and which their own interest, to rise no higher, will approve."-Ninth Annual Report, p. 16.

Rev. Robert Quarterman, President of the Liberty County Association, says "Christians are but just awaking from their long sleep of inactivity to their solemn responsibili ties in regard to this class of men, and to feel that they owe them a debt of sympathy and Christian effort, which, it is time they were at least beginning to discharge..... We ourselves, (in this Association,) are scarcely under way in this good work-the tug of labor is still before us."

In the New Orleans Protestant of

23d of May last there is a "Report on the Religious Instruction of the Colored People, published by order of the New Orleans Presbytery." This report states, that

"There are, within the bounds of that Presbytery, at least 100,000 persons of color, all of whom are slaves. It is a lamentable fact, too evident to be denied, that by far the greater part of them are famishing and perishing for want of the bread of life. Of the 100,000 of this class of people within our bounds, it may be safely asserted that 75,000 never hear the doctrine of salvation through a crucified Redeemer preached, and have none to tell them what they must do to be saved.' And of the remaining 25,000, who occasionally hear the preaching of the Gospel, not more than 5,000 enjoy its regular

and constant ministrations.'

But, passing these general statements on this point, let us analyze briefly the more particular statements in the documents before us.

The Charleston report informs us that there are, in all the slaveholding states, not far from 160,000 communicants in the Methodist church, and not far from 100,000 in the Baptist church. The number in the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches is not stated; but judging from the small relative size of those denominations, and from the fact that the negroes generally prefer the Methodist and Baptist churches, we are safe in saying, that the addition of the colored communicants in the Episcopal

and Presbyterian churches would not increase the number above 300,000. could we hope well concerning them Now 300,000 communicants, even Christians in a population of nearly all, is a very small proportion of 3,000,000. But, alas! we can not hope that all, nor even the larger part of these communicants are

Christians; such is their ignorance, and such mere deluding excitement is the religion of a greater portion of them.

Mr. Jones, speaking of a protracted meeting, held under his direction, in Liberty county, says,—

"Some of the negroes expected that prayed for, but that was not done. The the ministers would call them up to be ministers might have done so, and created literally an excitement, and what would

have been the end of it? Perfect delusion! A substitution of forms and acts and kneelings and prayers, for religion itself! Opening the door for disorders, for spurious conversions, for periodical religion, and a contempt for the ordinary and divinely constituted means of grace! To use such means with ignorant people like our colored population, is madness. The tendency and the final result will be evil and evil only. Whereever the negroes in the southern country are trained up to shouting and groaning, and kneeling to be prayed for, and such like things, there is confusion and fanaticism and spurious religion. The last end of many is worse than the first. I do not believe that the

good sense and piety of this community would tolerate any such irregularities and excesses, and it is surprising that they should be tolerated any where."-Ninth Ann. Rep., p. 13.

Now the vast majority of these colored communicants, 260,000 out of 300,000, belong to the Baptist and Methodist churches, which, as is well known, resort abundantly, especially among the slaves, to the very means to which Mr. Jones refers, and the use of which, among such "an ignorant people," he declares to be madness. Judging, then, by his rule, which we consider a just one, we are compelled to believe that the religion of a large proportion of these ignorant colored communicants is a mere delusion. Thus a comparison of the number

of the truly pious with the whole number, proves the religious condition of the slaves deplorable indeed. The same conclusion is unavoidable, if we consider the meager amount of missionary or ministerial labor expended on the slaves. The Methodist church, which "has advanced beyond all others in direct and well sustained efforts in the colored field," has on that field, between eighty and ninety missionaries. The Baptists have done comparatively little of that kind of missionary labor. We make a large estimate when we say that all other denominations have as many mis

sionaries as the Methodists. We have then 160 for the 3,000,000 slaves." But what are these among so many ?"

Nor is this awful deficiency of missionary labor supplied, to any great extent, by the pastors of the whites, or by the masters, if we may judge from the remarks of Mr. Jones on this subject. He says,—

"But perhaps the most serious obstacle in our way, has been the want of pastoral supervision over the negroes. The regular instruction of the negroes does not fall within their (the pastor's) efforts. The baptizing of the children, the examination of candidates, and the settlement of cases of discipline, is all well enough as far as it goes. But it does not go far enough. I am aware that our pastors are much occupied with the duties of their station, and I do not mean that they should perform what may properly be called missionary labor among the negroes at the present time, but that they should be allowed by the churches to devote a reasonable portion of their time to the negroes, at least so much as to make the negroes feel that they are a part of their charge, and to know and to look up to them as their pastors."-Tenth Ann. Rep., pp. 38, 9.

"Nor have the efforts of the Association been seconded by the planters in the domestic instruction and training of their sercants. A greater amount of plantation instruction by evening prayers and schools, was given by planters themselves or their families, the first years of our existence, than has been since; and at the present time there are very few plantations upon which any thing is done for the people by their owners, in the way of religious in

struction. And what is most surprising, the great majority of planters, give themselves no concern and take no pains whatever, to have the children and youth from their plantations, attend our public Subbath schools at the stations. They are in favor of the schools, and knowing their utility, wish the children to attend, but do nothing to effect the object! Many a Sab

bath have we looked for the children of plantations in the immediate vicinity of the stations, and out of ten, fifteen, twenty or more, who should be there, we have not seen five, sometimes not one! The Sabbath schools have been kept up by the interest which the negroes themselves have felt in them! Nor have planters who have the means and can well afford it, assisted their people by putting up for them on their plantations, a house of prayer, or by fitting up a room for the purpose.

Some few only have done so.-Tenth Ann. Rep., pp. 37,8.

in the words of a letter published in This, in Liberty county, which, this report, 66 has obtained celebrity for taking the lead in this work!" As evidence bearing on the same point, we quote the following from a letter to Mr. Jones, published in his report.

"From a Theological Seminary.-DEAR SIR: There is in this institution an or

ganization called The Society of Inquiry on Missions, which has for its object the obtaining of information as accurate and extensive as possible, concerning the state of religion in the world, in order that we may be able to select our fields of labor advisedly, and also that we may be incited to more fervent prayer and more diligent exertion for the salvation of our fellow men. Among other things, our attention has been directed to the religious condition of the negro population of our own country; and we find that with us, as well as the church at large, there exists a deplorable ignorance, and, of course, great apathy concerning the religious condition and prospects of the negroes. Knowing that you have devoted much of your time to this subject, the committee of the Society, to whom this subject is intrusted, have directed me to write and request your assistance, so far as your engagements will permit, in obtaining the information which we need. Our ignor ance is extreme as to what has been done, what ought to be done, what can be done, and what kind of men are best adapted to the work."-Ninth Ann. Rep., pp. 22, 3.

It is on good evidence, therefore, that we say, this work of evangelizing the slaves of this country demands

our sympathy, our prayers and our labors, as a work which is only begun. The great body of the slaves are still heathen. And, as to the obstacles to the success of missionary labor among them, they are in many respects in a worse condition than the heathen.

4. To some of these obstacles we call distinct attention.

The most important perhaps is, that the laws of the slave states for bid, by severe penalties, that the slaves should be taught to read. What an obstacle is this to their religious instruction! The missionary, when he goes to a heathen land, what is the first thing which he does? He gathers the people, children and adults, especially children, into schools and teaches them to read, and gives them, to be studied, portions of the Bible and religious tracts. He relies more, for their evangelization, upon teaching them in this manner, than he does upon preaching. In this important feature, the slaves are in a worse condition than the heathen. They can not be taught to read. The jealous laws of slavery forbid. They can not have the Bible. They can not, according to the divine command, "search the Scriptures." Between them and this divine command, stands slave law with its penalties. They can not exercise the right of private judgment in religion for they are forbidden to search the Scriptures, like the noble minded Bereans, to see whether the things preached to them are so. The slave laws keep them, in this respect, just where the oppressive rules of the Roman Catholic church keep her ignorant laity. The result of this oppressive law is, that the work of religious instruction is greatly embarrassed and hindered. The missionary or instructor has to get the slaves together, adults and children, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat a passage, till they have committed it to memory. Says Mr. Jones:

:

"As the children could not make use of books, and being the only teacher, I was compelled to throw the whole school into one class, and to teach them all together on the infant school plan. The questions were asked and the answers repeated, until they were committed to memory and the lesson was accompanied with repeated explanations and an upplication."-Tenth Ann. Rep., p. 21.

So Bishop Elliot, thinking it "a mistake to suppose that (our) church repels, by her liturgical forms, this class of population," recommends that they should be taught "to repeat, and understand, and appreciate the liturgy" for, says he, "they must be taught the liturgy before they can relish it; and that instruction must be given line upon line, and precept upon precept." Really, what an up-hill and arduous work is this! To collect into classes an ignorant people, who can not and must not read, and repeat to them the whole liturgy, and repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it, till they have learned it by heart!—an accomplishment in "liturgical forms" which, we presume, the greatest adept therein, who can read, never attains. Truly, we sympathize with this evangelical and excellent Bishop in this arduous work, and fully agree with him, that "it requires persevering effort, assiduous attention, indefatigable patience."

Patience! We have no patience with this slave law, which withholds God's pure bread of life from his famishing creatures. It is an atrocious interference with God's law, which, every man who professes (as does every Christian) to "obey God rather than man," is bound, in consistency as well as duty, to disregard. We are happy to know that some Christian men do disregard it. "The most important law," says Rev. Dr. Richard Fuller, in his published letters to Rev. Dr. Wayland, speaking of "those laws which prohibit a discharge of the master's duty," "the most important law is that forbidding slaves being taught to read; yet how many are taught." And, speaking

"A minister told me the other day, 'it is no use to preach to the negroes, they will pay no regard to a white man; I tried it a few weeks ago, but one went to sleep and some went away. They want one of their own color.' What did you preach to them about?' said I. He answered, their duty to their masters.' This without showing them the principles on which such duties were to be performed, seemed to me, for an only discourse, first and last, like mustard without beef,' as they say in England.”—Ninth Ann. Rep., p. 25.

Now it is very plain that ministers and missionaries, educated amid slavery, and laboring amid the jeal ousies of slaveholders, will be very likely to believe in, and administer, a great deal of "mustard without beef." And it is also very plain, that the slaves, conscious as they

IN Tarbox

are of the injustice of their bondage, will not relish the ministration; and will regard the administrators with suspicion. And even if the preachers or instructors should not give them "mustard without beef," they will be likely to regard them with a latent distrust, as those who have no sympathy with them in their oppression.

We speak of these obstacles, not for the purpose of discouraging this good work, or our brethren who are engaged in it, but to call out sympathy and prayer in their behalf.

But we have said more than we intended when we began. In conclusion, we repeat the expression of our satisfaction in this beginning of good things. The remark of the Charleston committee,

"We look

upon the religious instruction of the negroes as the GREAT DUTY of the South," we adopt as our own, with this qualification-the great duty, second only to the duty of emancipation. We exhort our southern brethren, who alone can efficiently labor in this good work, to go forward. We believe that it promises the amelioration, and indeed the ultimate removal of slavery.

SOME four years since, the readers of the New York Daily Tribune began, some of them to be puzzled and some amused, by a series of articles which made their appear

A Concise Exposition of the Doctrine of Association, or Plan for a Reorganization of Society, which will secure to the Human Race, individually and collectively, their happiness and elevation. (Based on Fourier's Theory of Domestic and Industrial Association.) By Albert Brisbane.

Our evils are social, not political; and a social reform only can remove them. Eighth edition. New York. J. S. Redfield, Clinton Hall, corner of Nassau and Beekman streets.