Читать книгу The American Missionary. Volume 43, No. 03, March, 1889 - Various - Страница 4

A very interesting discussion occurred in the Missionary Council of the Episcopal Church, held in Washington, D.C., November 13th and 14th, in regard to the education of colored students for the ministry in the Episcopal Church. The motive for not educating them in the existing Episcopal Seminaries appeared to be simply the caste-prejudice, and some marked utterances and facts were given on that subject, which we wish to preserve.

The Bishop of Kentucky, whose generous feelings toward the colored race we have had occasion to notice heretofore, quoted from another, and endorsed for himself, the declaration: "The white man is not fit to study for the ministry who is not ready to have his black brother sit by him in the class room," and he subsequently added: "I believe I can speak for my brothers, and I say out of my heart I would just as soon sit by the side of a black man if he were in the House of Bishops, as one of my white brothers." But yet the Bishop suggested and endorsed the plan for the separate education of colored students, for two reasons: (1) "The power of heredity is not to be overthrown in a day nor an hour… This subtle spirit of caste is perhaps the demon hardest to cast out of the human spirit, the one that requires the most prayer and fasting, without which it will not go out," and (2) "It is certainly true that the colored men themselves do not want to go there. It is just as true that the white men do not want to have them there."

As to the first point, it is to be regretted that the good Bishop did not give himself to fasting and prayer to cast out this malignant demon, rather than to yield to it, and that he did not heed the words which Jesus uttered when his disciples could not cast out a demon, "Bring him hither to me." If bishops and churches will only bring this demon of caste to Jesus, the work will be done.