sermons. The second a pamphlet, "Know, Do, and Be Happy."
The third, a history of the A. M. E. Zion Church (625
pages).
The fourth a pamphlet, "The True Church, the Real Sacrifice,
the Genuine Membership." His fifth, and most important, is,
"The Plan of the Apocalypse." He has in manuscript, a work
on the Millennium; also the material for a second book of
sermons, and is now writing an Autobiography.
Bishop Haygood of the M. E. Church South, who wrote the
introduction to the Book of Sermons, says: "Bishop Hood has
traveled the continent to and fro. His ability, his
eloquence, his zeal and usefulness, have commanded the
respect and confidence of the best people of both races."
As one of the members of the Ecumenical Conference that met
in London in 1881, Bishop Hood made a lasting impression.
These sermons speak for themselves. Their naturalness, their
clearness, their force and their general soundness of
doctrine, and wholesomeness of sentiment, commend them to
sensible and pious people. I have found them as useful as
interesting.
Those who still question whether the Negro in this country
is capable of education and "uplifting," will modify their
opinions when they read these sermons, or else will conclude
that their author is a very striking exception to what they
assume to be a general rule.
The subject of this article is one upon which much thought has been
spent, and yet, excepting the color of the skin and the texture of the
hair, the Negro has more the appearance of the white American than any
other race. A cultured colored woman, with gloves on her hands and a
veil on her face, is hard to distinguish from a cultured white woman a
little way off.
And the same is true of men when the complexion is not seen. We shall
take the position that the inherent possibility of the Negro is equal
to that of any race. Notwithstanding his environments are against him,
yet he has the inherent power to break through them, and will break
through them and reach the highest plane of Christian civilization.
This is indicated by the progress he has made in the few years in
which he has had any chance for development as an American citizen.
Almost everything has been against him. Every possible effort has been
employed by his enemies to keep him down; but in spite of all he
rises. Like Israel of old, the more he is oppressed the more he
prospers.
His possibility is indicated by the stock from which he comes.
It is the impression of many that the Negro has no history to which he
can point. There could be no greater mistake than this. If it had been
in the power of modern historians of the Caucasian race to rob him of
his history it would have been done. But the Holy Bible has stood as
an everlasting rock in the black man's defense. God himself has
determined that the black man shall not be robbed of his record which
he has made during the ages past.
The first and most illustrious of earth's historians has left on
record statements which set forth the fact beyond reasonable doubt
that an ancestor of the Negro race was the first of the earth's great
monarchs; and that that race ruled the world for a long period; and
the statements of Moses are confirmed by the testimonies of the
earliest secular historians, whose writings have come down to our
time. Ethiopia and Egypt were first among the early monarchies, and
these countries were peopled by the descendants of Ham, through Cush
and Mizraim.
Palestine was peopled by Canaan, the younger son of Ham, upon whom the
curse was pronounced; and, notwithstanding the curse, his posterity
ruled that land for hundreds of years. They were in it when the
promise of it was made to Abraham; and four hundred years later, when
Israel came out of Egypt, they were still in full possession of it.
And, although the land was promised to Israel, yet two tribes, the
Jebusites and Sidonians, resisted the attacks of Israel for more than
four hundred years after they entered upon their promised possessions.
Neither Joshua, nor the Judges of Israel, could drive them out. Not
until David became King were the Jebusites driven out from the
stronghold of Zion. (Even David failed to drive out the Sidonians.) It
was from the ancient seat of the Jebusites, Jerusalem, also called
Salem, the seat of royalty and power, that Melchizedek, the most
illustrious king, priest and prophet of that race, came forth to bless
Abraham, as seen in Gen. XIV., 18:19. There have been many wild
notions respecting this personage, for which there is no good reason.
Dr. Barnes, a standard author, whose commentaries have been adopted by
the Presbyterian Board, takes the position that there can be no
question but that Melchizedek was a Canaanite.
That the Phoenicians, who were the founders of Carthage in connection
with the original Africans, were the descendants of Canaan there ought
to be no question; but, since everything honorable to the Negro race
is questioned, we will simply give the testimony of Rollin. He says:
"The Canaanites are certainly the same people who are called almost
always Phoenicians by the Greeks, for which name no reason can be
given, any more than the oblivion of the true one." Thus it is seen,
that up to Rollin's time there was no question as to the fact that the
Phoenicians were Canaanites. Rollin did not know why this, instead of
the true name, was given; neither do we know; but we may easily
conjecture that, since it was the Greeks that gave this name instead
of the true one, it may have been their purpose to hide the fact that
the people to whom they were so greatly indebted were the descendants
of the accursed son of Ham. This would be in perfect accord with the
conduct of Caucasian authors now. We have also the testimony of Dr.
Barnes that the Phoenicians were descended from the Canaanites. In his
notes on Matt. XV., 22, of the woman of Canaan who met Jesus on the
coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he says: "This woman is also called a Greek,
a Syro-Phoenician by birth" (Mark VII., 26).
Anciently the whole land, including Tyre and Sidon, was in the
possession of the Canaanites, and called Canaan. The Phoenicians were
descended from the Canaanites. The country, including Tyre and Sidon,
was called Phoenicia or Syro-Phoenicia. That country was taken by the
Greeks under Alexander the Great, and these cities, in the time of
Christ, were Greek cities. This woman was therefore a Gentile, living
under the Greek government, and probably speaking that language. She
was by birth a Syro-Phoenician, born in that country, and descended
therefore from the ancient Canaanites. On the same text Dr. Abbott
says: "The term Canaan was the older title of the country and the
inhabitants were successively termed Canaanites and Phoenicians; as
the inhabitants of England were successively called Britons or
Englishmen."
Of Carthage we may remark that through all the hundreds of years of
its existence as an independent government, it remained a republic.
Rollin, speaking of the government, says: "The government of Carthage
was founded upon principles of most consummate wisdom; and it is with
reason that Aristotle ranks this republic in the number of those that
were held in the greatest esteem by the ancients, and which were fit
to serve as a model for others. He grounds his opinion on a reflection
which does great honor to Carthage, by remarking that from the
foundation to his time (that is, upward of five hundred years) no
considerable sedition had disturbed the peace, nor any tyrant
oppressed the liberty of the state. Indeed, mixed governments such as
that of Carthage, where the power was divided betwixt the nobles and
the people, are subject to the inconveniences either of degenerating
into an abuse of liberty by the seditions of the populace, as
frequently happened in Athens, and in all the Grecian republics, or in
the oppression of the public liberty by the tyranny of the nobles; as
in Athens, Syracuse, Corinth, Thebes, and Rome itself, under Sylla and
Caesar. It is, therefore, giving Carthage the highest praise to
observe that it had found out the art by the wisdom of its laws, and
the harmony of the different parts of its government, to shun during
so long a series of years, two rocks that are so dangerous, and on
which others so often split. It were to be wished that some ancient
author had left us an accurate and regular description of the customs
and laws of the famous republic."
While we agree with Rollin in his lament of the want of a more
complete history of that ancient Negro republic, yet, if those
Caucasians who are wont to arrogate to themselves all the excellencies
of the world, and deny that the Negro ever has been great, or ever can
be, would take time to read what has been written with sufficient care
to understand it, they would lose some of their self-conceit and add
much to their store of knowledge.
That the ancient Egyptians were black, both the Holy Scriptures and
the discoveries of science, as also the most ancient histories, most
fully attest. But as some profess to have doubts on this point, we
shall take some testimony, which, we think, no fair minded man will
attempt to dispute.
The Psalmist calls to memory the wonders which God wrought for his
people, and celebrates in song his dealings with Israel in Egypt, and
frequently calls Egypt the land of Ham. How can this be accounted for
if Egypt was not peopled by the posterity of Ham? But he goes further
than this; he calls their dwellings the tabernacles of Ham. "He smote
the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles
of Ham." Psalm lxvii, 51: "Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob
sojourned in the land of Ham." Psalm cv, 23: "He sent Moses, his
servant and Aaron whom he had chosen. They set among them his signs
and wonders in the land of Ham." Psalm cv, 26:27: "They forget their
God their Savior which had done great things in Egypt; wondrous things
in the land of Ham." (Psalm xvi, 21:22.)
The man who, after reading these passages, can doubt that the
Egyptians to whom Israel was in bondage were the descendants of Ham,
is beyond the reach of reason. The repetition seems designed to settle
this fact beyond question. We might add, if it were necessary, that
the Book of Canticles is an allegory, based upon Solomon's affection
for his beautiful black wife, the daughter of Pharaoh, King of Egypt.
In the sixty-eighth Psalm we have a prophecy which connects Egypt
with Ethiopia, as follows: "Princes shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia
shall soon stretch forth her hands unto God."
Rollin, in speaking of the fact, that all callings in Egypt were
honorable, gives this as a probable reason: "That as they all
descended from Ham, their common father, the memory of their still
recent origin, occurring to the minds of all in those first ages,
established among them a kind of equality, and stamped in their
opinion a nobility on every person descended from the common stock."
Again, treating of the history of the Kings of Egypt, Rollin says:
"The ancient history of Egypt comprises two thousand one hundred and
fifty-eight years; and is naturally divided into three periods. The
first begins with the establishment of the Egyptian monarchy by Menes
or Mizraim the son of Ham, in the year of the world 1816." On the next
page he says of Ham: "He had four children, Cush, Mizraim, Phut and
Canaan." After speaking of the settlements of the other sons he
returns to Mizraim and says: "He is allowed to be the same as Menes,
whom all historians declare to be the first king of Egypt."
In speaking of the sons of Ham, Rollin says: "Cush settled in
Ethiopia, Mizraim in Egypt, which generally is called in Scripture
after his name, and by that of Cham (Ham) his father."
That ancient Egypt was the seat of the arts and sciences, there can be
no doubt; the evidences of this still remain. The cities built by the
early kings of Egypt have been the wonder of all succeeding ages.
Sesostris stands at the head of the list of the great Egyptian
warriors. Rollin says: "His father, whether by inspiration, caprice,
or, as the Egyptians say, by the authority of an oracle, formed the
design of making his son a conqueror. * * * " (See Rollin, Vol. I, p.
161.)
The record given by Rollin indicates that Sesostris was among the
wisest, as well as among the most powerful monarchs of the earth.
Napoleon was a great warrior, but he died in exile, a prisoner of war.
Alexander was a great general, but he made a foolish march across a
desert country almost to the destruction of his army, for the foolish
purpose of worshipping at the shrine, and being called the son of
Jupiter Ammon. This so discouraged his forces that he never
accomplished the object of his ambition.
Sesostris made no such blunders in his campaigns. He went forth
conquering until he met a providential interposition; his climax of
wisdom was displayed in his turning back when he discovered that not
merely mortal beings, but the Great Immortal, opposed his further
conquest.
He returned to his own country to enjoy in peace and prosperity the
fruits of his unparalleled victories. His conduct toward those cities
which resisted in attacks most stubbornly was in striking contrast to
that of Alexander. As Alexander advanced to invade Egypt, he found at
Gaza a garrison so strong that he was obliged to besiege it. It held
out a long time, during which he received two wounds; this provoked
him to such a degree that when he had captured the place he treated
the soldiers and inhabitants most cruelly.
Sesostris, on the other hand, was pleased with those who defended
their possessions most bravely; the degree of resistance which he had
to overcome was denoted by him in hieroglyphical figures on monuments.
The more stubborn the resistance, the greater the achievement; and the
more worthy the people to become his subjects.
If the descendants of the accursed son of Ham could establish and
maintain for five hundred years a republic which was never disturbed
by sedition nor tyranny, and enjoyed a civilization in some respects
better than the boasted American civilization, there is no reason why
any other branch of Ham's family may not attain to the highest and
best civilization.
Our opinion is, that within two hundred and fifty years the American
Negro will reach that Christian civilization taught by the Son of God
to a degree equal to any race on the face of the globe. He has in him
the elements for such a civilization to a degree not possessed by some
other races.
But the limit allowed this article has been reached.
TOPIC III.
HOW CAN THE FRIENDLY RELATIONS NOW EXISTING BETWEEN THE TWO RACES IN
THE SOUTH BE STRENGTHENED AND MAINTAINED?
BY HON. H. P. CHEATHAM.
[Illustration: Hon. H. P. Cheatham]
HENRY PLUMMER CHEATHAM.
Men who attain to real leadership and those who lift as they
climb; broad in mental resource, generous, and strong in
manly impulse, they forget self and become the embodiment of
principles that make genuine progress and win the hearts of
their comrades by the compelling force of character and
personal magnetism. Promoting the well-being of a race,
multiplying the happiness of the individual, these captains
of moral thought practically accept the duty marked out by
the Great Teacher and "cause two blades of grass to grow
where but one grew before."
Such a man as pictured above is Henry Plummer Cheatham, one
of the most successful forces in the public life of the
twentieth century Negro. His career has been visited by
success because he has richly deserved it. Mr. Cheatham was
born in Henderson, N. C., some forty-odd years ago. He was
educated in the public schools of his county and at Shaw
University, of his native state. He was a promising lad, and
with prophetic spirit laid deep the foundation upon which a
brilliant character was to be built. His first public office
was that of registrar of deeds in his native county. So
conspicuous was his work and so worthily did he impress
himself upon the judgment of the people, Mr. Cheatham was
nominated and elected to the Fifty-first Congress, and was
again chosen to sit in the Fifty-second Congress. When
President McKinley reached the White House, one of his
earliest appointments was that of Mr. Cheatham to be
Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, a post which
has come to be regarded as carrying the insignia of
leadership in the political councils of the race. That he
has performed his duties capably and zealously, goes without
saying. He is an ardent adherent of the merit system, and in
both appointments and promotions the merit system has been
his invariable guide, declining to be influenced by
considerations of person, politics, religion or color. He
has been instrumental in enrolling more Afro-Americans upon
the governmental roster than any other Negro living.
Mr. Cheatham is a positive race man and is a foremost
champion of the idea that the Negro's best development must
come along natural lines, and that material progress is as
much the result of sensible and persistent individual effort
as of legislation and adventitious aid. He believes in
practical education for the masses, technical education for
the captains of professional thought and industrial
leadership. He is unusually effective upon the "stump," and
has been heard with pleasure and profit in many states
during national campaigns.
Prosperity to a nation is most secure when all elements and classes of
that nation are at peace, one with the other. Christianity reaches the
height of its sacred mission when the spirit of co-operation and
brotherly love is most conspicuously in evidence. National prestige
and the influence of a people in the councils of the world are
invincible when the contributing forces of the land are happy and
united. The problems of civilization are solved when wars are silenced
and "rumors of wars" are heard no more.
America, as we have come to call the land of our birth, has not grown
to her present proud proportions upon "flowery beds of ease." Her
strong place among the powers of the earth has not been gained without
resort to martial strife. But, it is a gratifying fact, that up to
this hour every struggle against outside foes has made American people
stronger from within, and every victory, in our long, unbroken line of
successful campaigns, has bred a warmer spirit of homogeneity and knit
us together in closer bonds as a national unit. Foreign foes offer our
country no danger to-day. Our army and navy are without peers upon the
globe, and, despite our marvelous sketch of coast line, we have
nothing to fear from foreign invasion.
The disease that threatens us _most_ is from within. If salvation be
needed, we must pray to be "saved from ourselves." To "make clean our
hearts"--to face in proper spirit the duty that lies before us--should
be the earnest supplication of every true American citizen. A spirit
of unity is our urgent need at the opening of the 20th century.
Thanks to the wise economic policies of those intrusted with the reins
of legislation and government, our country is enjoying a period of
unexampled commercial prosperity. Business is booming, money is easy,
crops are abundant and labor is receiving a fair return for energy
expended. But, in our mad rush for the material things of life are we
not forgetting the spiritual wants of the citizen, are we not
neglecting the moral qualities that make nations enduring and the
principles that must live when cities decay and dynasties cease to be?
In fine are we not veering too far from the altruism of our fathers,
in the apparent subordination of human rights to the acquisition of
power and of wealth? This dangerous ambition breeds in our midst
socialism and industrial unrest, exemplified in strikes and lockouts.
It fosters anarchy--a spirit of lawlessness, from which but a few
weeks ago the nation suffered the loss of a beloved chief magistrate.
It stirs up racial antagonisms, and defies the ameliorating influences
of Christian brotherhood. All difficulties surrounding our labor
problems, however, are easy of solution, for while capital and
mechanical industry may be frequently at war for one reason or
another, the outbreaks are merely sporadic and short lived. They are
invariably adjusted, from time to time, either through arbitration or
equitable concessions. Capital and industry are of one color, and the
complications are purely superficial. The one contention, that
"passeth all understanding" and which defies the skill of the
ethnologist, the psychologist, and all who deal with the ancestral or
philosophical aspects of mankind, is the "race-problem."
I say "race problem" advisedly, because sociologists, in analyzing the
issues growing out of the relations between the white American and the
colored American, have eliminated from the discussion all difficulties
surrounding their settlement--save the impossible effacement of race
or color. All have admitted that the bronzed American may have
character, intellect, capacity, wealth, industry and comeliness--yet
he is a social "Pariah" because of his social identification. A
problem that otherwise would be simple is thus converted into a
perpetual issue by reason of race, and hence we have a "race problem."
The race issue is particularly acute at the South--not because the
Southern Negro differs materially from his Northern brother in
character or attainments--but because in the Southern states the Negro
abounds in the greatest numbers, and because upon her fertile soil he
was once held in bondage. As a slave, the Negro came to be regarded as
one whose inferiority must continue from generation to generation. The
Civil War brought freedom in its wake, and one of its results was to
clothe the emancipated servitor with the full vestments of
citizenship. By proclamation and legislation, the ex-slave was made
the political equal of his white master, and if numbers are to be
counted the slave class became the superior force in the reconstructed
Southland. That the new Negro citizen was honest and well-meaning, no
one doubts. It must be confessed, however, that the masses were
ignorant of the high responsibilities charged to them, and it is but
natural that many mistakes were unwittingly made. Indeed, the wonder
is not that many errors could be laid at the door of the amateur
"statesman," lawmakers and suffragists, but that more grievous
blunders were not made. The result, all things considered, is highly
creditable to the heads and hearts of the leaders of that trying
epoch. The masters did not take kindly to the seeming domination of
their former bondmen. The anomalous situation was made infinitely
worse by the gross frauds and maladministration of Northern white
carpet-baggers, who misled the trusting Negro into false channels and
bred in the minds of the landowners and former slave-magnates a bitter
hatred for all that savored of the Negro and the party that they held
responsible for their humiliation. Readers of history are familiar
with the stirring scenes that went abreast with the efforts of the
whites to free themselves from the consequences of the war. With the
accession of President Hayes came the restoration of the democracy to
local control in the Southern states. All are acquainted with the
"reign of terror" and the depredations of red-shirted adventurers and
night-riders. The instinct of white supremacy solidified that section,
and later came the era of lynchings. General disorder prevailed
wherever the racial problem was brought actively to the fore.