CHAPTER XLI.
RELIGIOUS STRUGGLES.
Caste, the natural product of slavery, did not stop
at the door of the sanctuary, as might be presumed that
it would, but entered all, or nearly all, of the Christian
denominations of our country, and in some instances
even pursued the negro to the sacramental altar. All
churches had their "Negro-pew," where there were any
blacks to put into them. This was the custom at the
South, and it was the same at the North.
As the religion of the country was fashioned to suit the public sentiment, which was negro-hating in its character, the blacks of the United States would have formed a poor idea of the Christian religion in its broadest sense, had not an inward monitor told them that there was still something better.
The first step towards the enjoyment of religious freedom was taken by the colored people of Philadelphia. This was caused by the unkind treatment of their white brethren, who considered them a nuisance in their houses of worship, where they were pulled off their knees while in the act of prayer, and ordered to the back seats. From these and other acts of unchris-
