SAVING THE NEGRO BY W. J. NORTHEN Ex-Governor of Georgia HERE are difficulties in the way of evangelizing Negroes just as there are difficulties in the way of all mission effort. These are sometimes more imaginary than real, and, it may be, more of a subterfuge in the minds of an unwilling people than a hindrance that cannot be removed. We had difficulties in Burmah, in Japan, in China, and there are far greater difficulties in Africa in dealing with the same character of people, in a climate deadly in its effects, a people far removed from our civilization, and speaking a language almost beyond interpretation, so that the brightest among us must spend years to learn it before the work of soul saving can possibly begin. All that is needed to meet these difficulties is for the Christian people of the South to take the gospel view of the situation, and be willing. If we are not willing, the civilization of the South is doomed to final decay, and thousands of human souls to eternal death. If by any means we get control of the Negro situation, there must be radical revolution in at least five distinct directions. I do not know how many troubles Peter had, but we do know he overcame them all because he was entirely willing to take God's view rather than his own. I Is the public attitude just and fair towards the Negro? In our courts has the Negro the same chance for the protection of life, liberty, and property accorded a white man? The essence of tyranny is found in the exercise of power to abuse simply because the weaker cannot resist. The white man makes the government and fills all its offices, and this backward and weaker race is altogether subject to the domination and abuse of those who control. Is every Negro at the South given a fair chance and a square deal in the use of the powers God gave him for his own benefit, and for the advance of the community in which he lives? Is it fair to strike a whole race of people and make the entire body responsible for the crimes and the shortcomings of individual members? II If we find ourselves brave enough to resist the restraints insisted upon by unrighteous public opinion, it is still possible that we may be dominated by strong race prejudice against the Negro. Prejudice of any kind is born in the natural man, and it is not the spirit of Christ. Peter discovered this fact, and at once published it to the whole world when he said: "Ye know that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company with or come unto one of another nation, but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.” III Doubtless there are many consecrated young men and young women, and older ones as well, who would undertake to teach the Bible to Negroes, or preach the gospel to them, if they did not apprehend the loss of desirable social relations. All of us know many people who have been ostracised under the demands made by wicked public opinion, because they did the very thing I am asking all Christian people to be willing to do. In the very face of this ugly situation it requires great grace to "preach the gospel to every creature." Again I ask, shall we come up to the standard set up by God himself, or yield to the cunning device of the devil, set up through the demands made by an unrighteous public opinion? This has been the contention from the beginning the ungodly telling the Christian people what they must do, and especially what they must not do, if they would keep in the swim with an ungodly public opinion. This is the bane of the church to-day, and because of yielding to the demands of a godless public opinion, the church has largely lost its strength and usefulness. We are commanded to be separate from sinners, and yet we are found having a great appetite for the flesh pots of Egypt. At all costs we must maintain our social position, even though the kingdom be delayed in its coming. The apostles met this same demand, and answered it for all time as it ought to be answered to-day by all Christian men and Christian women. IV It may be possible, under the gospel view, to obtain our consent to drop out of the social relation the ungodly may demand, if we knew we would not drop into a social equality we know we could not endure. Social equality is a delusion set up by the demagogue in civic contentions, to meet his ambition for place and personal power, and paraded as a device of the devil for the strengthening of the influences against the kingdom of God. and never can be an essential What a spectacle we would pre Social equality never has been element in the salvation of any soul. sent if we were required to know the social relations of a sinner before we could be allowed to offer him the saving power of the gospel. How would it be possible for the minister to present his message to a mixed congregation composed of many people occupying altogether different social relations? When Jesus talked with the woman at the well he did not reduce himself to her low standard of living before he ministered to her deep spiritual needs. What stupid nonsense that would seem. He never once thought of social equality, but doubtless he did think of the vast difference and great distance between himself and the degenerate woman he was willing to redeem. He did not think of social equality but I am quite sure he did think of the soul equality of all men of all tribes and all nations. If social equality is to enter into our efforts at soul-winning, who is to make known to us its limitations? How far apart can the minister and the people be, or how near together must they come, socially, before the important work of soul-saving can begin? How very far astray we have allowed the device of the devil to lead us for all these many years. What a man of straw he has set up of which we have been so dreadfully afraid. VWhen we are freed from all the difficulties thus far presented then there comes from all sides the complaint that there is no moral stamina in Negro character sufficient to warrant any effort to reform or redeem. We are told that all Negroes will deliberately lie and steal, and that they are thoroughly degenerate as to all moral living. I know many, very many, white people guilty, openly guilty, of all these gross sins, and I have never heard that white people of this low type are beyond the pale of Christian effort. Why not be absolutely just to Negroes? People who enter these wholesale charges either forget, or they are unwilling to recall, that the most striking element in the plan of the gospel is its power to save to the uttermost. They do not recall that Jesus came to call sinners, not nice people, to repentance. These people surely forget that the last manifestation of Jesus' power to save was made on the cross, when he said to a thief, "This day shalt thou be with me in paradise." There is no foundation needed for salvation in any man save an honest desire to be saved and a full acceptance of the gospel plan of salvation. Paul has told us that all this is fully open to the chief of sinners. Surely this takes in the meanest Negro. on What is the difference between an unsaved Negro in Africa and an unsaved Negro in the South? I have heard many sermons preached on missions to Negroes in Africa, but I never heard a sermon missions to Negroes at the South. I have heard many public prayers offered for the success of missions in Africa, but never a public prayer offered for the salvation of the Negroes at the South. Have you?— From the Herald of Gospel Liberty. A. M. BACON. mf BESSIE CLEAVELAND, 1. In 2. Bat to the fight where the but lets flew thick-est, tles all end- ed now, si - lent the clam - or, 3. Head-ing still, dusk - y troops, lead-ing them on-ward, Head - ing his dusky troops, mf fire in his eye. never more slave. up t'ward the light; On with the brave-est, a head with the quickest, f. som that paid God and Free-dom's sake, read y to die. For-ward! his only thought, it all, blood of the brave. Still "For-ward," is his cry; his voice, eye still as bright. See, now the bat-tle's fought! Strong as of old Forward till all is wrought! Freedom the end he sought, Free-dom for slaves. "Forward! be men or die! For-ward with pur-pose high, Man-hood is yours." Look, here the end he sought, Look,here the work he wrought, Man-hood for slaves! T BOYS IN INDIA AT SCHOOL AND AT HOME BY SAINT NIHAL SINGH Author of Essays on India," "Messages of Uplift for India," etc. HE life experience of a boy in India is as different from that of the American youth as night is from day. In that far-off land of the "coral strand," the child comes into a world which will offer him few advantages and fewer opportunities during his whole life. No trained nurse attends at his birth. Perhaps some old woman receives him as he enters the world, and depends upon superstitious quackery rather than scientific skill to start him in life with a healthy, perfect body. He comes into a world of famine, where his little stomach will often feel the pangs of hunger; perhaps he is doomed to die of starvation. There is no kindergarten to give his childish mind its first impetus and lay the foundation of his education. When he grows older he will be fortunate if he is able to find a school to go to, for only one village out of five in India has a schoolhouse. Even this is not free, and as the young lad's father is probably too poor to pay the tuitition, the little fellow is forced to cut grass with a sickle or pull it with his hands, and sell it in the market for fodder; or to pick up cow dung, make it into cakes, and sell them for fuel, in order to gather together the money to pay his school fees and buy books and writing materials. Even the few schools in India are practically worthless. The buildings are so poor that they scarcely deserve to be called schoolhouses. They are nothing but straw shanties, or rather straw roofs erected upon bamboo or wooden poles, the sides being open to wind and weather. The pupils squat on the bare dirt floor or on mats made of straw or gunnysack. The ink used in school is made at home from lamp black. The East Indians who live in villages do not have kerosene lamps with glass chimneys, as do the Americans. They pour some mustard oil into a little earthen bowl; in this they put a wick made by rolling |