In the above-referred-to book the statement is made that “the more intelligent colored people in the Methodist Episcopal Church are seriously thinking of separating from the Methodist Episcopal Church.” If the poll were taken of every intelligent colored man within the Church, such an idea would be laughed at, for no such feeling prevails. There is no such spirit abroad within the Church on the part of the colored members. If it exists at all, it must be sought elsewhere. There is no occasion for it; and though it may be that now and then some word is let fall by some braggadocio, that if so and so is not done, thus and so will happen, yet no such stuff has ever fallen from the lips of the leaders of our colored membership, properly so called. Should anything of the kind ever be broached, there would be no occasion for secrecy, and less for braggadocio; no absolute necessity for rejoicing on the part of any colored organizations, if there might follow overtures to the Methodist Episcopal Church for organic union that are not now made. The thought naturally uppermost at this juncture in the minds of some may be, Would it not be Christian-like and brotherly for the colored members to separate, so that organic union may take place between the “two great branches of Methodism in this country?” Is that what keeps them apart? We would, to the question as to separation, answer, No. If we understand the heart of the Church—and we think we do, having been born naturally and supernaturally in her lap—she does not ask as much. In 1844 the Church, by dropping her interests in and work for the colored man, could very easily and knowingly have preserved her union, power, and influence, kept back the rebellion for a time, received the encomiums instead of the vituperation and obloquy of every slaveholding nation in the world, and brought to her support the strong slave oligarchy of the South. She did not do it. She will never compromise with sin enough to accept even an organic union conceived in caste and born of a hate that excludes one the Lord said should be loved as herself. We believe, laying aside all personal predilections, prejudice, and aspirations that, so far as the Church is concerned, the colored members of the Methodist Episcopal Church will remain therein until they are pleased to go out, if that is until the sound of the first trumpet.
Would there be anything gained by a separation? To our mind there is nothing to gain, and much to lose, by the colored members of the Methodist Episcopal Church separating from it. In the first place, it would have the same tendency that the now existing colored organizations have, casting reflections upon the wisdom of those good men and women who all along have contended for general equality; it would weaken the race politically and socially; widen, instead of narrowing, the chasm between the white and colored clergy in this country. “Like priests, like people,” would naturally widen the breach between the laity. This would naturally cause variance between neighbors because of color. This would naturally lead to separate schools where they are now mixed, and keep forever separate those that are now separate. In a word, it would magnify caste, race prejudice, and eventually lead to a war of races. The segregation of one million or more colored men in this country into one single organization would endanger the safety of our Republic in more ways than one. In the second place, a separation now from the Methodist Episcopal Church for anything less than a crime against the race would not only be suicidal, but foolhardy, paying kindness with contumely, and subjecting not only the members concerned, but the race to the scorn and laughter of the world. We do not expect to have everything go our way, to count for more than we number, nor to see every law we propose adopted, nor to be fondly dandled in the lap of an affectionate and opulent mother. We expect only what we have always received from the Church—the privilege of full membership therein.
The work which the Church has done in the South, may be seen from the following tables:
BOARD OF EDUCATION UP TO JANUARY 1, 1887.
| Name. | Pupils aided. | Amount. | Location. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centenary Bib’l Institute | 46 | $1,850 00 | Baltimore, Md. |
| Central Tenn. College | 67 | 2,446 00 | Nashville, Tenn. |
| Claflin University | 45 | 2,015 00 | Orangeburg, S.C. |
| Clark University | 12 | 732 00 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Cookman Institute | 4 | 158 00 | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| Bennett Seminary | 6 | 200 00 | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Gammon Theol. School | 29 | 1,663 00 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Haven Normal Institute | 3 | 75 00 | Waynesboro, Ga. |
| Morristown Seminary | 22 | 755 00 | Morristown, Tenn. |
| New Orleans University | 44 | 2,327 00 | New Orleans, La. |
| Philander Smith College | 5 | 228 00 | Little Rock, Ark. |
| Rust University | 11 | 400 00 | Holly Spr’gs, Miss. |
| Rust Normal Institute | 2 | 75 00 | Huntsville, Ala. |
| Wiley University | 18 | 855 00 | Marshall, Texas. |
| West Texas Conf. Sem. | 5 | 140 00 | Houston, Texas. |
| Total | 319 | $13,919 00 | |
| In Northern Colleges | 6 | 2,000 00 | |
| Grand Total | 325 | $15,919 00 |
WORK OF CHURCH EXTENSION SOCIETY.
| Expended to colored membership by donation | $237,000 00 |
| Expended to colored membership by loan | 150,000 00 |
| Total given by Church | $387,000 00 |
| Total given by colored members by collection | 35,000 00 |
| Amount received by colored members more than they raised | $352,000 00 |
| Churches this saved, built, or helped to build for them, | 2,000 |
WORK OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY SINCE THE WAR.
| Conference. | Amount. |
|---|---|
| Central Alabama | $16,600 00 |
| Delaware | 23,438 89 |
| Florida | 20,228 65 |
| Georgia | 38,571 58 |
| Lexington | 27,053 50 |
| Louisiana | 126,201 50 |
| Mississippi | 155,943 63 |
| Missouri | 42,486 06 |
| North Carolina | 25,622 45 |
| St. Louis | 41,279 00 |
| Savannah | 20,250 00 |
| South Carolina | 49,217 25 |
| Tennessee | 34,236 78 |
| Texas | 32,103 09 |
| Washington | 55,833 68 |
| Little Rock | 12,700 00 |
| Colored work in Kansas | 7,500 00 |
| Total | $729,266 06 |
In the above figures the West Texas Conference is included in Texas Conference, East Tennessee in the Tennessee Conference, etc. While no claim is set up that the above figures are exactly true, they are at least an approximation. Where the conference was mixed, one-eighth of the missionary appropriation only has been credited to the colored work, though it is easy to see how mistakes could creep in an account of this. But the work that has been done, and the interest which the Church has had in it are apparent. So long as souls are to be saved, the Church can not relax its efforts toward these people, whether white or colored.