the courage to take shares in railroad and similar companies, and in many places it could not be done.
There is one most pregnant fact that will serve to show, somewhat, their monetary ability. "The African Methodist Episcopal Church" is one of the denominations of the United States. It has its own organization, its own bishops, its conferences, its organ or magazine, and these entirely inter se—absolutely disconnected with all the white denominations of America. This religious body is spread out in hamlet, village, town, and city, all through the Eastern, Northern, Western, and partly the Southern States. But the point to which I desire to direct your attention is the fact that they have built and now own some 300 church edifices, mostly brick; and in the large cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, they are large, imposing, capacious, and will seat some two or three thousand people. The free black people of the United States built these churches; the funds were gathered from their small and large congregations; and in some cases they have been known to collect, that is, in Philadelphia and Baltimore, at one collection over $1,000. The aggregate value of their property cannot be less than $5,000,000.
Now this, you will notice, is an exhibit of the corporate moneyed power of but one class of our brethren. I have said nothing about the Episcopal churches, of the Presbyterians, of the Baptists, nor of the divers sections of the Methodists. But this will suffice. You can easily see from the above, that there must be a large amount of pecuniary means in
