SPEECHES & WRITINGS FILE "The Negro Woman and the 
Church," April 29, 1907

Delivered at Atlanta, Ga.
and
Portions of Original at
Shiloh Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
Sunday, April 29, 1907

The Negro Woman and the Church
                                                       [*Over*]
The two greatest preachers the world has ever seen received valuable assisance 
from women. Both Jesusu Christ and  Paul numbered women among their 
most faithful followers, while they were here in the flesh preaching repentance 
and redemption to a sin cursed world. As the inspired words fell frm 
the lips of the Son of God, none listened with more rapture and deeper conviction 
than did the women who xame in crowds to hear him. Over against the murderous 
plot of the chief men of Bethany, in striking contrast to the  
treachery of one of the beloved disciples, who should have cheerfully liad 
down his own life rather than allow one hair of his divine leaders head to 
be harmed stands the woman with the alabaster box, who came to pour, containing the precious ointment upon the savior.         So, As often as the attention of the 
world is directed to this woman's deed, do we fulfill the wish of Christ, who 
requested that what this woman had done should be told throughout the 
world, wherever the gospel is preached
When Pontius Pilate pronounced the sentence by which the betrayed leader 
was delivered over to the soldiers to be crucified, there were ringing in 
his ears the words of a wman, the protest of his wife, who begged him to 
have nothing to do with that just man. When the martyred Son of God yielded 
up the Ghost upon the [shameful] cross, there were none in that vast concourse 
who looked upon this greatest tragedy of all the ages with deeper sorrow 
and keener grief than thw women, who had follwed Jesus in such numbers 
from Galilee. The 
The devotion which the women showed the head of the Christian Church was 
equalled only by the loyalty with which after his crucifixion they [adhered] espoused 
to the apostle's cause. Lydia's zeal for the conversion of her household 
after her own heart had been touched and opened to the truth by the fervent 
eloquence of Paul [*was*] were doubtless repeated in the women of her time over 
and over again. In Dorcas we have as fine specimen of theideal Christian



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woman as can be found in the whole history of the Church. This great exemplar
of Christian womanhood was full of good works and [alms] deeds which
she did.  There is nothing to indicate that she was differntly constructed
from her sisters, and it is certain that she could use her tongue as
nimbly and as continuously as the average woman, if she had so desired.
But Dorcas depended more upon her good works than she did upon her pious
well chosen words to show that she was a follower of Christ
In looking around for a messenger to [convey] take his letter to the Corinthians
Paul selected a woman  Phebe's tact and faithfulness had been proved and
he entrusted her with this important commission  Both [she] Priscilla and Aquilla her husband had
not only rendered invaluable service to him and his righteous cause, but
they had both laid down their necks for his life, he says
[*Lydia Phebe and Priscilla Dorcas*]
The attitude of these and other women whose records are so simply and
beautifully told typifies that of mighty host, whose good deeds and noble
lives have blessed the world for two thousand years. As women during the
time that Christ walked upon the earth were among the first to hear and [*accept*] believe
the salvation which he freely offered, so since that time they have often been
among foremost in spreading his kingdom and promoting his cause
Upon the women of no race have the truths of the Christian religion taken
a deeper and firmer hold than upon the colored women of the United States.
During the dark days of slavery the promises of Christ which they themselves
were forbidden to read, but which reached them through one channel or
another sustained them and helped them to endure their wrongs with Christian
fortitude and grace. So far as in her lay none [were] was more faithful in
the discharge of the [his] duties to the church than was the slave woman upon
whom the sorrows and horrors of [slavery] bondage fell with her greatest weight.
No one who studies the history of the Negro Chuch can fail to see what
 [*knows the manner in which Christian ideals have been
planted in the race mind & heart of the race*] 
an important part the women of the race have played in its development
and growth.  Considering the amount of work which they have accomplished
one can not help regretting that the record has been so poorly kept

There is a very good reason why one day day in 
the year should be set aside by the church as Womans Day. 
For throughout the centuries the relation 
existing between women and the church has been 
very important and very close - Two of the greatest



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Immediately after emancipation ignorance of the church officers and of 
the women themselves easily accounts for the absence of chronicles setting 
forth either the amount or the kind of service which the latter rendered.
[After] Since a wider diffusion of education among the masses has made such a record possible, the necessity of accurately preparing and carefully preferring[paring] 
facts bearing upon the various phases of our development has not been generally 
felt.  But even from the meagre information which it is possible 
to obtain from newspaper clippings, from pamphlets, from bits of chapters 
in books and from conversations with those who have labored longest and 
most effectively in the church, it is clear that woman's contribution to 
the [growth] development & growth and development has been valuable and large.
The [largest] oldest colored Baptist Chuch in America, the frist African of Savannah 
Ga, which now has a membership of five thousand or more, had its origin 
in a nucleus of three colored women and one man, who organized this church 
in a barn in 1788.  The nineteenth Street Baptist Church of Washington D/ 
home of the most active and best known churches of that denomination had 
a similar origin. The oldest white Baptist church in America, the First 
Baptist of Providence R.I. received its first great spiritual awakening in 
1774, as the result of the conversion and addition to its fold of two 
colored women.  Prior to this time according to the records Dr.  Manning who 
was officiating as president of what is now Brown University had preached 
to great acceptance, but without much visible success. But the piety of and 
fervor of these two colored women infused new life and spirit into the 
church, and from the time they joined it began to grow in numbers as well 
as in usefulness.  The old edifice soon became too small and a new one was 
built, which for a long tome was the largest and most remarkable edifice 
of the kind among the Baptists of this country.
So far in the research which I made I discovered as I can learn the part played by colored women in the organization 
and growth of the Baptist Church is duplicated in the history of every 
other denomination with which they have been largely connected.

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The same commendable zeal which colored women have shown in establishing 
houses of worship has been displayed in [maintaining] supporting them and in assisting 
in every kind and department of work in which the Church has engaged designed to promote the spiritual life of the race.
The pastor of one of the largest colored churches in Washington told me that at
least two thirds of the membership of his church are women. In the average church said he "I believe",
[said he] "you will find that the membership of the women will outnumber
that of the men in about the same proportion as obtains in my own church.
"Do our women contribute money for the support of the Church as liberally as
[do] men?" said I. It has been my observation and experience", said he,"that
if one hundred men are asked to contribute money for any object whatever
connected with the church and one hundred women are asked to contribute
money [toward] for the same purpose, the women will generally give twice as much
as the men". While [*I was making this research*] continuing my investigation of this phase of the subject
the ministers of other denominations bore practically the same
testimony both with reference to the predonerance in membership of the
women over the men and with reference to the liberality with which women
contribute to the support of the church. "About three fourths of the regular
attendants upon prayer meetins are women", said one minister from whom
I tried to obtain the facts; which tallied with the statements of others
to whom I went ofr information. When one pastor differed with another
either concerning the numerical superiority of the women over the men, or
concerning the liberality of the women as compared with that of the men, 
or concerning the zeal with which they respectively fulfilled their obligations
to the cgurch, the difference in the testimony was so slight as
not to materially alter the balance one way or the other. In the temporance
reform, in the foreign and home missionary work as conducted by the church, in the efforst which some
denominations have made to found and maintain eduacational institutions o
for our youth, colored women have rendered in valuable service. If it
were possible to asceratin the exact amount of [women] money which the colored
women of the United States have contributed during the past forty years



5
through the Woman's Mite Missionary Society of thr African Metjodist episcopal
Church, or through the various women's organizations of the other denominations,
established for the purpose of raising funds for the spread of Christ's
kingdom throughout the world, the figures would be as astounding as they are
gratifying and creditable to the women. This is particularly true, when it is remembered
that the majority of the women, who contribute to the church are poor in
this worlds goods, if they are rich in the possession of Christ's spirit,
are many of them obliged to earn their own living ands well as aid in the
support of their families often dependent upon them for support.There is no doubt that a thorough investigation
of the subject would show that a great portion of the money by which [*which has supported institutions designed to lift the life of the race upon a high plane*]
the majority of our churches have been suppority has been contributed by
[our] women who stood early and late at [by] the wash tub [or] and ironing board, or as cooks
who were able to command good wages by reason of their skill in concocting
toothsome dishes with which to tickle the palate of their employers.
In the midst of the gloom and discouragement by which
we are so constantly, I had almost said, increasingly surrounded, it is
well to cast about for some sure foundation upon which to build hope for
the years to come. Surely the loyalty and zeal displayed by colored women
n theior relation to the[ir] church is solid ground upon which to build bright
hopes. In studying the conditions inwhich the Negro finds himself to day
and the problems which confront him, the question naturally arises how can his
peculiar needs be met in the best way? How can the greatest number beinfluenced
and reached most quickly and effectively? This question is easily
amswered by any one who knows what an important part the Negro Church has
already played in the development of the race,? Even though women join the
church in greater numbers than the men, it is doubtful whether women have
greated confidence in the church and [its] respect the opinion of the ministers
on questionspertaining to secular affairs more than the men.
Every body knows what a tremendous power the average church wields
It is an open secret that it is difficult to succeed in any enterprise or




6
movement, in which the help of the masses is needed, unlessthe ministers 
place their seal of approval upon it and speed it on its way
In a certain city with a population of at least eighty thousand colored 
people an effort was made a few years ago to establish a Young Men's Christ 
Association.  A few earnest souls worked early and late to compass this ed 
and finally succeeded in founding it but it soon came to an untimely end.  The life of this Christian Association 
for young colored men was of very short duration, because the ministers 
of the city did not give it their support.  Those who were most deeply 
interested in this worthy enterprise declared that this Christian Association 
for young colored men was a failure, because the churches of the 
city did not give it their support.  Whether this particular case be true 
or not, there is no doubt of the tremendous power wielded over the masses 
of the people by the Negro church.   If we call the church a throne from
wjic decrees and manifestos are most effectively issued to the race, because 
most loyally and implicitly obeyed, we must conclude[d] that the power 
behind that throne is a woman  If that has not been true in the past, it 
can and certainly should be true in the future.
In an effort to glean facts concerning the relation of colored women to 
their church, I sought information from as many and as varied sources as 
possible.  There was not a single minister with whom I talked or to whom 
I wrote, who did not cheerfully admit that the women of his particular 
church had [not] contributed more to the material as well as the spiritual 
growth of the church than had the men.  In church work of all kinds it 
was the universal testimony that they had borne the heat and burden of the 
day.  As has already been stated the nucleus around which many of the larg 
and most useful churches among colored people have grown has been mainly 
composed of women. There are very few churches in which the membership 
of the women does not greatly exceed that of the men.  When the church is 
in debt, or needs to be repaired; when the minister is obliged to take a 
vacation in order to get a rest; when a camp meeting is planned and the 



7
multitudes are to be fed, then in the hour of their [*such*]deep distress the 
eyes of the pastor and the deacons and the trustees are fastened with one 
accord upon the women of the flock.  The statement, therefore, that woman in those institutions designed to lift the race to a higher plane
has been the power behind the church throne can not be considered an exaggeration 
of the facts, even though there may be some objection to the form 
in which the fact is [stated] expressed.  There is such a thing as being strong withount knowing one's actual strength.  If the horse knew how much stronger 
he is than the man, it would be impossible to curb him with bridle and bit 
Ignorant of his superior strength, a little child can drive him.
The varied tragedy of human life presents few spectacles more pathetic 
than that of a human being ignorant of the mental or spiritual strength 
with which a beneficient Providence has endowed him.  In reviewing some of the past phases of the Negro Church one must perforce conclude that the women in 
many instances were not aware of the power which they possessed.  If they 
had been, it is only fair to them to presume that they would have exerted themselves more strenuously and conscientiously than they did to remedy some of the evils which exist, and to inaugurate the reforms [without] which [*will enable us to reach a
higher goal*] as a race it it will be 
impossible for us to reach a higher moral or spiritual plane.
To me the strength of colored women in the church is one of the most hopeful 
signs of the future, as it has been one of the greatest blessings in 
the past, in spite of evils which have crept in and the defects which anybody 
who has studied the subject might easily name.  It was inevitable that 
that mistakes should have been made by an ignorant ministry, however great 
their desire to do and be good  The only object lessons on morality which they had 
been received had come through the medium of slavery, and that institution was not calculated to set their standard of morality very high.  It was also quite [?] [inevitable] 
that [an] ignorant laymen in the church should wink at blemishes 
of character in the ministry which a more enlightened people would not 
endure.  When one considers how dense was the ignorance which shrouded the 
intellect both of the clergy and laity of the Negor church, the and remembers

8
that slavery placed a premium upon transgressions of the moral law/
the wonder is, not that evils crept into the Negro church, but that it 
has in the main exerted such a powerful influence for good.  Through the 
medium of the church the colored people have learned lessons along many 
lines which could not possible have been taught them in any other way, 
and they have gained strength which could not have bee developed through 
any other source.  In staring disagreeable facts in the face, justice 
demads that we cheerfully acknowledge the great good which has come through 
the medium of the church.
As great as has been the work accomplished by the Negro church, if there 
is one lesson more than another which the past forty years teach us, it 
is the crying need, the absolute necessity of an educated moral ministry.
It is difficult to imagine how the colored women of the country could 
render a greater service to the race than by insisting that the men who 
want to be [the] its spiritual guides of the race and who stand in the 
sanctuary [of the] as representatives of the Most High God shall present 
themselves pure and spotless before the world.
Every woman who respects herself and, is truly interested in the welfare 
of her race should see to it, so far as in her lies, that none other shall 
preach in the church to which she belongs.  The woman who knows that the 
minister whom she supports either by her money or her presence at the 
services which she conducts, isda whited sepulchre and a moral leper, and 
does nothing but shake her head sorrowfully and sigh sadly about the is 
derelict in her duty and is recreant to her trust.  There are thoughtful 
men, who are generally considered as charitable as they are thoughtful, who 
insist that the responsibility of retaining in the ministry men who spread 
moral ruin, wherever they go, rests entirely with the women of the race.
This charge against us [the women of the race] is grave and solemn indeed.  
God grant that it is false.
"I was invited to deliver an address in a certain town not long ago," sid



9
one of the best known men of the race,"and in the course of my remarks I
took occasion to score the colored churches for allowing menwho despoil
our women and defile the home to disgrace their sacred callin.  When I had
finished my address", said he, "a man who was a member of the cburch in
which I spoke took me aside and asked me who had been talking to me ablut
his monister.  "I know nothing whatever about your pastor". said I "was
describing a class and not any one particular individual.  "Well, said the
man, "you hit the nail square on the head.  Every word you said about him
was true". "Why dont you get rid of such a disgrace upon our ministry
I asked. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves to keep him"? sai I
"We dont dare to touch him", insisted ther man. "If we tried to get rid
of that minister, the women would raise the very roof off the church".
In pondering the significance of this anecdote, it is well to consider
that the individual who told it first is a man and he who related it to em is [the] man
with certain inherited tendencies from his great grand father, Adam.
When it comes to unloading responsibility for any fault or defect in the
church as elsewhere, the average man, whether black, white grizzle or gray
may be safely depended upon to make his scapegoat, a woman. Lord, this
woman thou gavest me, she did eat at the apple is still the height of fashion
and the very latest thing in ethics as dispensed to woman by man.
Whatever sin of omission colored women may have committed in the past,
either through ignorance of their responsibility or of their power, let
them clear their skirts by acting vigor and determination in the years to
come. Let them cry out against the clerical hypocrites who in the cloak
of religion commit crimes against the human and devine law of which demons
should be ashamed. When the women insist that the pulpit shall be pure,
the day of the immoral minister shall darken to dawn no more. It may be
urged and justly so, that in spite of the fact that women work more industriously
and conscientiously for the upbuilding of the Mormon church, yet the government
of the church rests almost entirely in the hands of men. Though in


10
the majority of instances women have no vote in the management of church
affairs, they certainly have a voice, and I have never known a woman not
a mute, who could not use her voice  In addition to a voice a woman has
an influence which with her great numbers in the church can be used with
powerful effectto correct abuses and inaugurate reforms  It is inconceivable
that a body of women with only average intelligence, superior in numbers
and valiant for the right should be powerless to throttle vice in the church, when
ever it rears its hideous head  Once acknowledge the numerical strength
of [the] women in the church and admit how dependent [the] its officers and ministers
[of the church] are uponthem both for [the] its financial support and for the conduct
of most of its affairs, and woman's responsibility and duty to the Negro Church becomes
apparent at once It is sometimes necessary to stare a disagreeable
fact in the face, no matter how much it pains us or our best friends to do
so   In no other way is it possible to remedy evils  and correct mistakes
Everybody knows that chrafges of immorality are frequently preferred a
against the ministers of our churches  Some of them are unjust, perhaps
We fear that some of them are true   Bishop Payne of blessed memory lamented
to the day of his death that the puppit of the Negro Church was not
as pure as it should be, and used every means in his power to make it so
Let the war against immorality in the pulpit which this sainted man so
heroically began be continually waged by our women, until this great one
my to our homes is vanquished and the victory is ours
Not long ago Bishop Satterlee discoursed upon the peril of this repiblic.
All the nations of the world", said he, "which had not the ideal of purity
of the home have gone to pieces  When the fimily is destroyed, all
other governments crumble away"     If the pulpit of the Negro Church is
imoure, how is it possible for the masses of the race to acquire the righ
conceptionof morality? When the source of the fountain is polluted, the
water throughout is impure   The guardianship of the home is placed in
the care and keeping of woman  If the women of the race see to it, that



11
the ministers, who occupy the pulpits of our churches set  a good example
for our boys and girls  If the Bishop of a church composed of men and
women belinging to a race blessed with centuries of education, culture
and refinement back of them, and opportunities of the best secular and
religious instruction ever present with them feels the need of warning
such a people against impurity of the home, how mu ch more is such counsel
needed by a race just emorging from the most brutalizing and dehumanizinc
slavery the world has ever seen  If the Negro pulpit church is contaminated by men,
whose daily lives reek with impurity, then the homes of the race are doomed
With an educated moral ministry what can not be accompished through the
medium of the church?If the chuch is the lever by which the race can be
most easily raised to a higher plane, the the hand that moves the lever
is woman's
It is the consensus of opinion in this country that colored people
[The Negro is] are naturally religious and emotional   According to statistics,
if the census can be trusted to throw any light upon the subject, the Negro
is the most religious citizen in the United States  More than one
third of our group [the Negro population] was enrolled as active members of the churches,
according to the latest figures Iw as able to obtain  While less than
 one third of the white population belong to church. With so many of the
race already in the church/ and with such a large proportion of them
women, there is no reason to lament that although the harvest is white,
 the laborers are few. The only cause ofr apprehension or discouragement
is simply whether the laborers realize how solemn and stupendous is their
obligation and how best to perform their work.  When one considers in
what crowds the colored people of this country flock to their churches,
and couples with that fact the numerical strength of the women in the church,
the responsibility resting upon [the latter] women appears tremendous, indeed
But How glorious is the opportunity possessed by earnest colored women ,who
are eager to influence the masses of their people for good' [*Over*]
The needs of [our people] the race were never greater than they are to day

12
Opposition and prejudice and injustice confront us at every turn
Problems are constantly presenting themselves which we alone can solve  
Questions [are constantly] continually arise [arising] which can be answered by the [the Negro] our group alone  
What is the wisest course to pursue? When shall we keep silent and when 
shall we speak? When shall we courageously resist our detractors and persecutors the enemy and when 
shall we patiently endure?  All these questions and many others [must] should be answered by those who have trod the path of wisdom and are filled with 
the spirit of Christ [with] tormented by foes without and fears within [the Negro at the] present time we need[s] the counsel of consecrated intelligent men as we never did before [if it ever did] 
To the pulpit [the Negro] our group has a right to look for such wisdom and consecration  With such men in the pulpit and with earnest, Christian women 
in the pew, [the Negro] our Church would become such a power for righteousness 
and progress that neither height nor depth, nor pwers nor principalities, 
mnor things present nor things to come could keep us from reaching the goal toward 
it is our christian to strive. [which we strive]  There is every reason to hope that under such conditions 
many of the weaknesses and defects which most seriously handicap and hinder 
us would dissapear like chaff before the wind.  The women have a 
right to demand that the ministers shall come as near this ideal as it is 
possible for mortal man to attain   They have the power to prevent those 
who fall far short of this standard from exercising a baleful influence 
upon their race
Broadened & deepened by the culture which it is possible for them to secure
Colored women will surely reach the summit of their opportunity and measure
up to the highest standard, if the future is to be judged by the past
Opposed by obstacles which would have,discouraged the womanhood of almost
any other race, colored women have forged bravely ahead, until to day
there are few fields of labor, in which they have not achieved a brilliant
success  In the church, in the home, in the school room, through the men
of organizations of all kinfs the work accomplished by colored women in
their ignorance and weakness is a veritable miracle of modern times
Against disadvantages of all kinds col red women have been obliged to contend



13
Temptation of every kind has met them at ebery turn  Ignorant
women and inexperienced girls have received but little protection either
[*From page 11*]
from piblic sentiment or form the law. If colored women so [Despised on account of their race and] terribly handicapped by ignorance and weakness on account of their sex. If colored women by their ignorance
and weakness have accomplished so much which has redbunded to the
good and glory of the race during the past [forty years] eighty, what may we not
expect such energetic, resourceful, courageous women to achieve through
the same medium in the [forty] 80 years that are to come? With wider knowledge
greater consecration, more practical methods, and more carefully laid
palns, there is every reason to believe that the influence for good which
colored women will exert in all points which most vitally affect the
race will exceed anything of which the most sanguine have dared to dream
Nowhere will the influence of this enlightened womanhood be exerted with
greater power and beneficence than upon the church  Already in the institutional
Chirch a more practical Xhristianity is leading our women in
paths of usefulness which they have never trod before In a visit to an
institutional church situated ina Western city  I saw such an evidence of
this consecrated, practical Christianity as made my heart leap for joy
Little children from poverty stricken, crime breeding homes were here
gathered into a kindergarten, directed by capable, cultured young women,
whose very presence among these little unfortunates was at once an object
lesson, an inspiration and a boon  Let us try to save the youth of this
wicked section, said the officers of this Institutional Church, by providing
in the church itself aroom which will be more attractive and more comfortable
than the the haunts of vice, which they usually frequent. [to their
sorrow and ruin"]  And straightway a reading room was [established] provided for
these boys,  It was well [provided] stocked with interesting books and papers which
would most appeal to their taste.  From the alleys reeking with disease
and crime, from the vious resorts which were leading them to ruin, score
of boys came to avail themselves of the of the books and papers in the

14
[*provided by the Church
a [cos?ff] quarters
reading room, the very atmosphere of which helped to raise their idols
[a variety of ways (there is no doubt) that)
What a power for good the Institutional Church may become (a power for good) to the children,
and surely special efforts should be exerted in behalf of children  How much the youth of a despised and persecuted race need such special 
efforts put forth in their behalf who are not only underprivileged but who are victims of a
cruel prejudice directed against their race. Surely the need of our children
can not be more appropriately met than through the church, and through no
agency in the church than by the women. Could the work with children be done better than by the women?  It would be a waste of energy
[*See page 17- In spite of the full owrk our women have
done in the church & page 17*]
and time to discuss whether the Negro Church has done everything possible
for the salvation and welfare of the children in the past. We must
do our duty in the future however. Outside of the home and the school there is
no medium through which children may be more quickly and effectively reached
than though the church  For reasons which are clear to all who read the
signs of the times, it will be possible for the Negro Church to wield a
more powerful influence in the future than it has in the past  Effourst
Efforts are constantly making in certain sections of the country to curtail
the educational facilities of colored children  Already in one state
at least a law has been enacted by which the public schools are prohibited
from givine colored children instruction higher than the third or fourth
grade. This state furnishes its colored youth with a smattering of reading,
writing and arithmetic and then turns them adrift to shift for themselves
In certain states there has been persistent effort toenact a
law by which only so many schools shall be provided for colored childrens
as the taxes paid by the Negro himself will support   Be as optimistic
as one may, therefore, he can not help, seeing how rapidly the clouds are
gathering over our heads  No one but the Lord God of Hosts, who delivered
us in the past, knows when the evil machinations of those who seek to
retard our progress will come to naught
But if the efficacy of the Negro school is being lessened by statutes which
contract its curriculum and this minimize the benefits accruing therefrom
which our children might otherwise receive, the heavy hand of the law can
not be laid upon the Negro Church   Thank God  That, at least will remain



15
tact. Let us see to it, therefore that we make it a means of mental and
moral as well as spiritual salvation to the race
The idea that the duty of the Church consists manily in teaching men how
to die [has been] was exploded years ago  Every knows to day that the paramont
duty of the Church is to trach men how to live  Men who live righteously
die so  Behold then, what a great work for the upbuilding of the
race can be wrought by colored women through the Church Innumerable little
waifs and strays, whose lives are so full of bitterness and woe might be
reached and influence for good  Anathemas are constantly hurled against
the youth of the race  They are lazy and unreliable and good for nothing
we are told  But do those who hurl this charge agianst our boys and girls
ever stop to think what little incentive to effortthey have? How barren
of hope is the future of many, how many and how heavy are the onstacles
which their youth and weakness are obliged to remove, before they can take
one step ahead?  It is the duty of the Negro Church to concern itself
more anxiously about the children  It is imperative that the mothers
and daughters of the race bend every energy toarouse the conscience of
the church officials to a sense of their obligations to the young
Think how many young hearts might be brightened, how much youth despair
dispelled, how many lofty idelas instilled into boys and girls, whose environment
is degrading, if there were a concerted movement among the women
of the churches to compass this end
The quickest and best way to elevate any race is through the children
Nobody is better fitted by nature to undertake this work than the mothers
of the race  There is no better place to commence and comtinue this work
than in the church
All over the country there is an imperative need of day nurseries, so that
women with small children who are forced to contribute to their support
may have the opportunity to work  Many a mother who would be glad to assist
in the support of her family is unable to do so, because there is no one



16
with whom to leave her baby, while she plies her trade.  It is unfortunae
that the mother of a young baby should be obliged to leave it for any 
reason whatsoever, but since such [an] conditions frequently confront us, 
it is necessary to deal with them in the best possible way   The heart
of many a woman who is naturally tender and kind is hardened and her conscience 
is seared, because she is obliged to neglect her baby in order
to provide herself with food   Scores of women look their babies up in a  
room all dayand leave them alone, because they can hire no one to attend
to its wants   Girls are sometimes driven to commit awful crimes, because 
it is difficult to secure employment with a baby, and it is frequently 
impossible to find any one to care for the child A few months ago in New 
York city a beautiful young white girl was sentenced to the penetentiary
for life for the murder of her infant    Homeless and peniless and friend
less she left the hospital one night in a driving snow storm, when her
baby was only ten days old    She tried to secure employment, but nobody
wanted a girl with a baby, so she did not succeed    Then the ubfortunate
young women tried to place her baby in foundling asylum, but the doors
of all these were locked and barred    With starvation a staring her in the 
face and mad with grief the woman rushed to a pond in a beautiful
park and drowned her child    Pity this girl as we may, we stand aghast at 
her crime     But are the citizens of New York altogether guiltless? Is it
 not a sad commentary upon the civilization and the charity of the age that 
in a great city like New York a girl willing to work should be impelled
to take the life of her child, because she was unable to secure employment
with it, and no institution would receive it?  If such conditions 
confront unfortunate white girls, how much more do colored girls similarly
situated stand in need succor in their distress?
You tell me that the Church work is necessarily limited, that [it can not under] all the
burdens of the world can not & should be by the [Church?]
[take a much of to shoulder many of the world's burdens which somebody should]

                                                   

                                                         17
This is true to a certain extent But surely no effort to aid the suffering 
or to comfort the [alleviate] distress and should be considered unworthy the fostering care
of the church      There are few chariries of which the deserving poor
among our women stnd in greater need than of the day Nursery, and there
are few wants that could be better met by yhe women in our churches than
this    How could the Negro Church better follow in the footsteps of Christ
than by caring for its most unfortunate children, thousnads of whom while 
they are yet in swaddling bads are physically wrecked by neglect for which
their mothers are not always to blame
              The highest and best examp,e of the ideal Christian is Jesus
Christ, to whose tender heart the innocence and helplessness of chilhood
strongly appealed  [There could be] No more beautiful attribute to the innocence
and sweetness and purity of childhood than that paid by [Jesus] the Savior
Christ, when in describing the Kingdom of Heaven he declared that the 
saints who dwell there possess attributes like those of the little child
Let us follow in the footsteps of our great teacher and leader, the Head
of the Christian Church by tenderly caring for our children
[*In spite of the fine work our women have done they have failed to exert themselves as much as they might & should have on behalf of a group which sorely needed their air*]  [*over*]
So far as in us lies, let us to it that the Church throw its protectig
arms around our unfortunate erring girls, some whom certainly would be glad
to redeem an unfortunate past, if the Christian women of the race would 
[*give them a chance*] afford then an opportunity of living a right   If hose of us who have
been blesses with superior advantages, if those of us who claim to have
Christ's love in  our hearts do not try to reclaim our unfortunate sisters
to whom should this work be assigned?  If our women [*in Christian institutions*] in the Church do not
set a Christian example in this particular, to what other body or organization 
have we a right to look for help?  The great Head of the Christian 
Church made our duty to [fallen] erring  women as plain as is our obligation to the 
innocent child   So often as we draw our skirts in scorn of an erring sister 
without attempting to guide her into the path of virtue,, if there is
the slightest reason to believe she can be reclaimed,, so often do we do

18
part from the example and teaching of Christ
Full well do I know that there are many who will insistthat such work does not properly belong to the women of the Church and they are much wiser than I am and Their reasons may seem logical and 
strong. But they do not convince me  [Bot] So long as our best women are coldly neglectful of their 
tempted and erring sisters, while others equally guilty the men [who destroy them] are eagerly 
reclaimed by the church,just so long will the moral progress of the race 
be retarded by those who couldadvance it most.  Nothing should be considered 
common or unclean by the women of our churchs, if by attacking it, or 
modifying it, they are able to promote the interests of the race  
In the Negro church not only are women superior in numbers, but is becoming 
more and more apparent that in many cases they are superior in intelligence 
as well  It is necessary, therefore, that women themselves shoud 
decide what work it is best for them to undertake in the church, and what course 
it si [best] wiser to pursue, [in order to make it a success]  
There are certain phases of race debelopment which can best be promoted 
by our women/ and there are certain reforms along many lines which can 
best be inaugurated by the church  [In] View the duty of colored women to 
their churches from any standpoint you may, therefore, their responsibily 
appears solemn and great
The children of Israel were delivered out of bondage to Jabin, bya woman 
Ir was Deboray, the woman judge of Israel, who inspired one of the leaders 
od her people to undertake the campaign against the common foe, and who 
planned the attack with such skill that the enemy was completely subdued
In the triumphal ode which Deborah wrote to commemmorate Israel's deliverance 
from Canaan's king, the princes of Issachar were immortalized 
And the princes of Issacher were with Deborah, she sang in gratitude and 
pride  Like the children of Israel, we too are in bondage  In bonds 
to ignorance and vice, for some of which we ourselves are responsible, 
for some of which we are not so much to blame  We, too, are in bondage 
to a race superior in numbers, in education, in wealth, in opportunity and



19 
in power. Like the children of Israel we too are mightily oppressed and 
have been so for many a year  Like Sisera, the captain of abin's army, 
the captains of the forces which oppress us have chariots of iron, have 
lusty and valorous men, and they have every possible weapon which can 
bring confusion and ruin to a less powerful foe
In the midst of such peril and distress there is every reason to believe 
that the Deborahs of the race will arise  there is reason to hope that 
they will let them plan a campaign with such consummate skill by the grace of God 
that they will lead their people out of bondage to themselves as well as 
deliver them from the power of a might foe. But the princes of the race 
must stand by Deborah's side and fight valiantly with her to win our glorious 
cause. Surely there is no better place for marshalling our forces, 
there is no fitter place in which to to train the soldiers in the tactics 
which will insure success than the church

Little or nothing has been done thru the medium
of the Church to help our erring tempted women
and girls, some of whom -

Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.