responsibility.”  This, you will observe, is from a minister of Christ.  It is from a bishop of a church.  It is from one who prays our Lord’s prayer, given alike to white and black.  “After this manner, therefore, pray ye.”  “Our Father.”  This is from one who believes in the baptism at Pentecost, when devout men from every nation under heaven received the impartial benedictions of God.  This from one who read the story of Peter and the sheet.  “Alas, my brother.”

All this, then, is the atmosphere of the situation.  Some prophetic souls are looking out upon a most perplexing and perilous problem with profound solicitude, and extending to us their sympathy and prayers for our work.  More, many more, are teaching and preaching that God has created the Negro race to fill forever a place of inferiority, and that he must stay down in the bog or in some way be destroyed.  It is not surprising, therefore, that ignorant white people should give form and substance to these hostile opinions in scenes of violence and cruelty.  They believe in the inherent inferiority of the blacks, and have a mighty fear lest this doctrine should prove to be untrue.  The Negro, twenty-five years ago in absolute poverty and illiteracy, has been greedy for education, and has seriously thought of nothing but to rise from his low condition.

The intelligent white man now, and to his great surprise, is all at once confronted by the intelligent black man.  They are not so numerous now as to be an element to fear, but the whites are foreseeing the not distant day when they can not be relegated to inferiority because of their color.  The calamity that Bishop Pearce deplores and would prevent is not far away—­educated Negroes with aspirations, in other words, men.

The general Negro illiteracy is gaining fast upon the white ignorance, and the despised Negro is found to be living above many of his illiterate white neighbors.  This makes it easy work for designing men to sharpen race prejudices, which by force and fear shall keep the Negro down.

On the Negro side, he has been patient and forbearing.  With these outbreaks of persecution some are discouraged, and are ready to surrender their manhood.  On the other hand, some are no longer patient, but are enraged.  They would retaliate.  They feel that defense against wrongs is right.  An influential Negro paper says, “EDUCATE, AGITATE, RETALIATE.  Does one strike me?  With the power of God on high, back also will I strike him.”  This feeling grows.  Add to it the fact that the Negro is developing the power of organization.  There are leaders.  They are in their councils and conventions.  They are feeling deeply, speaking plainly, and organizing efficiently.