Presbyterian Assembly faced
the difficulty more thoroughly, and disposed of it more courageously,
than either of the others. But I will say that there is only one
solution of a question of this sort. Every Christian, when he comes to
think on it seriously, must feel that to be the case. No compromise will
satisfy either party to it or will please God, and any settlement to be
permanent must be in harmony with the inspired statement that "God hath
made of one blood all the nations that dwell upon the face of the
earth." But such a result can not be brought about either in the state
or in the churches merely by legislation. You can not compel either by
physical or moral constraint the different races to meet on terms of
social equality. No doubt you can, and you ought to see to it, that men
of all races stand precisely on the same platform before the law and
have the same protection from the law. But to get rid of a prejudice you
must take a different method. You can not uproot that all at once. The
removal of that must be the result of education and of spiritual growth.
But when I speak of education I must add that it is not the colored
people alone that need to be educated here. The white people of all our
cities, whether North or South, require education as well. They need to
be taught that the Negro is a man, for at bottom that is not more than
half believed by multitudes. They need to be taught that the Negro may
become a Christian, and that there are possibilities of Christian
missionary enterprise in his race that are absolutely incalculable. They
need to be taught to look upon the different races of Indians, Chinese
and Africans among us as dignified and ennobled by Christ's incarnation,
and as purchased by his sacrificial blood equally with themselves. They
need to look upon the Christianized among them as brethren in Christ,
and then the rest will come of itself.
There has been great progress in these recent years toward the result of
which I speak. The present agitation concerning the color-line, as it is
called, is itself an indication of progress, and the day assuredly will
dawn when men of all nationalities and names shall come from the East
and from the West, from the North and from the South, and sit down with
Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob in the kingdom of our Father. But if
we as a Nation cultivate the spirit of the Pharisees, and continue to
despise those who are "guilty of a skin not colored lik
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