er more rapidly, but rather is telling how
the hare came out second in the race with his competitor not so fleet of
foot, but which had the gift of patient continuance in well-doing. Still
he accentuates the fact that "their improvement is astonishing." I am
sure that no one can visit Fisk University without having all his doubts
dispersed as to the future of the negro race. It is to have a future.
This leads me to quote the closing words of Dr. Clark's significant
pamphlet (page 52): "All Africa stretches out her hands to God; to the
work of delivering her fatherland from heathenism. God is calling the
blacks of these Southern States. They are to be the chief instruments in
giving the Gospel of Christ to the benighted land of their fathers.
Wherefore, let the work of Christian, and so sanctified, education go
on."
All this is true, and it means that in our American Missionary
Association the ministerial education must now be made more prominent.
When white missionaries can say, as one whose bones are in the soil of
the Dark Continent did say, "Let a thousand fall before Africa shall be
given up," the children of Africa must respond, "Africa shall be
evangelized by Africans." That is, we must have more and better
theological schools for the Negro people. The demand for educated Negro
ministers, who know what religion is, and what purity is, will be
greater and greater.
The demand for _missionaries_ of the negro race who can realize that
"Christianity is a missionary religion," will be greater, also. We can
scarcely expect that those who came out of Egypt will become
missionaries to Egypt. The apprehension of missionary responsibility
comes with a developed Christianity. The missionary sense came to the
Apostles themselves very slowly. It came to the Christian Church slowly.
The African people in America, I trust, will seize upon it more rapidly,
for they have a large emotional nature and great faith. What they now
need is education and intellectual character, and those qualities which
give shape, and tone, and persistence, to the forces which direct and
control events.
Men who have been slaves may not take on this, and their children may
not in great numbers. But their children's children are coming on
multitudinously, and from them must go those who shall preach the Gospel
to their own race in Africa. For psychological as well as physiological
reasons this must be. Not only because they can live, and whites can
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