o emancipate the slaves outwardly, and it may yet
take hundreds and thousands of lives--our lives--our children's
lives--poured in upon this problem, that so we may lift the Negro to
that point where he feels himself, and where we feel him to be, a
man--taught to labor, protected in the enjoyment of the fruits of his
labor, without which the strongest arm grows palsied, trained in a
strong, self-reliant Christian manhood, holding the reins firmly on the
neck of all passion--a man. And that we will do; and the very greatness
of the problem, I believe, is our redemption. It was the greatness of
the crisis that thrilled the Nation's heart when the war burst upon us.
It is the very greatness of our present problem that calls in trumpet
tones to men and women and children all over the land; "Come and help
solve this problem for Christ."

A few weeks ago, in one of the beautiful towns of Northern Illinois, a
young man, the only son of his father and mother, hearing at Sabbath
evening the alarm of fire, sprung forth and took his place upon the
burning building and there did the work of a fireman. In the attempt to
put out the fire he was hurled headlong and in one moment his life had
gone hence. A few weeks afterward, as a friend was talking with his
mother about it, she said, "Our son was always so swift to heed any call
of need or duty, it seems to me as if he heard suddenly some call from
God from some farther clime and sprung forth and was gone from our
sight." Blessed, heroic faith! But, brethren and friends, fathers and
mothers, we need that same faith for our living sons and living
daughters, to send them forth into this work of God. When the Christ
child was on the back of the giant Christophorus crossing the stream,
how heavy he grew as the giant plunged his way through the waters. God
weighs heavily upon this Nation this greatest of all national problems,
what to do with these despised ones. But bear the burden we must, and
bear it through we must to the farther shore of a Christian solution, or
we and it will go down the flood together. There is no help for us
except in this solution which makes brothers of these men.

I see a possible issue in this large Christian faith of our land; and I
see the time coming when the black and the white shall dwell together in
a mutual helpfulness, with a more complete national feeling, a deeper
dependence upon him from whom alone comes strength, less display of
material resources