Part 16 (1/2)

[Footnote 3: Conway, _Testi Slavery_, p 5]

Thereafter the chief privilege allowed the slaves was to congregate for evening prayers conducted by themselves under the surveillance of a number of ”discreet persons” The leader chosen to conduct the services, would in soe from the Scriptures and ”line a hy in a tune of their own suitable to the meter In case they had present no one who could read, or the law forbade such an exercise, soiven an opportunity to address the people, basing his reence allowed him on so would be devoted to individual prayers and the singing of favorite hyely fro their burdens in the heat of the day had learned to sing away their troubles

For this untenable position the slave States were so severely criticized by southern and northern friends of the colored people that the ressive policy Yet whatever uhtener, it was clear after the Southaro education would for soenerally elithe southerners who endeavored to readjust their policy of enlightening the black population, were Bishop William Meade,[1] Bishop William Capers,[2] and Rev CC Jones[3] Bishop Meade was a native of Virginia, long noted for its large element of benevolent slaveholders who never lost interest in their Negroes He was fortunate in finishi+ng his education at Princeton, so productive then of leaders who fought the institution of slavery[4] Immediately after his ordination in the Protestant Episcopal Church, Bishop Meade assumed the role of a refor no little of his time to them when he was in Alexandria and Frederick in 1813 and 1814[5] He began by preaching to the Negroes on fifteen plantations,them twice a day, and in one year reported the baptisht colored children[6]

Early a charoes, he was sent on a successful ia in 1818 to secure the release of certain recaptured Africans ere about to be sold Going and returning fro auxiliaries of the American Colonization Society He helped to extend its sphere also into the Middle States and New-England[7]

[Footnote 1: Goodloe, _Southern Platforhtman, _Life of Bishop Williaious Instruction_, Introductory Chapter]

[Footnote 4: Goodloe, _Southern Platform_, p 64]

[Footnote 5: _Ibid_, p 65]

[Footnote 6: _Ibid_, p 66]

[Footnote 7: _Niles Register_, vol xvi, pp 165-166]

Bishop Meade was a representative of certain of his fellow-churche froroes to that of reco at first with Rev Thoroes, and advocated the extere his followers to eation to teach them to read He was then co their burden asto destroy the institution Thereafter he advocated the education and emancipation of the slaves only in connection with the scheme of colonization, to which he looked for a solution of these problems[2]

[Footnote 1: Meade,_Sermons of Rev Thos Bacon_, p 2; and Goodell, _The Southern Platform_, pp 64, 65]

[Footnote 2:_Ibid_, p 65]

Wishi+ng to give his views on the religious instruction of Negroes, the Bishop found in Rev Thoument which was likely to convince and persuade was so forcibly exerted, and that every objection that could possibly be ht to be said so well said, and the sas so happily confirmed ” that it was deemed ”best to refer the reader for the true nature and object of the book to the book itself”[1] Bishop Meade had upperlected to teach their Negroes the Christian religion Looking beyond the narrow circle of his own sect, the bishop invited the attention of all denominations to this subject in which they were ”equally concerned” He especially besought ”the ospel to take it into serious consideration as a ive an account Did not Christ,” said he, ”die for these poor creatures as well as for any other, and is it not given in charge of the ather his sheep into the fold?”[2]

[Footnote 1: Meade, _Sermons of Rev Thos Bacon_, pp 31,32, 81, 90, 93, 95, 104, and 105]

[Footnote 2: _Ibid_, p 104]

Another worker in this field was Bishop William Capers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of South Carolina A southerner to the manner born, he did not share the zeal of the antislavery roes as a preparation forthe subject of abolition as one belonging to the State and entirely inappropriate to the Church, he denounced the principles of the religious abolitionists as originating in false philosophy Capers endeavored to prove that the relation of slave and master is authorized by the Holy Scriptures He was of the opinion, however, that certain abuses which ht ensue, were immoralities to be prevented or punished by all proper means, both by the Church discipline and the civil law[2] Believing that the neglect of the spiritual needs of the slaves was a reflection on the slaveholders, he set out early in the thirties to stir up South Carolina to the duty of rehthtman, _Life of Willia the blacks did not include literary instruction His ai of Christian truth to the condition of persons having a ”hue by means of constant and patient reiteration”[1]

The old Negroes were to look to preachers for the exposition of these principles while the children were to be turned over to catechists ould avail the these funda at the time their minds were in the plastic state Yet all instructors and preachers to Negroes had to be careful to inculcate the performance of the duty of obedience to their masters as southerners found them stated in the Holy Scriptures Any one ould hesitate to teach these principles of southern religion should not be employed to instruct slaves The bishop was certain that such a one could not then be found a the preachers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of South Carolina[2]

[Footnote 1: _Ibid_, p 298]

[Footnote 3: _Ibid_, p 296]

Bishop Capers was the leading spirit in the movement instituted in that comenerally did he arouse the people to the performance of this duty that they not only allowed preachers access to their Negroes but requested that missionaries be sent to their plantations Such petitions ca, and Lewis Morris[1] Two stations were established in 1829 and two additional ones in 1833 Thereafter the Church founded one or two others every year until 1847 when there were seventeen missions conducted by twenty-five preachers At the death of Bishop Capers in 1855 the Methodists of South Carolina had twenty-six such establish to 11,546 communicants of color The missionary revenue raised by the local conference had increased frohtman, _Life of William Capers_, p 296]

[Footnote 2; _African Repository_, vol xxiv, p 157]

Theexample of this class of workers was the Rev CC