this nation’s wealth have deen sown, in no inconsiderable degree, in the Northern sales and Southern labors of the colored people. The du ty of all, therefore, would seem to be emphasized by such considerations. RIGHT AND WRONG MOTIVES. But the duty would lose both its virtue and hope of success in a section al spirit. One country and one peo ple—one work and one God; this should be the motto of workers in the vineyard of Christ. Nor would a temporizing spirit be less subversive of the true character of Christian duty. Bible principles are deathless and changeless. Practices get their character from the principles that actuate them. If we of the South, therefore, were ever unprepared, on principle, for this work, we are yet un prepared. Certainly so, except a change has been wrought in our senti ments and convictions. But in the absence of moral and religious agencies, which alone would be adequate to such a result, the change were impossible. External, martial agencies can never effect an internal, moral, or religious change. Nor was such a change need ed. We are consistent and sincere without it. FACTS IN PROOF. Facts are imperious things. What are these? One is, that Africa has re ceived her largest Missionary benefac tions, proportionally, from Southern beneficence. Another fact is,that South ern Christians, more than all others, have given religious attention to the African race in America. Everywhere —in country or village, in town or city —a fair proportion of church accom modation was always furnished for them, either in the same house with the whites, or alone to themselves. It was the practice no less than the pleas ure of Christian preachersand pastors, to preach to both colors, either at the same hour on the Sabbath, or to the white people at 11 and the colored at 3 o’clock. Nor did any of our churches seek or desire these people to withdraw from our Sabbath-day worship. No otbejs of this race know as much of Christian doctrine and church polity as do these Southern Christian negroes. Good church buildings were erected for them, and able preachers employed to preach to them; and in some cases this was done by a single slave owner at his own voluntary chargee, for his own slaves, and free to others who might attend the worship. These proofs are but a few which might be adduced out of hundreds, in attestation to our consistency in work ing for the salvation of the negro race. ALANTA, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER I, 1881. And such an array of FACTS is the just award of history, and should ever be kept before each rising generation in truthful memory of our departed fathers. • We do not. claim perfection for our i ancestors. Far from it. But we do ’ claim that the worst type of slavery is not its true history. Thousands of Southern hearts throb with tearful emo tion to-day, as deploring recollections go back to its abuses. And in the reli gious concerns of these people, our foreparents did not, and we do not,' come up to the full measure of duty. But who is perfect? Who has met the full obligation, to give the gospel to every creature? But brethren, in the inscrutable providence of God a wider door of utterance is set open before us. Let us move up to the situation. And, j like Issachar of old, have knowledge of I the times, to know what Israel ought j to do. A CLOSER VIEW. A closer view of the subject, in three brief points, will lead us to consider: 1. The natute and circumstances- of the work. It is singular and peculiar. No other work is like it. Its subjects are among us—at our doors—in our dwellings. They are here. Here they must remain. There is no other coun try for them suited to them. Their attachments, interests, and preferences will keep them here. They must help in shaping the nation’s economy and the nation’s destiny. They are a liv ing influence in society—a character in American history—a factor in the problem of our futute national weal or woe! Whatever may be the external dis tinctions between them and us, there is nevertheless, deep down in the na ture of things, a oneness beyond hu man control. Shades of character will blend together. Rivulets of influence will gather into strong currents. Character is essehtfal in free govern ment. Religious establishments and civil despotisms, do not depend so much on the character of their mem bers and subjects. But where a peo ple are free in person, property and conscience, every thing depends on character. What evangelical religion makes of a people thus free, is about all ' hat can be relied on for harmony and prosperity among themselves, or a proper comprehension of their relation to law and order. This mission, there fore, would seem to press its claims on American Christians, with more than common force. SLOW PROGRESS. The progress of this work, at best, must be slow, in the very nature and circumstances of the case. The field of Christian beneficence is large. It is the world. The laborers comparatively are few. Other missions are establish ed, and cannot be abandoned to sup ply the lack of service here. Strong prejudices on all sides are to be eradi cated. Christianizing a people is not the fitful work of a moment, but the progressive work o Aime; not the work of engraftment, but of evolution. No people can be lifted up until they come to realize their own needs and respon sibilities. Out of themselves must evolve a hearty response to proffered aid. What is done for them will not supply the place of what must be done by them. To bring up a people to these conceptions is no hasty or light work. Nor do the advantages enjoyed by the people among us make theirs an exceptional case, as compared with others in a strictly heathenish state. For these advantages have been too in formal and inorganic to lay the foun dation of a thorough Christian enter prise in. They were restricted by the supposed if not the real ‘necessity of those times. The gospel of their salvation was not restricted either in its nature or its ful ness. But church organism was. For it was thought to be better and safer on all sides that the discipline and government of the church should be in the hands of the more intelligent and re sponsible owners than of the less intel ligent and less responsible slaves. Nor was this a strange view of things as they then existed. For it was then known, as it is known now, that a state of slavish bondage and full evangeliza tion, in depth, and scope, and form, can never go together. Hence, the re ligious attention which we gave our colored friends while slaves, looked mainly to their souls’ salvation. Very little attention was bestowed, or thought advisable, byway of organizing them for an aggresive cooperation with our selves. Moreover, these partial advan- tages have been largely countei balanc ed by post-bellum extremes and exces ses in icligious matters. Freedom with many of these people was religion, and the natural exhilaration which followed was Christian revival and rejoicing. ; He was a bard case, indeed, who went 1 through one of their six or eight weeks’ I meetings, and did not get happy and I see visions. All these things are to be overcome and corrected. And to correct wrong habits is far more difficult than to in • duce right ones. And although scores of thousands of these souls have heard and embraced the gospel; and although their knowledge of church matters is better than that of their race elsewhere, yet so smattering and imperfect is their knowledge of the form and order of religion, as to render a revision of the whole external structure of Christi- I anity among them necessary. I 2d. What., now, are some of the ( qualifications for this work? SOUND KNOWLEDGE AND COMMON SENSE. They who would engage successfully ip this duty must be possessed of sound practical knowledge and common sense not to say a tried and tested piety. A correct knowledge of the race they work among; their real wants and pe culiarities; their habits of feeling and thinking and acting—in short, of their whole idiucrasy. Workers in this cause must have, al so, an affecting knowledge of the ne groes true condition and possible future in /hie country. He is a stranger and a sojourner here, in a strange land ; .'ar ar- iy from his ancestral home. Though born and brought up among us, he is nevertheless a natural exotic; thus, in m important sense, friendless, home less. helpless, hopeless. Christian Eu rope has help for her children abroad. Heathen Africa has no help for hers! T ie dollar and cent, indeed, once aided u 8 his guardian and his nurse. li’Jw far.* now pbliticaf consideration’s may go in ’making him the friends he seems to have, God must judge and et ernity disclose. Anyway, when the last of these ties and incentives is sun dered, —when he can no longer be utilized for profit or party,-what hope shall remain for the colored man be yond that which he may find in a pure gospel generosity? Only those, there fore,—always comparatively a small number, —whose benefactions are un selfish, will come to his aid. Poor “red man of the forest!” No man once cared for his soul! For none were bound to him by ties of money, politics, or national blood. Only of late, under the setting sun of his earth ly existence, has he begun to share in a full Christian beneficence. What bet ter would the state of the black man be under similar relations and circum stances I • SELF DENIAL. Self denial, also, is a necessary qual ification for this service. They that wear soft raiment are in kings’ palaces—not among the motley throngs in the wilderness of the Jordan, nor the sable multitudes of these United States. Every mission has had its opposition. Added to opposition in this, there will be criticism and censure. This state of things will demand a firm convic tion and strong moral courage. The more thoughtful few must bring up the less thoughtful many to harmony and cooperation. The delicate complications which environ the epbject complete the. list of reasons for the necessity of self-denial. MUTUAL QUALIFICATIONS. And there must be mutual qualifi cations between the workers and the subjects of the work. Mutual Chris tian sympathy and confidence. Nor is this feeling hard to find between the white and colored people of the South. What might seem to be signs to the contrary,are only the results of extrane ous influences in secular affairs. The good feeling which former master and servant had for each other has never been obliterated. Wherever they meet until to-day, the most hearty band : shaking shows the deep and abiding friendship which they feel for each other. Their children and ours, also, show closeness of feeling for the fathers’ sake. They and we love to meet at the dear old homestead ; saunter around the old dwellings and cabins; walk about the old, waste plantations; and stand in mournful silence by the graves of the departed dead—both theirs and ours. No such kindred feeling is to be found between any other two national ities as that which exists between these two races in the South. For this reason, therefore, it is not arrogance to say, no other people are so well fitted for this service as those whose home bred sym pathies and feelings have grown up together with those whose good is to be sought. 3rd. Wherein is to be found the true I ground of success? UNION OF HEARTS AND HANDS. This can be found only in the union of hearts and hands—oneness in senti ment, and cooperation in practice. Union is strength. Harmony is power. Division is weakness. Dissension is childish. Animosity is wickedness. When the cause of disease is remov | ed, the sick man is expected to get ’ ■ well. If he does not, there is something .' else wrong. Bad blood, or an ill tem . i per, a hasty exposure to an unhealty j atmosphere, or a disordered state of ; the constitutional functions in some way, either or all of these things, may retard his recovery to a former state of health. Nay, his disease, only acute 1 at first, may be thrown into a chronic form, and then baffle all skill to arrest ! I it. Such is true in a figure of the ’ body, social, religious, political. The strongest possible bond and motive to Christian harmony, is to be found in the work of bringing sinners to Christ. The elevation of these mil lions of colored people, furnishes the most hopeful basis of reunion and co | operation that can ever be presented in | God’s providence to American Chris ' tians. And it should be remembered by all ' anti-Papal Christians that, if religious deliverance does not come from them to the colored race, religious bondage • i will come upon them from another ' source—a bondage far worse than their former domestic bondage. For Roman • Catholic bondage is that of soul and ! conscience! I j Nor should Baptists especially ignore £be significant fact that they,den«jmin- I I ationally,are above ail other’orders most ! welcome among the colored people. ■ Without religious bias, because un courted for their influence, they readily see and eagerly accept the plain teachings of the New Testament in re gard to its doctrines and ordinances. Said an able, but excentric white preacher of my acquaintance twenty five years ago, when about to baptize quite a number of colored applicants, “Now, my friendsand brethren, it takes a great deal of learning and arguing to get people to be sprinkled ; but when we negroes want to be baptized, we just look into the New Testament, and go ' right to the creek.” These people will be Baptists, if you will give them a chance. Nor is union of hands - cooperation —of scarcely less importance than union of hearts-harmony of sentiment. This would easily follow the other. Both are indispensable. Southern Christians cannot meet all the demands of the work. They may —no doubt they have —the qualified men. But they have not the means. They are poor. Especially are these more southern States poor. This very useful, but too much idolized old "King Cotton,” has made his throne too high in our hearts, and extended his dominions too wide in our fields. He has ruled, indeed, till he has almost ruined us! He has emptied our corn cribs, and swept our meat houses! He has blinded our minds and turned our eyes abroad for our daily support! All this wild rage for cotton-raising, per sistingly continues in the grim face and crushing jaws of the painful experience that our present system of labor is the most unreliable, irresponsible, and un controllable in the world! Thus the price of our folly in agricultural econ omy, added to the loss of millions of money in the results of the late war, — these things united, make us very poor. Our people are generous. But when the whole financial machinery of over a century is up-turned from its very foundations, the generosity of a people can only weep, while their disability limits its deeds. Our brethren at the North are rich. They may not have the qualified men as we have, qualified by a thorough personal acquaintance with the pecu liar temperament of the race. But they and we must learn to work together. Our limited means and their abundant resources must be united to make a common fund for the support of this enterprise. , FINAL QUESTION. Can these things be done? Can those i who were once enemies ever become ■ friends? Can Christians cease to hate, • and learn to love? How long shall the , Son of God be wounded in the house VOL. 59—NO. 34. of his friends? The world is waiting for an answer to this varied question. Infidelity is shouting over its past his tory and doubtful future! Our breth ren in the Old World are searching to know what are the signs of the times over here. The issues of eternity bang on the problem! Three worlds are con cerned in its final solution! Let others do as they may, why should not Am erican Baptists see together, act wisely and do their mighty part. And why should not Alabama rise up to her full measure of duty, until every kindred and race in our bounds shall have heard the gospel of the grace of God? rhe Religious Press. Dr. J. R. Graves speaking in the Baptist of the action of the Richmond Board in recalling the appointment of Messrs. Stout and Bell, says: But we took up our pen to express our hearty approbation of the action of the For eign Board in declining to sei d forth these disciples of Prof. Toy. to inform the benight ed heathen of China that the Scriptures we propose to give them in lieu ot their Sacred Scriptures, are possibly uo more inspired than theiis, and that certainly large parts of them are purely mythical, and the state ments of other pans wholly unreliable as facts. * * * * * * * Had the Board sent them foith after learn ing from them that they did not believe in the plenary inspiration, and much less in the verbal inspiration, of the Scriptures, and that they did believe that very many of the narratives of the Old Te.-tameut are pure fictions, we should have felt it our duty to say that the Board had justly forfeited all claim to the confidence of the churches whose agents they profess to be. And The Index would have felt it its duty to do the same thing and so we think would every Bap.ist paper in the United States, except the Courier of South Carolina. But in another column Dr Graves speaking of those who are- willing to “iiV*ept M church-fellowshipypersons who havfe b§en baptized by ministers not Baptists, calls them “time-sbrvers.” It would be easy for the persons so de signated to say, “You’re another.” But nobody would be convinced, and both parties would feel aggrieved. It would be better for the reply to take this shape: “Brother Graves, we are sorry that you think us so base as your lan guage describes us to be, but we hope to be enabled by divine grace, so to live as to convince you that you are mis taken.” We find in the Christian Register, 'a Unitarian paper, published in Bos ton, a most excellent sermon, from which we copy an extract. The text is, “The world by wisdom knew not God,” and the object of the sermon is to show that intellectual culture is no remedy for sin, a doctrine often advoc ated by The Index. Under the wide spread influence of Ch rigs tian faith, we have never had in modern Europe a state of society so foul as that of the higher classes in the Roman Empire in St. Paul’s day. But there are differences enough in the various countries ot Europe to day to make it evident that the centres of intellectual activity and of outward civiliza tion are not the centres of the most efficient moral and religious influence, and cannot be pointed out as illustrating the greatest strength of moral character and purity of moral life. Look also at onr own country and among men whom we personally know, * * * * * * * Some of the noblest examples that I have known were highly intellectual and cultivat -1 ed persons; but some also whom I have held in highest respect for their moral strength and faithfulness to a clear andjofty concep tion of honor and duty have certainly been laboring men and serving women, who did not know enough of human learning to write their own names. But their names are written inetfaceably in my memory, and on the eternal records of tbe just made perfect. Knowledge is not wisdom, it is but a tool for wisdom to use; and it is a tool which wickedness and moral folly can use also. A merely intellectual education increases a man s power, not only tor good, but, il the man chooses, for evil. A merely intellectual education, so far from improving a man’s character, may, by injudicious guidance, do it harm. Yes, and observe those portions of our country where education is most prevalent, and compare their morals with those where it is least prevalent. Where is divorce aj one to nine of the marriages? Where is foeticide a wide spread sin? Where is Spiritualism, and where are all the other isms? Educa tion is valuable in morals only where it is under the influence of the Gospel of Christ. If we must choose between high culture and illiterate but genuine faith, we have to say, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” —Rev. W. E. Paxton, of Warren, Ark., will soon publish "A History of Louisiana Baptists,” a book of some 500 pages. He will make it a work of value.