Robert W. Woodruff
Library
Gift of
Randall K. Burkett
EMORY UNIVERSITY
Special Collections & Archives
i May *ScM* Union,
| oQfit'eam Printers^**
! ■**■■'■ "And Publishers.
nashville. .. tenn.
BISHOP DANIEL A. PAYNE, I).D., LL.D.
Recollections of Seventy Years
ib-5t
Bishop DANIEL ALEXANDER PAYNE, D.D., LL.D.,
Senior Eishop of the African Methodist Cpiscopau Church.
with ax introduction by
REV. F. J. GRIMKE, A.M., D.D.
compiled and arranged by
SARAH C. BIERCE SCARBOROUGH-
edited by
Eev. G. S. SMITH.
Nashville, Texx. :
Publishing House of the A. M. E. Sunday School Uxiox.
1888.
Entered, according to Act of f'oiv_'rc-P>. in tlio year
By the Sunday School Union of the A. M. E. Cnrr.cn,
in the Office ot'the Librarian of Ooiiltc-s. it Wn-liinLrton.
PREFACE.
The author of these personal memoirs, having been solicited
by Rev. C. S. Smith for a sketch of his life with reminiscences,
yielded to the solicitation; but having neither time nor taste
for the preparation of such a volume, the compiler was requested
by him (Rev. C. S. Smith) to compile and arrange the mate¬
rials for the work. In so doing a fourfold aim has been kept in
view:
1. To give accurately the salient points concerning the life and
labors of the author.
2. To weave in as far as possible historical data as to men and
things generally, and as to the African Methodist Episcopal
Church in particular.
- 3. To choose such material as will best exhibit his character,
his piety, his life-long devotion to the cause of education, his
orphan childhood after being " thrice consecrated to the Lord's
service," his lowly beginning, trials, and struggles, and his sub¬
sequent exaltation, victories, and honors—so that such an exam¬
ple may prove an incentive to the children and youth.
4. To preserve intact, as nearly as possible, his own words,
keeping the chronological order.
In the preparation the compiler has had access to two written
volumes of "Reminiscences of Threescore Years and Ten," as
well as journals extending over a half-century. No liberties
have been taken except in omissions, in order to avoid unneces¬
sary repetition or too minute detail or too personal reference,
and in connecting the whole into a continuous narrative from the
'present stand-point of time, even sacrificing smoothness of nar-
(3)
4
Preface.
rative at times in the endeavor to reproduce the exact wording
found in these daily records. Much of interest has also been
added as taken from the author's own lips.
The volume in MS. has% been submitted to him for review, and
takes its place as personal memoirs, with his full approbation
and approval of the material contained within and the disposi¬
tion made of it. S. C. B. S.
IflT^OlDUCTIOrl.
The following volume will be welcomed by thousands. No
man of our race has had a wider influence, or has contributed
more toward the intellectual, moral, and spiritual elevation of
our people than the author of these memoirs. For more than
forty years he has been before the public, and for more than
thirty years has filled the high and responsible position which
he at present occupies. During all these years his name has been
associated only with that which is highest and purest and best..
Ever ready to lend a helping hand in every worthy cause; inde¬
fatigable in his efforts in the cause of education, morals, and
religion, he has justly earned for himself an exceptionally high
place in the respect and esteem of thousands. Lifted above all
selfish aims and desires, above all personal ambitions or love of
glory, he has thought only of the work to be done—how it could
be best effected, and where he could be most useful. And as a
result he has made himself felt in many quarters, and has set in
operation influences that will continue to be felt for ^ood for
generations to come. In the A. M. E. Church especially he has
been the great central figure for years. It is not too much to say
that to him, more than to any other man, is to be traced its
present prosperous condition. ' No one can read his earnest ap¬
peals in behalf of an educated ministry, and remember his inde¬
fatigable efforts in behalf of Wilberforce University, without
being made to feel how different the history of this great Church
might have been without his influence.
The noble life so graphically portrayed in these pages is full
of useful and important lessons. It shows what industry and
perseverance M ill accomplish even under the most unfavorable
(5)
6
Introduction.
circumstances. Born in a slave-holding State, with little or no
advantages of education—indeed, with almost insuperable obsta¬
cles placed in his way—he yet succeeded in making himself pro¬
ficient in many branches of learning, and so qualified himself
as to be able to instruct others. How eloquently does this life,
out of the difficulties with which it had to contend, and the
grand results which were the outcome of his earnest, self-sacri¬
ficing labors, plead with the young men and women of to-day
to seize the flying moments, freighted as they are with priceless
opportunities for improvement! It shows the value of a high
purpose steadily adhered to. In infancy he was consecrated by
a godly father and mother to the service of God. With this idea
he began life, and along that line he has steadily marched dur¬
ing all these years; and from the summit of this high resolve
he will one day step out of this world to be forever with God.
It shows how, with proper care and attention, the smallest
gifts may be made to yield a largS return. Naturally of a weak
constitution, he has, by husbanding his strength, been enabled to
do an amount of work which is perfectly astonishing; and to-day,
although far advanced in years, he is still actively engaged in the
arduous duties of his position. It showrs the importance of order
if any #iing is to be accomplished. His life has been a thor¬
oughly systematic one. A time for every thing and every thing
in its time has been with him a ruling principle of action dur¬
ing all his life, and will account for the large amount of work
which he has been, enabled to accomplish. For many years
he has risen at five o'clock in the morning, winter and summer;
has had the same time for study Avhether at home or away.
And this system or order has been carried into every part of his
busy life, and with the happiest effect, both upon his personal
character and in the results which have flowed from his labors.
His life has also its lesson of humility, blended with a high
sense of official responsibility. One of the most striking chap¬
ters in the book i.3 that which describes his election to the bish-
Introduction.
7
opric. When first approached on the subject he positively
refused to allow his name to be used. And when, four years
later, he was literally forced into it, the effect of his election upon
him reveals to us a spirit as rare as it is beautiful. To quote his
own words: " I trembled from head to foot, and wept. I knew
that I was unworthy of the office, because I had neither the
physical strength, the learning, nor the sanctity which make
one fit for such a high, holy, and responsible position." These
words ought to be written in letters of gold, and carefully com¬
mended to all aspirants after ecclesiastical honors. How great
the contrast between the noble spirit which they exhibit and
the unworthy greed for power and position which characterizes,
alas! too many in the Church to-day!
God grant that the record of this life, so child-like in sim¬
plicity, so devout, so full of good works, so lofty in character, so
sublime in purpose, may leave a lasting impress upon all into
whose hands this book may come! Francis J. Grimke.
Jacksonville, Fla.
COriTEfiTS.
Chapter I. Parentage and Ancestry. PAGES
Place of Birth—Recollections of My Father—Made a Slave—Same
of Payne—My Mother—Her Ancestry—Her Piety—My Early
Keligious Impressions—Death of Parents—My Grandaunt 11-13
CHAFrER II. Childhood and Youth.
The Minor's Moralist Society—A Descendant of the Huguenots—
My First School and School-master—A Short Stay witn a Shoe-
merchant—A Carpenter's Apprentice—Mine Months with the
" Tailor's Goose "—A Turning-point—Consecrated to the Lord. 14-18
Chapter III. The School-master in the Dark South.
A Small Income—Discouragements—Offer of a Trip to the West
Indies—Master and Slave—Fatal Statement—Re-opening of My
School—Eclipse of 1832—A Maker of Books—A Curious Cater¬
pillar— Dr. Bachman— UA Young Philosopher" — Enemies—
" Pa, Payne is Playing Hell in Charleston." 19-28
Chapter IY. Exercise of the Slave-holding Power.
Legislative Enactment—Penalties for Teaching Free Colored Per¬
sons and Slaves—Nero's Wish, Mine—Detennination to Go
North—Letters of Introduction—Last Days of School-teaching
in the South—Consolatory Lines—A Month of Preparation 27-40
Chapter V. First Experiences in the North.
Taking Leave—Out on the Sea—Arrival in New York—My First
AVelcome—First Visit to an Anti-slavery Society — George
Thompson and Lewis Tappan—Delivering Letters of Introduc¬
tion—Dr. Bachman's Letters 41-55
Chapter VI. Experience at Gettysburg.
Departure for Gettysburg—Call upon President Schmucker—"Not
Colonizationists. hut Abolitionists "—The First A. M. E. Church
at Gettysburg—The Church at ( arlisle, Pa.—Old Elder Cornish
and liev. Henry C. Turner—Douglass, Payne, and Smith 5&-71
Chapter YII. Pulpit, Press, School-room.
Resignation—Again in the School-room—Joining the A. M. E.
Church—Call to the Itinerancy—Israel Church in Washington,
D. C. — Again at the Carpenter's Bench —First Published
Thoughts—General Conference of 1841—Some Bad Customs 72-81
Chapter YIII. A Disastrous Voyage.
A Delegate to the First Evangelical Alliance in London—The voy
age Undertaken—Neptune's Wrath—Sublime and Terrific Scene
—Trust in God—Return to Port—A Dream—Directed to Remain
at Home—Companions on Board Ship—American Prejudice 82-91
Chapter IX. Afflictions—Cities of the Dead.
Return to Baltimore—First Marriage—A Severe Church Trouble—
Appointment to Ebenezer Church — Death of Bishop Morris
Brown — Bishop Waters — Researches for Church History—
Mount Auburn 92-99
Chapter X. A Two-years' Search.
General Convention of 1816—Formation of the A. M. E. Church—
Daniel Coker, First Elected Bishop—Color Objection—His Res¬
ignation—Richard Allen Accepts—William Paul Quinn—First
Camp-meeting—First Church Paper—Rev. Charles Avery 100-108
Contents. 9
Chapter XI. First Year in the Episcopacy. pagb3
Arrival at New York—Opening Sermon—Previous General Con¬
ference—Election to the Bishopric—General Conference—First
Bishops' Council—Xew England Conference—Gouldtown 100-119
Chapter XII. In the West, South-avest, and Canada.
Visit to Bishop Quinn's Diocese—Second Marriage—Change of
Home—Visit to Toronto—Father Smith's Early Work—Church
Trouble in St. Louis—Model Sunday-school—Union Seminary.. 120-125
Chapter XIII. Travels in the West.
A Second Visit to Chicago—A Talented Lady and Editress—A
Brave and Independent Woman—Bishop Lee's Bon Mot—Ar¬
rested—Judge's Decision—State of the Church—New Orleans—
Morris Brown Chapel—General Conference of 1S56 123-134
Chapter XIV. Six Years' Labors.
The A. M. E. Church in Canada Announced Extinct—A Career of
Seventeen Years—The Convention—A New Church—A New
Name—Bishop Nazrey—The Field in Central America—West¬
ern Conferences—Frederick Douglass at Wilberforce 103-1-10
Chapter XV. From 1860 to 18G3.
General Conference of 1800—First Bishops' Address—Encouraging
State of the Church—Bishop Nazrey's Position — Frederick
Douglass's Home—Interview Avith President Lincoln—Emanci¬
pation in the District of Columbia 111-118
Chapter XVI. At Wilberforce University.
Purchase of Wilberforce University—First Payment—Tie-opening
the School—A Building in Ashes—St. John's and St. Paul's in
Nashville, Tenn.—Colored Infantry Troops —Andrew John¬
son's Offer—The "Hermitage"—Gen. Jackson's Tomb 110-137
Chapter XYII. General Conference of 18G4.
Election of Bishops—Bishop Nazrey's Case Settled—Zion A. M. E.
and A. M. E. Churches—Our First Missionaries to the South—
Major M. R. Delaney—Organization of South Carolina Confer¬
ence—Wesley's First Mission-field—Whitefield a Slave-holder.. 153-165
Chapter XYIII. First Yoyage to Europe.
National Freedmen's Aid Commission—Expected Result of With¬
drawal of Troops—Our Semi-centenary'—A. Call upon Win.
Lloyd Garrison—On Board the"Cuba"—The Shores of England. 1C6-172
Chapter XIX. In England.
First Church Service in England—Service-at St. Paul's Cathedral
—A Glimpse of the Queen—My First Five-pound Note—West¬
minster Abbey—The Statue of Wilberforce—The Original Pro¬
tection Society—The British Museum 173-181
Chapter XX. England and the Continent.
Opposition to Ritualistic Doctrines and Practices—The Legal Hun¬
dred—Graves of Wesley, Clarke, Benson, Watson—Dean Stan¬
ley—At a Breakfast in llonor of William Lloyd Garrison—Off
for Amsterdam—In Paris at the Anti-slavery Conference 182-195
Chapter XXI. Paris—Heturn to America.
Once More in Paris—MeetingMinister Salomon—One Result of the
Franco-Prussian War In New York—Interview with Sec¬
retary Whipple—General Conference of 1808—The Lay Element
in the General Conference—Kentucky Conference 100-208
Chapter XXII. Labors in Bishopric and'Presidency.
The General Conference of 1872—Wearing of Robes—Arguments
Pro and Con —Important Questions —Controversion of the
10
Contents.
"Gillianictic" -Theory—Death of Bishop Quinn—Missionary PAGH'
Reunion in Cincinnati—Another General Conference 200-219
Chapter XXIII. Education in tiie A. M. E. Church.
English and American Methodism — African Methodism — First
Secretary of the Baltimore Conference—The First Yoice on Ed¬
ucation—First Educational Convention—Rev. Daniel Coker—
Wilberforce University—Arguments before Congressmen 220-2:22
Chapter XXIV. Music and Literature in the Church.
Choral Singing in Bethel, Philadelphia—Bereans and African
Methodists—Instrumental Music—Circumstances of Its Intro¬
duction—Literature of the A. M.E. Church—The A. M. E. Re¬
view—The Sunday-school Review—History of A. M.E. Church. 233-241
Chapter XXV. A Visit to Boston and Vicinity.
Organizing Literary Societies—In My Old Field—Missionaries to
llayti—Departure—Egypt's Grand History—Grave of Sumner
—Duty of Colored Americans—The Millions Xow 242-217
Chapter XXVI. In the East—Praying Bands.
A Visit to Princeton—Up the Catskills—Rip Van Winkle—How Bi¬
bles Are Made—Moody and San key—Board of Missions—First
Responsive Reading in Old Bethel, Philadelphia—Bush-meet¬
ing—The " Ring "—Extravagances of Worship 248-257
Chapter XXVII. General Conference of 1880.
Another Effort for Our University—The Sixteenth General Con¬
ference—First Delegates from the Wesleyan Methodist Church
—British M. E. Church—Disposition for Union —The. Word
"African" Delegates to Ecumenical Conference—Extravagant
Legislation—Westward 258-264
Chapter XXVIII. Second Trip to Europe.
Departure for London—Liverpool—London—Dr. Frederick Jobson
—Canterbury — Paris — The Monastery of Fountains—Mr.
Gladstone—Sail Down the Clyde—View of a Salvation Army... 265-276
Chapter XXIX. Ecumenical Conference—Tricexnial.
Breakfast at Exeter Hall—The Field in India—Speakers—Ecumen¬
ical Conference—Bishop Simpson Preaches the Inaugural Ser¬
mon—A Great Honor—Tidings of Garfield's Assassination—
Thirtieth Anniversary of My Episcopacy 277-284
Chapter XXX. Unpleasant and Pleasant Experiences.
A Lawless Spirit—En Route toFernandina—Put off the Train—Our
Work on the Eastern Shore of Virginia—Evangelical Conven¬
tion in Chicago—British Christians—First Children's Day—
Register B. K. Bruce—Allen University 285-298
Chapter XXXI. Various Incidents.
1884—A Quadrennial Sermon—Rev. C. S. Smith's Powerful Elo¬
quence—Second Effect of the Sermoi>—1The Bishops' Address—
No New Bishops—An Incident of the Convention of 1816—The
Union of the A. M. E. Church and B. M. E. Church 299-310
Chapter XXXII. In the South and Canada.
Death of Bishop Dickerson—The African Mission—Jacksonville,
Fla.—Curious Natural Structure—In Canada—Grave of Mrs.
Hiram Wilson—Interesting Account from Africa—Southward. 311-321
Chapter XXXIII. The End.
Dawn of 1883—Sick.unto Death—My Seventy-fifth Birthday—Ded¬
ication of the Metropolitan Church in Washington, D. C.-r
General Conference of .lSSS—Scheming and Intriguing—Con¬
veniences—New Bishops Elected—Memorial Services —Final
Reflections 322-335
RBCollections of Seventy Years,
Chapter I.
PARENTAGE AND ANCESTRY.
1WAS born of free parents in the city of Charleston,
S. C., on the 24th of February, 1811, in whatw as
then known as Swinton Lane, now called Princess
Street. My parents were London and Martha Payne.
I remember that my father was a man of brown com¬
plexion, of slender frame, and about five feet eight
inches high. He was an earnest Christian and a class-
leader, having two classes under him—what used to
be called the Seekers' Class and the Members' Class.
He was a faithful observer of family worship; and
often his morning prayers and hymns aroused me,
breaking my infant sleep and slumbers. He taught
me the alphabet and my monosyllables, and I remem¬
ber that once he whipped me for neglecting my les¬
sons. After the war of 1812 the city of Charleston
was illuminated, and, in order that I might have a
clear view of every object, he carried me through the
streets with my feet straddling over his shoulders.
It is said that he was born of free parents in the
State of Virginia, but, when a mere lad, was decoyed
on board a ship with cakes and amused in the cabin
until the vessel was out at sea. He was taken into
(11)
12
Recollections of Seventy Years.
the port of Charleston, and sold as a slave to a house
and sign painter. In this condition he lived until he
reached manhood, when he purchased his freedom for
one thousand dollars.
His father, I am informed, was one of six brothers
who served in the Revolution. Their father was an
Englishman by the name of Paine. In the early im¬
migration from England to Massachusetts two of the
brothers arrived on the shores of New England. One
remained in Massachusetts; the other concluded to go
and join the colonists at Jamestown, Ya. But before
parting they agreed to change the letter "i " to "y " in
the name of the one who had resolved to identify his
fate with that of the Virginia colonists, in order that
his descendants might be identified. Thus our fam¬
ily name became Payne.
As far as memory serves me my mother was of light-
brown complexion, of middle stature and delicate
frame. She told me that her grandmother was of the
tribe of Indians known in the early history of the
Carolinas as the Catawba Indians. The husband of
her grandmother was a black man named Alexander
Goings, who was remarkable for great bodily strength
and activity. My mother was a woman of amiable
disposition, gentle manners, and fervent piety. Her
death, which was triumphant, even glorious, was oc¬
casioned by consumption. Both parents were mem¬
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and wor¬
shiped in Cumberland Street Church.
I was about four and a half years old at the time
of my father's death, and about nine and a half when
my mother died. After the death of my father it was
my mother's invariable custom to take her "little
Parentage and Ancestry.
13
Daniel" by the liand and lead him to the class-meet¬
ing, seating him by her side. In this way I became
early impressed with strong religious feelings. After
her death my grandaunt, Mrs. Sarah Bordeaux, took
charge of me. She did much toward stimulating me
to attain unto a noble character, and to this day I
feel the influence of her godly lessons and holy ex¬
amples.
Chapter II.
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH.
AS early as 1803 tlie Minors' Moralist Society was
established in the city of Charleston by James
Mitchell, Joseph Humphries, William Cooper, Carlos
Huger, Thomas S. Bonneau, William Clark, and ftich-
ard Holloway—all free colored men. Its object was
to educate orphan or indigent colored children, and
also to provide for their necessary wants. It con¬
sisted of fifty members, who contributed five dollars
each at first, and paid thereafter the monthly sum of
twenty-five cents each. As many as six children were
at one time receiving its care and attention. It con¬
tinued in existence until 1847, when, from the decease
of many useful members and other local causes, it
ceased to exist; not, however, without having done
much good which continues to manifest itself both in
Church and State.
The Hugers (pronounced Hugee) were descendants
of the Huguenots. One of the Hugers was Minister
to the court of Belgium. During his ministry he
heard one of the French missionaries give his expe¬
riences in heathen lands. He translated the story and
sent it to the Charleston papers. The reading of this
aroused in me a great desire to learn the French lan¬
guage—my first -ambition to know a foreign tongue.
(14)
Childhood and Youth.
15
I "was put into this Society's school for two years,
when I was about eight years old; after which I was
instructed by Mr. Thomas S. Bonneau, the most pop¬
ular school-master in the city, for about three years.
There I learned to spell, read, and write, and "ci¬
pher " as far as the "Rule of Three." The chief books
used for reading were monographs of the histories of
Greece, Rome, and England; while the "Columbian
Orator" was the book used for training in the art of
speaking. When about twelve years of age I was
hired out to a shoe-merchant, with whom I did not
stay long. "When nearly thirteen years old I was put
to the carpenter's trade with my brother-in-law, James
Holloway, the eldest son of Mr. Richard Holloway.
I spent four and a half years with him. I then spent
nine months at the tailor's trade.
It was during the time that I was in the carpenter's
shop that I came into possession of the first number
of what was then known as the " Self-interpreting
Bible," by Rev. John Brown, of Haddington, Scot¬
land. It was prefaced with a biographical sketch of
the great man. The reading of this became the turn¬
ing-point of my life; for, after reading it, I came to
the conclusion to try and be what he was. I said to
myself: "If Brown learned Latin, Greek, and He¬
brew without a living teacher, why can't I?" This
question was answered by: " I'll try." Up to that hour
I had never seen a book in Latin, Greek, or Hebrew;
but I resolved as soon as I could get tliem to study
them. Meanwhile, I read every book within my
reach—among which was the " Scottish Chiefs." Wal¬
lace and Bruce became my ideal great men. Having
heard of Hayti and the Haytiens, I desired to become
16
liecollections of Seventy 1 ears.
a soldier and go to Hayti, which resolution was fixed
until changed by a dream in which I was a soldier on
the battle-field encountering a tremendous foe. The
slaughter was great; the cries of the wounded and
dying; the mangled corpses, their hideous looks; the
prancing, leaping, and neighing of wounded horses—
all conspired to make such a terrible impression upon
me of the horrors of war that I foreswore the soldier's
life; and again Rev. John Brown, of Haddington, be¬
came my ideal man.
I was the child of many prayers. My father dedi¬
cated me to the service of God before I was born, de¬
claring that if the Lord would give him a son that
son should be consecrated to him, and named after
the Prophet Daniel. After my birth I was taken to
the house of God, find there again consecrated to his
service in the holy ordinance of baptism. From the
sanctuary my parents returned home with me, and on
bended knees, my pious father holding me in his
arms, again dedicated me to the service of the Lord.
Many a time, when the people of God were telling
their experience in* the divine life, in the class-meet¬
ing, I have felt the Spirit of God moving my childish
heart. When I was only eight years old such was
the effect of a sermon upon my young heart that I
went home crying through the streets, and sought the
garden and prayed.After my mother's death I was
often led by the Spirit to go to the garret t<f bend the
knee and look up into heaven, beseeching the Lord to
make me a good boy. Such devotional feelings were al¬
ways deepened by the contemplation of a moon-lit sky.
In my fifteenth year these impressions were so
great that I could no longer cast them off amid my
Childhood and Youth.
17
youthful sports, as in former times. I therefore went
to the authorities of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and was examined. I was taken into the Society on
probation, and assigned to the class of Mr. Samuel
Weston, who from that time became the chief relig¬
ious guide of my youth.
My conversion took place in my eighteenth year.
Religion among the members of the Cumberland
Street Church had waxed very cold, and Brother Hol-
loway called a special meeting of all the classes, and
inquired what might be done for the revival of God's
work. It was decided to meet every Sunday between
the morning and evening service in Mr. Bonneau's
school-room to pray for a revival. In this place we
met Sunday after Sunday. God heard our songs of
praise, our prayers of faith, poured out his awakening
and converting power upon his waiting children, and
many souls were converted and sanctified by it. Of
this number I was one. Here I too gave him my
ichole heart, and instantly felt that peace which pass-
eth all understanding and that joy which is unspeak¬
able and full of glory. Several weeks after this event,
between twelve and one o'clock one day, I was in my
humble chamber, pouring out my prayers into the
listening ears of the Saviour, when I felt as if the
hands of a man were pressing my two shoulders and
a voice speaking within my soul saying: "7 have set
thee apart to'educate thyself in order that thou may est be
an educator to thy people." The impression was irre¬
sistible and divine; it gave a new direction to my
thoughts and efforts. Then again did the example of
the illustrious John Brown, of Haddington, set itself
before me.
2
18
Recollections of Seventy Years.
After this circumstance I resolved to devote every
moment of leisure to the study of books, and every
cent to the purchase of them. I raised money by
making tables, benches, clothes-horses, and "corset-
bones," which I sold on Saturday night in the public
market. During my apprenticeship I -would eat my
meals in a few minutes and spend the remainder of
the hour allowed me at breakfast and dinner in read¬
ing. After the day's work was done I perused my
books till nearly twelve o'clock; and then, keeping a
tinder-box, flint, steel, and candle at my bedside, I
would awake at four, strike a light, and study till six,
when my daily labors began. -Thus I went on read¬
ing book after book, drawing pictures with crayon,
and now and then composing verses. In my nine¬
teenth year I forsook the carpenter's trade for the
life of an educator.
Chapter III.
THE SCHOOL-MASTER IN THE DARK SOUTH.
Y first school was opened in 1829 in, a house on
Tradd Street occupied by one Caesar Wright.
It consisted of his three children, for each of whom
lie paid me fifty cents a month. I also taught three
adult slaves at night, at the same price, thus making
my monthly income from teaching only three dollars.
This was not sufficient to feed me, but a slave-woman,
Mrs. Eleanor Parker, supplied many of my wants. I
was happy in my humble employment, but at the end
of the year I was so discouraged at the financial re¬
sult, and by the remarks expressed by envious persons,
that I decided to seek some other employment which
would yield better pay.
At this juncture a wealthy slave-holder arrived in
Charleston, en route to the West Indies for his health.
Knowing that British law emancipated every slave
tjiat put his foot on British soil, he desired Jto obtain
the services of a free young man of color sufficiently
intelligent to do his out-of-door business, I was com¬
mended to him, and called upon him at the Planters'
Hotel. Among the inducements he offered he said:
" If you will go with me, the knowledge that you will
acquire of men and things will be of far more value
to you than the wages I will pay you. Do you know
(19)
20
Recollections of Seventy Years.
what makes tlio difference between the master and the
slave? Nothing but superior knowledge."
This statement was fatal to his desire to obtain my
services, for I instantly said to myself: "If it is true
that there is nothing but superior knowledge between
the master and the slave, I will not go with you, but
will rather go and obtain that knowledge which con¬
stitutes the master." As I politely took my leave
these words passed through my mind:
lie that Hies his Saviour's cross
Shall meet his Maker's frown.
Then these reflections followed. "In abandoning the
school-room am I not fleeing from the cross which
the Saviour has imposed upon me? Is not the aban¬
donment of the teacher's work in my case a sin?"
The answer was easily found, and I resolved to re¬
open my school and to inform my patrons to that ef¬
fect.
On the first of the year 1830 I re-opened my schoo.,
which continued to increase in numbers until the
room became too small, and I was" constrained to pro¬
cure a more commodious place. This in turn became
too small, and one was built for me on Anson Street,
by Mr. Robert Howard, in the rear of his yard. This
house is still standing (1886). Here I continued to
teach unjil April, 1835.
During the three years of my attendance at the
school of Mr. Thomas S. Bonneau I learned how to
read, write, and spell; also arithmetic as far as the
" Rule of Three." Spelling was a delightful exercise
of my boyhood. In this I excelled. Seldom did I
lose my place at the head of my class, and he who won
it did not occupy it long. History was my great
The School-master in the Dark South.
21
delight. Of geography and map-drawing, English
grammar and composition I knew nothing, be¬
cause they were not taught in any of the schools
for colored children. I therefore felt the need of
knowledge in these directions; but how was I to ob¬
tain it?
I had a geography, but had never seen an atlas, and,
what was more, I knew not how or where to get one.
Fortunately for me, one day as I was sitting 011 the
piazza endeavoring to learn some lesson, a woman en¬
tered the gate and approached me with a book in her
hand. Said she: "Don't you want to buy this book?"
Taking it, I opened it, and to my great joy I beheld
the colored maps of an atlas—the very thing I need¬
ed. Said I: " What will you take for it?" The wom¬
an had found it on the street, and replied: "What¬
ever you choose to give." All that I could command
at the time was a York shilling (twelve and one-half
cents in silver coin), so I gave it to her, and rejoiced
over my prize. Immediately I went to work with my
geography and atlas, and in about six months was
able to construct maps on the Mercator's and globular
projection. After I had acquired this ability I intro¬
duced geography and map-drawing into my school.
At the same time with geography I studied and mas¬
tered English grammar. I began with "Murray's
Primary Grammar," and committed the entire book
to memory, but did not understand it; so I-reviewed
it. Then light sprung up; still I felt like one in a
dungeon who beheld a glimmer of light at a distance,
and with steady but cautious footsteps moved toward
it, inspired by the hope that I would soon find its
source and come out into the full blaze of animated
22
Recollections of Seventy Years.
day. I then made a second review of it, and felt con¬
scious of my power to teacli it. I therefore added
that to my curriculum.
Having now the groundwork, I began to build the
superstructure. I commenced with "Playfair's Eu¬
clid," and proceeded as far as the first five books.
The next thing which arrested my attention was bot¬
any. The author and her specimens enchanted me;
my progress was rapid, and the study became to me a
source of great happiness and an instrument of great
usefulness. Descriptive chemistry, natural philoso¬
phy, and descriptive astronomy followed in rapid suc¬
cession.
"Burret's Geography of the Heavens" was my
text-book in the last-named science. Stimulated by
this interesting guide, I watched the total eclipse of
1832 from its commencement to its completion with
my naked eye; but I paid dear for my rash experiment.
The immediate result was a partial loss of sight No
book could be read for about three weeks. Whenever
I opened a book the pages had the appearance of
black sheets. From this injury I have never fully re¬
covered. Up to that time my eyes were like those of
the eagle; ever since they have been growing weaker
and weaker.
Then, on a Thursday morning, I bought a Greek
grammar, a lexicon, and a Greek Testament. On the
same day I mastered the Greek alphabet; on Friday
I learned to write them; on Saturday morning I trans¬
lated the first chapter of Matthew's Gospel from Greek
into English. My very soul rejoiced and exulted in
this glorious triumph. Next came the Latin and the
French. Meanwhile I was pushing my studies in
The School-master in the Dark South.
23
drawing and coloring till I was able to produce a re¬
spectable flower, fruit, or animal on paper and on
velvet.
My researches in botany gave me a relish for zoolo¬
gy; but as I could never get hold of any work on this
science I had to make books for myself. This I did by
killing such insects, toads, snakes, young alligators,
fishes, and young sharks as I could catch. I then
cleaned and stuffed those that I could, and hung them
upon the walls of my school-room. The following
fact will give the index of my methods. I bought a
live alligator, made one of my pupils provoke him to
bite, and whenever he opened his mouth I discharged
a load of shot from a small pistol down his throat.
As soon as he was stunned I threw him on his back,
cut his throat, ripped open his chest, hung him up
and studied his viscera till they ceased to move. The
flesh of all that I killed I cooked and tasted. I ex¬
cepted nothing but the toad and snake. My detesta¬
tion for these was too intense to allow me to put their
flesh into my mouth.
My enthusiasm was the inspiration of my pupils.
I used to take my first class of boys into the woods
every Saturday in search of insects, reptiles, and
plants, and at the end of five years I had accumulated
some fine specimens of each of these. I had also
taken a fatherless boy to educate gratuitously. This
lad's sister one day found a large caterpillar on an eld¬
erberry-tree. This worm she sent to me. It was the
length and thickness of a large laboring-man's mid¬
dle finger. Its color was that of gold blended with
azure. It had four rows of horns running the whole
length of its body; these horns were made up of
24
Recollections of Seventy Years.
golden and ebony-like points; its liead was also en¬
circled with a crown of these horns.
Not being able to determine the species or genus of
this worm, I took it to Mrs. Ferguson, the sister of
Judge Colcox, who was unable to give me any infor¬
mation in regard to it; but she advised me to take it
to Dr. Bachman, who was then the most distinguished
naturalist in South Carolina. I little knew what that
visit was to bring about ultimately.
The Doctor received me kindly, and gave its classi¬
fication. He also instructed me in its nature and
habits, and how to carry it through its different stages
of existence. This, however, I preferred liim to do,
allowing me at the same time to visit his studio and
observe the transformations. This request was kind¬
ly complied with by the learned divine and naturalist.
On my second visit he took me into his garden and
•showed me his fine collections of flowers. He also
exhibited to me his herbarium and his valuable col¬
lection of insects from different parts of the world.
On my last visit he took me into his parlor and intro¬
duced me to his wife and daughters as "the young
philosopher." There I sat and conversed with his
family as freely as though all were of the same color
and equal rank; and by my request his daughter
skillfully performed several pieces upon the piano.
A remark of his at that visit has occurred to me man$
times through life. There was upon the center-table,
protected by a large glass globe, an artificial tree
bearing a collection of beautifully-mounted birds.
My attention was drawn to them, and I expressed my,
self to the effect that he had about him every thing to
make his home pleasant. His reply was substantially
The Schools-master in the Dark South. 25
this: "Yes; I feel it my duty to throw around my
home every possible attraction for my daughters, so
that they may never have occasion to seek elsewhere
for forbidden pleasures."
My school increased in popularity, and became the
most popular of five which then existed. It num¬
bered about sixty children from most of the leading
families of Charleston. But I was not without ene¬
mies who endeavored to arrest the progress of my
school and destroy my usefulness by such remarks as
these: "He is an impostor." " Who ever heard of any
one learning such things—such things as he teaches
—but men trained in a college." " He must deal with
the devil."
Such imputatipns and slanders availed nothing.
They seemed to render me more popular, and at last
two of the other school-masters came to me to be
taught such sciences as they knew not. It was a hap¬
piness for me to assist them, which I did, directing
them to the authors and the methods which I had em¬
ployed. It was also one of my methods in order to
interest my pupils to erect several gymnastic instru¬
ments, that they might develop their muscular sys¬
tems and find amusement to break the monotony of
the school-room; but in all their sports I led them in
person. The children and youths were developing
rapidly in their studies, but the hour of the Prince of
Darkness came upon the school in the following way:
In the prosecution of my studies in zoology I de¬
sired to obtain a highland moccasin, which was then
considered a species of rattlesnake, and whose bite
was deadly. Therefore I engaged the services of a
slave of lawyer Lionel Kennedy, who was at that time
26 Recollections of Seventy Years.
an alderman of the city of Charleston. Tlie planta¬
tion of this gentleman was about one mile distant
from the city. On the appointed Saturday I dis¬
patched three of my advanced class (John Lee, Rob¬
ert Wishan, and Michael Eggart) with a large glass
bottle, in order that they might bring me the viper
alive. On their arrival at the plantation they found
Lawyer Kennedy and his son, Dr. Kennedy, overlook¬
ing the work of the slaves. They knew me and knew
the boys' parents. Calling the lads to them, they de¬
manded the reason of their appearance on the planta¬
tion. A direct answer was given. They then in¬
quired after my motives for buying this serpent from
their slaves; to which a direct answer was also given.
Then they asked the lads to tell them what were the
different things taught them, and they also examined
them in their studies. The boys answered every
question put to them except one. Then said the young
doctor: "Why, pa, Payne is playing hell in Charles¬
ton." This occurred about the middle of the summer
of 1834.
Chapter IV.
EXERCISE OF THE SLAVE-HOLDING POWER.
SOON after the opening o£ the General Assembly
of South Carolina in December, 1834, a bill was
drawn up by two lawyers from Charleston, it Avas said,
who were members of the Legislature. It was fully
discussed, passed both houses, and became a law to be
enforced April 1, 1835. The following is the bill:
No. 2639. An Act to Amend tiie Law Relating to Slaves
and Free Persons of Color.
Eo it enacted by the honorable, the Senate and House of
Representatives, now met and sitting in General Assembly,
and by the authority of the same : If any person shall here¬
after teaeli any slave to read or write, or cause, or procure
any slave to read or write, such person, if a free white person,
upon conviction thereof shall for each and every offense
against this Act be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars
and imprisoned not inore than six months; or, if a free per¬
son of color, shall be whipped not exceeding fifty lashes and
lined not exceeding fifty dollars, at the discretion of the court
of magistrates and freeholders before which such person of
color is tried; and if a slave, to be whipped at the discretion
of the court, not exceeding fifty lashes: the informer to be
entitled to one-half of the fine, and to be a competent wit¬
ness. And if any free person of color or slave shall keep any
school or other place of instruction for teaching any slave or
free person of color to read or write, such free person of col¬
or or slave shall be liable to the same fine, imprisonment, and
corporal punishment as are bv this Act imposed and inflicted
(27)
28
Recollections of Seventy Yearn.
upon free persons of color and slaves for teaching slaves to
read or write.
There were five other sections attached to this law,
but this alone affected the teacher and the school-
house.
The immediate effects of this Act on my mind were
terrible. Sleep fled from my eyes, and therefore I
dreaded the night. When it came I prayed for sleep,
but no answer from nature was given. It was then I
felt the force of those lines of Young:
Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep!
He, like the world, his ready visit pays,
Where fortune smiles; the wretched he forsakes;
Swift on his doAvny pinion tlies from woe,
And lights on lids unsullied with a tear.
Sometimes it seemed as though some wild beast had
plunged his fangs into my heart, and was squeezing
out its life-blood. Then I began to question the ex¬
istence of God, and to say: "If he does exist, is he
just? If so, why does he suffer one race to oppress
and enslave another, to rob them by unrighteous en¬
actments of rights, which they hold most dear and
sacred ? " Sometimes I wished for the law-makers what
Nero wished—"that the Romans had but one neck."
I would be the man to sever the head from its shoul¬
ders. Again said I: "Is there no God?" But then
there came into my mind those solemn words: "With
God one day is as a thousand years and a thousand
years as one day. Trust in him, and he will bring
slavery and all its outrages to an end." These words
from the spirit world acted on my troubled soul like
water on a burning fire, and my aching heart was
soothed and relieved from its burden of woes. Then
Exercise of the Slave-Jiolclinrj Potrcr. 29
I seized my pen and began to write the following
poein, which I called
The Mournful Lute, ok the Preceptor's Farewell.
Father and mother, authors of my birth,
Ye dwell in bliss; your son 011 sinful earth.
Hail, happy pair, who praise the Lamb above!
I strive to share your cup of perfect love.
Father, ere yet I knew thy manly form,
The ills of life were o'er, and hushed the storm;
Thy God called thee from earth to dwell 011 high;
In peace thou art, beyond the swelling sky.
0 sainted parents, who my life lias kept,
Preserved my sinful soul each night I slept;
Since God transported ye to realms of light,
And bade my youth in virtue take delight!
'Twas God. 'Tis he who still preserves my soul,
When foes unite, or waves of trouble roll,
Cared for my childhood, blessed my striving youth;
Me snatched from vice and led in paths of truth.
Delusive vice has spread her fictions charms,
Threw out her purse, and wooed me to her arms.
1 gazed, I trembled, grasped the motley toys;
But keen remorse sprung from her guilty joys!
My joyful sire, I blush to own my sin,
But can I hide when God surveys within ?
Within my soul the Great Jehovah spies,
Nor word nor thought escapes his piercing eyes.
O sainted mother, high in glory thou,
If God permits, behold thy Daniel now!
Good Lord, give strength; my feeble mind sustain,
Nor let my sighs ascend to thee in vain.
Servants of God, extol the King of kings;
Let higher notes flow from your trembling strings.
He saves your son, puts all his foes to flight—
Ilis human foes, or fiends of deepest night.
When ignorance my mind in fetters bound,
lie smote the fiend; then beams of light surround.
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Broud beams of light described the way of truth,
And bade me lead therein benighted youth.
O here's my bliss, that I the way have shown
To lovely youths which was before unknown;
From scientific shrines plucked golden lire,
And thrilled with notes divine the sacred lyre.
Did I conceive five rolling years ago,
The luscious fruits which science can bestow?
0 bend in praise devout before his throne !
'Twas God that gave the boon, and God alone.
My sire, when 011 the bed of death you lay,
Did thy blest soul in fervent accents pray
That I should bo what now I feel I am—
Favored of God, preserved from every harm ?
Thou didst, my sire; thrice blessed be thy name;
Come, wisdom, clothe me in thy sacred flame;
Ye scientific truths, my mind control;
And thou, fair virtue, guide my erring soul.
What's my ambition ? what my great desire?
The youthful mind with knowledge to inspire.
ISTot worlds on worlds for this would I exchange,
Though cruel laws my noble scheme derange.
Soon from the land where first I drew my breath
1 go a wanderer on the flying earth !
Where shall I go ? O Thou my fortune guide,
Who led good Abram with his modest bride.
Him didst thou lead across the eastern wild,
Direct his steps and on his fortune smiled;
In foreign climes spread wide his fruitful boughs,
Made strong his bands and scattered all his foes.
Dost thou not roll the thunder 'cross the sky ? .
Arouse the storm, and bid the lightnings fly?
Bid teeming earth produce her pulp}' grains,
By genial sunbeams or the fruitful rains?
Stop, falling tears; God lights the cheerful day,
Gives gloomy night, and leads the darksome way.
I rown, fortune, frown; my struggling breast shall bear
Thy worthless blows, and pointless arrows dare.
Exercise of the Slave-holding Power.
O I had thought the moral plants would grow,
From ail the care my talents can bestow,
Like trees of virtue lift their blooming heads
Where snowy clouds suspend their liquid beds !
Ye lads, whom I have taught with sacred zeal,
For your hard fate I pangs of sorrow feel.
O who shall now your rising talents guide,
Where virtues reign and sacred truths preside ?
Ye modest virgins, I have taught your minds
To fly from earth where sinful pleasure blinds,
The rugged hill of science to ascend,
Where sacred flames with human fires blend.
Who now shall call your willing, joyful feet
In " wisdom's institute " to learn and meet
Sweet piety and science, gods of light
Whose precepts lead your erring minds aright ?
Who shall for you Minerva's field explore,
Spread open wide fair nature's roseate door?
O who shall help your op'ning wings to tly
Where virtue sits resplendent in the sky ?
O God of mercy ! whither shall I go?
Where turn my steps—to weal, or else to woe?
Speak. I the sacred mandate wait to hear,
Nor shall I ocean dread nor tempest fear.
Eternal Goodness, from thy shining seat,
Le.t mercy fly to guide my wandering feet.
On distant lands I will thy servant be,
To turn from vice the youthful mind to thee.
Just two revolving moons shall light the shores
When Carolina's laws shall shut the doors
Of this fine room, where science holds his reign,
The humble tutor, hated Daniel Payne.
O that my arms could reach yon burning sun,
And stop his motion till my work be done!
With these small fingers catch the flying moon-
Night should not triumph o'er the dazzling noon.
April should ne'er appear; but I Avould teach
Each yielding pupil till their minds could reach
Recollections of Seventy Years.
The climax of proud science, and their plumes
Could soar where good John Locke or Newton blooms.
Ye blooming plants of moral culture fine,
The dews that wet ye be those dews divine.
The faithful gard'ner! Ah Avho shall he be?
The Father, Spirit, Son—the sacred three!
Before you nature spreads her blooming fields;
On verdant breast her fragrant produce yields.
Go seek her lilies, tulips, roseate sweets
When morning light her swelling bosom greets.
Each minute insect and each flying bird,
Each walking beast, whose tuneless notes are heard;
The scaly fish that lives not on the shore,
And man himself, the mighty being explore.
Aspiring mounts and hills, descending dales,
The floating air,-when peace or storm prevails;
Oceans and seas, streams and expanding lakes,
When night leaps in, or sweet aurora wakes.
The flying rays of light, the spangled skj-,
On contemplation's wing mount ye on high.
Bright cherubim and flaming seraphim,
All things upon wide earth, tli' eternal Him,
Children, all, all are yours! Search, find them out.
Knowledge, where are thy bounds ? In depths without.
The heavens, within the heavens, nor time,
Nor vast eternity, the gods sublime,
Can in their sweeping compass e'er embrace!
He reigns o'er angels, guides the human race.
Seek not the joys which sinful earth can give;
They sparkle, perish, for a moment live.
Sweet innocents, behold each moving lip!
From cups of wisdom sacred sweets they sip.
What demon snatches from your hands those books,
And blasts your talents with his withering looks?
I weep. Flow, then, ye sympathetic tears!
Each bitter stream the stamp of sorrow bears.
O who those smiling infant cheeks can see
Destined to night, nnd not lament with me?
Exercise of the Slave-holding Poiver.
33
Could tears of blood revoke the fierce decree,
The statesmen touch and make my pupils free,
I at their feet the crimson tide would pour
Till potent justice swayed the senate floor.
As when a deer does in the pasture graze,
The lion roars—she's filled with wild amaze,
Knows strength unequal for the dreadful fight,
And seeks sweet safety in her rapid flight—
80 Payne prepares to leave his native home,
With pigmy purse on distant shores to roam.
Lo! in the skies my boundless store-house is!
I go reclining on God's promises.
Pupils, attend my last departing sounds;
Ye are my hopes, and ye my mental crowns,
My monuments of intellectual might.
My robes of honor and my armor bright.
Like Solomon, entreat the throne of God;
Light shall descend in lucid columns broad,
And all that man has learned or man can know
In streams prolific shall your minds o'erflow.
Hate sin; love God; religion be your prize;
Her laws obeyed will surely make you wise,
Secure you from the ruin of the vain, f
And save your souls from everlasting pain.
O fare you well for whom my bosom glows
With ardent love, which Christ my Saviour knows!
'Twas for your good I labored night and day;
For you I wept, and now for you I pray.
Farewell! farewell! ye children of my love;
May joys al^mdant flow ye from above !
May peace celestial crown your useful days,
To bliss transported, sing eternal lays;
For sacred wisdom give a golden world,
And when foul vice his charming folds unfurl,
O spurn the monster, though his crystal eyes
Be like bright sunbeams streaming from the skies!
And I! O whither shall your tutor fly ?
Guide thou my feet, great Sovereign of the sky.
34
Recollections of Seventy Years.
A useful life by sacred wisdom crowned,
Is all I ask, let weal or woe abound!
Charleston, S. C., February 2, 1835.
The writing of this poem was the safety-valve
which let out the superabundant grief that would
otherwise have broken my heart and sent me head¬
long to an untimely grave. About this time I had a
dream which to me at that time seemed prophetic.
It was this: I dreamed that I was lifted up from the
earth, and without wings fled toward the North. I
was clad in my pink robe, which I always wore in the
school-room. Upon reaching the North I was all the
time flying south of the chain of lakes which separate
the United States from Canada. To and fro along
this line I was still flying in my teaching robes, till I
awoke and found myself still in Charleston, but great¬
ly comforted in the midst of my troubles.
The effect of this dream was to settle my mind on
the determination to seek a field of usefulness as a
teacher in the free North, where I believed I could
teach without let or liinderance. So I called upon Dr.
William Capers, Dr. Benj. W. Palmer, Dr. John
Bachman, Bishop Gadsen, and Bev. Kennedy, my
pastor, all of whom I consulted. But chief of all, I
sought the advice and counsel of my beloved class-
leader, Mr. Samuel "Weston, who is still living in
Charleston, a venerable, intelligent, holy n?an—intel¬
ligent then beyond most men of his age and opportu¬
nities; venerable now on account of his great age,
sanctity, and usefulness; then only a class-leader be¬
cause slave)')/ decreed him to the condition of half man
and half brute; now an elder in the itinerant ministry
of the M. E. Church because freedom has recognized
his genuine manhood and restored him to the normal
Dr. Bachman.
(See pa.u'e :m.|
Exercise of the Slave-holding Pouer. 35
position of a child of God (1881). I say liim above
all ^others I consulted, and lie, with the others, ap¬
proved my determination to seek a field of usefulness
in the free regions of the North.
From all but him I received letters of introduction
to their Northern friends. From Dr. Capers* I re¬
ceived a general letter of introduction to Northern
Christians; from my pastor I received one to the
managers of the Book Concern in New York; from
Dr. Palmer, one to a clergyman of the Congregational
Church; from Dr. Bachman, letters to Lutheran cler¬
gymen in New York and Philadelphia; from Bishop
Gadsen to clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal
Church. I also received letters to Presbyterian cler¬
gymen.
The last week of my school arrived. Examinations
were held in order that the parents of the children
might have an opportunity of witnessing their attain¬
ments in the sciences and arts then taught—which
were the construction of maps and theorem painting
on velvet. The* only white persons who visited my
school to witness the exercises were Dr. Benj. M.
Palmer, his wife and two daughters; B. B. Thatcher,
Esq., of Massachusetts; and a son of Bishop Dehon.
These white friends were in deep sympathy with me,
and greatly consoled me in the midst of my tribula¬
tion. The examinations were in orthography, ortho¬
epy, reading, writing, arithmetic, and history; also in
botany, descriptive astronomy, natural philosophy,
and composition. The latter exercise was original.
The school had been doing its work for a little more,
than five years. It was opened somewhere about the
* Subsequently Bishop Capers, of the 51. E. Church, South.
36 Recollections of Seventy Years.
middle of 1829. It liad grown from three children at
fifty cents apiece, to sixty children at from three dol¬
lars to six dollars per quarter; from a contemptible,
little thing, kept in an obscure part of the city—ob¬
scure as far as the colored population was concerned
—it had become the most popular school of color, be¬
cause more of the higher English branches were
taught in it than in any other school. In addition to
this I had been giving private instruction to three
ladies, the daughters of my venerable teacher, Mr.
Thomas S. Bonneau. But the last month, the last
week, the last day, and the last hour of this interest¬
ing school had come, and it closed as it had begun—
with singing and prayer—on the last day of March,
1835.
Among the friends who were pleased to testify to
the usefulness of my school and to their sympathy I
have selected three, whose testimonials are taken from
my album in which they were written at that time,
and which I present here. The first is from Dr. John
Bacliman, the naturalist and theologian of the Lu¬
theran Church in South Carolina:
Daniel A. Payne: A mysterious providence has so ordered
it that your usefulness in the profession you have chosen is at
an end in your native city.
Yield submissive^ to the laws of the land; do your duty
and trust in God, and all will most assuredly be overruled for
your future good.
Carry with you this parting advice from one who enter¬
tains a favorable opinion of your acquirements and worth:
Pursue knowledge wherever it is to be found. Like the air
you breathe, it may be inhaled everywhere; like gold, it
passes current among all classes. Perform all your duties
faithfully. God is on the side of virtue. Walk humbly. The
proud man would conquer others; the Christian's ambition
Exercise of the Slave-holding Power.
37
is to conquer himself, and lie unbuckles his armor only for his
shroud. John Bachman.
Charleston S. C., April 12, 1835.
The second is from the pen of Dr. Benj. Palmer.
Daniel A. Payne: My best wishes attend you. My confi¬
dence is strong that your,door of interesting usefulness in-
your native State is closed by a providence that orders all
things well, only that a wider field elsewhere may afford
scope for the exercise of your talents and the influences of
your piety.
Bear on your heart "wherever you go your colored brethren
on whom the light of hope begins auspiciously to dawn. As
further light shines on your own bewildered path, let its re¬
flection illumine theirs. Among the variety of plans which
may present themselves to your own mind, or be presented
by others, remember, like the tender-hearted Paul, your
" brethren, your kinsmen according to the flesh." Let your
future purposes and pursuits all bear favorably and strongly
toward the accomplishment of the interesting, the divine as¬
surance, " Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God."
May he who gave this promise be ever with you !
Bknj. M. Pai.mek.
May 4, 1835.
The third is from his daughter, Miss Mary S. Palm¬
er, the poetess.
To Mr. J). A. Payne: It is with melancholy pleasure that T
comply with the request of my friend by inserting a few linos
in his album. The tenderest sympathies of my heart have
been awakened in your behalf, while contemplating the mys¬
terious providence which separates yon from your affection¬
ate and beloved'pupils, who were profiting by your faithful
instructions. In seasons like this, Avhen clouds and darkness
rest upon us, and we cannot understand the dealings of God,
wa fully realize the blessedness of those who can with a child¬
like confidence repose in God's promises, and pour all our
sorrows into the compassionate bosom of the sinner's friend,
"who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities," Avho
remembers our frame, and who stands ready to administer
consolation as soon as the purposes of his love are answered.
38
Recollect ions of Seven! ij Years.
May your covenant God support, guide, and protect J'ou, and
make all your way plain before you! "When you leave the
land of your nativity you will carry with you the respect and
esteem of the wise and the good. Many will follow you
with their prayers and best wishes. May Jehovah Jesus he
with you to bless you, lift upon you the light of his counte¬
nance, and give you favor among strangers ! May he comfort
you with the richest consolations of his Spirit, and raise up
influential, pious friends to do you good ! May he open he-
fore you an extensive field of usefulness, so that you may
have reason to bless his holy name for causing light to spring
out of present darkness; that you may have occasion to say
with Jacob of old, when you review all the way through
which his providence lias called you to pass, " With my staff
I passed the Jordan, and now I am become two bands," and
when it is well with you, O remember your brethren whom you
leave behind, and do them good. Farewell!
Charleston, May 0,1835. Mary S. PaLMEK.
Thank God! Thank Gocl the earnest prayers of
this noble lady have been almost literally fulfilled! I
now look back oyer the distance of more than fifty
years, and find myself in the midst of a people eman¬
cipated by the strong arm of the Lord God Almighty.
The five self-supporting schools which were crushed
by the cruel Act of 1834, enforced in April, 1835,
have multiplied into hundreds of public schools sup¬
ported by State funds and public schools supported
by private benevolence all over these lands
Thirty years from the day I left Charleston, at al¬
most the same day and hour, I returned with a
band of traveling preachers to commence missionary
operations in Charleston and elsewhere. With these
preachers from the North, and some from my native
State, I organized the first South Carolina Annual Con¬
ference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
That one has multiplied into eleven, scattered over
Exercise of the Slace-holding Power. 39
the States of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, Florida, and Virginia.
Would to God I could meet Miss Mary S. Palmer
to-day, and her sainted father and her sainted mother
and her sainted sister, Miss Jane Keith Palmer! I
know they would rejoice with me over the marvelous
things which God's omnipotent hand has accom¬
plished at the end of half a century. Listen to the
consolatory lines penned by the last named:
The sun never ariseth so glorious as when he divideth the
thick clouds of the morning and looketh forth from his pavil¬
ion of waters around him ; nor does man ever bespeak so much
his spiritual strength, or show so like unto God, as when he
rejoiceth with a serene joy over darkness and trouble, and
.gathers sweet refreshment to his glory from the clouds which
overcast him. Jane Keith Palmer.
May 5, 1835.
At a time when my heart seemed ready to burst
with grief and my lips ready to deny the existence of
God, or to blaspheme his holy name for permitting
one race to grind another to powder, such white friends
were exceedingly dear and precious to me. I looked
on them then, and regard them now, as God's angels
sent to strengthen me when the powers of darkness
seemed to be let loose against me and against the race
which I was so earnestly serving. I can never cease
to remember them without emotions of gratitude and
love. Forget them? No; never.
Many of my colored brethren did all in their power
to console and strengthen my heart and hands, chief
of whom—outside the M. E. Church—was Mr. John
Mishaw. Immediately after the close of my school
he sent his servant to convey me and my trunks to his
hospitable home, Avhere he entertained me at his own
40
Recollections of Seventy Years.
expense up to the day of my departure from Charles¬
ton. He and his family all made me comfortable and
as happy as possible under the circumstances. The
remembrance of his kindness is a sweet thing in my
heart.
Mr. Thomas Engles loaned me one hundred dollars
to make my outfit. Years later I refunded it to his
son Thomas with compound interest. The chief of
my benefactors of the Cumberland Street M. E.
Church was my class-leader, Mr. Samuel Weston, who
made my traveling suit, but would not receive any re¬
ward. Thirty years afterward, finding that he had
sustained losses by fire, and that his business had
been damaged by the Civil War, I demanded his bill,
but he positively refused to take any reward. May
God's blessings rest upon his children and his chil¬
dren's children!
I must not omit the mention of my grandaunt, Mrs.
Sarah Bordeaux, who was then a nurse in the family
of Bishop Theodore Dehon. She furnished me with
a box filled with the best of cakes. A month was
thus consumed in preparation for my departure.
Chapter1 V.
FIRST EXPERIENCES IN THE NORTH.
T SAILED from Charleston the 9th of May, 1835,
1 about four o'clock Saturday, in search of a field of
usefulness as a teacher of children and youth, for such
was the work to which I was conscious God had been
training and was still training me. Numerous were
the dear friends who followed me to the steamer, who
bade me adieu with many a hearty shake of the hand
and sincere wish for prosperity, while they stood
weeping. As for me, almost blind with tears, I stood
at the steamer's side, also weeping, and gazed till
distance placed them out of my sight and till, like a
flying bird, the tall spire of St. Michael's Church
faded amidst the glories of the setting sun. Dark¬
ness soon threw her curtain over the face of the
ocean,, and I sought a place to sleep away my sor¬
rows. "What were my peculiar feelings, emotions,
and thoughts, what of sea-life I witnessed and ex¬
perienced, I cannot now tell, as I kept no journal of
those days, and half a century has effaced them. But
on Wednesday morning I awoke to find all as still as
death save the voices and footsteps on the deck, and
I became conscious that Ave were lashed to a dock in
New York.
I arose and prepared to go ashore, and I was soon
(41)
42
Recollections of Seventy Yeai'S.
at a boarding-house. After breakfast I selected from
my letters of introduction one of two given, me by
Bishop Gadsen, which was to Key. Peter AVilliams, a
colored Protestant Episcopal clergyman. I soon found
my way to liis residence on Crosby Street, where he re¬
ceived me very kindly and tendered me a hearty wel¬
come. I had not been long engaged in conversation
with him before a lad of dark complexion entered the
parlor. His step was quick and elastic, his eyes beam¬
ing with the light of a superior intellect, his entire
aspect that of one possessed of more than- ordinary
endowments. Said he: "Mr. AVilliams, I am here,
sir, to request you to aid me in.obtaining an educa¬
tion. I desire to go to school to Miss Crandal,* and
shall be glad to get whatever you can#give me."
Promptly taking out his pocket-book, the Rev. Mr.
Williams handed to this interesting lad a ten-dollar
bank-note, expressing regret at his inability at that
time to give more, and promising more assistance at
a future day. The depths of my soul were moved
toward the lad. I said to myself: " Can I also aid
him?" I had then but forty dollars in my pocket—
all the money I had in the world. I was eight hun¬
dred miles from my native city, among strangers,
seeking employment, and not knowing when I would
find it, but I was not long in making up my mind. I
took out my purse, and gave him two Spanish silver
dollars.
Years after, when I was in Philadelphia—a school¬
master and local elder at Old Bethel—a finely-deve!-
*Miss Prudence Crandal, whose school was the only one
accessible to colored youth at that time. Tljis lad was a mem¬
ber of it when it was burned.
First Experiences-in the North.
43
oped young man, in the liabit of a clergyman, called
at my boarding-place. We were introduced, and I
took him to Bishop Morris Brown, who invited him
to preach in Old Bethel. At the hour he appeared
as a deacon in the Protestant Episcopal Church and
in the capacity of a missionary to plant and train a
Church among the needy colored people of that city.
As he preached I listened to him with delight, and
thanked God with joy unspeakable that he had en¬
abled me to contribute my small mite to the develop¬
ment of such a mind, because he was the same person
I had met in 1835 at the house of Rev. Peter Will¬
iams. He subsequently passed through one of the
first universities of Europe; has written and pub¬
lished his thoughts in such a form as to win admira¬
tion on both sides of the Atlantic; has lived on three
continents; and now, returned to his native land, is
performing perhaps the grandest work of his life.*
God grant that his last days may be his best!
How much silver and gold is wasted, sinfully
wasted, upon human pleasures, which degrade their
votaries, but which might be successfully employed
in the diffusion of knowledge, the drilling of the
gifted intellect for leadership under the command of
God's anointed Commander to the people!
The same evening of my call upon Mr. Williams
he proposed a visit to an anti-slavery meeting. It
was the anniversary of the American Anti-slavery
Society. There I heard George Thompson, the cele¬
brated English orator, pouring out streams of match¬
less eloquence against the demon of slavery. Among
* Reference is inside to Tie v. Alexander Crumnicl, D.D.,
rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Washington, D. C.
44 Recollections of Seventy Years.
the things said at this meeting which I remem¬
ber was the pleading of Lewis Tappan for the pub¬
lication of a small monthly, to be called the Child's
Anti-slavery Magazine. The object of this was to ed¬
ucate. the rising generation in anti-slavery ideas, for,
said he, "All children are naturally anti-slavery, and it
is only by a training as false as it is wicked that they
become pro-slavery." These and similar utterances
led me to see that what Dr. Palmer had said to me in
whispers in the city of Charleston were echoing thun¬
ders in the Northern sky.*
The next day I began to deliver my letters of in¬
troduction. I called at the Book Concern of the M.
E. Church, where I was received very kindly, but
recommended to "go to Africa." I met*with a fra¬
ternal welcome at my nest two calls upon Congre¬
gational and Protestant Episcopal clergymen, who
also advised me to go to Africa. To all these I said
that I felt it my duty to labor for the salvation of my
race in the United States. Lastly I went to B-ev.
Daniel Strobel, of the Lutheran Church, and pre¬
sented my letter to him from Dr. Bachman. Ho read
it, and said: "Mr. Payne, I believe you are provi¬
dentially here, for Dr. Martin has just informed me
that the Society of Inquiry on Missions, at Gettys¬
burg, has resolved to educate a talented, pious young
man of color for the intellectual, moral, and social
elevation of the free colored people in this country,
*The Garrisonian movement commenced in 1832, and ev¬
ery thing connected with it was sedulously kept from the
cars and the eyes of the colored people of the South. It was
only by whispers that we learned that there was a glimmer
of a day of freedom to come to the enslaved.
First Experiences in the North.
45
and from wliat these letters say of you I think you
are the very man whom they want. Now, if you will
go to Gettysburg, and study theology there, you will
be better fitted than you now are for usefulness
among your people." I told him that my highest
aim was to be an educator; that the sanctities and re¬
sponsibilities of the ministry were too great and awful
for me. But he overcame my objections by showing
the enlarged usefulness resulting from such a course,
and stating that I would not be obliged to enter the
ministry. "And if you should not enter the minis¬
try, your training in theology will make you more use¬
ful in the school-room."
I spent a few days carefully examining the doc¬
trines of the Lutheran Church, as presented in the
"Unabridged Popular Theology" of Dr. Schmucker;
and then I consented, being convinced that the stu¬
dents of divinity at Gettysburg were not screwed
down to the Procrustean bedstead—that, in short, I
would there be in the hands of a teacher who would
bo as liberal as he was Christian and learned.
Three days after this interview I returned to Dr.
Strobel to ask two questions—whether I should be
required by the Society to embrace the doctrines and
usages of the Lutheran Church as conditional to my
education at Gettysburg, and whether the ultimate
end of my training there would be African coloniza¬
tion.* To both questions he replied in the negative,
and at the end of ten days from my arrival in the
city of New York I set my face for the general theo-
*At this time African colonization was a stirring question,
and greatly excited the colored thinkers. It was the antago¬
nist of the American Anti-slavery Society.
46
Recollections of Seventy Years.
logical seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church,
at Gettysburg, Pa.
During my few days' stay in New York I formed
some very pleasant acquaintances, many of which
ripened into strong friendship. Among these early
acquaintances were Rev. Peter Williams, the son of
Mr. Peter Williams, the first and oldest sexton of
John Street M. E. Church, whose history is out¬
lined in forty pages of a work entitled " Lost Chap¬
ters of Methodism." He was well educated for his
day—hospitable, generous; not a windy friend of edu¬
cation. He loved to see talented young men educat¬
ing themselves, and substantially aided more than
one in his efforts. Above all he valued an educated
ministry. He was the friend of my youth.
- Mr. Thomas B. Downing, the father of Mr. George
T. Downing, was the second colored person whose
acquaintance I made. He was the proprietor of a
first-class restaurant on Wall Street, large-hearted,
public-spirited, and a radical abolitionist.
Mr. Thomas Hamilton, one of whose sons was the
publisher of an interesting monthly—the Anglo-Af¬
rican—was more aged than either of the above. His
brain was cast in a philosophical mold, and he was
head and shoulders above his fellows in general in¬
telligence, though skeptical. Kind and generous to
strangers, he spared neither pains nor expense to en¬
able me to see somewhat of the outer and inner life
of the metropolis.
Mr. Charles Reason, now Professor Reason and
principal in a graded school ii# New York, was then
perhaps twenty years of age, slightly built, graceful
in movement, and with a face remarkably sweet in ex-
First Experiences in the North.
47
pression. He then held the rank of monitor in one of
the public schools. He subsequently became a profess¬
or in one of the colleges established in central New
York for the education of both races. If my memory
be accurate, it was styled " Central College." After¬
ward he became Principal * of the " Institute for Col¬
ored Youths," in Philadelphia. Upon his second mar¬
riage he deemed best for him to move back to New
York, where he has been up to the present time at the
head of one of the best graded schools of the Empire
State, commanding for many years the splendid salary
of $3,000 per annum. The Professor is more of a med¬
itative than a public character. Too upright to be a
politician, but not lacking in the spirit of a patriot,
he has made himself known and felt rather by his
pen than by his tongue, because he is no windy rhet¬
orician. Professor Reason is not a member of that
flippant class who make eloquent speeches in behalf
of the education and consequent elevation of the col¬
ored race, and then render no substantial aid. When
I was in New York soliciting funds to put a medium-
sized museum in AVilberforce University the names
of at least half a dozen men of color were given.
They were reported to be worth from $10,000 to $100,-
000. He was the only one who was a practical friend
of education. He gave me twenty-five dollars, and his
noble wife also gave me twenty-five. The others sent
me away with empty excuses. From one who died a
few years after, leaving (according to newspaper re¬
port) a property of half a million of dollars behind, I
could not get a single dollar or a single cent. I have
# lie was its first Principal, and managed it with great skill,
to the satisfaction of its trustees, all of whom were teachers.
48
Recollections of Seven!;/ Years.
visited many school-rooms in the United States and
in foreign lands, and closely watched the methods of
many teachers; but I have seldom met his equal,
never his superior.
Rev. Chas. B. Ray was at that time, I believe, a
city missionary of the Congregational Church. Well
educated, as now, he hid much under the beautiful
mantle of modesty. He lived then in comfortable
circumstances—a rare thing for a man of color to do
in the great city of New York. He has always been
connected with the anti-slavery movement, and was
one of the founders of the Colored American * Eev.
Samuel E. Cornish was at the time its chief editor.
Mr. Philip Bell, editor of the Elevator, in California,
was associated with Cornish and Eay.f Eev. Samuel
*The Colored American was in 1S35 the only weekly jour¬
nal edited by colored men, and Avas the second that came into
existence by them.
fTvev. C. B. Iiay is the father cf three (laughters now liv¬
ing, of whom he has great reason to rejoice, because they
have been well educated in the homestead as well as in the
public schools of Xew York. Their sound and wholesome
education has been manifest to all acquainted with them, both
in the school-room and in the social circle. All their lives,
since the attainment of mature womanhood, have been spent
in the training of children—than which neither man nor
woman can be more honorably or more usefully employed.
]\liss Florence, second in age, has always distinguished her¬
self by her studious habits, and made commendable progress
in German literature. I can truly say it was a real and
solid enjoyment to spend an evening in the hospitable
and refined home of this sainted man. lie has left behind
him a sweet, noble-hearted widow and three interesting
daughters, whom we have reason to believe and to hope will
honor his memory as they have adorned his life.
First Experiences in the North.
49
Cornisli was the second of three brothers, all of whom
were ministers of the gospel. William and John
were elders of the A. M. E. Church. Samuel was a
Presbyterian, and founder of the Presbyterian Church
now known as Shiloh. Up to his marriage with a
wealthy young lady of color he was its pastor. He
was succeeded by Rev. Theodore T. Wright, a man of
blessed memory, who was beloved by everybody who
lcnew''him on account of his generous nature and cath¬
olic spirit. Educated at Princeton, he was respected
by all his white classmates on account of his modesty
and usefulness as one of the foremost leaders of the
colored people in the city of New York, in which he
was one of the Executive Committee of the American
Anti-slavery Society. The writer of these recollec¬
tions and Rev. Theodore S. Wright were so much
alike in temper and general views that we never met
or parted, in public or private, without kissing each
other.
At this time (1835) George S. Downing, Esq., had
just attained his manhood, but was animated with the
same patriotic and race-loving spirit which distin¬
guished his noble sire. This spirit has not been di¬
minished by age. It is still burning with an intensity
that is consuming him. This is manifest by his fear¬
less rebukes—perhaps I had better say utterances—
against'botli of the political parties whenever he be¬
lieves they are ignoring human rights, when those
rights are to be applied to the colored citizens of the
Republic.
I was also introduced to Lewis Tappan, Esq., who
was blessed with a countenance so radiant with sweet¬
ness as to rise into'the beautiful; and beneath that
4
50
Recollections of Seventy Years.
face was a soul that kindled into wrath and indigna¬
tion at the thoughts of American slavery and oppres¬
sion. Immediately he began to interrogate me con¬
cerning slavery as it liad manifested itself in my
native city, and concluded his inquiries by asking me
what I thought of "immediate and unconditional
emancipation." I replied that I was opposed to that,
because I believed the slaves ought to be educated be¬
fore emancipation, that they might know how to enjoy
freedom. Instantly he replied: " Don't you know that
men can't be educated in a state of slavery?" He
then convinced me in a few words that education and
slavery were antagonistic and could not exist together
—that the one must crush out the other. Then, giving
me a picture of a kneeling slave, with hands fettered
and eyes upturned to heaven, he said: "When you
arrive at Gettysburg organize a prayer-meeting among
your fellow-students, and beseech God to bring slavery
to an end."* This request gave me an entirely new
view*of an abolitionist, whom I had been taught to re¬
gard as an unprincipled agitator. I said: " If these ab¬
olitionists be men of prayer, they cannot be bad men.
Five years subsequent to this interview, stopping
in New York City again, I attended an anti-slavery
prayer-meeting under the management of Mr. Tap-
pan in the lecture-room of the Broadway Tabernacle.
I was called upon to speak and to pray. The scope
*This picture, which is still in my album of 1832, was en¬
graved bjr Mr. Patrick Reason, the brother of Professor Rea¬
son, then a psident of Xew York, but now, if living, dwell- '
ing in Cleveland, O. He, being a man of quiet spirit, and de¬
voted to the engraver's science and.art, is known only to his
relatives and immediate acquaintances.
First Experiences in the North.
51
of my remarks was to show the power of prayer as
applied to all great moral evils. I was immediately
followed by a gentleman from Georgia, who declared
himself a Christian and a slave-holder. He commend¬
ed "the spirit of the colored brother who had just
spoken," because he " believed in prayer and not in
denunciation." As lie sat down Mr. Tappan arose*,
and with great depth of feeling said to him: "You
are no Christian; you are a man-stealer." "I am a
Christian," was the emphatic rejoinder. "No," was
the reply; "you are not a Christian; you are a man-
stealer. No Christian can make a slave of another."
The effect was terrible. The audience became high¬
ly excited, and finally the Georgian walked hastily
out of the meeting.
On my way to Gettysburg I stopped at Philadel¬
phia, where I also met many interesting people. Mr.
Joseph Cassey, a colored manufacturer of wigs and
other hair-decorations, who had retired on a fortune
of about $75,000, with a lovely wife and five children;
the talented Forten family, the head of which was
the venerable James Forten; the Purvis family, and
others. James Forten was the father of eight chil¬
dren, equally divided as regards sex, and all talented.
Of the four sons Robert seemed to be the most gifted.
He was a polished orator, a more than ordinary math¬
ematician, and also gifted with a poetical vein. His
knowledge of mathematics he reduced to practice
by the construction of a fine telescope nine feet long.
He ground his own lenses and set them himself. It
was approved by the Franklin Institute, of Philadel¬
phia, and there put on exhibition. His poetical tal¬
ent may be seen in the following lines, which he wrote
52
Recollections of Seventy Years.
in my album under a picture descriptive of tlia ruins
of ancient Rome, and is entitled
Rome.
Here lies the city once an empire's pride,
In moldering ruin and confused heap;
Here rests her beauty, and here reside
Full many a brave in silent sleep.
Low in the dust her hundred spires
Are laid, the remnant of battles' rage,
The ashes of the foeman's fires,
A scene to light the poet's page.
The dust, which as the winds arise,
Moves o'er the graves of soldiers dead;
This spot may be where Caesar lies,
This rising mound the hero's bed.
O Rome! once mistress of a world in arms,
Thy glory's set and gone forever;
Thy lofty towers, thy countless charms
Are buried, to resurrection never!
—Robert B. Forten.
After the death of his father and that of his first
wife (the mother of Mrs. Rev. Frank J. Grimke),
having married again, he went with his second wife to
Canada during the agitation of the fugitive slave law
times; and subsequently he went to England, where
he remained chiefly in the city of London until the
Civil War broke out in the United States, and the or¬
ganization of colored troops was ordered by the gov¬
ernment. As soon as that fact was made known in
England the natural love of country and of race
seized his spirit, and having made proper arrange¬
ments for his family, without notifying any of his rela¬
tives in this country, not even his venerable mother, he
crossed the ocean and appeared at the old homestead.
She, surprised at his presence, asked: "Robert, what
First Experiences in the Xorih. 53
brought you liere ? " His reply was substantially these
words: "When now 011 the eve of the triumph of free¬
dom how could I, or any other colored man in whose
bosom a love of country, race, and liberty dwells, re¬
main in a foreign land ? I am come to help break the
bonds of the slave and aid in the triumph of liberty."
He enlisted under the banners of Gen. Berney, and
as a recruiting officer was both diligent and success¬
ful in raising troops on the eastern shore of Maryland
and Virginia until he was seized with typhoid fever,
by which, after a short illness, he fell engaged in the
service of his country. After his death a magnificent
allusion was made to him on the floor of Congress by
Congressman Kelley, of Pennsylvania.
As an instance well illustrating the foolishness of
unfounded prejudice, I recall an incident which oc¬
curred about the time I made these acquaintances.
Mr. Robert Purvis was about to go to Europe, and
had engaged passage when the owner of the vessel
informed him that Mr. Bernard Carter, of Virginia,
also a passenger, hearing that a colored man was to
be one of the number, had declared that he would not
go out on the same vessel with a negro. On account
of the owner's evident embarrassment, Mr. Purvis
gave up his berth and went to New York, crossing the
Atlantic from there. From his departure to his re¬
turn he was not insulted in any manner by any allu¬
sion to his color (which was not discernible) or to his
race. When ready to return to America, he found
this same Virginian ready to sail on the same vessel.
The two Americans, before sailing, became quite well
acquainted, and Mr. Carter begged Mr. Purvis to get
a seat beside liim at ship-table. The result was that
54
Recollections of Seventy Years.
the two were on terms of liearty good friendship
throughout the voyage, Mr. Purvis being invariably
selected by his companion to promenade the deck with
him. A South Carolinian and family, Mr. Haynes,
were also on board, with others of distinction. With
all these he was on most intimate terms, promenading
the deck with both ladies and gentlemen. As he felt
that he was a man as much as any one on board, he
felt no call to disclose his connection with the pro¬
scribed race unless it were necessary; therefore he
kept silent until about to leave the ship. A parting
dinner had been given by the captain, at which Mr.
Purvis distinguished himself in a speech for which he
was called upon, and received my compliments. After
the dinner he informed the steward that lie Avas a
colored man, and directed him to make public the dis¬
closure. He did so. It was at first disbelieved, aud
one of the party approached Mr. Purvis and asked if
it was true, thinking it a joke. Mr. Purvis confirmed
the statement, and he returned to the passengers,
where it produced much excitement, gravity, dis¬
comfiture, and merriment, as the whole force of the
situation was realized. One gentleman, it is said,
laughed himself off his feet contemplating the
absurdity of the Southerners' positions. How fool¬
ish is that prejudice which judges a gentleman by
the color of his skin, or by known possession of ne¬
gro blood! Mr. Purvis was as much the gentle¬
man and their equal at the last as at first. He
is a native of Charleston, S. C.; was born August 4,
1S10. His father was an Englishman, his mother
free-born; his maternal grandmother was born in
Morocco, North Africa. For many years he was Vice-
First Experiences in the North.
55
president of the American Anti-slavery Society, and
for several years President of the Pennsylvania Anti-
slavery Society, and he was also President of the
Under-ground Railroad Society. It is now over half
a century since I first met him in Philadelphia, and
the same high moral sensibilities which marked him
then still distinguish him now.
Chapter VI.
EXPERIENCE AT GETTYSBURG.
FTER a sliort stay in the "Quaker City" the
time for my departure was come, and I left by
railroad for Columbia, Pa., and there I took the stage
for Gettysburg. Arriving there, I was soon in the
hotel, in my bed-chamber, and fast asleep. The next
morning I presented myself at the seminary, but as my
trunk, in which were my letters of introduction, had
been left behind, I was in a dilemma. I bethought my¬
self, however, of my album, in w7hich the same friends
had written, and I took it out and presented it to Mr.
Stroll, who was in charge. He immediately said,
after reading: " Sir, you might travel round the world
with this album, without any other testimonial to your
character." And he bade me welcome.
It was the month of June, and the reapers were in
the field. It was a sight as pleasant as it was new
and instructive. There were about twelve men in a
single field that stretched out before me. All used
cradles, the blades of which gleamed in the light of
-the sun. Their movements were to me fearful, as well
as graceful, for the wheat fell in heaps at every swing
of the glittering cradles, and brought to my mind the
statement of the Great Teacher when he uttered the
parable of the sower, in which he says: " The harvest
(56)
Experience at Gettysburg.
57
is the end of the world; and the reapers are the an¬
gels." (Matt. xiii. 39; Rev. xiv. 15, 16.)
From that day until the arrival of President
Sclimacker my time was spent in reading and ram¬
bling over the hills, which were in the suburbs of the
village, and from their summits viewing the distant
range of the Blue Mountains, and the sun setting glo¬
riously over and behind them. These mountainous
regions were very instructive and refreshing to me,
not only because of their novelty, but rather because
they contrasted grandly with the low, prairie-like
regions surrounding Charleston, where the suii
seemed to rise out of the ocean and to set behind the
islands. But after my spirit had drunk down this
valley and mountain scenery, then came the sad re¬
flections about my native city, about the loved ones
I had left behind me. O the parting scene in that
school-room, those interesting children, and my sister,
my only sister, whom I would never see again! But
what made my thought almost agonizing was the rec¬
ollection of the fact that this separation was the
bitter product of unjust, cruel, and blasphemous
laws—cruel and unjust to a defenseless race, blas¬
phemous of that God who of one blood did make all
the nations of the earth, all its races, all its families,
every individual man. Every night for many years
after I left Charleston did I dream about it—wander¬
ing over its streets, bathing in its rivers, worshiping
in its chapels, or teaching in my school-room, and
sometimes I was sailing into it and sometimes flying
out of it.
When Dr. Schmucker, the President, arrived, I
called upon him and again asked what the Society
llecollections of Seventy Years.
had in view—whether it was the intention to send me
to Liberia. The reply was: "The members of that
Society are not colonizationists, but abolitionists, and
they desire you to be trained to labor for the in¬
tellectual, moral, religious, and social improvement
of the free people of color in the United States."
My doubts were at rest, and I was ready for matricu¬
lation.
While casting about whether to unite with the Col¬
lege Church or the M. E. Church, it was intimated to
me that the latter was pro-slavery, which was made
evident the following year, when the representatives*
* This was Mr. Blanchard, subsequently Dr. Blanchard,
who was for many years President of one of the Congrega¬
tional colleges in North Illinois. At the time of his appear¬
ance at Gettysburg he was fresh from Andover Theolog¬
ical Seminary. He and other students had abandoned Ando¬
ver because Prof. Moses Stewart had given such an exegesis
of St. Paul's letter to Philemon concerning Onesimus as to
justify slavery. He was one of sixty or seventy lecturers of
the American Anti-slavery Society commissioned to go
through several of the Northern States to indoctrinate the
people in anti-slavery sentiments and principles, and to
champion the cause of freedom. At the time of his visit to
Gettysburg the pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church
was from Maryland, and deeply imbued with the spirit of
slavery. He met Mr. Blanchard in the court-house, and de¬
fended slavery as best he could. He was aided by Senator
Cooper, of Pennsylvania, a man of more than ordinary abil¬
ity; but he and Mr. Bond, the pro-slavery preacher, had
more than their match in Prof. Reynolds, of the Lutheran
Church, also of Pennsylvania College, and Hon. Thaddeus
Stevens, a member of Congress, Avhose soul burned as in¬
tensely with the fires of liberty as Senator Cooper's did with
the flames of slavery. As for Mr. Blanchard, he was sun¬
shine as well as storm* uniting in himself the logician, the
Experience at Gettysburg. 59
of the American Anti-slavery Society entered Gettys¬
burg. There was at that time no A. M. E. Church at
Gettysburg. In 1837 I prepared the way for one, but
the choice of an intemperate class-leader by the min¬
ister sent them, whose name was Jeffry Goulden, was
so unfortunate that African Methodism there received
a blow from which it has never recovered. There
was one at Carlisle, of which I shall soon speak.
While pursuing my studies at the Seminary I ob¬
tained permission to use an old building belonging
to the College for Sunday-school instruction. So,
gathering in all the colored children in the neighbor¬
hood, I opened the school, having for teachers such
persons as I could obtain from the village and the
Seminary. As occasion did permit I also held re¬
ligious meetings, and labored to produce revivals,
which labors were blessed by the coming of many
souls to Christ. I also organized societies among the
women for mental and moral improvement. At one
of the religious meetings, and under the influence of
more zeal than knowledge, I injured myself by speak¬
ing three hours before I stopped. For more than
three weeks after I could not speak above a whisper.
During the time I was at Gettysburg I studied
German, Hebrew, Greek, ecclesiastical history, men¬
tal philosophy,- archaeology, and systematic theology.
I found there many kind friends also, and the good
Dr. Sclimucker was not only a kind instructor, but
often exhibited the tenderness of a father by supply-
philosopher, and the orator. His facts and his arguments
against .slavery were irresistible. The excitement in Gettys¬
burg and throughout Adams County became intense, but the
people were too sober-minded to raise a mob.
GO
Recollections of Seventy Years.
ing my bodily needs. To help myself along, in addi¬
tion to my studies, I cut wood, cleaned boots and
shoes, and shaved.
Two years passed swiftly away, and on its wings
bore me away without graduation. The cause of this
misfortune was. as follows: I was reposing one day,
Hat on my back on my bed, reading a small work on
" The Use of the Eyes." I had just reached the point
where the author warns the student against the habit
of reading in a recumbent position. At that moment
I felt an acute pain in my left eye. It was produced
by straining the optic nerve. During the greater part
of the twelve months following, which it took to re¬
pair the damage, whenever I attempted to read a sen¬
sation was produced like the piercing of a needle into
the eye-ball. During the first hour of this misfortune
my reflections were sad, and when I perceived that I
was compelled to quit my books and leave school be¬
fore my course was completed I threw myself upon
my bed and began to lament over my condition, when
an inspiration came to me which I could not resist,
saying: " Look at the thirteenth chapter "of Matthew,
sixteenth verse." I rose quickly and opened my Bi¬
ble upon these words: "Blessed are your eyes, for
they see; and your ears, for they hear." These words
were full of comfort to me, because they enabled me
to understand that I was not in as bad a condition as
some others who could not see or hear, and that a per¬
son is not in so bad a condition but that he might be
in a worse. And so it is throughout life. When we
are plunged into misfortune, if we look up to those
who are in a more prosperous state than ours we be¬
gin to murmur, but when we look down upon those
Experience at Gettysburg. G1
who are in a more deplorable condition we are made
to rejoice.
The physician prescribed simply rest and wear¬
ing of glasses slightly colored. So I consulted Dr.
Schmucker about some plan of usefulness in which I
might employ my time. His advice may be summed
up in the following words: "We should be glad to
have you operate as a minister of the gospel in the
Lutheran Church, but I think you can find a greater
field of usefulness in the A. M. E. Church; therefore
I advise you to join that body of professing Chris¬
tians."
At this point it is proper to tell how I became ac¬
quainted with the condition and wants of the A. M.
E. Church. Having made the acquaintance of Rev.
John Peck, a local deacon of Carlisle, Pa., I was in¬
vited there during vacation, and also invited to preach
and assist in the Sunday-school. I was also welcomed
at all quarterly meetings, where I was frequently con-
salted upon certain points. Bat little respect was
paid to the requirements of the Discipline. The old
elder, John Cornish—a man good-natured in spirit
and affable in manners—judged as he pleased, and ex¬
pelled Tom, Dick, or Harry "from the A. M. E.
Church in the United States of America forever."
Rev. Henry C. Turner, who died while pastor of Is¬
rael Church, in Washington, D. C., was then subordi¬
nate pastor in Carlisle, and a very, very different man
—sound, powerful, patient, meek, and free from the
infernal spirit of envy. The house of worship was
an old-fashioned building. In its basement—a mis¬
erable cellar—a school was kept for colored children,
and taught by a devout Christian white lady, Miss
62
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Sarah Bell. " The public institutions of Carlisle were
Dickerson College and the United States Barracks.
The College was in the hands of the Methodists, and
the many students from the adjoining slave States
gave a strong pro-slavery character to the institution.
It had previously belonged to the Presbyterians.
Now (1835-7) the only outspoken friend of freedom
among its professors was the noble Dr. McClin-
tock, who wrote cogent articles to the Christian Advo¬
cate, and even imperiled his life in assisting to rescue
a fugitive slave. The United States Barracks were
under the command of Major Kinggold, who was slain
later in the Mexican war, where most, if not all, of the
brilliant regiment which he used to drill while I was
at Carlisle perished with liim.
After my misfortune came upon me I was lying
upon my bed, lamenting and pondering over the fut¬
ure, when I felt a pressure from on high that con¬
strained me to say with the Apostle Paul: "Woe is
me if I preach not the gospel!" Though I had oft¬
en spoken in the pulpit at Carlisle, yet not till then
did I freely consent to devote myself to the work of
the gospel ministry. Then it was that I dfensulted
Dr. ISchmucker, with the result before stated, and
liis advice being agreeable to my Methodistic predi¬
lections I took leave of Gettysburg, the Seminary,
and friends, and went to Philadelphia, bearing in my
album the following testimonials from valued in¬
structors and friends:
*AVhen I was there iu 137G a nobler edifice occupied the
same site, evidencing the progress of the colored inhabitants
in knowledge, religion, and wealth. Miss Bell was still liv¬
ing, and still at the head of the colored school of Carlisle.
Experience at Gettysburg.
63
To Mr. I). A. Payne: As you are about to leave the insti¬
tution in which for about two years you have been pursuing
a course of study preparatory to the holy ministry, it affords me.
unfeigned pleasure to testify that the effect of our daily inter¬
course during this time has been in unwavering confidence
in the integrity of your purposes and the excellence of your
character, together with the conviction that the God "who
of one blood made all nations to dwell upon the face of the
earth" will accompany you through life and crown with his
blessing your labors in behalf of your oppressed kinsmen
after the flesh. Let the precious promises of that God who
hears the cries of the oppressed, and has predicted Ethiopia's
enlargement, encourage you to aim at much, and let a hum¬
ble and habitual reliance on his aid strengthen you for its
performance. That the blessing of the Divine Saviour, who
lias promised to be with us ahvav, may richly abide with you,
is the prayer of your friend and brother in Christ,
S. S. SCHMUCICEtt.
Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pa., May 12,183".
^ Jfr. Daniel A. Payne: It devolved upon me, in the provi¬
dence of God, to become your teacher in the languages
which the Holy Spirit employed in revealing the will of God
to men. I rejoice that my efforts have been successful in
preparing j'ou to read the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures.
Your diligence and abilities have rendered your instruction
easy and delightful. I feel confident that perseverance in
the coursft you have commenced will render you a good lin¬
guist in the department of sacred philology, and convince
many who may have been skeptical of the capacity of the
colored man to achieve the intellectual victories which adorn
and exalt human nature. The minister of Jesus should be
well versed in the Bible, and he has a most desirable acquisi¬
tion who can take the very words of inspiration and sit in
judgment on their import and determine what it is. Study
this holy book, then, by day and night. Head it in the
original. Enlarge your knowledge of Hebrew and Greek
philology. Spend a portion of every day in this employment.
In this way you can make it appear what education and
study can effect i:i your brethren, and refute the slanders of
64
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Ilieir enemies. will thus enlarge your power of being
useful to men by preaching- the everlasting gospel, and be¬
come "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth." You will place your own
mind and heart in contact with the treasures of wisdom and
grace, and advance in the knowledge of Jesus and grow in
holiness. You are to be set on a hill, and to attract the ob¬
servation of men. Much depends on fidelity on your part.
If you pursue this course I confidently believe that honor,
usefulness, and happiness await you in this world; and in
that to come, where there is one fold under one Shepherd,
a glory measured by your work, and not by your physical
structure. Wherever you may go, my best wishes will ac¬
company you. My prayer shall be, " Gracious Master, own
him ! " and not ashamed now to avow my fullest recognition
of you as my brother by descent from the first human pair,
and regretting most deeply the wrongs of your colored breth¬
ren, I hope to meet you in heaven, where all will be alike en¬
joying the mercies of the common Redeemer, and cherishing
toward each other the purest, tenderest love. Farewell. God
bless you ! C. P. Kkauth.
Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pa., May 16,1837.
With these encouraging words to stimulate me, I
departed from Gettysburg, Pa., for Philadelphia, to
consult Bishop Morris Brown, intending to unite
with the A. M. E. Church, but was deterred later by
a friend of my father, who informed me of the oppo¬
sition of preachers of that Church to educated minis¬
ters. In proof of this he said that it was a common
thing for the preachers of that Church to introduce
their sermons by declaring that they had "not rubbed
their heads against college-walls," at which the peo¬
ple would cry, "Amen!" they had "never studied
Latin or Greek," at which the people would exclaim,
"Glory to God!" they had "never studied Hebrew,"
at which all would " shout."
Experience at Gettysburg.
65
Preferring peace rather than strife, wfifbh I foresaw,
I determined to unite with the Franklin Synod, of the
Lutheran Church. Here I was licensed June, 1837,
and about two years later I was ordained by the
same Synod at Fordsboro, N. Y. That same week I
was invited to serve a Presbyterian Church in East
Troy, N. Y., and received invitations from the Second
Colored Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and the
Second Colored Protestant Episcopal Church in New
York City. The two latter I declined, but with the
permission of the President of the Synod, as there
was no work at the time in the Lutheran Church, I
accepted the first named.
Thus I commenced my career as a pastor at a little
more than twenty-six years of age. With no pastoral
experience, I deeply felt my own insufficiency and
need of more than human counsel, of more than hu¬
man aid, and found it necessary to spend much time
on my knees both in praying and studying out my
sermons.
There were about forty or fifty members in the
Church in East Troy when I became its pastor pro
tempore. Among my friends and helpers were two
noble women: Aunt Peggy, an aged woman who was
beyond fifty years before she knew how to read the
Bible, but who was strong in faith, full of prayer, and
could almost always tell when a season of revival was
approaching. She was of great aid to me. Then
there was that godly heroine, Miss Hannah Hubbard,
an educated white lady, who shrunk not from the low¬
est of God's poor because they were of African descent,
but freely mingled with them in their social circles,
in the Sunday-school, and in the prayer-meeting. It
66
Recollections of Seventy Years.
was'there thlit lier communion and power with God
was manifest. I think it was in the summer of 1839
that she married Rev. Hiram Wilson, who was then
agent for some anti - slavery society to care for the
varied interests of the fugitives from American slav¬
ery in Canada. She was of great aid to her self-sac¬
rificing husband, and for many years made her per¬
sonal influence felt as a blessing to our unfortunate
brethren in Canada. She died at Dawn, Canada "West,
in the house of Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom."*
In the autumn of 1851, in company with others, I
visited Dawn, Canada, in search of material for the
history of the A. M. E. Church, and to see if Canada
would be a safe asylum for our people.f As " Uncle
Tom " was conducting us down toward the banks of
the River Thames, I noticed in a field at the left a
grave encompassed by a newly-whitewashed paling.
Its neatness aroused my curiosity to know whose
grave it was. In answer to my question came the re¬
sponse: " It is the grave of Mrs. Hiram Wilson." In
an instant I was there, and found a beautiful rose
blooming at the head. This rose I plucked, with
some leaves, and on my return to the house of "Uncle
Tom " his daughter gave me a lock of the hair of
Mrs. Wilson, which is still in my possession as a relic
of that godly heroine.
Shortly after I had entered upon my work at East
Troy I was sent by the citizens to represent them in
the meeting of the National Moral Reform Society
held in Philadelphia. Among the distinguished del-
*Mr. Josiah Ilenson.
f In ISol the fugitive slave bill was then affecting ouv peo¬
ple, and all felt unsafe in the United States.
Experience at Gettysburg.
67
egates were tlie Rev. Samuel E. Cornish, editor cf the
Colored American, and Key. Joshua Leavitt, then of
the New York Evangelist. On my return I stopped in
New York at Mrs. Asenath Nicholson Graham's
boarding-house. This lady was a devout Christian,
in deep sympathy with every movement leading to the
amelioration of the condition of the colored people
and to the uplifting of humanity in general. She was
also a woman of intellect and culture, and had writ¬
ten a biography of the first pioneer in the efforts to
reform the abandoned women of New York. She was,
as might be expected, in deep sympathy with the
Oberlin movement of that day. At her boarding-
house I met that gifted man, Theodore Weld, one of
the most eloquent of the anti-slavery lecturers. He
invited me to the Shiloh Presbyterian Church, where,
at the request of the pastor, I preached. Lewis Tap-
pan and others of the Executive Committee of the
Anti-slavery Society were present. Soon after my
return to Troy I received a commission from the
committee to be one of its public lecturers, with a sal¬
ary of $300 per year and traveling expenses. Here
was an inducement—an inviting field, yet as laborious
and dangerous as it was flattering to the pride and
ambition of a young man twenty-seven years old. In
those days heroism and consequent fame offered their
laurels to any young man of talent and intelligence
who might be willing to become the fearless and suc¬
cessful opponent of American slavery, and the elo¬
quent defender of liberty and human rights. But I
had consecrated myself to the pulpit and the work of
salvation. Could I turn aside from so high a position
and so holy a calling? Inclined to refuse, yet mis-
(38 Recollections of Seventy Years.
trusting my own judgment, I submitted tliG question
to a friend—Lawyer Yates. His advice was put in
these words: " I turned aside from my chosen profes¬
sion to engage in work which others had marked out
for me, and now I repent that I did. I think God
has called you to the pulpit, and therefore advise that
you stick to theology and the work of the Christian
ministry." This advice determined my choice, and I
respectfully declined the position offered me by the
Executive Committee of the Anti-slavery Society. I
have never regretted the decision.
When God has a work to be executed lie also
chooses the man to execute it. He also qualifies the
workman for the work. Frederick Douglass was fit¬
ted for his specialty; Daniel Alexander Payne for his.
Frederick Douglass could not do the work which was
assigned to Daniel Alexander Payne, nor Daniel Alex¬
ander Payne the work assigned to Frederick Douglass.
"The hour for the man, and the man for the hour."
He who undertakes, through envy, jealousy, or any
other motive or consideration, to reverse this divine
law resists the purpose of the Almighty and brings
misfortune, sometimes ruin, upon himself.
About this time I forgot that I was made of frail
human flesh, and I knew not that in the very service
of God it was possible to injure myself—perhaps I
did not believe it possible. I was then, like most
young preachers, animated by a burning zeal, with but
little knowledge of men and things, especially of the
stubbornness of the human will; and being anxious to
convert every impenitent sinner on the spot, I labored
beyond my strength. It was the last night of 1837,
and I spoke so long and so loud that X ruptured the
Experience at Gettysburg.
69
left gland of my throat. After tlie public service I
met those interested in the salvation of their souls
and prayed with them till nearly daylight. The
double result was that I lost my voice for about one
year, and was compelled to travel, slate in hand, to ex¬
press my wants ill writing; in addition to which a
severe cold struck through my system, so that I was
confined to my. bed-room from January till April.
During my sickness my religious experience was deep
and sweet. Then it was that I felt that "to die was
gain, but to live was the Lord's." On one occasion it
seemed to me that a band of holy angels had made a
descent into my lonely chamber to cheer and comfort
me in my affliction.
There was in East Troy a man who kept a house
suspected of evil doings. Before I was taken ill I had
preached one Sabbath against puch establishments.
That same evening I was informed that my life was
threatened, but I went about fearlessly. Nothing
happened to me, but the establishment was broken up.
As I began to convalesce my physician prescribed
a ride every morning in an easy carriage, and the very
man whose pleasure-house I had broken up, and who
had threatened my life, brought his easy carriage and
drove with his own hands the vehicle every morning
until I had gained strength to walk. 0 how marvel¬
ous are the ways of God! How easy it was for him to
tame the lions that sported like puppies at Daniel's
feet, and to make the flames of the burning, fiery fur¬
nace as balmy as the breath of spring to Sliadracli,
Meshach, and Abed-nego!
During my illness the New York State Anti-slavery
Convention met in Troy. That great philanthropist,
70
lie collections of Seventy Years.
Gerrit Smith, was in it as one of its animating forces.
He heard of my illness, and without invitation called
to see and to comfort me with words of fraternal love.
It was the first time that I had seen the princely form,
of this fearless champion of human freedom. Before
he left me he urged me to visit him at his home in
Peterboro, N. Y. This I did during my convalescence.
Peterboro was at that time a flourishing village in the
interior of the State. He and his godly wife received
me very graciously. I spent four days and five nights
in the bosom of his family, where I was made very
happy not only by his hospitality, but by his instruct¬
ive conversations, and still more by his unfeigned
piety.* As to Mrs. Smith, I have yet to see a lady
*Like a noble English barrister at the birthplace of Queen
Victoria, in whose beautiful home rsojourned for about forty-
eight hours, Gerrit Smith believed and knew that he was the
lieaven-ordained high-priest of his own household, and there¬
fore summoned all members of his family morning and evening
to thefami]}r altar, at which place he daily invoked the bless¬
ings of Almighty God upon them and upon all mankind. I
was deeply impressed with the earnest manner in which he
performed this holy dutj'. Like the children of the English
barrister, his daughter and niece—the latter a young lady of
eighteen—never retired from the parlor to their bed-rooms
without kissing Mr. and Mrs. Smith. So also in the morn¬
ing, when they returned to the parlor, the same tribute
of natural affection was paid to the venerable couple. En
route back to the city of Troy I stopped to see Oneida Insti¬
tute. Dining with its President, Rev. Benak Greene, the
topic of conversation was my visit to Gerrit Smith's, in the
midst of which the President remarked that " the dominant
trait in the character of Gerrit Smith is kindness of heart.
For," said he, " if the devil were to cross the pathway of Ger¬
rit Smith, he would treat him with politeness." After four
days' sojourn iu the mansion of Hon. Gerrit Smith I left him,
Rev. Peter Williams,
First Colored Protectant Episcopal Priest in the United
States. (See pafje 4(1.)
Experience at Gettysburg.
71
surrounded by wealth, riches, and honor so humble a
Christian as slje seemed to be. Conscious that his
guests might be surprised at his allowing his servants
to sit at his family table, he said that he "believed in
but one aristocracy—the aristocracy of freedom." To
my question why he did not live in the city of New
York he said: "If I did I wrould be so overrun by
visitors that I would find no time to do good." He
was one of the few rich men who largely execute their
own wills while living. Would there were more Ger-
rit Smiths, who, instead of hoarding up millions upon
millions, would spend them in conferring blessings
upon their fellow-creatures! To make four thousand
colored voters in the State of New York he gave to
four thousand colored men each forty acres of land,
and to the cause of Christian education and the Anti-
slavery Society he gave tens of thousands of dollars.
deeply impressed with the fact that great rielies and wealth,
great personal beauty and popularity may all be combined in
the personal history of one man with a broad heart and an
earnest piety.
Chapter VII.
PULPIT, PRESS, SCHOOL-ROOM.
BEING obliged by the failure of my voice to resign
my pastorate and give up all hopes of preaching
for an indefinite time, I spent the following winter in
Carlisle, Pa. Following strictly the prescriptions of
my excellent physicians, I came once more into pos¬
session of the blessed gift of speech, and resolved to
devote my time and talents to school-teaching till the
great Head of the Church would open the way for my
return to the pastorate. Therefore I selected Phila¬
delphia as my field, because that of all the free cities
had the largest population of color.
Soon after the holidays of 1839-40 I opened my
school on Spruce Street, near Fourth. There were
already two select schools in the city taught by white
men, besides several primary schools. I began with
three pupils (the same number with which I had
opened in Charleston in 1830). At the end of twelve
months the two select schools emptied themselves
into mine. Here I taught till the summer of 1843.
While in Philadelphia I was every day brought in
contact with the leading members of the A. M. E.
Church—Dr. J. J. G. Bias,* Rev. Bichard Pobinson,
* Dr. James Joshua Gould Bias was the most remarkable
local preacher of his clay in Bethel Church, Philadelphia, Pa.
(72)
Pulpit, Pres,s', School-room. 73
Bisliop Morris Brown, and others—and I was repeat-
Born in a state of -slavery in Maryland, he was at one time
the servant of a phj\sician, whose carriage he drove, and from
whom he obtained some knowledge of the medical art and
practice. Soon after he obtained his freedom he removed to
Philadelphia. He was now a husband, and obtained his liv¬
ing by whitewashing, leeching, bleeding, and extracting de¬
cayed teeth, which is always the surest remedy for the tooth¬
ache. After he had made his skill in such kind of work
known to the people of Philadelphia he opened a shop, in
which he sold all kinds of medicinal herbs, drugs, and sta¬
tionery. Finally he entered one of the medical schools of
Philadelphia, called "The Eclectic," from which he gradu¬
ated, and after which he obtained quite an extensive and lu¬
crative practice. Dr. Bias was also a zealous and heroic mem¬
ber of the " Under-ground Railroad Association," and many
times periled his life to aid the escape of fugitives from the
South. In this humanitarian work he was zealously and act¬
ively aided by his noble wife, Eliza, who possessed a splendid
physique and a generous heart. Gladly did she second all
the movements of her husband in hiding and forwarding in
her home and from her home troops of flying slaves, con¬
ducted to her home by the martyred Tony. The last time I
saw the ill-fated Torrey was at Dr. Bias's home. Candid and
fearless almost to rashness, Dr. Bias never hesitated to oppose
a manifest wrong within the Church or without; therefore
his opponents and enemies were perhaps as numerous as his
admirers and friends: The Doctor was married twice, and
his last wife, who outlived him, put me in possession of his
journals, one of which dates from October, 1844, to March 2,
1847. The other begins with March 4, 1S47, and ends with
March 9, 1849. On the last page of his last journal I find a
record which is too curious to withhold from my readers. It
is made in the following words: "We are informed by a
Franklin correspondent that the wife of Mr.. John Booth, Sr.,
near Franklin, gave birth a lew days since to a fine son. llie
age of Mrs. Booth is seventy-two years, and that of her hus¬
band eighty. Our correspondent demands an appropriation
from Congress for the benefit of the three."
74
Recollections of Seventy Years.
edly invited to cast my lot among them, and the more
I saw of the A. M. E. Church the more I felt it
my duty to become identified with it. Then my
venerable preceptor, Dr. Schmucker, also still ad¬
vised me to enter this branch of the Christian
Church.
So in the winter of 1841 I joined the Quarterly
Conference of Bethel, in Philadelphia; in the spring
of 1842, at the Philadelphia Annual Conference, I was
received on trial as a local preacher, and into full
connection in May, 1843. My call to the itinerant min-,
istry came almost immediately afterward.
Israel A. M. E. Church, in "Washington, D. C., had
been reduced in its spiritual condition to a low point,
and I was importuned by Bishop Brown and Elder
Walter Proctor to serve her at least one year. I was
still teaching, and loved my school—which had in-
ci'eased to sixty scholars—its leisure, its quiet, and its
pleasing duties too much to abandon it for the untried
life of a traveling preacher; and I had also vowed
never to put myself in the power of slave-holders
again. But I reflected that the Lord Jesus Christ
"humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross" in order that he might
save sinners. The path of duty became plain, and I
reported to Bishop Morris Brown, gave up my school
to Rev. Alexander Crum.mel—then deacon and mis¬
sionary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Phil¬
adelphia—packed, and left for Washington in June,
1843, intending to return to my school at the end of one
year, but God had in his mind a purpose highly dif¬
ferent from mine.
Before I could enter fully and freely upon my work
Pulpit, Press, School-room.
75
is a Christian minister I liad to comply with a bar¬
barous law of the District of Columbia, and give a
3ond of one thousand dollars to secure my "good be¬
havior." Such teas the tribute tchich the bronzed image
f God had to pay to the "American Moloch." My con¬
solation then was in the belief that I would live to see
the day when such a law would be an impossibility.
Thank God, I have seen that day and recorded the
Pact in that same city. Israel Church was a structure
of unique architecture; unique, because neither Goth¬
ic, Doric, Corinthian, Norman, Elizabethan, Roman¬
esque, nor Egyptian, but it was—capacious. The So¬
ciety being too poor to put seats in the basement, I
laid aside my books, bought a jack-plane, smoothing-
plane, saw, hammer, rule, etc.; threw off my coat, and,
the Society furnishing the lumber, in a few weeks I
fully seated the basement of Israel Church.
In Washington I organized the first Pastoral Asso¬
ciation among colored pastors, consisting of Rev. John
F. Cook, founder of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian
Church; Rev. L. Collins, pastor of Zion's Church (lo¬
cated on the Island, as South Washington was then
called); and myself.
It was in the first year of my labors here that I first
wrote out and published my thoughts in behalf of
ministerial education. They took the form of five
"Epistles on the Education of the Ministry," and were
published in the columns of a monthly magazine, the
organ of the A. M. E. Church, edited by Rev. George
Hogarth. These gave much offense to many of the
clergy, and produced much excitement among the
laity. It was said by one that these "Epistles" were
"full of absurdities;" "infidels could do no more."
76
Recollections of Seventy Years.
The statements in the fourth of these "Epistles" were
branded as "infidelity in its rankest form." Others
who could not handle the pen, or had not the courage
to appear in the columns of our Church organ, pri¬
vately called ine a "devil." One writer charged me
with "branding the ministry with infamy," and of
" reckless slander on the general character of the Con¬
nection." So intense was the excitement that the ed¬
itor of the magazine said: " Great fear is entertained
by some that if the measures proposed be adopted by
the General Conference discord and dissolution wilk
necessarily take place in the Church between the ig¬
norant and intelligent portions of it."
While the enemies of Christian culture belched and
howled forth all manner of vituperation against me,
there were friends who defended my course in private
circles and in public gatherings—Dr. James J. G.
Bias, Rev. H. C. Turner, Rev. Abram D. Lewis, Rev.
John M. Brown, Mr. John Yashon, Mr, Henry Gor¬
don, Mr. Elymas Johnson, Rev. James Reed, Dr. Mar¬
tin R. Delaney, and others, but above all stood the
venerable Bishop Morris Brown. These had the com¬
mon sense to see the need of an educated ministry
and the foresight to place themselves in such an atti¬
tude as would receive the approbation of the coming
generations. On account of the abuse heaped upon
me I had determined not to approach the coming
General Conference, but I was advised by Bishop
Morris Brown to do so by all means, and lay my
plans before it for consideration. He also said to
me: "To stay away would be just what your enemies
desire."
I followed his advice, and was made chairman of
Pulpit, Press, School-room.
77
the Committee of Education, whose duty was to se¬
lect a proper course of studies to ba pursued by young
preachers in the future. The course presented em¬
braced two sections—one for exliorters, covering two
years; and one for preachers, covering four years.
The adoption of this course was followed by eight es¬
says on the "Education of the Ministry." From
these labors may be dated the efforts on the part of
the young ministers generally for literary attain¬
ments.
In 1845 my field of labor was changed to Baltimore
city, in which I was kept by Bishops Brown and
Quinn for five years. In the early part of this year
it was my privilege to deliver a lecture on "Benjamin
Banneker," that extraordinary self-taught astronomer
and almanac-maker for Maryland, Virginia, Dela¬
ware, and Pennsylvania from 1701 to 1802. This was
with a view to incite our young men to scientific pur¬
suits, and to raise money for the purpose of erecting
a monument in his honor. On the 9th of July a com¬
mittee of three, myself included, went to see if the
bones of this illustrious man could be found. We
reached Ellicott's Mills, and were conducted across
the fields formerly owned by Mr. Banneker to the
spot formerly used as a grave-yard. Beneath two
tulip-trees, so grown as to seem one, lay the mortal
remains of the black astronomer of Maryland.* A
* Through the kindness of Lawyer Latrobe, the biographer
of Banneker, a design for a monument to the genius and
memory of this great man was drafted by Carey Long, Esq.,
who was at that time a popular architect in Baltimore, Md.
The plan of this monument, yet to be constructed, takes the
form of an Egyptian obelisk, and is in my portfolio at Wil-
78
Recollections of Seventy Years.
few yards to tlie north-west of the grave was the site
of his house, not a vestige of which could then be
seen. It was marked only by a shallow cavity, at the
south-eastern end of which stood a tall Lombardy
poplar, said to be that which overshadowed the gable
end of his house. Mr. H one of the local preach¬
ers residing at the Mills, who used to be his mes¬
senger and errand-boy, related how he used to keep a
pot hanging over the fire-place. Cutting a large piece
of salt pork, he would throw it into the pot, which
held about two gallons, and resume his studies until
it was sufficiently boiled. Then he would make
corn-dumplings, hard as a rock, and throw them in
also. Again he would resume his studies until hunger
roused him, when he would rise and eat his meal, con¬
sisting of salt pork and corn-dumplings. Pork, corn-
meal, and milk were his farepand to supply the latter
he kept a cow. Coffee and tea were never seen in his
house.
During my labors in Baltimore I again found my¬
self teaching. "Within three months after I took
charge of Bethel Church I was "requested by the wife
of one of the most intelligent local preachers to take
charge of the education of her elder children. While
listening to her remarks I was strongly reminded of
the mother of the immortal John and Charles Wesley,
as I had never before met a woman who appeared to
fee] her responsibility as a mother so intensely as this
bevforee, O. At the time Lawyer L at robe wrote the "biogra¬
phy of Benjamin Banneker he was the President of the Ma¬
ryland Colonization Society. The colored race owes a debt
of gratitude to Mr. Latrobe for rescuing from oblivion the
memory of this black astronomer.
Pulpit, Press, School-room.
79
lady. I felt that my duties as pastor did not permit
me to be engaged as a school-master, but slie was so
importunate that at last I consented to receive her
children in my studio during the morning hours. As
soon as this became known I was besieged by other
parishioners, and was finally constrained to yield to
their request, so that within twelve months I found
myself at the head cf a school of about fifty. This
school continued nearly two years beyond my pastor¬
al term, and embraced all the English studies now
taught in the best graded schools. I also added a
Greek and Latin class. The influence of the daily
religious exercises wras manifest in that my school
seldom needed the use of the rod, while many dele¬
terious practices so common in the schools at that
time were unknown in my establishment. The incor¬
rigible were dismissed, and law and order reigned su¬
preme. But howl ministered through those years to
the wants of a membership and congregation varying
from one thousand to fifteen hundred souls, taught, and
paid five to ten pastoral visits daily, I know not, ex¬
cept to explain it by the strengthening grace of God,
added to the rigid system by which I economized
both strength and time. I opened my school at 9
o'clock a.m., and dismissed it at 2 o'clock p.m. After
dinner I paid pastoral visits until tea-time. Every
night I retired at 10 o'clock, and 5 o'clock found me
dressed ready for my morning walk before I entered
upon my studies, the most difficult of which were ac¬
complished between 6 and 9 a.m. I also frequently
took a cold salt-bath. These were my daily habits.
When I was appointed to Baltimore the charge
consisted of three churches — Bethel, the mother
80
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Cliurcli of the Baltimore Conference; Ebenezer, on
Montgomery Street; and Union Bethel, on Fell's
Point. After visiting on horseback all these socie¬
ties, and preaching at each, I soon perceived that the
duties were too onerous for one man, who could not
be faithful to all three, and at my request Bishop
Morris Brown divided the charge into two, making
one of Ebenezer with Fell's Point, and Bethel the
other, of which latter I remained in charge. The
trustees of Bethel owned Ebenezer, which house of
worship was too small and needed repairs. To their
desire to enlarge and remodel the trustees would not
consent. Under my advice the flock proposed to buy
the property from Bethel, which proposal was ac¬
cepted, but the price demanded was four thousand
dollars. This sum the Bethel trustees said would aid
them greatly in the construction of a new Bethel then
in progress, and which wras to cost us about fifteen
thousand dollars. To this price I wTas opposed, and
said: " They are poorer than we. They are bone of
our bone, and flesh of our flesh. Their house of wor¬
ship needs to be enlarged. Let them have the four
thousand dollars for needed improvements. Let us
require of them but a ten-dollar bill." For this nom¬
inal sum the legal voters decided to sell it to them;
but the trustees objected, and, dissensions arising, a
second meeting was held, the matter argued at length,
a second vote taken, and a second time the property
-was ordered to be sold to Ebenezer for that sum. In
view of subsequent events I thus state my action to¬
ward the membership of Ebeneger,
During my pastorate in Bethel, without resort to
long protracted meetings, there was a steady growth
Pulpit, Press, School-room.
81
in the Church both in quantity and quality. I was
also enabled to correct some bad customs of worship,
and especially to moderate the singing and praying
bands, which then existed in the most extravagant
form, and which I shall describe later.
C
Chapter VIII.
A DISASTROUS VOYAGE.
IN the latter part of July, 1846, I undertook my first
voyage to Europe. I went as a delegate from my
own Church in Baltimore to the organization of the
Evangelical Alliance in London. Rev. M. M. Clarke
accompanied me as an associate delegate from "the
New York Conference. For the first four or five days
after leaving port we were favored with a stiff breeze,
which bore us on rapidly. The weather was pleasant,
and I enjoyed watching the sea—the waves, crested
with snowy whiteness; the darting motion of the ship
as she leaped like an arrow from billow to billow; the
green-and-white pathway in her wake; the little iron-
gray birds, encircled with white (Mother Carey's chick¬
ens); and now and then a white circular motion of the
waters out of which some inhabitant of the deep would
poke a conical head up into the air, as though wishing
to see what huge monster, with many a flapping wing,
was skimming the surface of its watery home.
For two days the sun had arisen almost cloudless,
and held his radiant scepter over sea and sky until
the close of each day, when the clouds and darkness
overhung the skies, leaving but few stars here and
there to peep down from heaven upon us. It was
also remarkably calm, so that the vessel moved only
from four and a half to five and a half knots an hour,
(82)
A Disastrous Voyage.
83
and sometimes with so gentle a motion that lier prog¬
ress was imperceptible, while the entire surface of
the ocean undulated without a foaming billow, almost
as placid as the mountain lake when the gentlest
zephyrs are blowing upon its breast. I stood 011 deck
and looked upon the heavens, then upon the immense
volume of waters that rolled beneath us darker than
the deepest azure of the overhanging canopy of ether,
until my soul was lost in wonder, love, and praise at
the beauty and sublimity of the scene. At one time
I remarked to an intelligent young Scotchman: "How
placid is the ocean. He is like a tame lion; but soon
he may become excited, and lash his sides, foaming,
roaring, and dashing the largest ship like a mere cork
upon its billows." How little did I think that the
truth of my remarks would be so dreadfully realized
in so short a time! but true is the old adage: "After
a calm comes the storm."
About five days out, after all had retired to their
berths except the crew on watch, when twelve o'clock
had meted out the last hour of Saturday night, lo!
in an instant, while the ship was in nearly full sail,
a squall arose. A terrific crash awoke us, and we
hurried from our berths to find the ship tossing to
and fro, from side to side, showing her keel as rapidly
as the lightning stroke. The foremast had been
snapped off almost to the very deck, as also the main¬
top mast, and the mizzen-top mast, which precipitated
four sailors into the gaping deep, and there buried
them until the judgment-day.
Sunday morning found us in a ship dismantled and
useless. O what a terrible sight! I had seen a
wrecked ship in pictures and beheld it in the graphic
84
Recollections of Seventy Years.
description of tlie narrator or tlie poet, but now my
eyes belield the reality for the first time, and the scene
was terrible beyond description. There we were,
tossed to and fro upon the wide ocean, not a speck of
land to be seen nor a single ship to aid us. Where,
then, could we look for succor? "Turn oar helpless
souls to Thee, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens! "
was my cry. All that day and the Monday following
we tossed upon the sea, the sun shining brightly at
last, but the wind blowing stiffly and the waves now
mounting up to heaven and then descending in open¬
ing chasms, while the stormy petrel on tireless wings
seemed to glory in skimming their foaming crests.
The scene was sublime and terrific, but God was there.
He held the tumultuous waves in his fists.
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
lie plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
"What consolation this precious hymn afforded to
my downcast q,nd disappointed spirit at that hour!
We had all expected to have been over nearly, one-
third of our journey at that time, but there we were
with an unmanagable ship, whirling about in the
Gulf Stream not more than five hundred miles from
home, unable either to proceed or return, as we had
no sails; and if we had had them, the wind was against
us. I was greatly troubled, as it seemed then impos¬
sible to reach London in time to meet the august body
I designed to meet. What should we do after all
our trouble, time, and expense, even should we be
permitted to reach a haven in safety? But I cast my
burdens upon the Lord, and prayed for patience.
A Disastrous Voyage.
85
Another day came to bear witness to His loving-
kindness and tender mercies in preserving us from
the horrors of shipwreck and a watery grave. Soon
after daylight we spoke a whaling-ship, and our cap¬
tain obtained a forty-foot spar and a coil of rope and
rigged up two sails. Then a meeting was held of the
captain and some of the leading passengers, and it
was decided not to attempt the passage, but to return
to port. This we did, taking about thirteen days to
reach there in our disabled condition.
Brother Clarke took the next vessel out, and went
on to London; but I was so impressed by a dream
which I had that I first wrote to Baltimore relating it
and my impressions, and asking what I should do.
In my dream I imagined myself speaking to excited
crowds in London, denouncing slavery in such vehe¬
ment terms that attention was drawn to me; and news
of my utterances finding their way back to Baltimore,
the feeling against me ran so high that my further
usefulness in that city came to an end. "Word was re¬
turned to me from my Church not to attempt the voy¬
age. As I look back I can but feel that such a course
was better, as I certainly should have denounced
slavery in no measured terms, and in the excited state
of the minds of the people for and against the system
the whole current of my life's work would undoubt¬
edly have been changed, if, indeed, I had not lost my
life altogether.
My fellow-passengers upon the unfortunate vessel
were English, Scotch, and Irish, most of them per¬
sons who emigrated to this country as adventurers;
but, becoming disappointed, were returning home,
heartily sick of their enterprise, not only disgusted
86
Recollections of Seventy Years.
with the "States," but holding the most contempti¬
ble opinions of the Americans. Some o£ them were
quite interesting characters. One of them was a
young man from Aberdeen, Scotland, who had at¬
tempted a speculation in flour in Canada upon the
prospects of war between England and the Union
concerning the Oregon question, and he had lost four
thousand dollars by the amicable settlement of the
matter. One elderly man, evidently a laborer, was
returning to take possessioji of'an estate yielding an
annual income of £50,000. An Englishman from Ohio
was another—a man with a fund of valuable informa¬
tion on all subjects and as intimate with the politics
and principles of the leading parties as with the al¬
phabet. A young hypochondriac was on board, who
aroused both pity and amusement, sometimes fancy¬
ing himself about to die. One day he was so sure of
his decease at noon that he made his will, giving his
biscuits to one person and a bottle of brandy to his
executor. At other times he was in great distress
about his sins, thinking himself so great a sinner as
to have no hope of mercy. At these times he at¬
tached himself closely to me. At one time he would
be so weak that he could not take a drop of gruel, and
at another time he would gormandize like a hog.
There was also an Irish play-actor, strongly marked
with small-pox, exceedingly filthy in person, but full
of wit, as his countrymen generally are, and excess-
ively grandiloquent. I overheard him say to one who
remarked, "The clouds look murky," "No; they look
sublimely grand;" and to another, who said of a
little boy that he was "guilty of bad tricks," "You
ought to say, 'He has committed some juvenile in-
A Disastrous Voyage.
87
discretions.'" These were ail second-cabin pas¬
sengers.
Among those of the first cabin I found the society
of an Irish merchant from Charleston, S. C., very re¬
freshing, because he was cheerful and kind, and above
all could tell me much about the place of my nativity
—that hospitable, beautiful, romantic city, where
repose in heavenly quietude the sacred ashes of my
sainted parents. Who that has ever been for many
years absent from his native land, and meeting
a stranger tlience, does not feel inexpressible emo¬
tions of pleasure at the news he furnishes; and,
though a stranger, love him for liis country's sake—
love him just because lie came from his native land
and could tell him something about it? My con¬
versation with him tended to awaken sweetest rem¬
iniscences of childhood, youth, and opening man¬
hood.
There were also on board an English officer and his
wife, who evidently felt their importance; another En¬
glishman and his wife, whose chief characteristic was
their dislike of New York and Americans; and two oth¬
ers—one man who was puffed up .with the most consum¬
mate pride, strutting the deck as if creation were his
own, and evidently fearing contamination by the man¬
ner in which he drove away all second-cabin or steerage
passengers who came in his way; the other had merged
every vestige of the Englishman into the looks and
haughty bearing of the typical Kentuckian slave¬
holder. On a Sunday afternoon I was sitting oppo¬
site him reading. The officer and his wife were near
him. At that moment several voices were heard from
the main-deck singing a hymn, upon which he said in
88
Recollections of Seventy Years.
a loud tone: " Is that nigger holdipg forth there ?"
No reply was made him by his companions, but the
remark was indicative of the man.
Novels and card-playing consumed the time of the
passengers. But the life of the sailor! Heavens!
vhat was it? The life of a dog. I had read of their
hardships as well as their profanity, but then I saw
with my eyes and heard with my own ears. Though
I never saw them whipped, I have seen them threat¬
ened, kicked, and damned like brutes. Their food
was so coarse and mean that one told me it was a prov¬
erb that "what will starve a hog will feed a sailor."
He also added that they were not treated as men, but
were shut out from all influences about them. One
may judge of the truth of this from the following
anecdote:
The Englishman's Avife first-named had been prom¬
enading the deck alone or looking over into the sea
for a glimpse of that interesting animal, the "Portu¬
guese man-of-war," when her husband returned to her.
The mate came up and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Where were you?" he asked.
" I was down on the fore-deck hearing a sailor spin
a long yarn."
"You will spoil those sailors."
"How?" questioned the gentleman.
" Why, you pay them too much attention."
"O, poor devils, they see hard times," said he.
" Why devils never have hard times! " exclaimed
the mate as he walked away.
Since then a greater interest has been manifested
in that class of men, but even now their profanity and
hardships are proverbial.
A Disastrous Voyage.
89
I had no idea of the dislike the people q£ England
and Scotland bore toward the Irish and Americans
until I formed some acquaintances on this ship. The
former spoke of the latter with the utmost contempt.
The Irish were represented as exceedingly base, quar¬
relsome, and selfish. A Scotchman told me of an in¬
stance in the mines near Glasgow, where Scotchmen
who had been employed many years were driven out
by the Irish who had gathered there, whereupon the
Scotch miners collected a large number of men. A
battle ensued, and lives were taken on both sides; but
the Scotch conquered, and the Irish were clubbed out
of the neighborhood. In this strife many an Irish¬
man tried to pass for Scotch, but though they could
disguise their persons they could not alter their
tongues; so the Scotch compelled them to say
instead of which they said "pas.'" The detection was
fatal, for they were immediately driven out of the
place. To further illustrate, I was astonished be¬
yond measure in finding a certain Irishman on board
who was absolutely afraid to let the .English and
Scotch know that lie was a native of Ireland, "Be¬
cause," he said, " the English and Scotch don't like an
Irishman."
I was told by a Scotchman on the vessel the follow¬
ing anecdote of Lord Brougham, which was said to
be very characteristic of the great man: When a stu¬
dent he had a tutor who, delighted by his pupil's pro¬
ficiency, one day said to him: "I expect to see you
yet exalted to the dignity of Lord Chancellor of En¬
gland." "Well," was the reply, "if ever I be Lord
Chancellor of England, I will obtain a place in the
Church for you." He was finally exalted to that po-
90
Recollections of Seventy Years.
sition. The tutor, grown old and straitened by the
hand of poverty, wrote to liis lordship, telling of liis
wants and reminding him of his promise. Weeks
passed, and no reply. The tutor's friends urged him
to go in person and make known his case. He hesi¬
tated long, fearing a rebuff and lacking the money to
pay his expenses; but this was contributed, and he
finally went to London and called upon the Chancel¬
lor. To the servant he gave his name upon a piece
of paper, too poor to afford a card. His lordship read
it, and cried out: "Show him in! show him in!"
When the aged tutor stood before him, bowed re¬
spectfully, made himself known, and humbly reminded
him of his promise, "Show him out! show him out! "
was the freezing reply which he got from the exalted
pupil. He went, trembling with grief, and returned
to his friends filled with mortification and disappoint¬
ment. But on his arrival he found a letter from his
lordship with a note indorsed for £150 sterling and
an assurance that as soon as a vacancy occurred which
his talents would fill it should be secured for him,
and this pledge was soon redeemed by securing him
a pastorate at <£300 sterling per annum.
In regard to our treatment on board the vessel at
that time, I am sorry to say that American prejudice
marked us out here as elsewhere, reminding us that
Ave were still in a country where the standard of man¬
hood was the color of the skin, the proof of which is
this: -After paying seventy-five dollars, the same price
that others paid who had state-rooms and every com¬
fort in them, with the untrammeled use of the cabin,
we were placed in the steward's quarters, situated be¬
tween the first and second cabin, with no seat but our
A Disastrous Voyage.
91
trunks, no towels, no looking-glass, no soap, bowls,
or any necessary convenience. In regard to our eat¬
ing, the rule here was reversed; and, instead of giving
us our food when the cabin passengers had finished,
we had ours first of all. This cruel spirit caused us
to fervently desire a swift and safe voyage to the true
"land of the free and the home of the brave;"* but
we were doomed to disappointment.
* I mean England, for there a man is not held in contempt
and ostracised on account of his color, but is honored on ac¬
count of character and usefulness in the land from whence
he comes.
V
Chapter IX.
AFFLICTIONS—CITIES OF THE DEAD.
AFTER my return to Baltimore for three succeed¬
ing years'I was called to pass through trouble
and affliction. In 1847 I married my first wife, Mrs.
Julia A. F arris, the widowed daughter of William
Becraft, of Georgetown, D. C. She died within a
year, living only a few hours after the birth of a
daughter—a lovely babe, who was the refined and
beautiful likeness of her mother. My infant daugh¬
ter lived a little over nine months, and then fled away
to join her sainted mother in the bright world above.
Aside from these severe domestic afflictions, a ter¬
rible Church trouble beset me. This was an entirely
new experience, and in it I battled in prayer day and
night for the victory, which came at last; and the ene¬
mies who had so long opposed me were righteously
expelled by the Church Society, and estranged friends
returned to my side. But this was not done before
blood was shed, and I myself attacked by an infuri¬
ated woman with a club. The blow, however, did no
harm, glancing off my shoulder, as I dodged the blow,
upon the sleeve-top of my thick overcoat, which was
made to stand up at the shoulder after the fashion of
that day. The trouble grew out of my endeavor to
modify the extravagances in worship, and out of the
(92)
Afflictions—Cities of the Dead.
93
business of transferring the property which Ebene-
zer Church occupied from the hands of Bethel Church
to their own, as mentioned in a previous chapter. It
culminated as I have stated, but it cost me "much ag¬
ony and protracted suffering, yet through faith in
prayer for guidance throughout it all I was enabled
at last to come out victorious.
At the opening of 1850 I remembered that the
General Conference of 1848 had appointed me to the
position of historiographer of the A..M. E. Church,
and I therefore resolved to request Bishop Quinn to
release me from pastoral duties, that I might travel in
search of the materials necessary for such a history.
This request wras refused, but he said that he would
appoint me to a small charge, which would afford me
the time to travel and accomplish my object. In spite
of my remonstrances I was appointed to the pastorate
of Ebenezer Station at the Conference held in Wash¬
ington, D. C.
On presenting myself I was rejected by the people,
who in some manner, through misrepresentations, had
formed an ungrounded prejudice against me. The
stewards told me at the official board meeting that
the people had held a meeting previous to my coming,
and had decided to reject me. They said that the
people had no fault to find with my character, but
that I had too fine a carpet on my floor, and was too
proud; that if one of the members should ask me to
take tea with them, I would not; and lastly, that I
would not let them sing their " spiritual songs." My
carpet was what was called a "three-ply." I do not
remember an instance when I had refused to eat a
meal, during my pastorate of seven years, with any re-
94
Tic collections of Seventy Years.
spectable member of my flock, except in cases where
the enjoyment of that meal conflicted with my duty
to preach the gospel at a given hour, or where and
when by so doing I would be violating the Sabbath-
day. As to the "songs," as already stated, I had en¬
deavored to modify some of the extravagances in
worship in Bethel Church. These songs were known
as " Corn-field Ditties." I left them, considering my¬
self unjustly rejected; nor would I return upon being
urged by Bishop Quinn to go and take possession of
the charge, supported by civil and ecclesiastical law.
I declined on the ground that the people had deliber¬
ately rejected me, and as I had always exhibited a dis¬
interested friendship for them, and had voluntarily
rendered them signal service, if they did not want
me, I did not want them. The result was that I
prepared to commence researches for the history of
the A. M. E. Church.
Before I entered upon the work which was to oc¬
cupy me for so long a time I was called to assist in
performing the last sad rites for Bishop Morris Brown,
who died in May, 1850, after having lain helpless for.
nearly five years, having been struck by paralysis
while attending a Conference in Canada.* I preached
* Bishop Brown was a man of mixed blood, and on the
father's side of Scotch descent. He grew up without any
chance of intellectual development; therefore he was illiter¬
ate. I often served him as private secretary. Though illiter¬
ate, lie was by nature sagacious, and therefore large-hearted;
so that without education his common sense always led him to
give a hearty indorsement to it. The man who does otherwise
proclaims himself a fool; if a fool, then is he wicked, for ev¬
ery wicked man is a fool, and challenges our firm opposition.
If an idiot, then is he to be pitied and let alone.
Afflictions—Cities of the Bead.
95
liis funeral sermon, as I did tliat of Bishop Waters
two years before.
From May, 1850, to May, 1852, was spent in visit¬
ing every Church in the Eastern and Western States
where we had an organization. I also visited every
city, town, and village in Canada where we had a
Society, and my researches terminated at New Or¬
leans, which at that time constituted our extreme
South-western boundary in the Valley of the Missis¬
sippi.
I spent the first summer in the East, visiting, among
other places, Boston and New Haven; and while gain¬
ing all the historical information possible, I was also
anxious to visit the beautiful, the grand, and the sub¬
lime. In these beautiful Eastern centers the two
"cities of the dead" form some of my most interest¬
ing recollections. In that of the latter I was espe¬
cially attracted by one tomb—a granite obelisk, which
marked the spot where lie the ashes of the greatest
lexicographer that ever lived, of any nation or lan¬
guage or kindred under heaven—the immortal Noah
Webster.* There was no other inscription but the
single name, "Webster." There was, there is, there
shall be no need of additional words. He can never
be forgotten while English is spoken, for the English
language and Webster are identical to every American.
From the cemetery we passed through the beauti¬
ful street then called Hill-house Avenue, fringed on
either side with elms and mulberry-trees; thence we
ascended to the top of "East Rock" for a view of the
extensive plain in the midst of which New Haven is
situated. The effect was grand. Leaving this ro-
* This'memoranda was made in 1850.
96
Recollections of Seventy Years.
mantic spot, we passed downward, and at the base
through a large and beautiful grove of pines, the
highest I had ever seen in Northern regions. Here,
in the midst of the bronzed carpet of fallen leaves, I
found a beautiful little flower—the corolla cup-formed,
petals white as snow, pistil green and transparent as
an emerald, anthers somewhat fluted, and so encir¬
cling the central organ as almost to make it look like
part and parcel of itself; this was of a fine straw-col¬
or; its face was turned downward, as though it felt that
its eyes were too sensitive to gaze upon the burning
rays of the sun. It seemed to me an emblem of a
pure, modest soul shrinking from the gaze of the
world, half hidden beneath the leaves in the silence
of the pine grove.*
But the most interesting point in New Haven was,
as it still is, Yale College. It was founded in 1700,
and named after Jlon. Elihu Yale, of London, Gov¬
ernor of the East India Company, who was one of
its first and greatest benefactors. I had the pleasure
of sitting in the official chair of its first President.
It was of oak, with a back almost perpendicular, and
was then quite rickety from age, and looked somewhat
worm-eaten, reminding me of Cowper's description of
the ancient arm-chair in the "Task."
As I left that beautiful city I exclaimed: "Farewell,
thou city of towering elms. In thy bosom is con¬
tained one of the proudest seats of learning of which
Americans boast. One century and a half have seen
thee preparing the minds which are to give character
*This was my first sight of that pale parasitic species of
the order of hoathworts (Ericacece)—the "Indian Pipe," as
it is called (Monotropa unijlora).
Afflictions—Cities of the Dead.
97
to the American Cliurcli and the American State,
and thou art still destined to affect the lengthening,
widening States for weal or for woe. Thy State, as
well as thy college, was founded by the heralds of the
cross. Go tell thy statesmen to wipe from their Con¬
stitution and statutes those laws which persecute the
hapless sons of Ham, and thou shalt be just what a
Christian State ought to be. Farewell!
Before going to Boston I visited Rhode Island and
several points in Massachusetts. As far back as this
date I found in the city of Providence a "Shelter"
supported by the Providence Association for the ben¬
efit of colored children. As stated in their report of
that year, twelve years before a little band responded
to the call of a noble Christian woman in behalf of
the destitute colored children in that city, and this
noble charity was the result—one of the brightest
ornaments and most enduring monuments of her
Churches, which chiefly supported it.
In Boston I naturally sought Mount Auburn. I
did not then think it equal in beauty to Laurel Hill
8 When I wrote these lines (1850) the State of Connecticut
was selfish enough to disfranchise all her colored citizens; and,
to appear consistent with herself and her reasons for rebellion
against the British Government, she would not tax the per¬
sons or the properties of her colored citizens. The Amer¬
ican motto is, "Taxation, representation; no taxation, no
representation." Thence followed the sentence: "Because
negroes are not taxed they must not he represented." It was
worse than this in South Carolina. All free colored persons
were taxed without representation; taxed to support white
schools for white children, at the same time that she withheld
all support from colored schools, which she then tolerated
i. e., up to 1835.
7
98
Recollections of Seventy Year's.
Cemetery, in Philadelphia, but the position was far
more commanding. I also thought its*gate-way too
small and contracted for the magnitude^of the place.
Aside from the general beauty and magnificence of
the place, two tombs attracted me—the first from ex¬
quisite beauty, the other from associations. The
former was of pure white marble, bearing on one side
in relief the figure of a female ej^eloped in a robe,
one hand covering the face, the other pressing an urn
to her bosom; on the other side, in a deep niche, posed
in flight, was a full-sized statue of most exquisite
workmanship. The well-proportioned figure, the rapt
countenance, the drapery so skillfully executed as to
seem transparent and its graceful folds to tremble
with the breeze—all combined to make the admiring
beholder almost think it endowed with life and real
motion. The artist not only succeeded in represent¬
ing an ascending saint, but he also immortalized him¬
self by enshrining his genius in enduring marble.
The other tomb was that of the ill-fated Torrey. The
monument was in the form of a prism—on one side a
bass-relief, and on the other side the sad tale is told that
he was arrested in Baltimore for aiding the fugitive
slaves, and that on his dying bed he was refused par¬
don by the Governor of Maryland. I was personally
acquainted with Torrey, and had repeatedly warded
him not to come to Baltimore or Washington, Hav¬
ing learned of the plot against him, I made it known
to his friend, Dr. J. J. G. Bias, of Philadelphia, where
he always stopped, and wrote him myself, advising
him not to come. The warnings were unheeded. The
idea of liberty consumed him. On the third side was
the bronzed figure of a female slave sitting in the
Afflictions—Cities of the Dead.
99
dust with downcast visage, and feet bound with chains;
above her was the following inscription:
•Where now beneath Iris burden
The toiling slave is driven,
Where now a tyrant's mockery-
Is offered up to heaven:
Then shall his praise be spoken,
Redeemed from falsehood's ban
When the fetters shall be broken,
And the slave shall be a man.
This inscription was in the nature of a prophecy—to
be fulfilled amidst belching of cannon, clanking of
swords, fire, smoke, and the fearful baptism of blood.
Within two decades the "slave" was a "man."
Chapter H.
A TWO-YEARS' SEARCH.
S miglit be expected, the data of first importance
to be gained for the Church history- was regard¬
ing the formation of the A. M. E. Church. The first
general convention was held in 1816, with the follow¬
ing persons present: Rev. Richard Allen, President;
Rev. Richard Williams, Rev. Morris Brown, Rev.
Henry Harden, Charles Pierce, James Towsan, Jerry
Miller, Shadrach Bassett, Henry Fox, William Cous¬
ins, Don C. Hall, David Smith, James Cole, Jacob
Richardson, Joseph Cox, Edward Waters, William
Quinn (not as a member, but as an observer), Abner
Coker, Daniel Coker.
On the 9th of April, 1816, an election took place for
bishop, and Daniel Coker was elected on account of
his superior education and talents.* An objection
was immediately made by the pure blacks, led by
Jonathan Tudas, a friend in council with Richard
Allen. This objection was on account of his color,
his mother being an Englishwoman and his father a
*IIc wrote the first pamphlet written by a colored man in
this country—"A Dialogue between a Virginian and an Afric¬
an Minister. B}r Rev. Daniel Coker. Published in Baltimore,
1810, by Benjamin Edes." A tattered copy is still in my pos¬
session.
(100)
A Two-years'1 Search.
101
pure African. Daniel Coker, being a man of high
feeling, resigned on the spot in favor of Richard Al¬
len, who was then absent in the country, but arrived
on the 10th, and hearing the facts of the case accepted
the nomination to the bishopric. There is not a scrap
of paper ih existence relative to this important era of
the A. M. E. Church.* It was the desire of concili¬
ating the opposing factions which led Bishop Allen
later to name Morris Brown (who was not a black
man) for the office of bishop, and the same cause led
the latter to name Edward "Waters (a dark man) for
the same office. But the last-named bishop served,
simply bearing the title without exercising any of the
functions of the office.
The first Annual Conference f was held in Balti¬
more in April, 1818, at which William Paul Quinn
was present. He was born at Honduras, S. A., and
his parents were Catholics. A peculiar circumstance
led to his conversion. One day, while mischievously
throwing stones at the boys, he heard the cry of a
mob, and reaching the spot he saw a woman whom
they were abusing as a "damnable heretic," as the
priests called her. In the midst of their violence she
liekl up in her hands a small book, which had been
stained with the blood streaming from her forehead,
and said to the crowd: "I hold this as a testimony
against you." Her manner and appearance were so
different from the hag or witch whom he had expect-
* These facts were confirmed to me from the lips of three
living witnesses—Bishop Quinn, Jonathan Tudas, and Clay¬
ton Durham.
fit is the first on record, the minutes of which are in my
possession.
102 Recollections of Seventy Years.
ed to see from what lie had heard that instantly he
felt a sensation pass through him like an electric
shock. This led him to serious concern about his re¬
sponsibility to God, which concern increased till he
was brought to rejoice in a Saviour's love. This was
directly brought about through the agency of a Quak¬
eress when he was only twelve years old. He was
the first man who enlisted in the itinerant service of
the Church. This was in 1817, on the 2oth of De¬
cember, eight months after the formation of the Con¬
nection. He also held the first camp-meeting in our
Connection in the woods owned by 'Squire Hibbs, at
Ben-Salem, Bucks County, Pa., beginning the 12th of
August, 1818, with the following ministers present:
Bishop Allen, Jacob Tapsico, James Champion, Dor¬
othy Ripley (a female preacher from England), Will¬
iam Lambert, Rev. John Gloucester (o£ the Presby¬
terian Church), Sampson Peters, Edward Jackson,
Charles Corr. The Lord was present, and nearly one
hundred souls were converted.
In pursuing my investigations in Pennsylvania, I
spent the fall and early part of the winter of 1851.
In August I reached Pittsburg, from which city I
made a five-days' trip on the Ohio to Cincinnati. Our
experience was varied and interesting. The river being
low at first, we were no sooner off one sand-bar than
we were stuck fast upon another, in some cases get¬
ting off with'much difficulty after considerable delay.
The pilots, of course, received a large share of denun¬
ciation for what was probably unavoidable. When
we once reached deep water the nervous steamer, with
the pulsations of a giant, moved fearlessly down the
waveless stream. Then a fog settled over the face of
A Tico-ijmvs'' Search.
103
the waters, and for a part of the night and the early
morning hours it hung over us, the sun struggling
like an infant in the hands of a giant to penetrate the
dense mist—his face, if it did appear at all, showing
like the pallid cheeks of the moon, as though he had
become faint from a painful and protracted strife.
The movements of the pilots during the prevalence
of the fog taught me a lesson I shall never forget.
They had been watchful, diligent, and cautious before;
they were doubly so at this critical period. Their
penetrating gaze, the rapid motion of their eyes from
point to point, their alacrity in changing the position
of the steamer to avoid the shifting dangers—all im¬
pressed me deeply.
How like these pilots should a man watch over his
own soul, shunning sin on the one hand and iniquity
on the other; now guarding against the corruptions of
his own heart, and then against the seductions of the
devil! I was led to exclaim: "Make, O make me a
faithful minister and teacher, so that I may guide
both young and old into the way everlasting, and see
every one who has ever been committed to my care
lodged in the kingdom of God!" As I left the ship's
company, I felt that if there was nothing else I might
do to profit I could pray for it. The morning was
followed by a most brilliant sunset. When the regent
of day burnished the clouds with gold, while the
lengthened shadows of the verdant hills, gracefully
commingling with his softened rays, threw a glow of
sweetness that would have puzzled the pencil of
Raphael, we reached the Queen City of the West. In
Cincinnati I found the psople of color in many re¬
spects far ahead of those in the Eastern cities. I
104
Recollections of Seventy Years.
found five Churches there from the lowly beginning
in a cellar by Key. Moses Freeman and six persons in
1821. I spent the holidays here, and then journeyed
on to Louisville, where I presented Bishop Mcll-
vaine's letter of introduction (which he had given me
in Cincinnati) to Bishop Smith, of Kentucky. By
this venerable prelate I was received and welcomed
with all that kindness and urbanity which marks the
perfect gentleman. After an interesting conversation
he gave me a letter of introduction to Bishop Hawkes,
of St. Louis. During our interview he told me that
he had been looking abroad for many years over the
colored community in vain to find a lad whom he
might have trained for the Protestant Episcopal pul¬
pit. During my stay in Louisville I gave my depo¬
sition to the chancery commission as to the original
design of the Christian Herald* the first weekly pa¬
per published by the A. M. E. Church.
A strange sight was presented to me in Louisville.
A colored lady whom I called to see had a young slave
girl of considerable accomplishments on her right
hand singing and playing the guitar to her, while at
her left stood a white servant doing her bidding—
truly a strange sight in a Southern city in 1852!
The first night after leaving Louisville for St. Louis
a fog came upon us, and before we were aware our
steamer, the "Lady Franklin," was run into by the
" Delta," seriously injuring the cook-house and engine.
The alarm caused by the collision was universal, many
expecting that we would sink in the deep waters of
the Ohio, which at that spot were forty feet deep, while
*TIie Christian Herald was published by order of the Gen¬
eral Conference of 1S48.
A Two-years' Search,
105
others expected the steamer to capsize or explode.
The ladies shrieked most piteously, the men began to
prepare for escape, the barber ran into the ladies'
cabin for refuge, and the ladies ran into the saloon, the
pantry, and the barber-shop for the same purpose.
The barber, in his flight, knocked down the water-tank;
the ladies, in their confusion, knocked down the bar¬
ber; and the barber scrambled on his hands and knees
into his place of supposed security. In a moment it
was over and the danger passed, while our cries were
turned into thanksgiving, joy, and laughter.
We proceeded on our journey with a single wlieol
against many odds, as we had frequently to press
through fields of ice before we reached the mouth of
the Ohio, and afterward against the impetuous cur¬
rent of the upper Mississippi. On the night follow¬
ing the collision all the starry host were shedding un¬
clouded beams upon the surrounding scenery. The
moon was bathing her silvery rays in the waves of the
"Father of Waters" at the moment when we entered
upon its turbulent and impetuous bosom. It was a
sight I had been wishing to behold for at least twenty
years, and now that my wish was gratified I felt cle-
. lighted beyond description.*
My interview with Bishop Hawkes, of St. Louis,
related largely to my business there, and then to the
probable destiny of our people in this country. He
gave his opinions very freely, and I was obliged to
confess that they were as liberal as they were philo¬
sophic. My purpose in St. Louis accomplished, I re¬
turned eastward, stopping at Columbus, O., Cleveland,
* Geography, as taught in school-books, can give but very
indefinite ideas of its facts as the traveler sees them in nature.
106
Recollections of Seventy Years.
and Pittsburg. As far as I can learn Rev. Moses
Freeman was the one who first formed thirteen per¬
sons into a Church in Columbus in 1823. From Co¬
lumbus to Cleveland and then to Pittsburg, where I
arrived in time to witness the opening of Allegheny
Institute for the year, and heard the Rev. Charles
Avery, its illustrious founder and beneficent patron,
deliver the address. What a noble work he has done
for the illiterate colored man! Up to that time he
liad purchased the grounds, erected the buildings,
furnished the apparatus, and paid the professors' sal¬
aries. He had also donated the entire property to the
colored people of the country for the education of
their children, and he watched over the whole with
the affection and solicitude of a parent.* He that
takes the rough marble out of the quarry and by his
plastic genius forms it into a beautiful statue per¬
forms a great work and excites the admiration of
all posterity; but he who takes the rude, unlettered
mind, and molds it into the educated, refined, intel¬
lectual, and moral image of the Deity performs a work
a thousand times greater and excites the admiration
of eternity, the praise of angels, and-the approval of
his God. I would rather be Charles Avery than Ju¬
lius Caesar or Napoleon Bonaparte.
Another man in Pittsburg of most lovely character,
though in an entirely different sphere, was Rev. Sam¬
uel Collins—mild and sweet even in old age with-^all
r
* After giving- a liberal education to a few colored young
men and women, this institute assumed the form of a college,
and subsequently collapsed. I will not, because 1 cannot,
say it was from bad management. My belief is that its fail¬
ure is owing rather to its location than to its management.
A Two-years' Search.
107
its infirmities. He was converted at the first general
class ever lield by. our people. He had traveled ex¬
tensively over Ohio preaching the gospel and planting
societies. These travels were all performed on foot.
One year he traveled about fifteen hundred miles in
this way. At one time, when he was preaching at
West Chester, he saw a young man of tall stature and
noble countenance leaning against a tree, with a little
bundle under his arm, and listening very attentive¬
ly to all that was said. After preaching he went
to the youth and invited him to go home with him.
The youth complied, and from that time made the
house of Brother Collins his home for two successive
years. Having been previously converted, he made
known to Brother Collins that he felt himself called
to preach the gospel, and through him obtained a
license to exhort. This young man became Bishop
Quinn.
Unlike most of our old brethren, Brother Collins's
soul delighted in the improvements of the age, in the
general elevation of his oppressed race, in the educa¬
tion of the young, and in all that tended to ennoble
their minds. He was about ninety years old when his
physical powers gave way. When the American Rev¬
olution was at its height lie was a shepherd-boy. At
one time while keeping watch over the sheep he heard
the reports of the cannon, and idly began to mark with
a stick the number of times they fired; but it proved
to be a task in which he showed his perseverance, as
the roaring continued a long time, and when it ceased
he found himself completely encircled and the ground
for some distance covered with the dots.
During these two years of search for historical mat-
108
Recollections of Seventy Years.
ter I supported myself by lecturing on economical sub¬
jects—such as, " Industry and Thrift," " The Springs
of Wealth"'—and illustrated the lectures by maps.
Early in April, 1852, I commenced my homeward
journey toward the seat of the General Conference,
which was at New York, and which was held in Old
Bethel, as it was called. It was located on Union
Street, not far from Avenue and east of it. It was
in this chapel that Rev. Willis Nazrey and myself
were elected and ordained bishops of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church.
Chapter XI.
FIRST YEAR IN THE EPISCOPACY.
ON my arrival in New York my clothing was almost
threadbare. I was the shabbiest member of the
General Conference of 1852. With a few hours' no¬
tice Bishop Quinn ordered me to preach the opening
sermon. I entered upon my task with fear and trem¬
bling, and took as my text 2 Corinthians ii. 16: " Who
is sufficient for these things?" But my sufficiency
was of God, who bringetli strength out of weakness
and light out of darkness.
On the 7th of May the election took place for two
additional bishops. Votes were cast for Elders Rich¬
ard Robinson, Augustus R. Green, Willis Nazrey,
and D. A. Payne. The two latter were declared
elected. I trembled from head to foot, and wept. I
knew that I was unworthy the office, because I had
neither the physical strength, the learning, nor the
sanctity which makes one fit for such a high, holy, and
responsible position. At the General Conference of
1848, which sat in the city of Philadelphia, Bishop
Quinn took me into the basement of Bethel Church,
and requested me to let him use my name as one of
the cantpdates for the bishopric, telling me that it
was the desire of many of my brethren that I
should fill the office. I respectfully declined, giv-
(109)
110
Recollections of Seventy Years.
ing liim the same reasons which caused my emo¬
tion at my election later. The Conference of 1848
closed its deliberations without the election of any
bishop.
About twelve months before the Conference of
1852 I saw and felt that my brethren were determined
to elect me, and therefore I prayed earnestly up to
that time that God would take away my life rather
than allow me to be put into an office for which I felt
myself so utterly unfit. The announcement fell like
the weight of a mountain upon me, and as I have
said it caused me to weep like a child and tremble
like a tree shaken by a tempest. I now felt that to
resist this manifest will of the Great Head of the
Church, so clearly and emphatically expressed, would
bring upon me his displeasure. I yielded because I
felt that the omnipotent Arm that had thrust me into
the position would hold me in it. On the 13th my
ordination at the hands of Bishop Quinn took place,
followed by that of Bishop Nazrey.
At this General Conference Rev. M. M. Clarke was
appointed editor of the Church organ, Rev. TV. T.
Cato general book steward, and Rev. William Jones
traveling agent.'"
* These three yonng men were well informed—not as grad¬
uates from any college, but good English scholars. Their
superior natural endowments and general information con¬
strained everybody to expect grand results. Their pulpit or¬
atory also increased the hopes of the Connection. But two
years had not elapsed before they proved themselves to he
miserable failures, because, while in possesssion of fair tal¬
ents and general information, they were destitute of the
tact and pluck which come from business training. One by
one they resigned, ami the bishops placed the Book Con-
First Year in the Episcopacy.
Ill
After the rise of that body the first Bishops Coun¬
cil was held by the three bishops, and the entire field
was laid off into three episcopal districts. The first
embraced the Philadelphia Conference and the New
England Conference, with the territories which they
covered. Up to 1852 all the New England States
were a part of the New York Conference. It was, in
fact, its missionary field. The General Conference of
that year ordered all the A. M. E. Churches in these
States to be organized into a Conference to be known
as the New England Conference. The second em¬
braced the Baltimore and New York Conferences,
with the territories which they covered. The third
embraced the Indiana and Canada Conferences, with
their territories. Bishop William Paul Quinn was
assigned to the third, Bishop Willis Nazrey to the
second, and Bishop Daniel A. Payne to the first. We
agreed to preside each over his own district for two
years, at the expiration of which time we were to al¬
ternate.
My first episcopal acts took place in the session of
the Philadelphia Annual Conference, held in Union
Bethel Church, Philadelphia. After the business of
this Conference was closed I went in June to New
Bedford, Mass., to organize the New England Confer¬
ence. New Bedford was at that time the great center
of the whaling-vessels, and the population of color
was comparatively large. Of this Conference Be v.
T. M. D. Ward, the best-educated young minister in
it, was made secretary. The Churches then embraced
in the newly-organized Conference were (1) the Church
c-ern in the superior care anil management of Elder Jabez
Petit Campbell, now Bishop Campbell.
112
Recollect ions of Seventy Years.
in New Bedford, Mass.; (2) the Church in Boston,
Mass.; (3) the Church in Providence, R. I.; (4) the
Church in New Haven, Conn.; (5) the Church in
Bridgeport, Conn.; (6) the Church in Portland, Me,
The buildings owned by these societies were very
poor and small structures. Immediately after the
work of the Conference was finished I began the in¬
spection of the entire field which it covered, to see
what was the prospect for extending the boundaries
of the Connection. I then returned to Philadelphia,
and commenced the inspection of the work within
the boundaries of that Conference.
Twice within the first eighteen months of my bish¬
opric was I rejected by people, and it was exceeding¬
ly difficult to procure accommodations, as oar people
did not know me and were not inclined to "entertain
strangers," and I did not choose at first to reveal my
identity. The first time a woman rudely repulsed
me. Upon going farther to the steward of the cir¬
cuit, he promised to find me accommodations, shrewdly
guessing who I was, and soon conducted me back to
this same woman's house. The mistress was pro¬
fuse in her apologies, wept, and begged my forgive¬
ness, when I refused to stay there. Her reiterated
excus^was, " Sir, I did not know you were the bish¬
op;" at which I said, "A title is nothing; character
is every thing. The house which is too small for the
poorest preacher I might send here is not large
enough for me." So, turning away from her, I directed
the steward to take me elsewhere. The course which
I pursued with this woman may be censured as un¬
merciful. I did not think so then, and do not think
so now. My design was to teach her a lesson that
First Year in the Ejyiscopactj.
113
she would never forget—tliat it was a privilege as well
as a duty to "entertain strangers, for thereby some
have entertained angels unawares." In too many
cases the well-dressed villain is preferred to the
shabby saint, and the enemy of God to the Christian
philanthropist.
My second rejection was in Western Pennsylvania,
where I was bluntly informed by the man of the
house, who was also a steward of the circuit, that I
could not be entertained. My guide, a young barber,
finally offered to take me himself rather than allow
me to go to a white hotel, but tarried to speak to the
aged couple who refused to entertain me. I over¬
heard him say to them: " Suppose that he be one of
the bishops? " To which the old man stoutly replied:
" He is not one of our bishops. All our bishops are
big men. I know Bishop Quinn, and I know Bishop
Nazrey, and they are both big men." At the time I
had on a short-skirted coat and a Kossuth hat, which
made me look rather "squatty." The following Sab¬
bath the preacher took for his text, "He came unto
liis own, and his own received him not." The dis¬
course was used as a rod to scourge those who had re¬
jected me, and it was so severe that I could but enter
into sympathy with the couple who sat there, greatly'
tortured and chagrined at their own conduct. As
for me, I regretted the occurrence as deeply as
they.
The Conference year embraced in 1853-4 was
spent principally in visiting the Churches in New
Jersey, which leads me to speak of a settlement of
colored Americans in the southern portion of that
State. This was known by the name of Gouldtown.
8
114
Recollections of Seventy Years.
At that time I was informed that there were about
five hundred inhabitants, most of whom were de¬
scended from one couple—a man of color and an
English lady. She was the daughter of one of two
brothers by the name of Fenwich, who bought a
large tract of land from Lord Berkeley, and her father
did all he could, without using violence, to prevent
the marriage of his daughter to a negro. This set¬
tlement was an agricultural one. They were an in¬
dustrious but poor people, who for want of money
were unable to bring their sandy lands to a high state
of improvement. I found a Sunday-school among
them good for the times and surroundings. I organ¬
ized them into a literary and moral improvement so¬
ciety, and by voluntary contributions established
among them a small library, consisting chiefly of
books published by the American Tract Society.
This library is still standing (1886).
It was my habit while going over the first district
whenever in New York to visit the American Mission¬
ary Society. While stopping, as usual, some time in
1852, Brother Lewis Tappan said to me: "There is
a lady here who wishes to see you in my office." This
lady was Miss Myrtle Miner. She told me she was
divinely impressed to go to Washington, D. C., and
open a high school to train young colored girls to be
the educators of their race.
"I cannot rest until I make the attempt," she said.
" Have you counted the cost? " I asked. "Are you
prepared to burn between two fires—a white fire on
the one hand and a black fire on the other?"
"I am prepared, and must go if I die in the at¬
tempt," she emphatically replied.
First Year in the Episcopacy.
115
This firmness and noble aim marked the character
of Miss Myrtle Miner throughout the years which
followed. Her heroic spirit stirred my soul to its
bottom, and I furnished her with seven letters of in¬
troduction to the first colored families in that city.
Through these letters she organized a school with six
or seven pupils from these families. This was the
beginning of the Miner Normal School in Washing¬
ton, D. C., which since her death has accomplished so
much good for the young women of the race. Some
of her first pupils are still living and engaged in the
public schools of that city. In her troubles and per¬
secutions (for she taught in most troublous times and
at the risk of her life) she was a frequent visitor at
the house of my sister-in-law in Georgetown—the Be-
crafts—where she found both rest and consolation.
In January, 1853, I visited her school. It was then
an excellent institution, promising great blessings to
the community. Her method of instruction was that
which developed all the faculties of the soul, and her
pupils seemed to delight in their work. I could not
but hope and pray that she might be long spared for
the training of young colored women.
Some time in 1853 a white woman of averag^e edu¬
cation, lady-like person, and rather imposing physique,
opened a school in Philadelphia for the education of
colored children. As now, so was it then. The white
person who opened such a school, unless employed
by State authorities, was sure to be ostracised. She
therefore found her associations among the parents
who employed her, and worshiped at Bethel, the
mother Church of African Methodism in the United
States. She at last united with one of the classes,
116
Recollections of Seventy Years.
wlien opposition to her commenced on the part of
many of the female members of the Church. At this
time I was in New England. On my return a male
member asked me if our Discipline permitted white
persons to join our Church. I answered that there
was no prohibition, and that the A. M. E. Church,
like Christianity itself, ought to be open to all and
for all. On learning that the women were determined
•to have her turned out, I visited the pastor, and find¬
ing that he had authorized the class-leader and local
preacher to receive her, I expressed the hope that he
would defend her rights, which he promised to do,
but did not. The opposition increased daily. She
was insulted in the class and elsewhere. Not satis¬
fied with this, they threatened to withhold support
from the pastor, and to starve me out if I maintained
her rights. Upon this I resolved to let those evil-
minded ones know that I belonged to that class of
Christian ministers who cannot be controlled by back
nor belly. I hired two rooms, fitted them up, bought
kitchen utensils, and commenced keeping bachelor's
hall. I not only did my own cooking, but washed my
own garments, that I might support the right and
uphold the government of the Church. The pastor
expelled the woman because she was white and be¬
cause he was urged to such an unchristian act by his
own color—that is, the women in Bethel. My sense
of duty in this case led me to leave that pastor with¬
out an appointment at the next Annual Conference.
This caused much excitement among his personal
friends, and I was urged to change my purpose; bat
to all I firmly replied that I feared not the result.
The pastor himself visited me ful] of anger, and,
First Year in the Episcopacy.
117
thrusting his clinched fist in my face, said, "You
dare to leave me without an appointment on account
of that white woman!" and immediately added:
" Open your mouth if you dare, and I will lay you
flat upon the floor." Trembling with rage, he stood
over me for a few minutes with clinched fist, and then
suddenly left the room. I Avas asked by Bishop Naz-
rey if I would consent that Bishop Quinn or himself
should employ him in their service. I replied that
they might do whatever they thought proper in the
case, but I believed that the pastor who would turn
away from God's sanctuary any human being on ac¬
count of color was not fit to have charge of a gang of
dogs. He was stationed by Bishop Nazrey at To¬
ronto.*
Eleven years passed away. Meanwhile this pastor
became a member of the British M. E. Church; but
having lost his standing in it, he came back irregu¬
larly into the A. M. E. Church, and therefore he camo
irregularly to the General Conference of 1854 His
seat was disputed, and four times his friends endeav¬
ored to seat him; but four times did the General Con¬
ference reject him in the very church from which he
had expelled the white woman. The judgment of God
in this case reminds me of his judgment against a cer¬
tain pro-slavery, caste-loving bishop of the Protestant
Episcopal Church.
Sometime between 1837 and 1840 a young mafi who
had been classically trained, of fine person, so highly
mixed that he was mistaken for a white man, was ad¬
mitted into the General Theological Seminary of the
'* Bishop Nazrey was'authorized to hold the Canadian Con¬
ference for Bishop Quinn, who was in the West at the time.
118
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Protestant Episcopal Church. When his African de¬
scent on one side was ascertained he was ordered out
by this bishop.* Time passed, and another gifted and
scholarly man,completed his course as a star of the
first magnitude at Oneida Institute. He also applied
for admission into the same theological school at New
York, but was rejected by the same bishop on account
of his color.f Both of these young men were obliged
to take private instruction in theology.J A day of
retribution came. This grand prelate was accused,
tried, and found guilty of conduct unbecoming a
Christian gentleman, still more in a prelate of such
towering pretensions. He was expelled from the
episcopacy. Several efforts were made by his friends
"*This person was Isaiah DeGrasse, whose beauty might
have excelled that of Absalom. Dr. James McCune Smith,
who was thoroughly educated in one of the universities of
Scotland, said that Isaiah DeGrasse was the handsomest man
he ever beheld. He was as polished in his manners as he
was beautiful in his person.
fThis was the present Dr. Alexander Crummel, of Wash¬
ington, D. C.
X This person was Charles L. Reason—subsequently Pro¬
fessor Reason, of Central College, X. Y.—a man as noble in
his physique as a prince of the blood royal. But neither
beauty of person nor grandeur of intellect nor varie<J cult¬
ure can exempt any man or woman from the ostracism of
Americans if he or she be tainted with one drop of the blood
of Noah's second son. Three men, made in God's image,
highly®' gifted by nature, and varied in their culture, ex¬
cluded from the school of the prophets bjr a so-called suc¬
cessor of the apostles! But this bishop was learned in the
classics, literature, science, and philosophy; the negro preach¬
er who excluded the white woman was ignorant of both eth¬
nology and Christian theology. Before God no apology can
be made for either.
First Year in the Episcopacy. 119
to restore him, but lie died expelled from the bish¬
opric.
If "he that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his
Maker," how great must be the reproach cast upon
the Infinite when one man oppresses another on ac¬
count of the color which distinguishes him from his
fellow-mortals!
Chapter XII.
IN THE WEST, SOUTH-WEST, AND CANADA.
IN September, 1853, I visited Bishop Quinn's dio¬
cese, and met the Conference at Terre Haute, Ind.,
my object being to consummate our plans for alter¬
nating in eacli other's districts, according to the un¬
derstanding we had in June, 1852. Never did I leave
a place with such keen regret as I did Terre Haute.
All the company seemed affected, and Bishop Quinn
was moved to tears. It seemed strange to see a man of
such gigantic proportions and so heroic a heart with
such tender feelings. We parted at Indianapolis—he
to go to his place of residence (Richmond, Ind.) and
I to Louisville, Ky. The remainder of the year was
spent in visiting and preaching at the different points
in my episcopal district, settling various difficulties,
and holding Conferences. This work continued un¬
til 1854.
It was in the early part of this year that Bishop
Quinn remarked, at the close of a sermon, that from
the establishment of the Connection in 1816 up to
that time, one hundred and nineteen traveling, and
seventy-three local preachers had died.
In the summer of the same year I married Mrs.
Eliza J. Clark, of Cincinnati, and transferred my
home from tho East to the West; but my labors were
(120)
In the West, South-icest, and Canada. 121
not confined to either, because my episcopal district
included tlie Baltimore and the Ohio Conferences.
I may here state that as I had been for five succes¬
sive years the pastor of Bethel Church, in Baltimore,
so also I was providentially made the presiding bish¬
op of the Baltimore Conference for twelve successive
years.
In July I attended the Canada Conference at To¬
ronto, where I found the Church out of debt, but in a
poor condition, owing to the troubles of the pastor, who
was the same man mentioned in the foregoing chap¬
ter. On our journey to St. Catherine's we were twice
ordered out of the omnibus at Port Dalhousie, and
obliged to remain on the steamer for three hours be¬
fore we could get a conveyance to St. Catherine's,
where we spoke August 1, for a few minutes, at the
celebration of the emancipation of the slaves in the
West Indies. We passed through Hamilton, London,
and Chatham, Canada, at all of which places we
stopped for a short time, reaching Detroit, Mich.,
where the Ohio Annual Conference was opened Au¬
gust 28th. In October I made my first official visit
to Louisville, and the last of the month I visited Xe-
nia, O., for the first time, and went out to Father
David Smith's residence to spend the day. He is at
present date the oldest living itinerant minister in the
Connection. This now venerable man was the first
minister of the Lord who raised the star and tlio
cross among the colored population in the city of
Washington, D. C., as the embassador of the A. M.
E. Church. This lie did at the risk of his life, as it
was threatened that if any A. M. E. preacher should
dare to go to Washington he should be tarred and
122
Recollections of Seventy Years.
feathered. Brother Smith was then quite a young
man, and volunteered to go. At the. close of a ser¬
mon he boldly made the statement that he was a
Bethel preacher, which caused great excitement; and
it was only by the aid of worldlings that he obtained
a written authority to preach, with which he defied
the constables, declaring his intention to preach at
whatever risk.
On reaching my home in Cincinnati, in December,
I found a letter from St. Louis informing me that the
mayor had locked up the church, declaring that he
would not allow it to be opened until I should arrive
there. I immediately set out. On my arrival I called
upon the Bt. Bev. Bishop Hawkes, of the Protestant
Episcopal Church, and told him my errand. He sym¬
pathized with me, and offered all the aid and advice
I might need, and gave me a letter of introduction
to the mayor, who told me that the riot in the A. M.
E. Church of October 18 of that year* had not only
only injured our Church, but all the free colored pop¬
ulation in the State of Missouri.
Having made, I believe, a careful and impartial in¬
vestigation of the difficulties growing out of the riot,
I gave my plan of adjustment, which gave great dis¬
satisfaction to some friends of both the contending
parties; but other brethren arose and thanked me for
the plan, saying that they would cheerfully submit to
it.f The final result was the resignation of the pas-
""'This internal riot of our Church in St. Louis occurred
under the pastorate of Rev. ITiram Revels, and grew out of a
difficulty between the Church officers and himself.
f This plan led me to punish the leaders of the contending
parties according to the magnitude of their several offenses.
In the West, South-west, and Canada. 123
tor from all connection with the A. M. E. Church in
America.*
Soon after this Bishop Quinn, having been waylaid
by robbers, was so disabled by the blows which he re¬
ceived that he was unable to attend to his work, and
I was compelled to take his duties upon myself, in ad¬
dition to my own. This double labor brought on
prostration of the nervous system, and from the 18tli
of February till March 22 I was very sick. Not un¬
til the last of the month was I able to speak in pub¬
lic, and then not more than twenty minutes, and in
the feeblest manner. Returning to Ohio in April, I
visited Chillicothe, O. The Church at this point had
its origin in 1823 by a secession from the M. E.
Church on account of color distinctions made in their
religious meetings, which were too invidious and
painful to be endured; so twenty-three members were
formed into a new Society by George Bolar, a preach¬
er in the Philadelphia Conference. Continuing north¬
ward, I made my first visit to Springfield, O., where
it was my good fortune to meet Dr. Sprecher, a former
classmate at Gettysburg, Pa., whose wife wTas a sis¬
ter of my old instructor, Dr. Schmucker. He was
then connected with Wittenburg College, and at his
hospitable mansion I spent a few hours in con versa-
Some I suspended for three months, some for six; and finding
it necessary to remove the pastor, I appointed him to our
Church in Columbus, O., where he promised to go, but did not,
because misleading followers advised him to remain in St.
Louis and establish a Presbyterian Church. This he did,
but the organization was like Jonah's gourd.
*IIe subsequently returned to the A. M. E. Church, but
did not abide in it.
124
Recollections of Seventy Years.
tion upon the all-absorbing theme—the interests of
the colored man, both in this land and in Africa.
Rev. Yictor L. Conrad, editor of the Evangelical Lu¬
theran, was another man of lovely spirit, with whom I
conversed upon the emancipation of the slaves, and
the ruinous moral effect of slavery upon both slaves
and slave-holders. He entertained very correct views
on this thrilling question. To the aid of the lives
and teachings of such men we owe much more than
the present generation realizes.
After preaching to a large and attentive audience,
composed of my own flock and many Methodist. Lu¬
theran, and Presbyterian white friends, I visited and
addressed the Sunday-school, This was the first and
only instance which I then knew in the whole Union
where a colored Sunday-school had an infant depart¬
ment. Its instructor was well qualified for the inter¬
esting work, not only in the ordinary sense of the
term, but was also a good vocalist, which I conceive
to be an essential qualification for any one who has
to educate the infant mind; as nothing can interest
them more than a sweet voice when that voice is
freighted with truth and rendered still more mellow
by the Spirit of God.
After visiting other Churches I opened the Canada
Conference, Bishop Nazrey assisting, July 21st. Au¬
gust 18th Ave opened the Ohio Conference, which was
followed by the Indiana Conference, September 1st,
at which all the Bishops were present. At this Con¬
ference the plans for the moral, intellectual, and re¬
ligious elevation of the colored people of the United
States, proposed by the Cincinnati Conference of the
M. E. Church, and represented by letter through tlieir
In the West, Souih-irest, and Canada.
125
agent, Rev. J. T. Wright, were brought forward at
my instance for consideration. Several communica¬
tions were read. These were followed by remarks
bearing toward united effort to sustain the Union
Seminary, which had been established at Columbus,
O., and of which I shall, speak later. We also de¬
cided as to the manner of forming the Missouri Con¬
ference, and September found us in Louisville again
ready to organize it—the eighth star in our beautiful
Annual Conference constellation.
In October I was again in London, Canada, where
I preached, and lectured on the elevation of our peo¬
ple. At this visit I went to see the school of the " Co¬
lonial Church and School Society." This school con¬
tained four hundred pupils, about eighty of whom
were colored. The system was Lancasterian; and the
children were advanced to the rank of monitors—ac¬
cording to their qualifications, not their color. In the
male school I saw two monitors—boys of color—each
drilling a class in which but one pupil was colored;
and the white lads seemed to be as happy as those
whose monitors were white, thus verifying Lewis
Tappan's utterances on the subject years before—
" that all children are naturally anti-slavery, and only
by false teachings become pro-slavery."
Chapter XIII.
TRAVELS IN THE WEST.
HE last of December, 1855, I made my second
visit to Chicago, arriving there on a bitter cold
night. Unable to find our friends that night in the
storm, and expecting a refusal from the hotel, we were
allowed (after entreaty) to spend the night in the pas¬
senger-room. The following morning the cold Avas
still so intense that in the search for our friends I
was nearly stupefied with it, and suffered excessive
pain from being nearly frost-bitten. While there I
was invited to visit the Pastoral Association, which
consisted of all the itinerant Methodist preachers in
the city who were attached to the Methodist Episco¬
pal Church. These brethren had always extended to
the ministers of the A. M. E. Church in Chicago the
same privileges they themselves enjoyed. On this
occasion all the Methodist Episcopal ministers were
present except that eminent man, the Rev. James W.
Watson, the talented and bold editor of the North¬
western Christian Advocate. I left the meeting re¬
freshed by what I had heard.
I also had the pleasure of hearing that extraordi¬
nary young woman, Miss Mary A. Shadd, editor of
the Provincial Freeman, of Western Canada, in two*
lectures on the condition and prospects of the colored
(126)
Travels in the West.
127
people in Canada. Her power did not consist in elo¬
quence, but in lier familiarity with facts, lier knowl¬
edge of men, and her fine power of discrimination.
Her energy and perseverance, as well as her ability to
suffer in the cause she had espoused, entitled her to
rank among the reformers of the time. She went
alone int^Canada West in the fall of 1851, and trav¬
ersed it from Toronto to Sandwich, sometimes on foot,
maintaining herself by 'teaching school. The follow¬
ing spring she published a pamphlet entitled "Notes
on Canada West," and in about one year from the day
"she landed in Canada she had nearly established the
weekly sheet before mentioned, of which for more
than one year she was the sole editor, at the same
time acting as traveling agent and financier. Her ed¬
itorials compared well with those of the sterner sex,
some of whom she often excelled. Indeed, I could
mention at least two colored editors whose editorials
were far beneath hers. This leads me to note that at
the close of 1849 it fell under my observation that
there were but three newspapers among the colored
people of the United States: The Ram's Horn, pub¬
lished in Philadelphia and edited and owned by
Thomas Yan Rensselaer; The Christian TIeralcl of the
A. M. E. Church, published in Pittsburg, Pa., and ed¬
ited by Rev. A. R. Green; The North Star, published
in Rochester, N. Y., and edited by Frederick Doug¬
lass, a fugitive slave, but born to distinguish Himself
as one of the master minds of the nineteenth century.
Thirty-six years have produced immense changes and
progress in colored journals and journalism.
, At Peoria, 111., I heard the Rt. Rev. Bishop Lee, of
the Protestant Episcopal Church of Iowa, lecture on
128
Recollections of Seventy Years.
" Self-culture." He showed—what was news to me—
that a great number of self-educated men were from
the humble but useful occupation of a shoe-maker;
and he aptly gave as the only reason he could assign
for the fact that " they were all the time engaged in the
improvement of the human understanding." It was
very interesting, and abounded with useful reflections,
but I thought the style too magisterial; however, I
presume it was natural.
In Bloomington, 111., I had-an experience such as I
had never had from any clergyman before. I lectured
a>nd preached in the M. E. Church, the pastor of
which would not go into the pulpit with me, nor did
he introduce me into it; and at the close, after an¬
nouncing a collection in my behalf, he disappeared
before I could leave the pulpit. The cold reception
made it very difficult for me to preach. I suppose he
was laboring under the influence of slave-holders, or
that legitimate offspring of slave-holders—American
prejudice.
In February I went to St. Louis officially for the
second time. Although I had hastened to possess a
written protection from the mayor, I was arrested for
violating the laws of the State by coming into it to
preach the gospel. I was bailed by friends and de¬
fended by a lawyer who caused my discharge at first
on the grounds that the prosecutor, being a slave, had
no po&er to make oath, and therefore could not in¬
stitute a prosecution against any one, and that the
warrant called for one Thomas A. Payne and brought
me, Daniel A. Payne. I was scarcely outside the
door of the magistrate's office when a new warrant
was issued. But my dear friend, Rev. John Early,
Travels in the West.
120
was in waiting for me with a swift liorse and a wagon,
into which I stepped. The animal was put to his
speed, so that, despite the Dutch constable's cries,
" Shtop tat horse! shtop tat horse! shtop tat horse! "
we were speedily out of his reach across the Missis¬
sippi in the free State of Illinois. My attorney, how¬
ever, insisted on trying the case in my absence, and
then maintained my right to discharge my ministe¬
rial obligations without molestation; that the law in
question never contemplated such a case as mine; and
that my certificate of citizenship entitled me to the
protection of the civil authorities in St. Louis. The.
case was dismissed the second time, and the highestJ
dignitaries of the city, who manifested the kindliest
feelings in my behalf, maintained that I should not
be molested in the discharge of my duties. But there
had been so much bitterness in our Church there dur¬
ing the previcu^ twelve months that vital piety had
almost been destroyed. We could thus only hope for
better things and pray that the Lord of the vineyard
would bless the labors of his servant in that place.
I made my preparations here for my first episcopal
visit to New Orleans, anticipating a pleasant time
down the river in the company of my old friend,
Brother Thomas Brown, of Pittsburg, Pa. On the
31st of March we commenced the ceremony of laying
the corner-stone of the Mission Church, to be called
the " Morris Brown Chapel. Rev. J. M. Brown * was
then pastor at the New Orleans Mission, there being-
three appointments in the city—in the second, third,
and fourth districts. A visit to the Covington Mis¬
sion, on Lake Pontchartrain, which was planted by
9
5No\v Bisliop Brown.
130
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Ilev. W. Niles in 1854, under great opposition from
certain whites, and I then turned northward to meet
the General Conference at Cincinnati. I had either
preached, lectured, or talked (and in some cases all
three) in nearly every place which I had visited on
this tour.
As has been, stated, in 1855, at the Annual Confer¬
ence held in Indianapolis, I read an announcement of
the action of the Cincinnati Conference of the M. E.
Church, in which a committee wTas appointed to con¬
sider the practicability of establishing an institution
of learning in which colored children and youths
could be trained for the different fields of usefulness
among the colored people, and by which their gener¬
al elevation would be promoted. The announcement
also stated that the committee appointed in 1854
would report a matured document at their approach¬
ing Conference, to be held in the cit^of Cincinnati in
1855. The information stirred my soul to its very
bottom, and fixed my resolution to be present and
hear the report and see what would be the immediate
result. At the appointed day and hour I entered for
the first time in my life a Conference of the M. E.
Church. Bishop Scott was presiding. Not being
able to see him from my seat just inside the door, I
changed it for one in the gallery. The report of the
committee was read, and concluded with several reso¬
lutions, among which wras one recommending an effort
to secure the co-operation of the A. M. E. Church,
assigning as a reason the fact that it was the largest
and most influential body of colored Christians in the
land. Immediately Mr. Finley came and asked me if
I was a preacher in the A. M. E. Church. I said:
Trace'* in the I Vest.
131
' Ihey say so." tC Well, come and let me introduce
you to the Conference," lie said. I begged to be ex¬
cused, and told liim my sole object for being present
was to liear the report on education. After again re¬
questing me and receiving another refusal, he in¬
quired: "What is your name?" "They call me
Payne," I replied. "Are you not one of the bishops
of the A. M. E. Church? " he asked. " They say so,"
was my answer. " Is not that a fact? " he questioned.
" It is," I returned. Then, seizing me by the hand, he
again begged me to come and be introduced, and I
therefore went with him. He introduced me to Bish¬
op Scott, who introduced me to the Conference. The
Conference interrogated me concerning the probabil¬
ity of securing our co-operation, and I assured the
members that my opinion was that if the A. M. E.
Church could obtain a clear apprehension of the
question it woulcl readily co-operate. The same night,
by invitation, I preached for the Conference.
Our own General Conference opened in Cincinnati
May 5, 1856. At this time an attempt was made by
Elder A. R. Green to create a Board of Advisors for
the Bishops, which signally failed.
The Canadian Churches also petitioned for separa¬
tion from the A. M. E. Church. The report of the
committee on the matter was vigorously discussed,
but finally adopted and a resolution passed to send a
delegation to meet the convention at the organization
of the new Church, to learn what connection it might
desire with us in the States; also what participation
it might desire in the Book Concern, etc., and to re¬
port to the next General Conference. It Avas urged
in defense of this desire for separation that the oath
132
Recollections of Seventy Years.
of allegiance to England whicli they had to take re¬
quired the act of separation; the legal disadvantages
under which they labored in obtaining grants of deeds
were also shown. The delegates from the Cincinnati
Annual Conference of the M. E. Church were also
present, and Rev. M. French made a powerful speech,
defining liis position on the slavery question. Much
discussion followed as to the position of the M. E.
Church on the slavery question. The proposal of the
Cincinnati Conference of the M. E. Church to gain
the co-operation of the A. M. E. Church in founding
TVilberforce was made by Rev. M. French and I. F.
Wright. The proposition was violently opposed by
Rev. TV. M. Clarke, who represented it as a coloniza¬
tion scheme to expatriate the colored people and send
them to Africa. This speech was very inflammatory.
It had its desired effect upon the minds of the Con¬
ference, who rejected the beneficent proposition by a
large majority.
At this General Conference of 1856 it was also de¬
cided to have at all future General Conferences an
episcopal address on ministerial education and duties;
also two others—one on Missions and one on general
education—secular and religious.
In the bishops' meeting we decided to open the
convention in Canada at the close of the Canadian
Conference, and that three elders should accompany
the bishops; and to these elders and bishops the
brethren might apply for one of the bishops to su¬
perintend their Church. In pursuance of the action
of the General Conference, a circular was issued by
me, notifying all traveling preachers of the time of
holding said convention, and requesting each circuit
Travels in the West.
133
or station to send one delegate elected by the people.
Before going to Canada I assisted in organizing the
Missouri Conference in August, at Louisville, Ky.,
and also held the Ohio Annual Conference at Xenia,
O. At the last named Rev. Mansfield French, the
agent of the M. E. Church, Avas also present, and
spoke in regard to the proposed collegiate institution,
which was to be established at Tawawa Springs; he also
met some objections as to African colonization, and
stated the object the Methodist brethren had in view.
In July of this same year I made a change in my
home under the following circumstances: My second
wife, whom I married in 1854, had three children, two
under age, a lad of sixteen and a little girl of six.
Before I had lived with them in Cincinnati one
year I found that the city was full of very corrupt¬
ing influences. I therefore took the autumn of 1855
to visit many of the interior towns of Ohio in order to
find a good home in connection with a good school,
where my step-children could be trained under the
very best surroundings within our reach. At Newark
I met a gentleman on his way to the Albany Manual
Labor School to attend its commencement. Through
his representations and urgent invitation I went with
him, became acquainted with the President of the in¬
stitution, and contracted for a five-acre lot adjoining
his own Jiome. We had scarcely decided to make this
place our home as soon as convenient when I was vis¬
ited by the accredited agents of the Cincinnati Con¬
ference for founding the contemplated institution at
Tawawa Springs, which they had agreed to purchase
for educational purposes. The interview ended with
an arrangement for me to visit Xenia and the Springs,
134
Recollections of Seventy Years.
which I did, examined the premises, and was so well
pleased with its beauty and conveniences that I re¬
solved to make Tawawa Springs my home instead of
Albany Manual Labor School. Later I gave up to the
institution the lot at the former place, upon which I
had expended about three hundred dollars, and we left
Cincinnati on the 3d of July, 1856, to make what
proved to be a permanent home at Tawawa Springs,
now known as Wilberforce, but three and one-half
miles removed from the city of Xenia, O. There, in
September following, we organized in my own home
a Church consisting of Rev. David Smith, his wife,
Brother Isaac Rouse, my wife and myself, and named
it Zion's Chapel. After the A. M. E. Church pur¬
chased the property now known as Wilberforce it was
re-organized under its present name—Church of the
Holy Trinity.
aoiooHd aanvM 'A3y
Chapter XIV.
SIX YEARS' LABORS.
ON the morning of September 29, 1856, after a six-
days' session, I announced the Annual Confer¬
ence of the A. M. E. Church in Canada to be extinct.
It had run a career of seventeen years, and I trust
accomplished something for Christ and fallen man.
I then penned these words: "What will be the future
history and influence of this branch of the [Redeemer's
Church is known only to him whose eyes see from
the beginning to the end."' At 12 m. the Convention
met. After some discussion as to the admission of
delegates, as to the mode of procedure, and as to the
understanding of the General Conference in granting
the petition of the Canadians, separation was first de¬
cided upon by a large majority, and the name " Brit¬
ish Methodist Episcopal Church " was decided upon
by an overwhelming majority.
Upon this change of name much discussion fol¬
lowed, and concerning the relationship which should
be formed between the two bodies the delegates from
the States overleaped the bounds of their mission to
the Convention, and desired to lay down the conditions
for such relationship. Bishop Nazrey was elected
bishop of the new organization, and the bench of
bishops petitioned to grant the request. The Con-
■ (135)
]3G Recollections of Seventy Years.
vention closed October 6, and the first Annual Con¬
ference of the B. M. E. Cliurcli met the following
day. Thus the new body began its existence, and
among the-first acts claimed the field in Central
America, through Benjamin Smith, a missionary, who
presented a petition to have the flock which he had
collected attached to the Church under British pro¬
tection.
A troublesome visit to New Orleans followed in
December. This was made so through the terrible
anti-slavery excitement, during the struggle over Kan¬
sas. I was warned on the boat that it was not safe
for me to go down there, but I kept on. I visited the
mayor, who would afford me no protection. I then went
to Bishop Polk, but he told me that he could afford
me none, and advised me to leave the city; but I re¬
mained three weeks in the discharge of my duties, per¬
fectly unmolested. However, such was the state of
affairs that I could only cry out: "We are killed all
the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter."
In April of the following year I met tlie Baltimore
Conference, and the next month paid my first official
visit to Washington, D. C. On June 1 I helped in
the ceremonies of laying the corner-stone for the Mis¬
sion Church, that Avas burned down across the "east¬
ern branch." The Masonic brethren laid the corner¬
stone. This ceremony was new to me, and I could
not think it a proper one, when God's house was to
be laid, and there was a formula ordained by the
Church for the express purpose.
On my return to Baltimore I visited the schools and
some familes, and organized the first mental and moral
Six Years' Labors.
137
improvement society in Bethel Church. In 1844-5,
when I wrote and sent abroad my thoughts on edu¬
cation, I had not the power to enforce them, but in
my episcopal capacity what was formerly-only advice
to be given became a duty to be performed. Two
things I found necessary to be done. The first was to
organize literary and historical associations among
and of the ministers, to improve the ministry; the sec¬
ond, to improve the people. An educated ministry is
more highly appreciated by an educated laity, and
hence always better supported. They act and react
upon each other. Thus I endeavored to improve the
condition of the work, but I regret to record that i i
the majority of cases these associations operated only
as long as I presided over the Conferences. Yet we
ought always to be cheered in our labors by, the re¬
flection that though the instrument by which truth is
disseminated may be destroyed, the truth itself is im¬
mortal. It germinates, vegetates, and ultimately flow¬
ers and produces fruit.
Among some of my measures for the improvement
of the colored race was that of Mothers' Associa¬
tions, which I succeeded in organizing at all central
points. The aim of these was to aid one another in
training their children, especially their daughters.
That sucli organizations are needed among us no
thouglitful-minded person will deny. Perhaps the
greatest curse which slavery inflicted upon us was the
destruction .of the home. No home, no mother; no
mother, no home! But what is home without a culti¬
vated intellect, and what the value of such an intellect
without a cultivated heart? I organized such associ¬
ations wherever possible, and they, like the others, cx-
138
Recollections of Seventy Years.
isted only with my term of office; but something else
must have led to their extinction. As the facts rise
up in my mind they and reason cofnpel me to say:
"If the mothers had been prepared by early'training
to receive, digest, and appropriate the principles in¬
culcated, no absence of mine would have caused the
dissolution of the associations." Such associations
would not only tend to strengthen mothers, but would
aid in forming a healthy social circle in which grow¬
ing sons and daughters might move with comparative
safety from the evil influences which sweep so many
youths into the vortex of vice, crime, and infamy.
After establishing some associations and visiting
other places I paid a flying visit to Carlisle, and
preached in the church where I used to spend all my
vacations during my studies at Gettysburg; and early
in August, 1857, I reached my home at AYilberforce
University, after an absence of three months and a
half, accompanied by the youngest daughter of Bish¬
op Morris Brown, who was to be educated there. My
stay was short, as I was soon obliged to attend the In¬
diana and Missouri Conferences. The exercises of the
former were unusually interesting, and its two literary
societies determined to publish a periodical twice a
year, to be called the Repository of Religion, Literature,
Science, ancl Art. Until the succeeding January I was
constantly busy with travel, preaching, and holding
Conferences. Then I returned home, where I assisted
in a revival among the students of Wilberforce, at
which the Lord blessed my own household in the con¬
version of my step-son.
A visit to Pittsburg in March led me to the West¬
ern Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church,
Six Years' Labors.
139
in Allegheny, Pa., which was open for the reception
of young colored men who wished to prepare for the
ministry. ThreS had already availed themselves of
its advantages in part—Brothers Graham and Tanner,
of our Church, and one from the Zion Wesley an
Church. After investigating the troubles of the
Church at Holydaysburg, Pa., and attending the Bal¬
timore, Philadelphia, and New York Annual Confer¬
ences, I left Buffalo, for Xenia, with Frederick Doug¬
lass as my traveling companion. He was the "ob¬
served of all observers," and at Columbus, O., there
was a common rush of ladies and gentlemen to the
doors and windows o"f the car in order to see him.
This extraordinary man had visited Wilberforce Uni¬
versity in the preceding February, and addressed the
students. His remarks at that time were practical,
beautiful, and witty. The same night he had spoken
in Xenia on the slavery question, in a very eloquent
and argumentative strain, to a large audience of the
best families in the city, who listened to him with
profound and close attention till a .late hour in the
night.
It will be seen that from 1856 I had kept constant¬
ly busy, and this intense application of the mind to
official business and private studies, for the last five
months especially, completely prostrated me, so that
my mind was like a bow that had not elasticity suffi¬
cient to drive an arrow; yet I recovered and continued
my labors in the West, followed by the performance
of similar duties in the East, and again in the West
in August, 1857, alternating to the East again in
March, 1860, completing six years of close labor.
On this last trip I was joined by Bev. James Lynch
140
Recollections of Seventy Years.
at Xenia, whom I liad ordered from Galena. 111., to
accompany me to the Baltimore Conference. We
were asked whether we wished acconfmodations in the
sleeper, and we replied in the affirmative. Our berths
were assigned us, and we took possession. Shortly
we noticed a white man promenading up and down
the car, and soon after the conductor ordered us out.
Young Lynch remonstrated, and asked if they would
expel such a man as Bishop Payne. This had no ef¬
fect. Both conductor and porter seized me by the
collar, the white man pushed me from behind, and
thus I was forced from the sleeper and ushered into
the smoking-car. As this was done a Southerner
from Tennessee remarked: "That is right; we don't
allow niggers in our country, in Tennessee, to ride in
cars with us white men."
Chapter XV.
FROM 1860 TO 1863.
THE General Conference of 1860 opened its delib¬
erations in Wiley Street Chapel, Pittsburg, Pa., on
May 7. The addresses of the bishops showed the
Church to be in a very flourishing condition—much
improvement in the building of churches, the mental
improvement very noticeable, the ministry fast in¬
creasing, the missions very hopeful. There was con¬
siderable discussion at this meeting as to Bishop Naz-
rey's position in the A. M. E. Church, as, having
accepted the bishopric of the B. M. E. Church, he
still retained the same position in our own denomina¬
tion. He expressed himself as desiring to remain
with us, and left himself in the hands of the Confer¬
ence; but the matter was not settled at that time.
The parent Home and Foreign Missionary Societies
were brought again into life at this session, and the
offices of editor and book steward were separated.
The following year found me in New Haven, Conn.,
holding the New England Conference, At its close I
called upon the Kev. Theodore T. Holly,* of the
Protestant Episcopal Church, whom I then desig¬
nated in my diary as a young clergyman of brilliant
endowments. The years have shown that I did not
*No\v Bishop Holly, of ITayti.
(141)
142
Recollections of Seventy Years.
judge amiss. ' I also paid a visit to the laboratory of
Yale College, where I met Professor Silliman, Sr.
He showed us tlie valuable and extensive library
which he possessed, and the classification of the pam¬
phlets which it contained impressed me as being the
best owned by any learned man whom I had met. In
conversation I asked him what he considered to be
our future—whether slavery would be abolished? He
replied: "Yes; I do believe that slavery will be abol¬
ished, because there are Christians among them."
To me it was a prophecy, as I had never before heard
that reason given for the overthrow of that abomina¬
ble system.
When I left the New York District in November, I
went to Philadelphia, where I remained until Decem¬
ber, attending to the interests of the Book Concern,
so far as the Discipline and its publication were con¬
cerned. There I saw an artist, Mr. Sartain, about the
picture of Bishop Allen, in order to have it engraved
for the next issue of the Repository. This I accom¬
plished. It was a good likeness of the bishop, and
received the hearty approval of his eldest daughter.*
It was also a beautiful picture, blending the mezzotint
and line engraving. While in Philadelphia I .was
called to preach the funeral sermon of Rev. J. J. G.
Bias, M.D., at Bethel Church. O that its fruits may
be seen in eternity!
In April following, while in New York, I attended
a meeting for the reception of the Episcopal mission¬
ary from Liberia, Rev. Alexander Crummel, at Mrhich
the opening remarks were made by the lamented Rev.
H. H. Garnett. They were very appropriate, while
*Then known as Mrs. Wilkinson.
From 1860 to 1863.
143
the reply to the. reception address was full of inter¬
esting information respecting the capabilities of the
native African, both physical and intellectual.
My Eastern labors took me in the month of August to
the city of Rochester, N. Y., which was then the home
of Frederick Douglass. His taste in the elegant and
beautiful of nature had kept pace with his advance¬
ment in science. The balsam fir, the Norway spruce,
the Canadian pine, and the cedar encircled his resi¬
dence, while the sweet notes of the piano resounded
within under the skillful touch of his daughter. It
was on one of these musical occasions that I saw the
father exhibited in liim as I before had seen the ora¬
tor and the man. She had performed several pieces
on the instrument, and closed with the variations upon
"Annie Laurie," when he sprung from his chair and
seizing her hand in one of his, threw his arms around
her and, pressing her to his bosom, exclaimed: " Rosa,
my dear daughter, you have moved your father's
heart!"
From Rochester I went southward, and passing
through Binghamton, in the same State, I could not
but think of another noble-minded man—Hon. Dan¬
iel S. Dickinson—whose home was there, and who in
the hour of peril then confronting the nation had
nobly plunged the partisan into the patriot. Those
dark days brought to the surface much latent talent,
and turned it to the country's use.
The opening of 1862 found mo in Washington, D.
C., where I had never known that season of the year
to be so bland and bright before. It seemed more
like a day in May than the first of January. But
what a contrast with the political and moral condi-
144
Recollections of Seventy Years.
tions of our country! Washington looked then more
like a great military encampment than the seat of
national legislation and judicial action. The greatest
armies ever seen upon the American continent were
preparing themselves for a deadly conflict, and the
fate of millions was pendent on the result of their
encounters.
While in Washington I spent a short time in the
company of Senator Sumner. My first impressions
of him may be summed up thus: His whole expres¬
sion was that of the student—acute and polished; of
the gentleman—refined, but not stiff; of the philan¬
thropist—true and free from egotism. I was intro¬
duced by Rev. Hamilton W. Pierson, D.D., President
of Cumberland College, Kentucky, and the interview
seemed mutually interesting and agreeable. Shortly
after this I called to see the President of the United
States, Abraham Lincoln. There I also met Hon.
Mr. Washburn, of Illinois, and Carl Scliurz. I found
the President easy and urbane in manner, but not
fluent in conversation, with a very careworn appear¬
ance and the countenance and expression of one who
thinks deeply. The weight of the war was even then
resting heavily upon him. He told me that he felt as
though Providence had guided liim, and enabled him
to accomplish what lie had accomplished.
In the early part of this year the Publication Com¬
mittee of the Repository met and changed its name to
the "Literary Association of Baltimore and Wash¬
ington." We also formed a joint-stock company, which
proved to be a "still-born child."
Again in this year an effort was put forth to settle
Bishop Nazrey's case at the Philadelphia Annual
From 1860 to 1863.
145
Conference, to which I was called by letter and tele¬
gram. I had met him at Baltimore before, where he
declared himself bishop of both Churches and hold¬
ing membership in both. No conclusion was then
reached, and the case with time seemed to grow more
difficult of settlement. The American Government
was then laying plans for the expatriation of the col¬
ored race, and shortly after my return homo I held a
meeting in our lecture-room and laid these jjlans be¬
fore our people. The times were such that we could
only wait, watch, and pray and hope for the best pos¬
sible steps to be taken. We of ourselves were power¬
less. A document now in my possession (1887) reveals
the animus and end of the contemplated expatriation.
But how varied and wonderful were the events of
this year (1862)! It opened as gentle as a spring day,
and closed with the severest cold of winter. Our
armies had fought many battles and gained many vic¬
tories, and had also suffered severe defeats. They
had fought as earnestly in behalf of slavery as they
had for the Union and the Constitution, and to their
eternal shame employed themselves as busily in
guarding the property of rebels and catching their
fugitive slaves as any four-legged blood-hound ever
set upon a runaway. Meanwhile all the rebels had
been as earnestly engaged in destroying the Union
and contemning the Constitution as ever assassins
were in murdering and robbing a defenseless travel¬
er. But the most extraordinary thing of all, and that
which forms the greatest anomaly, is the circumstance
that the South was earnestly invoking God against
the North, the North invoking God against the South,
and the blacks invoking God against both!
10
140
Jlecollections of Seven'ij Years.
Among tlie-political wonders of the year was the
emancipation of the slaves in the District of Colum¬
bia. It was my fortune to be there when it occurred,
and to participate in the joys of the occasion. The
sermon I preached on this event was put in pamphlet
form for the use of posterity. At that time I was the
presiding bishop of the Second Episcopal District of
the A. M. E. Church, of which Washington and
Georgetown, D. C., were my head-quarters. On Fri¬
day afternoon, April 11, 1862, Congress passed the
bill abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia.
The following Monday night I called on President
Lincoln to know if he intended to sign the bill of
emancipation, and thereby exterminate slavery in the
District of Columbia? Having been previously in¬
formed of my intention to interview him, and having
on my arrival at the "White House sent in my card,
lie met me at the door of the room in which he and
Senator Washburn were conversing. Taking me by
the hand, he said: "Bishop Payne, of the African'M.
E. Church?" I answered iu the affirmative; so with
my hand in his he led me to the fire-place, introduced
me to Senator Washburn, and seated me in an arm¬
chair between himself and the Senator. At that mo¬
ment Senator Carl Scliurz entered the room and seat¬
ed himself on the right of Senator Washburn. With
these preliminaries, I will now state the substance of
our conversation. I said: " I am here to learn wheth¬
er or not you intend to sign the bill of emancipa¬
tion?*" He answered and said: " There was a com-
*The bill abolishing shivery in the District of Columbia,
introduced December 16,1861, in the United States Senate by
the Hon. Henry Wilson, passed the Senate April 3, 1S62,
From 1860 to 1863. 147
pany of gentlemen here to-day requesting me by no
means to sign it." To which Senator Schurz replied:
"But, Mr. President, there will be a committee to
beg that you fail not to sign it; for all Europe is look¬
ing to see that you fail not." Then said I: "Mr.
President, you will remember that on the eve of your
departure from Springfield, 111., you begged the cit¬
izens of the republic to pray for you." He said,
"Yes." Said I: "From that moment we, the colored
citizens of the republic, have been praying: 'O Lord
just as thou didst cause the throne of David to wax
stronger and stronger, while that of Saul should wax
weaker and weaker, so we beseech thee cause the
power at Washington to grow stronger and stronger,
while that at Richmond shall grow weaker and weak¬
er.' " Slightly bending his head, the President said:
"Well, I must believe that God has led me thus far,
for I am conscious that I never would have accom¬
plished what has been done if he had not been with
me to counsel and to shield." But neither Carl
Schurz nor I could induce him to say "Yes " or "No "
to our direct question,
I had now consumed about three-quarters of an hour
of his time, and felt that it was my duty to withdraw.
So, putting into his hand copies of the Christian Re¬
corder and our monthly magazine, I told him that if he
could find a leisure moment to look over them he
passed the House of Representatives April 11, 1SG2, and Avas
approved by the President April 10, 18G2. Hon. Henry Wil¬
son Avas the colleague of Senator Sumner, both from Massa¬
chusetts, the noblest State in the Republic—the noblest on
account of her industries, her love of education, her institu¬
tions of learning, her moral coui'age, and her devotion to uni¬
versal freedom and equal human rights.
148 Recollections of Seventy Years.
would be able to see what the A. M. E. Church was do¬
ing to improve the character and condition of our peo¬
ple in the republic. There was nothing stiff or form¬
al in the air and manner of His Excellency—noth¬
ing egotistic. He was a perfect contrast with Presi¬
dent Tyler, to whom a friend introduced me in the
White House, and in whose private parlor in the
presidential mansion I had been invited to preach a
funeral sermon over the corpse of his body-servant,
who, with several of the Cabinet, was killed by an
explosion of a gun on one of the war-ships. Presi¬
dent Lincoln received and conversed with me as
though I had been one of his intimate acquaintances
or one of his friendly neighbors. I left him with a
profound sense of his real greatness and of his fit¬
ness to rule a nation composed of almost all the races
on the face of the globe.
Chapter* XVl.
AT WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY.
ANEW chapter of our family life was opened on
the day that we removed to Tawawa Springs, in
July, 1856. I felt happy in thinking about the prob¬
able future of my step-children. Far removed from
the fascinating and corrupting influences of a great
and growing city—three and one-lialf miles from the
nearest town—under the instruction of competent
Christian teachers, I believed, I hoped, I prayed that
they would develop characters that would render
them at the very least respectable and useful mem¬
bers of society. What a change was it on that lovely
morning when we viewed the elegant central building
and neat cottages rising gracefully from among the
green oaks, poplars, maples, hickory, and walnut trees!
and what a contrast with the smoky, sooty, hot city
which we had left behind! Even our pet dog seemed
conscious of the delightful change, and rejoicing in it
ran through the long, thick grass that* was wet with
the dews of a clear summer night, and came out of it
shaking liis. broomy tail and long, silken hair, which
smoke and soot had rendered black, dirty, greasy, and
repulsive, washed as white as snow. Since that lovely,
beaming morning my expectations, faith, and prayers
as to my family have not been disappointed.*
* These three were respectively aged eighteen, sixteen, and
(140)
150
liecollect. ions of Seventy Years.
The school at Tawawa Springs was dedicated and
opened by the authorities of the M. E. Church in Oc¬
tober, 1856, under the name of Wilberforce Univer¬
sity. By the dedication I mean the buildings and
grounds were dedicated to the grand work of Chris¬
tian education. I was absent, engaged in episcopal
work at the time, and therefore cannot describe the
occasion with its sayings and doings. The chief actor
and speaker was Dr. Thompson, then President of the
Ohio Wesleyan University, and subsequently editor
of the Christian Adrocate, from which useful employ¬
ment he was exalted later to the episcopacy of the M.
E. Church. An Englishman by birth, it seemed fit¬
ting that he should be engaged to consecrate to the
service of God and man the property and the institu-
six years. The oldest, within twelve months after I married
her mother, became a wife, and about three years after died in
my arms at Wilberforce. The two younger were enrolled
among the first students, and were converted in one of the
recitation-rooms. The lad of sixteen is now the worthy head
of a family of seven children, of whom three were born
within the college campus, in its centz-al cottage, on the left
side as you enter the gate-way—viz., Edward, Laura, and
Ella Clark. These graduated from the halls of Wilberforce,
and immediately entered upon the grand and useful work of
education. After graduating from the scientific department
of Wilberforce,- Ella, the youngest of the three, spent one
year in the State Normal College of Indiana, studying the
normal and kindergarten methods of instruction, fz-om which
she graduated also, and became a teacher in one of the public
schools at Evansville, Ind. At the end of two years her earth¬
ly career ended in that school, and she went home to rest in
heaven. Laura and Edward are born teachers, and if living
twenty or thirty years hence I believe will distinguish them¬
selves as educators of a high order. In these three teachers
my faith in God has been fully realized.
At Wilberforce University.
151
tion bearing tlie name of William Wilberforce—that
great English statesman, philanthropist, and Chris¬
tian, who has endeared himself not to one race only,
but to all the races, by the noble examples he set be¬
fore them in his successful efforts to abolish the hell¬
ish system of African slavery, and to diffuse by his
pen the practical sentiments and principles of Chris¬
tianity throughout the world.
The school was opened in the same month by M.
M. P. Gaddis, a young preacher of the M. E. Church.
The studies were elementary English studies; there¬
fore the institution was improperly called a universi¬
ty. This error was not our error—it was that of our
zealous white friends who projected it and took out
its charter. A more modest title would have been
better suited to such a humble beginning. This re¬
mark has peculiar force in view of the fact that some
of the twenty white trustees said they were making an
experiment; to which Rev. Mansfield French, its inde¬
fatigable agent, replied: "God does not make experi¬
ments."
Mr. Gaddis had charge of the school for about six
months. He was succeeded by Mr. J. K. Parker, who
up to the time of his election was the Principal of a
private seminary in Ohio (of which he was also the
founder), where both sexes and both races were ad¬
mitted. His school was prosperous, but, moved by
the spirit of Christian philanthropy, he gave it up to
manage the educational affairs at Wilberforce. At
the end of two successful years there, in which he
showed himself not only a skillful teacher, but also a
Christian educator and a father to his pupils, he was
succeeded by Dr. Hie hard S. Pvust, under whose ad-
152
Recollections of Seventy Years.
ministration tlie institution flourished from 1858 to
1862, when the pressure of the Civil "War upon all the
financial interests cf the country crushed it out, and
it was closed from June, 1862, till July, 1863. Here I
reach my closest official connection with this institu¬
tion, though I had been connected with it more or less
from its opening, as one of its twenty-four trustees and
a member of its executive committee. On the 10th of
March,. 1863,'" I Avas called to attend a meeting of ifo
* Several months before that date Dr. Ttust Lad informed
me of the purpose of the trustees to sell the property. Said
lie to me: "Bishop Payne, if your Church will purchase it,
we will let you have it for its indebtedness, which is ten
thousand dollars; but no other party can obtain it for that
sum." That assurance set me to thinking about the possibil¬
ity of inducing the A. 31. E. Church to undertake so great a
task and entering upon so grand an enterprise. So I rellect-
ed again and again, and sought counsel of the Lord, until I
felt at liberty to make the effort; then I opened correspond¬
ence with several of our leading men, both young and aged,
among. Avhoni were Dr. "Willis R. Revels, Lewis "Woodson,
and Stephen Smith. All advised me to make the effort ex¬
cept Stephen Smith, who made no response, although he was
considered wealthy and the richest man in the A. 31. E.
Church. Lewis Woodson wrote and said he would be one of
one hundred men to give a hundred dollars. Therefore, on
the 10th of 3Iareli I went to Cincinnati, and in the evening
met the trustees, who urged me to purchase the property of
"Wilberforce for the A. 31. E. Church. I begged for three
months' time in which I could consult the spring Conferences
in order that I might secure their sanction and co-operation.
But the trustees refused, for the reason that the State of Ohio
desired the property for one of its asylums; that the Legisla¬
ture then in session demanded an answer by noon on the 11th.
Still I hesitated, and begged for time to consult and secure
the pledges of the spring Conferences. Said they: " jSTow or
never." Then immediately I threw myself on the "strong
At Wilberforce University.
153
Board of Trustees in Cincinnati, O. It had been de¬
cided to sell the property, and between the hours of
nine and ten p.m. I agreed with them to purchase the
property, "in the name of God, for the A. M. E.
Church." The sun required was ten thousand dol¬
lars. When I made the bid for the property, I had
not a ten-dollar bill at my command, but I had faith
in God. Within forty-eight hours after that act one
hundred dollars was given us by Mrs. James Shorter,
wife of Elder Shorter, and by June, 1863, we met the
first payment of two thousand five hundred dollars.
This sum was pledged and raised entirely by the Bal-
timoi'e and Ohio Conferences. On the 11th of June
Rev. James A. Shorter, Prof. John G. Mitchell, and
myself consummated the arrangements for the pur¬
chase of Wilberforce University, and the title-deeds
were handed to us as agents of the A. M. E. Church.
It was then incorporated, a new charter taken out,
and a new board of trustees elected. I was then
elected to its presidency, opposed by none but Elder
Shorter; but the Principal who opened the school in
July, 1863, was Prof. John G. Mitchell. Within two
years from the date on which we made the first pay¬
ment we had paid the sum of seven thousand five
hundred dollars. Before we could pay the balance,
incendiary hands laid the central building in ashes.
This occurred on the afternoon of the day on which
the noble Lincoln was assassinated by the infernal
arm of the Lord," and said : " In the name of the Lord I buy
the property of Wilberforce for the African Methodist Epis¬
copal Church." The brethren (all white men) cried out,
"Amen, amen, amen!" then fell on their knees and prayed
for my success.
154
Recollections of Seventy Yearn
Booth—the 14tli of April, 1865. This central build¬
ing, which was of wood, contained' the recitation-
rooms, dormitories for the teachers and students, culi¬
nary and bathing apartments, a laundry, and a chapel.
In less than two hours they were all reduced to
smoldering ruins. Elder Shorter, Prof. Mitchell,
and myself were absent—the first attending the Ohio
Annual Conference at Delaware, O., the latter solicit¬
ing funds for the institution. I was at Baltimore
holding the Annual Conference of that district. On
my return in the month of June, as I stood and gazed
on the ruins my heart ached, but my spirit soared to
heaven, and as my faith laid hands upon the strong
arm of the Almighty I said: "From these ashes a
nobler building shall arise! " My audacious faith has
not been disappointed. The Omnipotent honored it,
and there now stands a nobler building than the first.
In this manner I began my connection with Wil-
berforce University as its President—a connection
that lasted for thirteen years, and in which I assumed
the double duties of head of an infant institution and
one of the heads of the whole Church. My work
henceforth was to lie in two channels, and my whole
heart, soul, and body were to need strength from on
high to wisely perform it.
In November, 1863,1 visited South-eastern Virgin¬
ia, in company with Heys. A. TV. Way man and J. M.
Brown. At Norfolk we visited the Sunday-school of
about five hundred colored children, under the tuition
and management of educated, pious men and women
from the free North; who, leaving all the refinements
of home, had descended to one of the darkest corners
of the South to educate black children. It was such
At Wilberj'orce University.
155
a sight as I liad never witnessed before, and never ex¬
pected to see. The contrast which this scene made
with the previous state of things made me feel that
the reign of slavery, darkness, and cruelty was pass¬
ing away, and that of freedom, light, mercy, and love
was dawning upon an outcast, outlawed, enslaved race!
We visited and addressed the schools under the Amer¬
ican Missionary Association in both Norfolk and
Portsmouth, and visited the encampment of the
First Regiment of United States colored troops
at the latter place. Schools and United States col¬
ored troops in Old Virginia in 1863! Just think
of that, and the hanging of John Brown for an
attempt upon slavery!* In Portsmouth the North
Street M. E. Church, South, was placed in our hands
to be incorporated into the A. M. E. Church.
At Norfolk I met the military governor, Brig¬
adier-general James Barnes, who gave me a kind
reception and tendered me his generous services to
promote the welfare of my hapless brethren. He also
furnished me with a general letter of introduction to
the military commanders in the Valley of the Missis¬
sippi. In December I left for that portion of it about
Nashville. About this time we had the announce-
®To me one of the most wonderful things was the sight of
United States troops, and freed men under their protection,
felling the tall pines on the plantation of Governor Wise, and
sawing them up into timber. Another sight equally interest¬
ing and confounding was a " stack of arms " for the use of the
freedmen in what was said to he the parlor of Governor Wise,
who had threatened, in the event of another John Brown
raid, that he would not wait for the aid of United States
troops, hut he would organize an army in Virginia and drive
out of the North all llie abolilionists into Canada.
156
Recollections of Seventy Years.
ment that the M. E. Church's Missionary Society had
appropriated thirty-five thousand dollars to send
preachers to those parts of the Southern States re¬
deemed from rebel rule to recall the people to the
Church and to the Union. When I reached Nash¬
ville, with letters from the Secretary of War and Sec¬
retary Chase, of the Treasury, I called upon Governor
Andrew Johnson, who read my papers and proffered
any facilities I might need to accomplish the object
of my visit. In that city a committee waited upon
me to transfer the membership and Church-relations
of sixty-three persons to the A. M. E. Church. This
little society I organized and named "St. John's
Church." I also organized St. Paul's Church, and
held the first Quarterly Conferences of the two
Churches.
I paid a visit to the Hermitage, the home of Gen.
Andrew Jackson, about twelve miles east of Nash¬
ville. The day Avas stormy; in many places the road
was in a very bad condition, and the crossings at Mill
Creek and Stone's River were awful, the rebels having
destroyed the bridges over both those streams. We
approached the Hermitage through an avenue lined
with red cedars. It is of brick, with porticoes on the
north and south sides, those on the south sustained
by Corinthian pillars of wood painted white, and the
northern by Doric colums. The ashes of General
Jackson were sleeping in. a flower-garden to the east
of his residence in a sepulcher of native sandstone
quarried on his own plantation, and built in the form
of a Grecian temple. Here also lie the ashes of his
wife, for whom it was built. His adopted son was
absent at this time in search of the body of one of his
At Wilberforce University.
157
sons, a captain in the rebel army, who had died
near Atlanta, Ga., of wounds received in battle.
Neither George Washington nor Andrew Jackson
left a son to inherit their fortunes or their honors.
Their relatives by their wives were all rebels, and
used their influence and energies for the overthrow of
that very government which both labored to establish
and perpetuate.
Chapter XVII.
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1864.
UP to the opening of the General Conference, which
convened in Bethel, Philadelphia, May 2, 1864,
I was busy with my classes at Wilberforce, my epis¬
copal duties, and private studies.
During that session, two new bishops were elected
—Alexander Wayman and J. P. Campbell. At this
time there was a final adjustment of the matter which
liad been unsettled since the formation of the B. M.
E. Church—Bishop Nazrey presenting to our Church
liis resignation, to take place on the 30th of June,
proximo, which was accepted, and a certificate pre¬
sented to him. Steps were also taken to form a union
of the Zion Connection with our Church, and later I
attended the union convention held in Wesley Chapel
of the A. M. E. Zion Connection, at which a basis of
consolidation and union was formed to be submitted
to the Churches of both denominations, and then to
be ratified by the united General Conference in 1868.
TV ilberforce was also formally recognized as the com¬
mon property of the A. M. E. Cliurcli. An important
document was also read to the Conference, recom¬
mending myself to the people of Great Britain as its
agent. Afterward Bishop Janes, of the M. E, Church,
consented to prepare a document for me, commend-
General Conference of 1864.
159
ing the claims of the same. Before the Conference
adjourned the news that the Army of the Potomac
had routed the rebel army, which was retreating,
reached us, and so affected our body that business
was suspended, the doxology sung, and prayer offered,
as an exhibition of thankfulness for any good news,
which seemed about to end the suspense of these ter¬
rible dark days of anxious waiting.
In July, while in New York, I called upon the offi¬
cers of the American Missionary Association, and
made arrangements to open a model school for girls
in Baltimore; then I visited the National Freed man's
Belief Association to make arrangements to send an¬
other missionary to South Carolina. The first mis¬
sionaries of our Church to go South were Bev. James
Lynch, of the Baltimore Conference, and Bev. James
Hale, of the New York Conference. From these and
other exertions I was unable to continue my home¬
ward journey. I placed myself under medical treat¬
ment, and though I suffered severely I was better
within a week. On consultation with the director of
the Homeopathic Institute, which I visited, I was told
that if I would place myself under his treatment for
ten days he could cure me, or could "patch me up"
in two or three. Feeling confident that he was right
in saying that the cause of my disease lay in the fact
that my brain had been too heavily taxed, while my
muscular system had been left neglected; that I gave
out too much spiritual essence for the amount of phys¬
ical which was received in return, and that the equi¬
librium of the constitution nested to be restored, I
consented to remain. My sickness had already pre¬
vented my presence at the annual meeting of the
1G0 Recollections of Seventy Yearn.
Board of Trustees and the first Commencement of
Wilberforce. Therefore there was then no particular
need to hasten. The treatment consisted in the
anointing of the whole body with medicated oil, espe¬
cially the muscles, by a muscular attendant, after
which I was dried and then I was put through a se¬
ries of gymnastic exercises, which were varied as the
days passed by. This treatment, with medicines to
be taken regularly, enabled me to so far regain my
strength as to depart greatly benefited, in the time
stated, and I was soon at home, where the affairs of
the university claimed my attention.
In March Mag. M. R. Delaney * left us for his work
in the sunny, turbulent, bloody South. All the stu-
*The Major was a, man of tine talents an*l more than or¬
dinary attainments. He traveled much, and traveled with
eyes and ears wide open. Therefore he knew much of men
and things in Africa, England, Scotland, and America—in
Canada as well as in the United States. lie studied medicine
at Harvard University, and would have been rich if he had
practiced it as a profession for life. But he was too much of
a cosmopolitan to stick to it. His oratory was powerful, at
times magnetic. If he had studied law, made it his profes¬
sion, kept an even course, and settled down in South Carolina,
he would have reached the Senate-chamber of that proud
State. But he was too intensely African to be popular, and
therefore multiplied enemies where he could have multipled
friends by flie thousands. Had his love for humanity been as
great as his love for his race, he might have rendered his per¬
sonal influence co-extensive with that of Samuel R. Ward in
his palmiest days, or that of Frederick Douglass at the present
time. The Major was a great admirer of ancient heroes, es¬
pecially those of Ilamitie extraction. Therefore he named all
of his six children after tjiem. Toussaint L'Ouverture, Alex¬
ander Dumas, St. Cyprian, Soulouque, Faustin, and Ethiopia
are the names of his five sons and one daughter.
General Conference of 1864.
161
dents and teachers accompanied him to the univer¬
sity gates and sung the " Star Spangled Banner," after
which three cheers were giyen for the Major, three
for Gen. Saxton, six for the President of the United
States, and one groan for Jefferson Davis.
It was then my intention to go South within fifty
days. During the session of the Baltimore Annual
Conference the news reached us that the President
had been murdered. It fell like a thunderclap. A
committee immediately drafted suitable resolutions
expressive of our sentiments at this national calamity,
and these were followed by remarks from bishops and
brethren.
Early in May, 1865, I visited the rooms of the
American Missionary Association, and consummated
my arrangements for the partial support of our mis¬
sionaries in South Carolina, and two days later I
sailed on board the Government steamer "Arago,"
accompanied by Elder James A. Hardy and Licen¬
tiates James H. A. Johnson and T. G. Steward—mis¬
sionaries to the freedmen of the South. At Hilton
Head the steamer was lashed to the wharf, and all
were obliged to go to the provost-marslial for passes,
and to take the oath of allegiance before obtaining
farther transportation. Crowds of soldiers and civil¬
ians hastened to the steamer to look for friends and
whatever news the "Arago " might bring. At Hilton
Head we visited the rude sanctuary first erected by
our first missionary to South Carolina. We soon left
for Charleston. About six o'clock we were in sight
of Folly Island; gradually Morris Island came in
sight; then James; then Sullivan. Now we neared
Fort Wagner; then Fort Sumter—places that shall
11
162
Recollections of Seventy Years.
be immortal in American history—tlien came Fort
Moultrie and Castle Pinckney. The first sight of my
native State was followed by indescribable filings,
that o£ my native city by pleasurable and sad emo¬
tions rapidly interchanging, and the passage through
the city was attended by the same. Destruction
marked every square through which we passed. The
holes made in the walls of the finest warehouses and
residences; the burned, ruined walls of the Circular
and Cumberland Churches—all showed the devastat¬
ing hand of war, and the hot indignation of that God
who, when he stretches out his arm against the op¬
pressor, never draws it back till every fetter is bro¬
ken and every slave is free. I met a large number
of old school-mates and friends of my early youth,
who rushed to greet me, many of whom I recognized,
and many others I named at sight, even after a sepa¬
ration of thirty years.*
* Yes, after thirty years to the clay and the hou? when the
spirit of slavery forced me away from my native city, Charles¬
ton, S. C., I returned, led by the triumphant genius of
freedom. It was Saturday afternoon, about four or five
o'clock, when I landed at Charleston. Sunday morning I
was in God's house, and preached in the Presbyterian Church
on Calhoun Street. In the evening I took tea with Rev.
Theodore Lewis, missionary of the 31. E. Church,, and at
night preached in Old Bethel, the house of God in which I
was awakened to a sense of my sinfulness when a child of
only nine 3-ears. Monday morning I visited the colored
schools in which were gathered, it is said, three thousand col¬
ored children and taught by white teachers from the North,
controlled by so radical an abolitionist as James Redpath,
and under the protection of United States black troops. .With
the^ colonel of the Massachusetts regiment at my right, and
Major Alexander Augusta on my left, my emotions over-
General Conference of 1804.
16J
May 15,1865, we organized the South Carolina An¬
nual Conference. An important fact connected with
the laboring classes of the two races came to my notice
at that time as significant in 1865 as it was important.
At that time about one hundred and forty colored men
were engaged in the scavenger's employment, ninety
of whom were able to sign their names in the receipt-
book. There were also one hundred and seventy white
men employed in the same business. Of these only
three could sign their names.
Later, we were in Savannah—the first field in this
country of the missionary labors of the great founder
of Methodism. He and his brother, Charles Wesley,
landed here in 1730, and he preached his first sermon
on the 7th of March of the same year. They were
not successful here. In May, 1738, George White-
field, the most eloquent preacher of that time, landed
in Savannah. He counted his converts in England
and America by the thousands; and yet he was a
slave-holder!
While there two colored sergeants were examined
by a committee appointed by Gen. Gilmore for the
whelmed me, and expressed themselves in tears of gratitude,
thanksgiving, and love to'that God who had -wrought such a
marvelous change in the condition of a helpless race. There
and then I realized the fulfillment of the promises which God
the Father of all the families of the earth had made to me in
IS.'SG. It was there and then that I believed what I beheld
was a prophecy of the future, that New England ideas, sen¬
timents, and principles will ultimately rule the entire South.
It was then "and there I realized the fulfillment of the pro¬
phetic prayers made in my behalf, and written in my album
by Miss Mary S. Palmer, May 6, 1835. "O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the man thattrusteth in thee." (Ps. Ixxxiv. 12.)
104
Recollections of Seventy Years.
position of lieutenant, to which they had been recom¬
mended by their generous lieutenant, Charles T.
Trowbridge. They were opposed by Col. Bennett
and the post-commander, Gen. Grover, on the ground
that it was not the policy of the Government to com¬
mission colored men. The question was submitted
to the decision of Gen. Gilmore, commander of the
district, who returned answer that he would appoint
a committee to examine the young sergeahts, and if
found competent their color should be no bar to their
promotion. Lieut. Trowbridge was nervous with anx¬
iety about their success, not only because his reputa¬
tion was at stake, but because he desired the princi¬
ple involved to be triumphant. Never was an officer
more enthusiastic about his regiment than this mag¬
nanimous man. "Not color of the skin, but man¬
hood," was his motto. Would to God that the army
and the nation had been ruled by such men!
We visited the schools of Savannah, and on our re¬
turn those of Hilton Head Island held on Dray¬
ton's, Elliot's, and Seabrook's plantations, and then
left for Beaufort; thence to Edisto and other islands
on the coast, on nearly all of which were schools with
teachers from the North. While contemplating the
scene of gradual destruction and desolation on some
of these deserted plantations, I was reminded of the
prophetic utterance of a distinguished New England-
er upon the floor of the American Congress in 1832,
concerning these slave-holding States: " The fox shall
burrow in their wine-vaults, the rattlesnake repose
among the rubbish of the green-house, and bats take
possession of the ball-room. R is the will of Heaven,
and just."
General Conference of 1864.
165
For the first time since we had entered the depart¬
ment of the South I was insulted, as we were leav¬
ing Charleston, 011 my return passage, by a captain
of one of the Government transports, being ordered
to the forward deck. I submitted rather than lose
the opportunity of sailing for New York the next
day, and of reaching home in time for the annual
meeting at Wilber force.
Alas! alas! what a scene of sadness was presented
to my gaze on my return—that beautiful building in
ashes, its numerous students gone to their respective
homes! AVhat changes are produced in a few hours!
and what terrible injuries inflicted on a community
by one mischievous person!
Chapter XVIII.
FIRST VOYAGE TO EUROPE.
THE National Freedmen's Aid Commission held a
meeting October 11 and 12,1864, in Philadelphia,
■whither I went to meet it. The speakers were the
Kt. Kev. Bishop Mcllvaine, of Ohio, who was its
President; Dr. Bellows, Bishop Simpson, Be v. Henry-
Ward Beeclier, and William Lloyd Garrison. These
gentlemen made a fearless advocacy of the cause of
the freedmen, and to all appearance produced a deep
impression on the minds of the vast audience. It
wag a very remarkable thing about this meeting that
the most radical sentiments were the ones most ap¬
plauded. The work which the Commission had un¬
dertaken was colossal, requiring numerous labors,
great integrity, boldness, meekness, patience, wisdom,
and unshaken faith in that Almighty Being who "ex-
ecuteth righteousness and judgment for all that are
oppressed." The general impression of the Commis¬
sion was that when our troops should be withdrawn
from the South "our teachers would be expelled from
it also. Therefore all the civil rights of the freedmen
should be recognized by Congressional legislation be¬
fore the rebel States were admitted into the Union.
As for making the elective franchise a test of their
loyalty, that was vain, as Connecticut had already re-
(1GG)
First Voyage to Europe.
167
fused to grant it to her colored citizens. Her veteran
troops had returned to their homes not to rejoice in
the triumph of liberty over slavery, of justice over
injustice, but to find themselves insulted and outraged
by the vote of Connecticut against their enfranchise¬
ment. O Connecticut, where was thy boasted Christian¬
ity? Well might the heathen send missionaries to
teach thee justice and gratitude! The most consum¬
mate fool, crimson-dyed murderer, the vilest traitor—
Booth himself—fit to wield the elective franchise, but
he who was good enough to face danger and death to
sustain the American Union, 110 matter how ^oble in
native talent, how profound in learning and heavenly
in piety, was unfit to vote if he wore over his manhood
a black skin.
The outrages already committed upon our people
in Richmond, as told in Kev. H. W. Pierson's letter
to Dr. Tyng—outrages committed by a man under
federal authority—seemed to me only the result*of
President Johnson's plan of reconstruction, which no
one could read without inferring that the colored peo¬
ple of the South were all to be turned over to the
tender mercies of penitent (?) rebels. In conversa¬
tions which I had already held with several in author¬
ity while in .the South, it was their plainly-expressed
opinion that unless military commanders of a decided
and uncompromising anti-slavery character were sent
to control the South for several years, the condition
of the freedmen would be a deplorable one—little
better, if not worse, than slaves. What did follow the
plan of reconstruction we well know.
As I was the agent*for Wilberforce, I had an ap¬
peal printed to aid me in securing funds for it, and
1G3 Recollections vf Seventy Yearr.
spent much of my time visiting prominent citizens
and societies in tlie East and laying our claims before
thent. From many I received courteous but evasive
replies; from some flat denials. Some had no time
to listen to me; some had no means at hand for our
cause; some were pledged to other causes; some gave
a few dollars grudgingly; some gave with little solic¬
itation; some gave kind and sympathetic words; many
were engaged in helping oar people through other
channels; some regretted inability because of this,
like Wendell Phillips, who admitted our needs and
added that our institution ought to be aided, because
"it is the seed of the future." -Gov. I. Andrews re¬
fused, as he was " engaged in efforts to endow Anti-
och College, where there is no distinction on account
of color." I replied that there was less distinction
at Wilberforce, because we admitted whites to our
faculty, while blacks were not admitted to the faculty
of^intioch. A few regarded me with suspicion, as
did a member of the Pasters' Association of the Con¬
gregational Church in New York, which Dr. Bacon
had advised me to meet. This pastor desired to know
if I had no other certificate than the appeal in his
hands? I answered: " Yec; I can wear you out read¬
ing certificates." But many gave various sums, and
Chief-justice Chase sent me a donation of two hun¬
dred and fifty dollars.
• April 11 completed the semi - centenary of our
Church, and on the 13th I finished the publication of
the semi-centenary and the retrospection of the A.
M. E. Church, and in May I met and organized the
Central Committee of the Semi-centenary of the A.
M. E. Church and the Centenary of American Meth-
Ftrst Voijaje to Europe.
169
odism, which was to make arrangements for celebrat¬
ing the festivals in the coming autumn. On my visit
through the South, which followed, I made arrange¬
ments for the same and visited the Missions. At
Wilberforce University, October 31, we closed the
meetings of this celebration amLorganized two socie¬
ties, one of which—the College Aid—is still in exist¬
ence, and has done much good in aiding poor and
worthy students.
The following May (1867) found me arranging to
do what I had hoped to do the year before—sail f: r
England to solicit aid for our school. I had also now
in view the purpose to attend the meeting cf the
Evangelical Alliance at Amsterdam, Holland. In ar¬
ranging for my departure, I called upon the distin¬
guished philanthropist and friend of freedom, William
Lloyd Garrison, at his handsome residence oil Box-
bury Street, Boston, with whom I had a short and
pleasant interview, and from whom I obtained letters
of introduction. I then visited the rooms of the Uni¬
tarian Association, introduced by letter from Dr.
Ware, of Baltimore. Later I again met several of the
Unitarian ministers at their rooms, and gave them an
outline of the history of our university, told them of
our efforts, and showed them the need of an educated
ministry. They expressed themselves as well dis¬
posed toward us, and as willing to aid us if by so
doing they would not injure us in the esteem of or¬
thodox Christians. I told them that we would not
hesitate to receive aid from any source, provided that
our ecclesiastical freedom was not injured thereby.
Hero it is proper to acknowledge our indebtedness to
our Unitarian friends for financial aid, as during the
170
liecollections of Seven!y Years.
after years of their management of Antiocli College,
at Yellow Springs, O,, we received yearly the benefit
of a regular course of lectures from the professors of
that college, on interesting and instructive topics in
the various departments. ' A fund of eight hundred
dollars was appropriated yearly by the society for this
special purpose, to pay these professors for their ex¬
tra work. Aside from aid given us by private indi¬
viduals, our Church work in Boston lias been most
materially aided in the last four years by their efforts
in connection with other pastors of that city in the
reduction of the forty-five thousand dollars' indebted¬
ness to ten thousand dollars, the only condition being
that the efficient pastor, Dr. J. T. Jenifer, should be
retained there until the whole was liquidated.
Another visit that I made was to the Depository of
the American Tract Society, where I laid briefly be¬
fore Dr. Childs the wants of our Missions among the
freedmen, and I received from him a promise of a fa¬
vorable consideration of my application, together with
a promise of advocacy of our cause at the coming an¬
nual meeting in New York.
After arranging all matters of business connected
with our Missions in the South and the different so¬
cieties, and procuring letters of introduction from
Chief-justice. Chase and a number of other" influen¬
tial men, I procured my bills of exchange and again
sot sail from Boston harbor, hoping for a more fortu¬
nate ending of my voyage on this my second attempt
to cross the Atlantic. The Baltimore Conference had
made arrangements for the discharge of my episcopal
duties during my absence. lit. Bev. A. W. Way man
was to fill my place. The committee cn our umver-
Rev. J. E. Pennington,
First regularly-educated Colored Presbyterian Minister in the
United States. (See page 170.)
First Vojajje to Europe.
171
sity was also delegated to raise tlxe sum necessary to
sustain my mission to England. I set sail oil tlie 8tli
of May on board the " Cuba."
On the morning before we sailed a ship anchored
opposite us, and a committee came on board and pre¬
sented to William Lloyd Garrison, who was also a pas¬
senger, a purse of thirty thousand dollars, which the
anti-slavery friends had raised as a reward for his la¬
bors and sufferings, that the balance of his days might
be made comfortable. George Thompson, the famous
and eloquent English anti-slavery lecturer, who had
pleaded the cause of the enslaved in India and South
Africa and by his eloquence set them free, was also
on board the " Cuba." By one of those curious coinci¬
dences there was also on board a wealthy man who,
witnessing the scene of the presentation, told me that
when a printer's boy he was sent to placard the whole
city of Boston in order to arouse a mob for the pur¬
pose of putting a rope around William Lloyd* Gar¬
rison's neck, and this statement was corroborated
by Garrison himself. For twenty-four hours after we
left the harbor I was deadly seasick, and about forty
hours elapsed before I was delivered from the grasp
of Neptune. The voyage was very pleasant, the ocean
showing itself under a different* aspe.ct than on my
former trip; and early on the morning of the 17th we
beheld the outlines of green Erin, which at first ap¬
peared rugged, but gradually softened down into a
fine farming-country, over which Ave saw many culti¬
vated farms in what the Yankees call small grain. As
we reached the Cove of Cork four guns were fired, and
a tug was soon alongside taking off about twenty-four
passengers, chiefly from New England. Here a news-
172
liecolledions of Seventy Years.
boy boarded us with the Cork Examiner. Turning to
the American news, the first thing from home which
met our eye was that Judge Kelly had been mobbed
in Mpbile and several people killed in the riot. About
3 a.m. on the 18th we were in the harbor of Liverpool,
making our voyage in about nine days and thirteen
hours. It was one which might be called not only
pleasant and agreeable, but brilliant, as I formed
some very pleasing acquaintances with several gentle¬
men and ladies, among whom was Dr. Coit, of Boston,
whose wife was greatly pleased wTitli the pictures of my
family—my step-children and grandchildren—which
I had showed her on my parting visit to their state¬
room. The pleasantness of the trip was felt by all the
passengers who were sufficiently well to enjoy it.
The order of the ship was good, the food wholesome
and well prepared, while the officers were courteous
but reticent, which wTas proper and judicious. From
Livefpool I took the cars for London, passing through
a country the whole of which seemed to be a perfect
garden, in whose pastures wrere grazing thousands of
sheep and hundreds of cattle. At 6 r.M. I founcbmy-
self in London eating English beef and potatoes in
Queen Square, in a private boarding-house.
Chapter XIX.
IN ENGLAND.
HE next morning was Sunday. The sun slione
brightly, but the atmosphere was humid and chilly.
A servant was sent to conduct me to the Queen Street
British Wesleyan Methodist Church. I was at first
surprised to hear a litany so long and so much like
that of the Church of England, with chanting inter¬
spersed, occupying about forty-five minutes. X re¬
peatedly said to myself: " This cannot be a Method¬
ist Church; the servant must have misunderstood his
instructions, and has led me to one of the Established
Churches." It was not until the pastor ascended the
pulpit, without a gown of any kind, and entered into
an extemporaneous prayer having all the warmth,
compass, and power of a true Methodist that I per¬
ceived I was really in such a Church. As the pastor
became eloquent and enthusiastic, gathering into his
arms and offering to the throne of God all nations
and Christians of all the earth, my own soul melted
and flowed into my eyes; for I thought of my own
Hock and my own native land, which needed the con¬
tinual smiles of the Eternal upon them. I nearly
wept aloud; and, finding my emotions overcoming me,
I placed my feet, so to speak, upon my heart, and put
out the burning fire. Then came the hymns—the
(173)
174
Recollections of Seventy Years.
whole stanza of eight lines being lined out, a custom
new to me. What shall I say of the sermon? It was
well digested, clear, systematic, beautiful, sublime,
and deeply evangelical. It was good to be there.
In the afternoon I attended St. Paul's Cathedral
and heard an excellent discourse. The style differed
widely from that of the one heard in the morning,
being characterized by more of logic and less of
rhetoric; more of the sober, of the common life of
Christianity, and less of the beauties of the imagi¬
nation. This diffefence might be the result rather of
age and experience thau of brain and mental train¬
ing; for the Methodist preacher was a very young
man, and therefore ardent, while Canon Melville was
an old man, and therefore dealt more with the stern
realities of the Christian pilgrimage. The cathedral
worship partook of a great deal of the Roman Cath¬
olic. Its chanting and responses were sublime; now
wo heard voices coming faintly, almost in warblings—
from the clouds, as it were—then the loud tones of
the full choir near at hand; while ever and anon came
over and down upon us the variations, the thunder-
ings, the diapason of the powerful organ, which rolled
through the arches of this towering temple as music
from the skies, while the Amens 'were chanted by
appointed persons, and rang through the immense
building in tones angelic, as well as solemn. The
service continued for an hour and three-quarters, dur¬
ing half of which time I, with many others, was
obliged to stand.
The next day was a great day for the people of En¬
gland—the laying of the corner-stone of the Memo¬
rial Hall of Art and Science, to be called the Royal
In England.
175
Albert Hall in memory of Prince Albert, wlio was be¬
loved on account of his manly virtues and great pub¬
lic spirit. We stationed ourselves, with others, in
H^de Park, at the gate-way through which the queen
must pass, where we had a full view of her noble face
as she rode past with her two daughters.
The first donation for my mission was given to me
by Rev. Dr. W. B. Boyce at the Mission House of the
Wesleyan Methodists. He received me graciously,
and as soon as I made known my mission without so¬
licitation gave me the sum of five pounds. From
there we went to the Book Rooms and had an inter¬
view with Dr. Jobson, who pledged his influence and
proposed, after consulting others, to be guided by the
advice of the committees. These two officers of the
Wesleyan Methodist Church exhibited at first strik¬
ing differences of character—the former of a more
sociable, outgoing, and generous nature; the latter
more cautious and deliberate, but he proved to be a
warm and steadfast friend.
The following day a flying visit was paid to West¬
minster Abbey. As my business was pressing at the
time, I could examine but one statue, and not even
this as I desired. Upon entering this venerable ed¬
ifice I was awe-struck, and seemed to be moving
among the dead. I paused before the statue of WiU
berforce; but how unlike my idea of him, gained from
the fine steel engraving in my possession at home!
That represented a young, burly Englishman; this
statue, an old man with but one eye, and withered by
the toils of age and the ravages of infirmities inci¬
dent to such a life as was led by this great master
mind. That night I attended a public meeting held
170 Recollections of Seventy Years.
by tlie Aboriginal Protection Society. Among the
speakers were a Mr. Phillips from the Cape of Good
Hope, ancl a colored gentleman from Dahomey, Af¬
rica. It contemplated the protection of aborigines kll
over the world, yet consisted of but a mere handful of
persons, with small pecuniary means and little or no
political influence. From the very nature of things,
and the sphere of its operations, it could do nothing
for its objects, except through its moral influence.
However, the information which I gained was valua¬
ble, as it showed that the spirit of gain, avarice, and
oppression is the same the world over, and that the
stronger races are ever disposed to oppress the weak¬
er, the conqueror to dominate over the conquered.
On the 23d the Hon. George Thompson called at
my boarding-house and invited me to walk out with
him to see some of the noteworthy buildings. The
British Museum, Covent Garden Market, Army and
Navy Departments, the chief political club-houses, the
ancient palace of Charles II., and Westminster Hall
were among those visited. He then took me into the
House of Commons and the House of Lords, at one
end of which is the throne of the British Empire.
That night I listened for the first time to the great
revivalist of the English Baptist Church—Rev.
Charles Spurgeon. The sermon was entirely practi¬
cal, and of that kind which best suits the popular
mind.
A meeting, which I could not forget, was an anni¬
versary of the Band of Hope Union—a temperance
association of children and youths. The melodies
were enchanting; the speeches Were appropriate, in¬
teresting, forcible—even witty and eloquent—and it
In England.
177
was decidedly the most enthusiastic temperance meet¬
ing I ever witnessed.
A few days later we visited Windsor, the seat of
Windsor Castle, a majestic pile of buildings on the
brow of a towering hill. The most remarkable feat¬
ure of this stupendous castle is the Round Tower,
which lifts its head far above the several other tow¬
ers. From this tower the standard of Great Britain
floats whenever the sovereign is present. From this
tower we had a fine view of twelve counties, which
were identified by the guide, himself one of the royal
guards. Our guide-book told us that " Windsor Cas¬
tle has been the principal seat of British royalty for
eight centuries. Long before the Conquest there was
another palace possessed by the Saxon kings at Old
Windsor, on the banks of the Thames, two and a half
miles south-east of the New Windsor. This palace
Edward the Confessor granted, with -all its append¬
ages, to the monks of Westminster in the early part
of his reign, which commenced in 1042. But, the
Norman conqueror, appreciating as it deserved the
beauty of the surrounding country, assigned certain
lands in Essex to the monastery of Westminster in
exchange for Windsor, and in 1070 constructed a for¬
tress on the high ground, the site of the present cas¬
tle, and enlarged the boundaries of the park and for¬
est. The palace of Old Windsor, however, continued
to be the most permanent residence until 1110, when
Henry I. repaired and extended the buildings of the
fortress, and rendered them more in accord with a
regal abode. From this period Old Windsor began
to decline, and a new town to spring up on the high
ground, on the opposite or west side of the fortress
12
178
Recollections of Seventy Years.
or new palace. This new palace was the scene of
turbulence and conflict at times during the conten¬
tions between King John and the barons, as well as
at other periods of the twelfth and thirteenth cent¬
uries. The castle occupies thirty-two acres on an
eminence rising from the banks of the Thames to an
altitude of about one hundred and fifty feet above the
surface of the river in an almost perpendicular as¬
cent; and it is approached on that side by a flight of
stone steps, which lead into the cloisters of the col¬
legiate church. The principal entrance to the castle
is on the south by a gate-way flanked on either side
by towers one hundred feet high. The domestic
apartments are at the east end of the edifice, and open
to a parterre of four hundred feet each way. The
north, east, and south are bounded by a parapeted
terrace thirty feet in width, and twenty-five hundred
feet in extent, presenting at every step varied and ex¬
tensive views of the most luxuriant and enchanting
scenery. From the north terrace the eye looks down
upon the Thames and the turrets of the chapel of
Eton, and ranges over an expanse of country into
Oxfordshire and the highlands at the western extrem¬
ity of Berks. From the east terrace, beneath which
is the orangery, the Little Park and the Yalley of the
Thames open to view, and on the south it is marked
with the Long Walk and the richly-verdant hills and
groves of the Great Park. The west end opens by a
gentle descent by the collegiate church and other
buildings in the town."
At the time we were there the hill upon which the
castle stands was being decorated on geometrical prin¬
ciples in a most systematic manner, with most beauti-
In England.
179
ful flowers still in tlie pots, so that the whole side of
the hill presented the appearance of a richly-embroid¬
ered carpet.
Returning from oar trip to Windsor, I was enter¬
tained at tea by Dr. Jobson, but was obliged to de¬
cline the kind invitation to remain at night, as I had
been obliged to do in several instances, owing to hav¬
ing been troubled for some days with cold and fever¬
ish symptoms, which rendered me too unwell to be
absent from my medicines.
Among others who welcomed me to their hospita¬
ble homes were: Mr. F. A. Freer and wife, a niece of
a citizen o£ Xenia, O.; Rev. Mr. Tucker,* of the Bap¬
tist Church, and his amiable wife; Dr. Frederick
Tompkins; Eev. William Arthur, President of the
Conference for all England; and Mr. Price, who
took me to see the Clifton Bridge, the Heights, and
surrounding scenery. Clifton is perhaps the most
elevated land in the suburbs of Old Bristol, and
is one of the most romantic and deeply-interesting
spots in the United Kingdom. A portion of it is
as susceptible of high improvement as the "Ram¬
bles" in Central Park, New York. Mr. and Mrs.
Edwin Smith, of Hereford,, made my visit a most
comfortable and happy one. It is impossible to enu¬
merate the kind English people whose acquaintance
I made, whose friendship I formed, and who enter¬
tained me with their broad, genial hospitality. From
Hereford I brought a specimen of mistletoe, grow-
*By his invitation I assisted at his public sei'viees, and hi.s
lecture-room was tendered me that I might lay my cause be¬
fore his Hock—the first chance which I had of so doing before
an audience of Christian people in England.
180
Recollections of Seventy Years.
ing upon an apple-tree.'* This led to a joke at my
expense. As I appeared with it at the house of my
friends, some of the younger members of the family
immediately mischievously asked, " Whom does Bish¬
op Payne wish to kiss?" alluding to the custom of
England, which gives any gentleman the privilege to
kiss any lady who may chance to stand beneath the
mistletoe as it hung in the house. Of this I was not
before aware, and the young people made quite merry
at my expense.
In June I attended a social meeting of workers and
friends of the midnight-meeting movement. After
tea I was called upon to preside, wrhich I did, reading
from Romans and showing the application of the pas¬
sage to many parts of the world, and narrating my
own experiences in 1841-2 in Philadelphia, in the
same field of work as theirs. Among many interest¬
ing meetings was a special prayer-meeting for the
conversion of children.
A pleasant evening wTas the one spent at the prince¬
ly residence of the millionaire, Mr. Alexander McAr-
thur, at a private reception extended to the members
of the South London branch of the Evangelical Al¬
liance, and to visiting strangers present at the prayer-
meeting referred to above, where I met the gentle¬
man, Mr. McArthur, for the first time. It was a
brilliant gathering of nearly sixty Christian ladies
and gentlemen from the gentry of England, together
with some distinguished guests representing the re¬
ligious Protestant movements in five divisions of the
globe. After tea in the dining-room we returned to
the drawing-room, where social worship was held;
*This specimen is now in the museum at "NVilbei'force.
In Entjland.
181
then addresses were given in the assembly-room.
One, by a missionary from China, was deeply interest¬
ing as lie narrated the results of the labors there,
and stated that the Imperial Government of China
was then engaged in efforts to establish English
schools of learning, with a view to the introduction
of Western science and literature into that stereotyped
nation. There I met Bishop Kingsley, from this
country. He was called upon for a speech, and in his
remarks said that when he was about to leave Amer¬
ica for Europe, he was asked his age, and he replied:
" Forty years, but I have lived one hundred and fifty
years." This was in reference to progress brought
about by the Civil War equal to one hundred and fifty
y€ars; and he could well repeat it, gazing upon the
company before him. At length we returned to the
dining-room to a bountiful supper, after which this
genial and catholic meeting broke up.
The following Sunday I listened to Rev. Newman
Hall in the morning, and preached at the Carlisle Me¬
morial Refuge for Abandoned Women at 3 P.M. The
above eminent divine showed himself to be a most
earnest man. My soul was made wiser, and I trust
better, from having heard him.
My first and second visits to the Secretaries of the
Evangelical Alliance resulted in finding both out of
town—one in Berlin, and one in Paris—but my third
attempt was rewarded by an interview with one, Dr.
Schmetteau, which was very pleasant. He advised me
to visit Amsterdam, where the Alliance was to meet in
August, as he thought it would furnish me an excel¬
lent opportunity to lay the claims which I represented
before European Christians and philanthropists.
Chapter XX.
ENGLAND AND THE CONTINENT.
WHILE I was ia the city of London the laymen of
the Church of England held a meeting against
the ritualistic doctrines and practices which certain of
their priests and bishops had introduced, and which
were considered as a return to the Church of Home.*
* One of the speakers, the Dean of Carlisle, said: "Ritu¬
alism is a gorgeous ceremonial, veiling the false doctrines of
Rome. Proof: 1. It is contrary to God's written word, both
historical and doctrinal. 2. It is opposed to the genius, the
principles, and practice of the Reformed Church of England.
3. It is a deadly peril to immortal souls, an obstruction of
God's and an adulteration of Christ's gospel, and perilous to
the salvation of every one who comes within its influence.
4. Ritualism is not only a sensuous religion, but one that en¬
gendered bondage. 5. Ritualism is perilous to the soul be¬
cause it is essentially Romanism. 6. Ritualism is perilous to
the soul because it sets up fallacious and false standards of
casuistry, bewildering men's consciences and confounding
the principles of right and wrong." lie charged the intro¬
duction of ritualism upon a religious association entitled
the " English Church Union," and the origin of it upon
Bishop Hopkins, of the Protestant Episcopal Church, U. S.,
who, in a book written by him and published in Xew York,
entitled the "Law of Ritualism," laid it down as a primary
dogma " that the divine and only model of all ritual worship
is in the tabernacle and temple, the priestly vestments, em¬
broidery, precious stones, incense, anointing oils, the golden
(182)
England and the Continent. 183
This meeting by card invitation I attended. Their
utterances were decided and strong, expressing a de¬
termination neither to quit the Church of England
nor to yield to such doctrines and practices, but to
force their devotees to abandon them or quit tlia
Church. Among the utterances were such as these:
"England is not the place for such men; their place
is in Rome." " If the Church of England will cher¬
ish such doctrines and practices, she will lose her mis¬
sionary power—her power to convert the heathen in
India and elsewhere—and upon her temples will be
written, ' Icliabod.'"
I also attended the deliberations of the Wesley an
Methodists in Bristol in the latler part of July, where
I was received as a brother by nature and a brother
by grace. For intellectuality, fine physique, and bus-
candlesticks, choral service in the temple, and all this by di¬
vine command. And,'' said the Dean, "this is worthy of
a bishop who for fifty years lias been the advocate of Amer¬
ican slavery J' To obtain a correct information of ritualism,
I went on Sunday morning, the 4tli of August, 1867, to St.
Alban's, at that time the chief place of worship for the Rit¬
ualists, and if I had not been previously informed of the ex¬
istence of that Ritualistic Church I should have regarded it
as Roman Catholic, because the ministering priests had on
their persons robes similar to the gorgeous vestments of the
Roman Catholic clergy. Their altar was decorated with
burning candles, and the whole auditorium filled with fra¬
grant perfume of the smoking incense. As late as 1SG4, while
the Civil War was raging in behalf of freedom on the right
side and slavery on the wrong side, Bishop John Henry Hop¬
kins, D.D., LL.D,, wrote a volume of 37G pages in defense
of the infernal system. This book is as full of false inferences
drawn from the Bible in behalf of negro slavery as his
"Law of Ritualism" is full of false inferences drawn from
the Levitical ceremonies in behalf of ritualism.
184
Recollections of Seventy Years.
iness tact in both clergy and laity, I never met a no¬
bler band of men. But the meeting of thrilling iu-
terest was that of the opening of the Conference of
" Legal Hundred." The " Legal Hundred " is a body
chartered by the British Parliament for the purpose
of holding the property which Wesley bequeathed to
the British Wesleyan Methodist Church for all com¬
ing generations. It meets annually, not quadrenni¬
ally; makes the laws and controls all Missions and
institutions of learning belonging to the Church. In
short, it is the governmental power, being to the
British Wesleyan Methodist Church what the Gen¬
eral Conference is to t|.ie Methodist Episcopal Church
of this country. Other ministers may be present, but
have no voice in governing except by election to keep
up the number of the "Legal Hundred." A new
President is elected annually. I was told that this
was done because there were too many capable men in
the Church to allow one man io hold the office longer
than one year. This was the one hundred and twen¬
ty-fourth Conference, and I was present at the instal¬
lation of the new President, Bev. John Bedford—Bev.
William Arthur resigning. At this ceremony, in the
miclst of a short but impressive speech, the Ex-presi-
*dent placed in the hands of liis* successor a small
pocket Bible, which hod been the daily companion of
the Founder of Methodism—a book of the size of an
ordinary hymn-book, and blackened by age. The ac¬
tion of the Conference against the use of tobacco was
excellent, but I regretted that it did not also act
against wine, ale, and porter. Several cases of dis¬
cipline were disposed of, some of which were serious.
Three especially drew my notice. One was of a
, England and the Continent. 15
brother who refused to go on a circuit to which he had
been appointed because the people had expressed a
determination to reject him. In view of this Presi¬
dent Arthur would not force him, and suffered the ap¬
pointment to be filled by another. In the discussion
of the case some were disposed to " exercise a strong
will" on the part of the Conference, and to compel a
humble submission on the part of the steward of the
circuit which had threatened to shut its pulpit against
the obnoxious preacher; but the majority advised the
Conference to take no notice£>f it. The other was of
a young probationer, who wore a cross on his bosom.
In view of the agitation against "ritualistic practices,
this stirred the minds of the most prudent men; but
the offender declared his detestation of such practices,
and stated that he wore it only as a memento of a
very dear friend, a devout member of the "Wesleyan
Methodist Church. The third case was that of a
young probationer who had married contrary to the
rules—the facts being that the father of the young
lady was on his death-bed, and requested the marriage
to take place before his death, to which request the
young man acceded. He had been disciplined by the
District Conference, which corresponds to our An¬
nual Conference, but the case was brought before the
"Legal Hundred," where Dr. Osborne prosecuted it.
He was very sarcastic, saying the defense was "moved
by sentiments of benevolence and mercy, but where
was his conscience?" The proceedings of the Dis¬
trict Conference were ratified, and the young man
disciplined by suspension for two years. Later the
ordination of sixty young men to the ministry took
place, which I desired much to witness, but was told
186
Recollections of Seventy Years.
that the chapel was overcrowded, so I gave it up; but
shortly after others told me that I could obtain a po¬
sition at one of the gallery doors, so I hastened back.
As soon as I was discovered by one of the door-keep¬
ers he led me by a side gate into the vestry, and thence
I obtained admission to one of the pews in the chap¬
el, and easily heard Mr. Arthur's godly counsel full
of excellent advice and instruction. During the meet¬
ings of this body I was twice called upon to speak
upon the progress of religion and Methodism among
the colored people of the United States, especially
among those of the A. M. E. Church. Though too
fatigued to do justice to my theme, at the second in¬
vitation the demonstration made seemed to indicate
that they were well satisfied with my efforts?. Two
things I especially noted in this body: that they
have but one ordination to their ministry, and they
need but one; and I do not remember our Wesleyan
brethren to have used the word "brother" only when
Rev. Mr. Arthur was calling on the candidates for
holy orders to tell their Christian experiences, and
when Dr. Hannah was calling them to respond to the
theological questions. On all other occasions they
spoke of and addressed each other as " Mr."
A great privilege it was to me when I visited the
graves of Wesley, Adam Clarke, Benson, and Watson.
The four tombs, with the ashes of their mighty dead,
are crowding upon one another—that of the illustri¬
ous founder, the greatest theologian, and the two
great commentators of Methodism. It seems unfort¬
unate that the tombs are of freestone, the most per¬
ishable material except wood that can be used for
monumental purposes. Many of the inscriptions were
England and the Continent.
187
almost obliterated by the black, scale-like deposit
which covered them. I also visited the graves of
John Bunyan and Susanna Wesley, and the parson¬
age in which Wesley lived, the bed-chamber and the
studio, the spot on which it is said that he breathed
his last/ the room in which on Sunday mornings his
lay preachers took a dish of tea with him, and from
which lie sent them forth to their respective appoint¬
ments. I also held in my hands his tea-pot and water-
bottle, saw his book-case, and sat in his arm-chair.
These relics are very precious to all Methodists. My
feelings at these visits I cannot describe. I seemed
to realize the presence of the apostolic man, and
pulled off my hat as I read the inscription on his
tomb..
The first afternoon on which I attended Westmin¬
ster Abbey to hear that eloquent and beautiful histori¬
an, Dean Stanley, Avas a memorable one. It was my
first sight of the great ecclesiastical historian, who
was a small man of slender frame. This discourse
and a subsequent interview led me to remark that he
was great at the point of his pen, but weak at the tip of
the tongue. The worship at Westminster exceeded
in beauty all that I had witnessed in London. The
glorious chants rolled through the towering arches of
the Cathedral with the clearness and the fullness o£ a
trumpet, yet with the sweetness of a harp. The last
chant, which consisted of Revelation vii. 9-13, was
sublime. It was sung by four male voices—twTo ten¬
ors and two basses—each singing a verse by himself,
then all joining in another verse, the concluding one
being sung by the whole choir, all dressed in robes of
spotless white. Such a choir of mellow, sweet, full,
188
Recollections of Seventy Years.
round, perfect male voices I had never before heard,
nor indeed supposed it possible to hear. After the ser¬
mon (thanks to the kindness of Rev. Sella Martin) I
was conducted to the Dean's studio and had a brief but
pleasant interview with him, occupying in the mean¬
time nn old, historic abbot's chair.
Among the pleasant social events of this my first
stay in London, the most honorary perhaps was the
breakfast given in honor of William Lloyd Garrison at
St. James Hall—a most brilliant affair, over which
John Bright, M.P., the leader of the political reform
then progressing in England, presided. His speech,
as well as that of the Duke of Argyll, were fine spec¬
imens of British oratory. The reformer was less im¬
passioned than the latter, but both were as fraternal
as patriotic. That of Lord John Bussell was sublime
on account of the confession he made of the errors
into which he had been led in the opening of the
Civil War. He also maintained that England and
America, having the same origin, the same language,
the same religion, and, though differing in their in¬
stitutions, the same love of liberty, should never be
the enemies of each other nor be found in deadly con¬
flict; but, cherishing the kindest feelings toward each
other, should move on hand in hand for the civiliza¬
tion and Christianization of the world. The Duke
had previously said that Englishmen might be as
proud of Washington as Americans, inasmuch as he
was one of the greatest of statesmen. The speech of
George Thompson was also a splendid one, reminding
me of his unequaled eloquence thirty-two years be¬
fore, when amidst dangers and death he pleaded the
cause of freedom in the then slave-holding republic,
Enyland and the Continent.
189
now forever free! One thing is certain, and that is
this: 110 foreigner living has done as much as he to
overthrow the accursed system. John Stuart Mill
was also present, and his speech, as might be expect¬
ed of the great logician, was preceptive and philo¬
sophic, deducing lessons of morality from the remark¬
able career and success of William Lloyd Garrison. He
was also remarkably sententious. His appearance
was somewhat peculiar, being rather aAvkward in man¬
ner, and having the habit of constantly winking or
blinking his eyes and throwing his head backward
obliquely. Some three hundred and fifty guests were
present, and I had the honor of a seat but fifteen re¬
moved from the chair and at John Bright's left hand.
I was also called upon to grace the table.
Before leaving for Holland I had been able to see
many of the most prominent personages, and had
written letters to others, stating the claims of our
university, and had also presented the same before
several associations. By solicitation of the pastors, I
had also preached in a number of the churches or
chapels in and about London, and had addressed
meetings of the peasantry in the rural districts. I
had also paid my respects to the United States Min¬
ister to the Court of St. James (Charles Francis
Adkms), who returned the compliment by calling at
my hotel the following day.
At 5 P.M., August 18, I left for Amsterdam. As
soon as we were fairly on the German Ocean I be¬
came miserably seasick and sought my berth, where I
slept as well as I could till the morning, when I found
the steamer ascending the River Maas. We soon
reached Rotterdam, where we left the steamer, on
190
Recollections of Seventy Years.
which, unfortunately, I left my slippers, umbrella, and
overcoat. The peasants had been holding a fair, and
were in a most frolicsome mood, while lewd women
and men conducted themselves in a most shameful
manner in the full presence of the many people about;
and this was a bright Sabbath morning.
In order to be present at the inaugural of the Alli¬
ance, four of us took the train for Amsterdam, as we
did not believe it sinful that the servants of the rail¬
road company should be employed for two hours in
order that we might worship with the gathering saints
there. We reached Amsterdam about 10:30 a.m., and
were met at the station by a committee of Dutch
brethren, who were awaiting our arrival. I knew not
a single word of Dutch, and tliey knew no English;
but a bystander pointed to a door where a man held a
pole with a sign-board affixed on which was inscribed
in beautiful colors, "Alliance Evangelique." "Yes;"
said I, "there is where I wish to go." The commit¬
tee then took possession of us and conveyed us to
the session-room. There I found the following in¬
scription on a card containing the programme of the
services of the Alliance: "Introduction to the Fifth
General Assembly of the Evangelical Alliance, in
Amsterdam, August 18-28, 1867. Mr. Bishop Payne,
Africa, lodged at Mr. Hoyeler, Burkenkant, U. Co."
The clerk, to whom I was introduced, requested, in
French, my carte, which I showed, and then he point¬
ed to, the above, which lay next to me and which had
escaped his eye for a moment. I was soon lodged
with my host, whose name was written upon the out¬
side of the programme, and in whose house I found
most hospitable welcome. The family—consisting of
J'JiHjland and the Continent.
101
the father, mother, grandmother, two sons, and one
daughter—were Christian people whom I shall re¬
member with respect, gratitude, and love as long as
memory lasts, because of their genial hospitality and
many special acts of kindness, which endeared them
to my soul.
The first evening I attended service at the French
Church, and the next day was escorted "by members
of the family to the meeting of the Alliance, where
the first service was held. This consisted of reading
of the Scriptures, singing, and prayer—first in Dutch,
then in English, and again in French—after which
papers, interesting, elaborate, and valuable in an his¬
toric sense, were read. Among the ablest documents
which I heard while there were those of Dr. Steane,
of London; Rev. Eugene Bersier, of Paris; and Prof.
McCosli,'* of Ireland. At the great missionary festi¬
val of the Alliance I heard many addresses in Dutch,
bat understood none. Three were made in English,
including my own; but the English speakers were
limited to fifteen minutes, while the Dutch had thirty.
I suppose that this difference resulted from the neces¬
sity of interpreting the English, as the majority of
the speakers were Dutch.
The end of my visit to Amsterdam was entirely de¬
feated by the circumstance that the programme of the
Alliance embraced only European speeches and those
of delegates from America. These were so mimerous
that every moment was consumed by them. The
chairman frequently attempted to confine them to the
limited time, but few of the speakers heeded him, and
*Di\ MeCosli, now of Princeton College, then professor
in Belfast College, Ireland.
11)2 Recollections of Seventy Years.
i:i several instances they spoke fifteen to twenty min¬
utes beyond the allotted time. In one case the essay¬
ist heeded neither the gentle tap of the gavel, the in¬
scription on the paper held before him, nor the watch;
but, drawing the latter from the hand of the person
and laying it upon the table, he continued to read un¬
til he had finished.' Thus no time was given me till
the missionary meeting, and at that allowed but fifteen
minutes to give a statement of the work of God in
the A. M. E. Church. Another difficulty I experi¬
enced was my ignorance of the Dutch, German, or
French tongues. Because of this I could not make
my mission known. Inj^llectually I was benefited,
for I learned much cf men and things which were
new to me. I may have erred in attempting to attend
two meetings, as, in company with Rev. Sella Martin,
who had accompanied me from London, I spent three
days in Paris, going there to attend the meeting of
the Anti-slavery Conference, thus dividing my time
between the two. I accomplished nothing for my
mission at either. My daily social enjoyments at the
dinner-tables which were set in the splendid hall cf
the Zoological Gardens, and in sight-seeing -in these
gardens, were very agreeable as well as instructive.""'
There were present at the Alliance some of the first
men and women of Europe, persons of the highest
culture, men of globe-wide fame for scholarship and
profound thinking—such as Dr. Tlioluck, Dr. Guthrie,
Dr. McCosh, Dr. Krummacher, a count, and a baron,
with many whose names I have forgotten, as I found
it difficult to remember German and Dutch names.
* Iii these gardens I had my first opportunity to examine
and compare the Asiatic and African camels.
England and the Continent.
193
Many o£ these were accompanied by tlieir wives and
daughters, and with many of whom I formed pleas¬
ant acquaintances.
On the 30th of the month I was again en route for
Paris, where the following Sunday afternoon I ad¬
dressed an exhortation by request of the pastor, Rev.
Einile Cook, after listening to his sermon in French
and assisting him in administering the Lord's Supper.
This exhortation was interpreted, and as I again
spoke for the pastor, I can testify to the difficulty of
speaking when it must be interpreted. It is not only
tedious to all concerned—a speech of half an hour
becoming one of an hour—but it is also difficult to
keep the connection of idea's, because one has not
only to pause in the midst of his thoughts, but also to
listen to the interpreter so as to be ready to begin
when he has finished. This is a damper upon one's
enthusiasm, and consequently injurious to eloquence,
which is an offspring of enthusiasm. I remained
nearly a month in Paris at this time, when I returned
to London. During my stay in the latter city I paid
frequent visits to the British Museum, where I was
especially interested in the antiquarian department,
where were the fragmentary monuments of the civil¬
ization and greatness of those four nations—Greece,
Home, Assyria, and Egypt—which each in turn con¬
trolled the destinies of the world, so far as human
agency can control human destiny. These antiquities
are very serviceable in two ways—to show how pow¬
erful and intelligent a people may become, and how
evanescent is all their glory. O may modern nations
be rendered wise by their study! In collecting and
preserving these antiquities England has done im-
1
194
Recollections of Seventy Years.
raonse service to mankind. The minerals and shells
were also very beautiful, the carbonates and silicates
being most various, beautiful, curious, fantastic, and
often magnificent in appearance. The botanical col¬
lection had its variety and beauty also, not only in
the herbariums of plants, seeds, and flowers, but
equally so in the specimens of cabinet woods, the
richest of which in my opinion were from British
Guiana.
Another place to which I was a frequent visitor was
the lloyal Academy of Arts, which contained a very
rich collection of paintings, engravings, and sculpt¬
ure. Some of the historical pictures—such as the
"Last Hours of Cromwell," the "Last Sunday of
Charles the Second," and the "Bondage of the Israel¬
ites in Egypt"—must excite no common emotions in
the bosoms of those who are lovers of history.
The reading-room excelled any thing and every
thing I had ever seen in the United States. It is a
circular edifice. " The main height of the dome from
the floor is one hundred and six feet, the diameter one
hundred and forty. To this is attached another build¬
ing of an oblong form, two hundred and fifty-eight
by one hundred and eighty-four feet, containing by an
exceedingly skillful arrangement shelf-space for one
million and a half of books."
When I reached London I procured a list of
names of parties of whom I might solicit aid, and I
also obtained excellent names as references, chief
among whom to render me assistance in this being
Dr. Jobson. In my solicitations I heard the same
reasons and underwent similar experiences as in the
United States. Many prominent persons had no
England and the Continent.
195
time to hear or read the claims, and only gave through
societies, while a few kind friends gave liberally.
JMy experience taught me what I record elsewhere
in my interview with Secretary Whipple, of the
American Missionary Association, on my return to
America.
Chapter XXI.
PARIS—RETURN TO AMERICA.
THE last of November found me again in Paris,
where I remained the following months until
April. On this journey—as I passed from Rouen to
Paris through a fine country, the natural features of
which reminded me so much of some portions of the
Valley of the Juniata in my own native land, the
whole extent covered with finely-cultivated farms and
gardens, and gemmed with beautiful villages—I could
but exclaim in truth: "La France est un belle jmys"
During this sojourn I boarded in an hotel opposite
the Palais Napoleon, and spent a portion of my time
each day with a French teacher. Aside from this
and my labor connected with my mission there, I
spent as much time as possible at the Sorbonne* and
the " College de France," listening to the eminent
men who spoke or lectured. Among them-I remem¬
ber Prof. Edward Laboulaye, who was very liberal in
*The Sorbonne is a university under TJoman Catholic con¬
trol ; hence all lectures delivered therein must be in harmony
with the doctrines and sentiments of the Roman Catholic
Church; but Le College de France allows its professors to
think and speak freely on all subjects. Renan, the great Ori¬
entalist, who is the fascinating author of " La Vie de Jesus,"
was connected with the Sorbonne. This work was reviewed
and answered by Dr. De Pressense.
(19G)
Paiis—Return to America.
197
his sentiments, and magnificent in his illustrations.*
It was my privilege to meet and become acquainted
with him, as well as with others equally eminent con¬
nected with those two Parisian institutions, and I rec¬
ollect a pleasing interview with him, which was inter¬
esting and instructive, concerning the construction oi
the Sorborme and the " College de France," and their
connection. I also recollect with pleasure my ac¬
quaintance with that great savant, Prof. A. de Quatre-
fages, which was formed through Dr. Eugene Casalis,
President of the House of Missions. He informed
Prof. Quatrefages of my presence in Paris, and the
latter sent me a special invitation to visit him at the
Museum. At the appointed time Dr. Casalis came
for me with a cab and took me there. At the close
of my call he presented me with his portrait and re¬
quested mine. As an anthropologist he is unequaled,
and his works are marvels of study, research, and
erudition. It was my fortune to meet at this time
the Minister from Hayti to the court of France, Louis
Salomon,f whom I found not only un homme grand,
but, as I have been told, tin grand homme.%
One evening as I was returning to my hotel I
stopped to rest at the Church of St. Sulpice, where I
noticed several persons adoring the image of the "Im¬
maculate Marie." Upon a marble tablet I read the
following inscription and declaration:
*At tliat time Prof. Laboulaye was engaged in a course ci
lectures on Montesquieu's "Spirit of Laws," which, though
dry in themselves, were made very interesting by his brill¬
iant illustrations and his witticisms.
fNow President Salomon, of Hayti.
J The French mean by un homme grand, a tall man, and tin
yritnd homme, a great man.
198
Recollections of Seventy Years.
"Amour, Ilommage, et Reconnaissance a Notre Bonne Mere.
"Mon Jils etait atteint de deiix malades mortelles. Les se-
cours de Vurt tVy pouvaient rien. Je snis venue prier Marie
a eel autel avec con fiance, et <Pai obtenu sa guerison. Le 22
Janvier, I860. A. P. C."*
Sucli is a good illustration of the strong faith of the
Catholic in the power of the "Immaculate Marie."
Among the places which I enjoyed visiting was the
boarding-school of Misses Hooper and Creeseil, situ¬
ated outside of the walls of Paris. These two ladies
were well adapted to the work which they had under¬
taken—the education of English and French Protest¬
ant young ladies. The eloquent French preacher,
Rev. E. Bersier, had the special charge of its relig¬
ious interests. By special invitation I made several
visits to this school, and listened with interest to the
lessons, observing the manner and methods of the
capable teachers. One class of little ones in natural
history especially pleased me. It consisted of but
three little girls from seven to nine years of age.
The instruction was wholly oral, and the children
were delighted. I never saw hungry ones devour
food more greedily than did these little ones the in¬
struction given by their loving and beloved teacher.
The school seemed a model for others; the greatest
freedom prevailed, and yet with this freedom I per¬
ceived nothing but order. Their ages differed—the
most being in their teens. The culinary department
was well arranged. A peculiar arrangement for keep-
* " Lovo, homage, aiul gratitude to our good mother. 31 y
son was attacked with two mortal diseases. The aid of art
could do nothing. I came to beseech Mary at this altar with
confidence, and obtained this cure. The 22d of January,
1SC0. A. P. C."
lJaris—Return to America.
199
ing food warm drew my attention. It consisted of
two square boxes lined witli felt and stuffed with a
certain material wliicli retained the heat for a long
time. In this the soup and meats could be placed
after cooking, and there remain for several hours in a
state sufficiently warm for the table. These ladies
had a high sense of the right, the true, and the good—
an excellent thing in government as well as in teach¬
ing—and withal they exhibited an anxious concern for
the salvation of their students. Miss Hooper was the
economist, while Miss Creeseil had a higher sense of
the beautiful than Miss Hooper. This was well illus¬
trated by a remark of the former in a conversation
concerning the financial management of their school.
Miss Creeseil remarked that she had "no concern about
money," adding: "I would fill the garden with flow¬
ers, but Miss Hooper fills it with potatoesI could
but exclaim, "How truly French! how truly En¬
glish!" The seminary was destined to be a blessing
to all educated within its walls. When I revisited Par¬
is in 1881 I inquired for the same school, but it had
gone out of existence in the terrible Franco-Prussian
war, which swept.over Paris and its environs.
Like all Americans, I visited the noted places of in¬
terest in Paris—the Louvre, the Pantheon, the Jardin
des Plantes, the Bois de Bologne, the Palais de Lux¬
embourg, where is located the throne of Napoleon Bo¬
naparte, said to bo the grandest in Europe, the Art
Gallery of Luxembourg, where I found three Amer¬
ican ladies from Massachusetts engaged in copying
works of art (and the meeting was mutually agreeable)
—these and various other places, of which I will men¬
tion the Hotel des Invalidcs at greater length. The
200
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Hotel des Invalides—sometimes called Hospital des
Invalides—corresponds in design to wliat we call at
Dayton, O., the "Soldiers' Home," an asylum for su¬
perannuated soldiers. Detaclied from the main build¬
ing is the Dome des Invalides, a chapel intended for re¬
ligious services. " It is a bold and prominent struct¬
ure, greatly decorated, within which repose the ashes
of Napoleon I." From memory I shall attempt a
description of this tomb, where the great warrior is
sleeping. It is of circular form, with a deep circular
cavity in the center, which we may call an open grave,
guarded at its terraced summit by an iron railing.
The wall of this artificial grave is divided into ten
niches, in each of which is placed a metaphorical fe¬
male statue. They seem to be watching the sleeping
warrior as guardian angels. In niches above the
grave are equestrian statues of his chief generals.
Above all these, and almost directly over the head of
the casket, was a light which soemed to be commin¬
gled with fire and gold. This lamp was pouring its
awful rays down upon the warrior emperor, whose
cannon made all Europe tremble. In contemplating
the scene one seems to feel the martial spirit of Na¬
poleon present. With this sepulchral chamber the
whole chapel may be called the mausoleum of Napo¬
leon.
A pleasing reminiscence of my stay in Paris was a
meeting held to organize a Methodist Preachers' As¬
sociation. An invitation to be present and preside
over the meeting was sent me at my hotel, which I
accepted. After the meeting we dined, and at my
right sat a minister of the M. E. Church, South, from
Texas, who was soliciting funds for some charitable
Dr. James McCune Smith,
First regularly-educated Colored Physician in the I nited
States. (See jiage :i2.r>.)
Paris—Return to America.
201
object in America. This Southern minister must
have detested in his heart to sit in such an assem¬
blage by the side of a Negro, but nevertheless he sat
there. With my other duties I preached often in
Paris, and by invitation of Rev. William Gibson also
went to Chantilly, twenty-five miles away, for the same
purpose. But, as for my mission, I found what our
Consul had told me, on my first call upon him for ad¬
vice touching the interests I represented, to be true.
The French people were very weary of the applica¬
tions which agents from America had made for as¬
sistance in behalf of the freedmen.
On the 18th of April I took leave of many kind
friends, who had become endeared to me in the
months of my sojourn among them, and set out for
London, where I .also had another leave-taking to
perform among"the many friends there. I had also
failed to secure a professor for Wilberforce, although
I had advertised freely, and had received some appli¬
cations; so, leaving the interests of our university in
the hands of an agent, I left for Liverpool on the
27th, from which port I sailed the 29th, on the "City
of Antwerp." The voyage was uneventful and the
weather not very pleasant, but we anchored in the
North River at 6 p.m., May 11, and several of the pas¬
sengers, including myself, went ashore on the steamer
"London." After my baggage was through the Cus¬
tom House I called at the rooms of the American Mis¬
sionary Association, and had a long talk with Secre¬
tary Whipple. He asked me how I had succeeded in
my mission, and I answered: "Poorly, because I find
English Christians just like American Christians:
tliey give power only to the powerful, and wealth only
202
Recollections of Seventy Years.
to tlie rich." "Well, that is so," lie said. "If Wil-
berforce had had two hundred thousand dollars be¬
hind it, you might have received one hundred thou¬
sand more from British philanthropists; but as you
had nothing behind it, you got nothing. But I think it
is right because [quoting the Saviour], 'To him that
hath shall be given;'" and he stopped there.
On my arrival in England Mrs. Burr, the lady of
my boarding-house, said that she feared I would not
succeed, and added: "If you had come just after tlie
war, when English enthusiasm was at its height, you
might have obtained something; but now I fear it is
too late." Another reason may be found in the fact
that when I visited John Bright he said that En¬
gland had already sent one million dollars to aid the
freedmen, and that America had immense resources
within herself to supply the wants of her people. I
also sent a letter to the Bishop of Oxford—Wilber-
force, the son of the great philanthropist—applying
for aid. He replied that he had spoken to the Amer¬
ican bishops who were attending the Pan-Anglican
Congress at that time, who told him that it was not
necessary for him to extend aid to the mission, as
they had the means to attend to the wants of the
freedmen; he also added that Wilberforce University
was a race school, and he was opposed to any such
exclusive school.
My interview with Secretary Whipple at an end, I
took the train for Washington, where I preached the
next morning; and the Monday following entered the
General Conference of 1868, which opened on that
day. The day was one of excitement, caused by the
question cf union with Zion Connefction. Three bish-
Paris—Bet urn to America.
203
ops were elected at this time—James A. Shorter, T.
M. D. Ward, and J. M. Brown, It was also decided
to regulate the basis of representation in the General
Conference, so as to give the lay element in the fut¬
ure the proportion of one-third, and the manner of
electing such delegates was also decided. Rev. B. T.
Tanner was elected editor of the Christian Becorcler by
acclamation. Through Elder Ward, of California, the
Churches of that region petitioned for a bishop for
that special field, to have his home there and labor
there until it should be built up. A large majority
signified their determination to grant the petition,
and in the election Elder Ward was made one of the
new bishops. I presented to this body a statement
touching my mission to Europe and its pecuniary re¬
sults. In its place the Conference offered a resolu¬
tion that "our beloved Bishop D. A. Payne be per¬
mitted to regulate his relations with Wilberforce as
heretofore." It will be remembered that I was Pres¬
ident of that institution at the time, and thus carried
a double responsibility, both mentally and physic¬
ally.
A few days after the close of the Conference I
turned my steps homeward, in company with Bishop
Shorter. On our way we visited Avery College, at
Pittsburg, and the common schools of the city. I
also addressed the pupils of both. I reached home
the 11th of June, in time for the annual examinations
of the university. After my prolonged travels and
labors I felt for many days too languid and indis¬
posed to do any thing in the form of studying. Dur¬
ing my stay in Europe it was my daily custom to read
and study, as at liome, a certain number of hours
204
liecollections of Seventy Years.
eacli day. In this way I perused a large number of
French works—scientific, literary, and theological—
but now I sought rest.
During the summer I succeeded in securing the
cervices of Rev. Mr. Fry, of Oberlin, for our school;
also Mr. Smith,* then a senior student at the same
college. In September Bishops Campbell, Shorter,
and myself organized the Kentucky Conference in
the city of Louisville. Colonel Catlin at that time
had the oversight of the educational interests of the
freedmen, and Chaplain Noble was the general super¬
intendent of those schools in the State of Kentucky.
I had pleasant interviews with all three, and visited
some of the schools—what was then called the Cen¬
tral School of the freedmen, which was designed ulti¬
mately to be a high and normal school, and a school
kept by a Miss E in the Orphan Asylum for the
freedmen. I found them all in a promising condi¬
tion. The autumn found me very busy writing letters,
arranging for the school work, and later visiting
points in my episcopal work in the East; but Novem¬
ber found me again in Xenia to cast my vote for
Grant and Colfax.
While attending the Bishops' Council in Philadel¬
phia I preached in Bethel, the mother Church, where
I was struck with the fact that of all present at the
Lord's Supper about three-fourths were old men and
women who had crossed their fifty-fifth year, and
from that up to seventy-five years. Having called the
attention of one of the most intelligent officers and
laymen to it, who assented to the correctness of my
*Mr. Smith subsequently became a professor in Atlanta
University, Georgia.
Paris—lieturn to America.
205
observation, half an hour later lie put into my
hand the following note: "You may consider another
fact: that the depletion of our membership from
death and other causes is in excess of the increase by
three to one." To me this was astounding, and gave
rise to many painful reflections, meriting as it did im¬
mediate attention from every one who was desirous
to see the mother Church perpetuate herself. But at
the close of the morning service notice was given that
Dr. Tanner would lecture that night on the African
question. I was curious to note the audience which
he would have at night. It was the contrast of the
the morning; the house was crammed from top to
bottom with the youth, the intelligence, and the elite of
our people. From this contrast every one may draw
his own inferences. Brother Fields said: "Bishop,
we are reaping the fruit of seed sown forty years ago."
Among the Conferences at that time I bear in mind
particularly an interesting class of men in the Pitts¬
burg Annual Conference about 1871. It was made
up chiefly of young men who were active and pro¬
gressive. Three of them were regular students of
theology—two at Allegheny and one at Meadville, the
former a Presbyterian school, and the latter Unita¬
rian. It was not as common then as now for our Con¬
ferences to contain many men, even young men, who
were pursuing a regular course of study, which fact
made it all the more an encouraging sign—a promise
for the future ministry.
We were favored during these years at our universi¬
ty with a number of profitable and interesting lectures.
One of these was on the catacombs of Rome,* and so
*Tliis was given us by Rev. Jules Delauny.
206
Recollections of Seventy Years.
clearly set forth three remarkable features of these
ancient sand-pits as to be well worth recording again
and again. It is said that of the hundreds of thou¬
sands of tombs in these places of worship of the
primitive Christians (and their asylums from the
persecutions of their enemies, as well as the bur¬
ial-place of their saints and martyrs) the word death
is not inscribed on any one of them; that, not a
word of regret or sorrow is inscribed on any tomb;
that the name of Jems seldom if ever occurs, but the
name Christ always; and this name is always written
in Greek characters.
On June 21, 1871, we held our Commencement,
and a few days later two of the professors and myself
attended the Commencement at Antioch College.
There we met a crowd of notables—men whose names
are familiar to American ears: Dr. Bellows, Rev.
Robert Colyer, Rev. E. E. Hale, and others. It was
a privilege to be brought in contact with these emi¬
nent men, whose labors in behalf of humanity are an
ornament to the Christian name.
A visit to the Churches in "Western Pennsylvania
led to several pleasing reminiscences—one the meet¬
ing with a venerable clergyman of the Lutheran
Church, at whose house I had been entertained some
thirty-two years before, when I was struggling in
early manhood. His head and beard were as white
as wool, giving him such a venerable appearance that
at first I utterly failed to recognize him. Our inter¬
view was most pleasant in recollections of those by¬
gone days. A visit to Beaver Female College, where
we were entertained by the wife of the President, a
lady of lovely person and sweet manners, and then
Paris—Return to America.
207
we took a ride, which led us to a certain point of one
of the surrounding hills, where we had a fine view of
Bridgewater, Rochester, and other towns—all together
forming a beautiful cluster of villages, through which
flows Beaver Creek, at one point of which the stream
presents the appearance of a triangular mirror whose
frame is the surrounding hills.
While in Washington, Pa., I was visited by a gen¬
tleman, Mr. B , a native of the Isle of Guernsey,
who emigrated with his wife to the United States some
years- before. His wife had been confined to her bed
for about ten years, under suffering so great that she
requested him to kill her instantly in some way, so
that she might be delivered from her sufferings. He
was compelled to be her nurse all this time, during
which he learned such lessons of patient submission
to the will of God, and had such manifestations of
love and mercy, as made him rich in Christian experi¬
ence. He was accompanied by Brother C , a lo¬
cal preacher of oar Church, who was also his intimate
friend. These two men were most congenial spirits,
and struck me as an emphatic refutation of the Sa¬
tanic lie that white men and black men are naturally
antagonistic to each other. Few brothers seem as lov¬
ing as these two men did. because few have such rich
Christian experiences: The meeting with them stim¬
ulated me to a deeper experience in divine things.
May I meet them in heaven!
From this place I proceeded to Canonsburg, where
I found a larger and better-constructed house of
worship than at Washington, and as an appendage
it had a burial-ground consisting of three acres.
There was a school-house upon this lot, erected for the
208
Recollections of Seventy Years.
benefit of the colored children by the authorities of
the State. This land had formerly been the prop¬
erty of a man of color, who died intestate, and by pe¬
tition it was deeded to the colored people of the town¬
ship as a burial-ground and school lot, which was just
and right.
Chapter* XXII.
LABORS IN BISHOPRIC AND PRESIDENCY.
AFTER another year's labor in the class-room and
the bishopric I found myself by divine grace
spared to meet fclie General Conference of 1872, which
sat in Nashville, Tenn., and at which one hundred and
eighty ministerial and thirty-nine lay delegates were
present. At this Conference it was resolved to erect
a metropolitan church in the city of Washington, D.
C., and after much spirited discussion it was decided
to move the Book Concern from Philadelphia to the
above city, conditioned upon the payment of the debts
of the Concern. The church is now built; the Book
Concern still remains in Philadelphia. There was a
great deal of excitement and confusion, with conse¬
quent disorder, during the sessions, and a lively dis¬
cussion on the wearing of robes by the bishops. On
one side was argued the Aaronic priesthood; the
robes as prescribed by God himself; the statement in
Church history that robes were worn by the prelates
for fifteen hundred years; John and Charles Wesley-
both wore robes; the effect that the wearing of such
had upon secular dignitaries and upon the Northern
hordes which invaded Rome, etc. Historical facts
were abundant. The opposition claimed that it Avas
not Methodistic; the fitness of things was against it;
14 (209)
210
Recollections of Seventy Years.
it was against the spirit of the age, which is spiritual,
which tramples clown iron creeds, robes, and all that
is material—an age of freedom from all the formula
and ceremonies of the Middle Ages and of Judaism.
To lead us back three thousand years is not consistent.
Respecting the dignity of. the bishops, the argument
was most unfortunate, at dignity comes not from
without, but from within; it is the result of developed
manhood. If a man has not this, his robes will not
give it to him. The monkey might put on robes and
imitate man, but he is a monkey still. The speaker
who thus replied to the advocates was extremely sar¬
castic and humorous. The reply was made to this
that should we send a missionary to San Domingo, as
we had concluded, unless we sent a bishop clothed in
robes there, where the people were accustomed to see
the imposing robes of the Roman Catholic priests, we
might as well send the former speaker's monkey, for
all the influence we might gain; and finally the speak¬
er said: "The hosts of heaven are clothed in robes,
and even God himself is clothed in robes! "
Dean Stanley, in his learned work on " Christian
Institutions," says concerning ecclesiastical vestments:
" What we maintain is that in the matter of vestments,
as in many other respects, the primitive Church was
not affected by these superstitions, and is a witness
against them."
• A discussion concerning the affairs of our universi¬
ty brought forth the following remark from one of the
bishops, and as it is most pertinent even now—four¬
teen years later—I record it here: "Others besides
our own people are concerned; the whole American
people are looking toward our university; it is the
Labors in Bishopric and Presidency.
211
only tiling which is really testing the capabilities of
the race, and we cannot give too much attention to
it. In this connection the brethren were pleased to
testify to my labors in its behalf, in the following sup¬
plement to the report of the Episcopal Committee:
Whereas the wants of Wilberforce University demand
that Bishop D. A. Payne shall be continued in that institution,
he having labored for years to build up and establish the said
institution on a firm and lasting basis as a monument of
power and means of educating the rising generation; and
whereas the classes which are being graduated, and the
continuance of a thorough training of our young men, de¬
mand a thorough scholar and a practical educator to preside
over that institution; and whereas the divisions of the dis¬
tricts will necessarily remove him from the presidency of
Wilberforce, greatly to the detriment of our educational inter¬
ests; therefore,
Resolved, That the divisions and arrangements of the bish¬
ops shall not remove him from Wilberforce, but shall leave
him to preside over the Third Episcopal District the next
four years. R. II. Cain,
B. II. Wilt -iams.
In reflecting on the doings of that body, I was con¬
strained to believe that many things said and done
seemed inconsistent with the Christian spirit. I re¬
gard these things as the result of the political spirit
which had seized many of the leading men of the
South, who were also leaders in the General Confer¬
ence; great disorder manifesting itself at every point
where opposition to measures seemed determined
upon, while parliamentary tactics consumed nearly
one-lialf of the time which ought to have been con¬
sumed in a calm, prayerful, and therefore dispas--
sionate consideration of the denominational interests
of the Connection. Thus important interests—as the
212
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Book Concern, the cause o£ education (especially our
university), and the all-important work of Missions,
both domestic and foreign—were put off until the last
few days, and then so hurried through as to be left in
an imperfect condition. The idea of personal liberty
seemed to have absorbed the idea of law and order. I
could not but exclaim, " O when will the spirit of meek¬
ness, humility, and of wisdom guide us, who are the
guides of the people!"
June found me again at home, engaged in my col¬
lege duties. We were encouraged by a visit from
Rev. E. E. Hale, who came down to us the day follow¬
ing the Commencement at Antioch College, six miles
distant. He witnessed the examinations of some of
the classes, and addressed the students, showing them
the incalculable value of a thorough training, and
urged upon them the necessity of remaining at school
as long as possible, so that such an education could be
obtained as would fit them for any place to which divine
Providence might call them, and any work that God
might occasionally want them to do. Such a visit
was a powerful stimulus to our students.
In July I dedicated the fine church at Columbus,
O. Such edifices, especially when accompanied by
successful financial management, reflect credit upon
the Connection and the race. A few days later I
made an effort to reach Paducali, Ky., in season for
another church dedication, but my funds being below
the railx'oad rates—a fact discovered too late to reme¬
dy in time for my object—I concluded to move in an¬
other direction in Kentucky. In this way I came in
contact with a group of women, whose remarkable
families utterly controvert all Gillianictic theories as
Labors in Bishopric mid Presidency. 213
to the prospect of the extinction of the negro race.
Of six women who welcomed me to one community
one had eighteen children and twenty-seven grand¬
children; another thirteen children and seventeen
grandchildren; another thirteen children; two others
eight apiece, and the last one five—making a total of
one hundred and seventy-one. Facts are worth much
more than hypotheses. The evidences of thrift which
I noticed on this trip among the poorer classes were
commendable.
At all places, whenever possible, it was my habit to
speak upon the subject of domestic education—a sub¬
ject which filled my mind and weighed heavily upon
my heart, as it had from my early ministry, but never,
perhaps, more so than since my experience as Presi¬
dent of a college.
In February, as I was on my way to Pittsburg, a
telegram was received announcing the death of Bish¬
op Quinn at his home in Richmond, Ind. Two days
later Bishop Shorter and myself left to be present at
the funeral, but on our arrival we learned of the post¬
ponement until the 3d of March. This was done that
all the bishops might be in attendance. We returned
home, but again went to Richmond on that date.
The day was very cold, but bright. The services were
held in the M. E. Church, where Bishop Campbell
preached the sermon. The procession was long and
imposing, and the remains were interred in the cem¬
etery of the Society of Friends. For the first time
since 1848, when Bishop Morris Brown died, the
number of bishops was broken by the hand of death.
La-ter, in Richmond, the widow of Bishop Quinn con¬
sulted me in regard to the biography of her husband,
214
Recollections of Seventy Years.
which she desired her attorney to write, and which he
was willing to do for five hundred dollars, but first de¬
sired the indorsement of our bishops. This was re¬
fused when laid before them.
A few days later found me in Washington to attend
a meeting of the Finance Committee and the Bishops'
Council. While there I called upon Chief-justice
Chase, and received from him a draft for one hundred
and twenty-five dollars for the university, the last
payment on his subscription in 1866; bat I was most
unfortunate, as on my way to Pittsburg my pocket-
book was stolen while I slept, the adroit thief reliev¬
ing me of one hundred and sixty-seven dollars in cash
and the draft. On the last I immediately telegraphed
the bank to stop payment, but my cash was forever
gone.
In Pittsburg we received a promise from one of the
trustees of the Avery estate to visit our next Com¬
mencement. He was also in favor of turning over to
us the securities for ten thousand dollars, which were
left for the benefit of colored people by the Avery
will.
While I was arranging for a series of concerts in
behalf of our school in July, I was stricken down by
cholera morbus, and brought home helpless from Cin¬
cinnati. This somewhat disarranged my plans, but I
spent the remainder of the vacation in labor about
home and in constant endeavor to increase the funds
to complete our school-building with varying success.
One evening I was surprised by a visit from Rev.
Emile F. Cook, President of the French Methodist
Conference. He walked all the distance from Xenia
to my house. I had spent many a liappy hour with.
Labors in Bishopric and Presidency. 215
him in Paris, both in a social and religious manner,
and my pleasure in welcoming him to my own fireside
may be imagined. He took tea with me, after which
he addressed the students, listened to their songs,
and by request sung himself in the French language.
A few days later Dr. Marsh, of London, a delegate to
the Evangelical Alliance, also paid me a visit, and
with him. I went to Cincinnati to attend our Mission¬
ary Reunion. This meeting resulted in giving fresh
impetus to our movements; support being pledged to
our Haytien Mission, and a new,one ordered to be
opened in the west end of Cincinnati. The following
February we celebrated the semi-centenary of Allen
Chapel, in Cincinnati, at which I preached the ser¬
mon. The exercises were very interesting, consisting
of an historical address, speeches by prominent men
of the city, both white and colored, as well as friendly
letters from many others. The edifice was beautiful¬
ly decorated, the audience large, and the voluntary
contributions amounted to four hundred and fifty dol¬
lars.* During the exercises a couple connected them¬
selves with the historic event by being married.
Matters moved along smoothly with my varied duties
until the following June, when our school was thrown
into confusion and received a severe blow from the
circumstances connected with the expulsion of one of
our leading students and events following it.
In the autumn (1874) I went to Cleveland, O., for
the purpose of negotiating a loan of three thousand
dollars, but we did not succeed there. It was sub¬
sequently obtained from the Freedmen's Bureau
through the direct efforts of our agent, Mr. Cousins,
* Subsequently this was paid
216
lie collections of Seventy Years.
of Xenia. In the last few months of this year I as¬
sisted at the dedication of at least a dozen churches,
some of them of good size and quite valuable. So
the material progress of the Church is shown.
The summet following our school-building was still
i;i an unfinished state—thirteen rooms and the chapel
remaining to be completed, and I resolved to solicit
aid near home—in Xenia, O., and surrounding towns.
As a result, I received some money and promises
from friends who have always been more or less lib¬
eral in response to our calls; and later I was also able
to secure in Springfield, O., the promise of two hun¬
dred and fifty dollars from the custodian of that sum,
which had belonged to a colored soldier who died
leaving no known heirs.* Every dollar was a help to
us. The Financial Board of the Church in the fol¬
lowing March (1876) made an appropriation of two
thousand dollars for us, and paid the balance due
on the previous year's appropriation; so the whole
amount sent us by draft was two thousand three hun¬
dred dollars, which came at a most opportune mo¬
ment.
The meetings of the Bishops' Council alternated
with those of the Financial Board, and unusual har¬
mony and oneness of views characterized the sessions
of both bodies. In the former we adopted measures
to facilitate the business of tlio approaching General
Conference. We were visited at this session by John
M. Langston, Esq.,f who expressed his views concern-
* Pastor IS. W. Arnett published a volume eommemoratory
of the event.
tMr. Langston was subsequently appointed as Embassador
to the Haytien Jiepublie, and is now (18SG) Priucipal of the
Labors in Bishopric mid Presidency. 217
ing the relations of the A. M. E. Church to the race.
Through him wo received an invitation from Hon. J.
G. Blaine to lunch with him at his residence. The in¬
vitation was accepted; and there Ave met Hon. George
Hoar, of Massachusetts, and Hon. J. A. Garfield, of
Ohio. The wine cautiously sparkled, while wit and
humor beamed like rays from the sun. From the
wine the bishops nobly abstained, but fully enjoyed
the sparkling wit and risible humor. Mr. Garfield
seemed as joyful as any other of the guests. Eut
no one present would think that within six years he
would be President of the United States, and, like the
illustrious Lincoln, die by the hand of an assassin.
The current events of the times were the chief topics
of conversation, but in none did Mr. Blaine take more
interest than the subject of the higher education, con¬
nected with which he condemned the boat-racing of
the American colleges as injurious to those who en¬
gage in them. One who had known Washington be¬
fore the last war, and had returned to it for the first
time at this date, would not have recognized it at all.
The improvements were great, radical, beautiful, in¬
dicating the future Paris of the American Continent.
But these improvements acted with terrible pressure
upon those who were small property-holders. The
State Department, which we visited, was especially
imposing—a noble building, which impressed me with
the ideas of solidity, strength, and stability more than
of beauty. It was a new granite edifice at that time,
with Secretary Fish at its head.
On my way westward, I held the Pittsburg Annual
Normal School for training colored teachers iu the State of
Virginia.
218
Recollections of Seventy Years
Conference, and opened the Ohio Conference in April,
at the close of which I preached my valedictory ser¬
mon at the end of eight years' consecrated service in
the Third Episcopal District. On the 27th of April
I joined the party of brethren bound for Atlanta, Ga.,
the seat of the General Conference of 1876, and we
were joined at Chattanooga by four of the bishops
and the delegations from the New England, New York,
New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Virginia
Conferences. A hearty welcome and a bountiful sup¬
per awaited us all at the house of our colleague, Bish¬
op Ward, after which we were assigned to our respect¬
ive lodgings. The quadrennial address was by Bish¬
op Shorter." Fraternal delegates were received from
the General Conference of the M. E. Church, then in
session in Baltimore. In response to their addresses
Bishop Ward answered in a strain of eloquent utter¬
ances ; after which I followed, relating my history in
connection with the A. M. E. Church, and remarked
that " I had ascended that platform where my love for
humanity was greater than that of race." Bishop
Campbell being called for, and after taking a retro¬
spective account of previous speeches, said his heart
was filled to overflowing by what he had seen and
heard; that there was a work of education to be done,
and each had its part to do. First, the mother Church
must educate herself down to her black children, and
they up to their white mother. At this session X gave
notice that at the meeting of the trustees of Wilber-
force University in June I should offer my resigna¬
tion as President of that institution, as by appoint¬
ment I was historiographer of the A. M. E. Church,
and had yet twenty years of the history to write; also
Labors in Bishopric and Presidency.
219
two educational works, and tliese required the early
mornings in which to prepare them for publication.
This needed time I could not have as President of
Wilberforce. My work for the next four years was to
lie in the First Episcopal District, and in June I
opened it with the New England Conference at New¬
port, R. I., after severing my connection as President
of Wilberforce, as I had already declared I should do,
on the 14th of the same month. Thus ended thirteen
years of service, during which I had performed my
double duties, keeping me busy night and day. It
was only by exercise and regular habits of life that I
was enabled to perform them, as I was always delicate
physically. Yet the Lord strengthened me for the
labor in behalf of the school, which, though left to
the management of another, was ever present in my
thoughts; nor did I cease my labors in its behalf. In
the next chapter a more detailed account will be found
of this the first school of importance which belongs
to the Church of my deliberate and unselfish choice.
Chaptep XXIII.
EDUCATION IN THE A. M. E. CHURCH.
IN view of the fact that my whole public life has
been spent in close connection with the school-room
and the cause of education in general, and that for
thirteen years I was closely connected with the prin¬
cipal institution of learning of our Church, I turn
aside here to speak briefly of the progress of the
Church in education and in other tilings pertaining
to its culture and intellectual development, and of its
best-equipped school in particular, as I consider the
years spent as its President the most interesting of
my later years.
English Methodism and American Methodism be¬
gan their career with planning and executing in be¬
half of education. Not so with African Methodism
in America, because Bishop Allen and his coadjutors
were illiterate men. They founded no institution of
learning, nor is there a trace of a thought in their
minds about a school of learning. The reason of the
difference between the beginning of these three bod¬
ies is seen in the fact that the founding of schools of
learning is a result of education. It does not precede,
but follows in the wake of education. What is not in
a man cannot be evolved out of him. As I have said
before, Daniel Coker was the most intelligent of the
(•220)
Education in ihe A. M. E. Church.
221
men connected witli the ministry of the A. M. E.
Church at the beginning of its career. In 1818 there
was found no one in the Baltimore Annual Confer¬
ence competent to act as secretary, and the youthful
son of Bishop Allen, a lad about fourteen years of age,
was constituted secretary, and filled this office for two
consecutive years. This circumstance is a proof of
the statement that the ministry of the A. M. E.
Church was at the beginning of its career unlearned.
Therefore, it was not until 1833 that we hear the first
voice speaking out on the subject of education. It
was in the Ohio Annual Conference of that date—
then the youngest of the Conferences—which passed
two resolutions recognizing the high importance of
schools and temperance societies especially to our peo¬
ple, and pledging the members to do all possible to
establish such among us. Ten years later (1843) the
Baltimore Annual Conference passed resolutions look¬
ing to an increase of learning. Out of this grew a
course of studies to be pursued, which was laid down
by the Philadelphia Conference .the same year, which
Conference took another step in the right direction
in resolving to present this recommendation to the
next General Conference. My epistles on " The Ed¬
ucation of the Ministry " were written between June,
1843, and May, 1844, and the opponents of an edu¬
cated ministry became alarmed; but, as we have seen
elsewhere, the General Conference of 1844 adopted a
scheme of studies and placed it in the Discipline.
My series of essays on "The Education of the Minis¬
try," written in 1845, softened down the general op¬
position until the General Conference of 1848, when
there was another heated discussion. In 1845 the
222
Recollections of Seventy Yearn.
first educational convention was called. It was lield
in Philadelphia and called at the instance of the Bal¬
timore Conference. In this various plans were con¬
sidered for promoting the work of education among
the colored people of the United States generally, but
chiefly in our own Connection. This convention in¬
dulged in heated and violent arguments for an educa¬
tional association by one faction, and for founding a
collegiate institution by another. It was argued
against the latter proposition that there were at least
three educational institutions accessible to us,"* and
that it was possible for us, by combining our efforts, to
support a half-dozen young men every year; but that
all our efforts and means combined were inadequate
to the founding and support of a single college. The
opposition maintained our ability to do so, and finally
both plans were adopted—the institution to be in the
West. Then arose another faction contending for one
in the East also, and finally all three propositions were
adopted. The association was organized on the spot.
But for lack of unity in purpose and oneness in ac-
* These were Gettysburg, Oberlin, and Oneida. At Gettys¬
burg D. A. Payne received his theological training ; at Oberlin
Bishop J. M. Brown received his; and Rev. Alexander Crum-
mel, D.D., of the Protestant Episcopal Church, received his
academical training at Oneida, X. Y., and completed it at
Oxford University, England. It was also at Oneida that Rev.
Ilenry Highland Garnctt, of the Presbyterian Church, was
trained for his brilliant career. After graduating, Dr. Crum-
mel spent two or three years as a curate in one of the En¬
glish rural Churches. Subsequently he went to Liberia, Af¬
rica, where he spent the prime of his manhood. He is now
pastor of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church in the city
of Washington. He is the founder of St. Luke's. Dr. Gar-
nett died in Africa as United States Embassador.
Education in the A. M. E. Church. 223
tion we did nothing in the form of an educational
association; and because we were all too poor to as¬
sume individual responsibility we founded no college.
O ignorance! 0 disunion! Ye did curse and destroy
Carthage! Ye can also curse and destroy the A. M.
E. Church! Not the Christian Church! No; never!
because that is for humanity; but the A. M. E. Church,
because that is for a race. The races perish some¬
times, or they become scattered to the four corners of
the earth; but humanity can never perish nor be thus
scattered, because every spot of the earth is hers and
shall be in her possession till the new heaven and the
new earth be brought into being. This educational
convention met in October, and represented the Bal¬
timore, Philadelphia, and New York Conferences; but,
as has been said in a previous chapter, the Ohio An¬
nual Conference met in September and heard the re¬
port of its committee, which had been appointed the
year before to select land for a seminary on the man¬
ual labor plan.
From these two historical facts it can be seen that
the influence of the action of the General Conference
of 1844 on the subject of education took immediate
effect, and that in the effort for the founding of an
institution of learning Ohio led the van. Some
schools had been instituted previous to thfe, but it
must be recorded as a matter of fact that not one of
these was established by any organized effort on the
part of the denomination. They were the results of
individual effort. These individuals were moved by
the Spirit of God to do what they could to impart
knowledge to the rising generations. The first of
these secular schools was commenced by the Kev.
224
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Daniel Coker in the basement of Bethel Church, Sar¬
atoga Street, Baltimore, Md., in 1810. It was a school
for the instruction of children and youths in the ele¬
mentary branches of an English education. He was
succeeded in his useful and elevating work by a Mr.
Cooly (tradition says by Misses Russell and Collins).
This school, like that of Mr. Coker's, must have been
primary. How long his school was in existence I
know not. On my arrival in Baltimore in 1843, then
only on a visit to the Baltimore Annual Conference
at the request of Bishop Morris Brown, a maiden lady
named Miss Mary Prout kept a school for primary
instruction in Rubourgh Street. This was the third
as far as I can learn. She was a prominent member
of Bethel, and was considered one of its bright and
shining lights. She was born in 1800, and was still
living in 1882.
The fourth school wTas opened by myself in Phila¬
delphia, not as a minister of the A. M. E. Church,
for I was at the time (1840) in connection with the
Franklin Synod of the Lutheran Church, but my first
pupils were three children of Rev. Joseph M. Corr,
who lived as one of her most gifted and godly local
preachers, and who died as one of the most venerated
and lamented. My school was in its character equal
to what fs now regarded as a grammar school. After
I transferred my ministerial relations from the Lu¬
theran to the A. M. E. Church I made annual reports
to the Philadelphia Annual Conference. Rev. David
Ware, a local preacher of the Philadelphia Confer¬
ence, was also at the head of another school of less
pretensions.
The first organized effort of a denominational char-
Education in the A. M. E. Church.
225
acter on the part of the Church was made by the Ohio
Annual Conference in 1845. This Conference passed
a resolution to establish an institution of a high or¬
der, and named it " Union Seminary." It was opened
in the basement of our chapel in Columbus, O. Rev.
J. M. Brown* was its first Principal, and he was as¬
sisted by Miss Francis Watkinsjf but it was not a
success. Much time was spent in collecting funds to
buy the land—one hundred and eighty acres about
fourteen miles south-west from Columbus—and to
erect a comparatively small frame building upon it.
A primary school was kept for some years, but better
schools were at the command of the colored people in
all the large towns of Ohio. It lingered on in a mis¬
erable condition until Wilberforce University became
the property of the Church, when it was abolished
and the property ordered to be sold for the benefit of
that institution, but through mismanagement the sale
was of little benefit to the latter.
The founding of Wilberforce University opened a
new chapter in the history of the Church. As has
been already said, it was projected and organized in
a very simple and primary form, by the Cincinnati
Conference of the M. E. Church in the autumn of
185G, at Tawawa .Springs, Greene County, O., about
three and a half miles from the city of Xenia. These
facts, with those stated in previous chapters, clearly
show that the hand of God was leading these two
branches of the Methodist family in the same direc¬
tion, at the same time, for the accomplishment of the.
same great end—the Christian education of a race,
a race then enslaved and ostracized by Christians in
* Bishop J. M. Brown. fMrs. F. E. AY". Harper.
15
226 Recollections of Seventy Years.
a so-called Christian land; and that, too, in the name
of Christianity. The clouds were blackening, the
darkness deepening, and yet the dawn of day was just
at hand.
In the first and. original form this school was man¬
aged almost entirely by white persons. There were
twenty-four trustees, of whom only four were men of
color—viz.: Rev. Lewis Woodson, Mr. Alfred Ander¬
son, Mr. Islimael Keeth, and myself. Mr. Keeth at¬
tended but one meeting of the Board. Mr. Woodson
attended but three or four. Mr. Anderson and my¬
self were almost always present. The only one of
the trustees of color who aided in the actual manage¬
ment was myself, because, first, I was a member of the
Executive Committee; second, I lived with my family
on the college campus and had two of my step-children
in the school; third, during the summer the white
teachers and managers went away to recruit, and the
establishment was left in my care; and fourth, I spent
most of my time night and day watching over the in¬
terests left in my care during these months. It
passed into the hands of the A. M. E. Church in 1863,
as the reader will remember, and was re-opened in the
same year under our administration. This was our
first school of importance. On its -re-opening I was
elected President, but the Principal who opened it in
July was Prof. John G. Mitchell, who was succeeded
by Dr. Kent, an Englishman, and he by Prof. Fry,
and then I took active charge of the work. In 1876
Rev. B. F. Lee was placed at its head, where he re¬
mained until 1884, when he was succeeded by Prof.
S. T. Mitchel, who is still (1886) in the position. It
is now to be seen that Wilberforce has been in exist-
Education in the A. M. E. Church. 227
ence thirty-two years, twenty-three of which have been
passed under the management of our Connection; so
that it is rapidly nearing the twenty-fifth anniversary
for us,* and stands to-day the oldest school in the
Church. As such it has a history, and deserves more
than a passing notice. Let us glance at what it has
accomplished. But first let me pay a passing tribute
to the liberality and generosity of the Cincinnati Con¬
ference of the M. E. Church, which placed this seat
of learning within our reach; as it was sold to us for
its indebtedness of ten thousand dollars, at a time
when the agent of the State of Ohio stood ready and
anxious to buy it for an asylum at its real value—a
much larger price.
In material interests it has accomplished much for
itself and the community in which it stands. The
building which replaced the wooden one burned by an
incendiary in 1865 is more substantial, and the school
is now surrounded by colored property-owners, many
of whom possess attractive and comfortable homes.
It brought a number of intelligent families, who made
their homes there, and there educated their children.
Before that date there was not a single house owned
by colored persons in connection with the school.
Its first class in theology was graduated in 1871.
Since then, up to 1886-7, it has sent out graduates
from the different departments—theological, collegi¬
ate (scientific and classical), and normal. Hundreds
of its under-graduates have become successful teach¬
ers and preachers, and others are to be found in vari¬
ous fields of usefulness. But the most remarkable
* Its twenty-fifth anniversary was celebrated June, 1888.—
Editor.
228
lie collections of Seventy Years.
thing is the fact that all who have been trained in its
halls and on its grounds from early childhood have
proved themselves most thorough and accurate in
scholarship; also most laborious, industrious, and
thrifty. From a school of one Principal and as¬
sistant, with only primary work, it has been devel¬
oped with power to send out its graduates yearly
with degrees conferred. It has now a working facul¬
ty consisting of six members. An art-room and a
museum have been also added. The former is the
gift of the lamented Rev. John F. W. Ware, and
bears his name—"Ware Art-room."
When I had my official head-quarters at Baltimore
I became acquainted with this gentleman, who was
among the foremost who by personal efforts aided in
raising funds to help feed and clothe the distressed
and needy "contrabands of war," as General Butler
in 1861 had declared the slaves coming within his
lines. He was the pastor of a Unitarian Church in
Baltimore at that time, but transferred his pastoral
relations later to Boston. I called upon him while at
his summer residence at Swamstead, near Lynn,
Mass., when I was endeavoring to raise funds to fur¬
nish the university with models for an art-room.
Said he: " I will give you one hundred dollars toward
it." He did so, adding: "Whenever you are in need
of one hundred dollars for any such purpose, you can
always obtain it from me." The next year he gave
me another hundred for the same, with which models
were furnished. The museum was offered me by
Prof. Ward for fourteen hundred dollars, and valued
at two thousand. I laid the proposition before the
trustees, and begged them to aid me in raising the
Education in the A. M. E. Church. 229
sum; but not one volunteered, nor would any one
toucli it with a forty-rod pole. Finally I was allowed
to put the museum in the building, with the under¬
standing that I should raise the funds to meet the ex¬
penses, and when consummated should hand over the
receipted bill in proof that it was paid for at no cost
to the trustees. The cases were also put in at a cost
of about three hundred dollars, which sum I also
raised. These sums, with the interest, made the
whole cost about eighteen hundred dollars, every cent
of which I paid—about three hundred dollars coming
from my own purse. It is now called Payne Museum.
Both this and the art-room were obtained after I left
the presidency of the institution.
In 1867-8 the Society for the Promotion of Collegi¬
ate and Theological Education at the "West aided the
institution in the sum of eighteen hundred dollars.
After we wrere burned out Ave had erected the western
wing of the new edifice of brick, biit its walls were
not only unpictured, its floors uncarpeted, but they
were unplastered and rough. The good Secretary,
Mr. Theron Baldwin, came at my request and saw the
appalling obstacles. His soul was stirred, and his elo¬
quent plea induced the society to vote this sum for
our relief. In 1868-9 they again voted us a like sum,
and although their funds did not enable them to make
good the whole of this last amount, what we did re¬
ceive was of signal good. From 1868 to 1875 the
American Unitarian Association aided us in all about
four thousand dollars. In 1868 Hon. Gerrit Smith sent
us five hundred dollars, and the same year the equally
noble Chief-justice Chase induced an English gentle¬
man to send us three hundred dollars, and in his own
23U liecol ted ions of Seventy Years.
last will and testament lie left us ten thousand dollars.
In 1869 we received through General Howard from the
Freedmen's Bureau three thousand dollars, and again
in 1870 from the same, by special act of Congress,
twenty-five thousand dollars. We applied for fifty
thousand dollars, receiving the indorsement of leading
men in Xenia, and securing the influence of the State
Legislature of Ohio. Our agent prepared to go to Wash-
ington, but on going to Cincinnati and finding insu¬
perable difficulties in his way, he consulted Dr. Rich¬
ard Rust, who told him he could not succeed without
me, as I was not only at the head of the school, but
had a greater knowledge of all its needs, a much more
extensive acquaintance among the whites, and there¬
fore a much stronger influence than any other party;
that I must drop all, and go to Washington myself.
This I did, the governor of Ohio giving me the doc¬
uments ordered by the Legislature, and a letter of
introduction to one of the supreme court judges, who
gave me letters to the senators. Senator Sumner was
at first opposed to granting it, as he claimed that the
work of education was assigned to the States, and
Congress should not make appropriations for such.
I replied that the master minds of both races coujd
be brought from the South; and, having been educated
in Northern sentiments, Northern ideas, and North¬
ern principles, would develop a nobler manhood and
a broader patriotism than could be realized in the
South for generations to come. This argument was
used with all who made that objection, and all were
overcome by it. Three times I had to meet the Com¬
mittee on Education and Labor and answer all objec¬
tions, the whole being a tedious affair. Every one
Education in the A. M. E. Church. 231
was at last removed, but General Howard said that
the funds had been so reduced and so many applica¬
tions for aid had been made by other institutions that
we could have but twenty-five thousand, which sum
we received.
Small, sums have been received from private indi¬
viduals at various times, who thus testified to their
confidence and exhibited their interest in us. May
all be blessed abundantly. Concerning our benefac¬
tors whose earthly career has been finished we hope
that they may " be rewarded at the resurrection of
the just." Concerning those who are still living we
pray that they and theirs may never lack a friend
nor aid in the time of need or the day of adversity.
During the last decade (1876-1886) more institu¬
tions of learning ha,ve sprung into existence than in
any preceding it. Among them are the Johnson Di¬
vinity School, located at Raleigh, N. C., now removed
to Kittrell and called the Kittrell Industrial School;
Allen University, in Columbia, S. C., founded by
Bishop William F. Dickerson in 1881; Morris Brown
University, but a primary school as yet, in Atlanta,
Ga., opened in 1885, having one fine building chiefly
^through the efforts of Dr. (now Bishop) TV. J.
Gaines; Turner College, in Hernando, Miss., in 1881;
the Scientific Normal and Divinity Institute, Jack¬
sonville, Fla., projected under the administration of
Bishop Way man in 1883; Paul Quinn College, Waco,
Tex., projected by Bishop J. M. Brown in 1872, and
located at Austin, Tex., and kept in motion after he
left the district by Bishop Ward, and given its present
name by Bishop Cain. Several other schools have been
named, some of which are only paper schools, while
232 Recollections of Seventy Years.
others liave no existence even on paper. The project¬
ors began before they were ready. Thousands of dol¬
lars have been spent in such fruitless efforts. The
founding of a college requires a great deal of fore¬
thought and preparation. This is true of those who
can command a deep, long, and wide purse. This is
emphatically true of a poverty-stricken and illiterate
people.
Chapter* XXIV.
MUSIC AND LITERATDRE IN THE CHURCH.
TN tha department of Church music, both instru-
1 mental and vocal, the most remarkable improve¬
ments and progress have taken place within the last
forty years. The first introduction of choral singing
into the A. M. E. Church took place in Bethel, Phila¬
delphia, Pa., between 1841 and 1842. It gave great
offense to the older members, especially those who had
professed personal sanctification. Said they: "You
have brought the devil into the Church, and there¬
fore we will go out." So, suiting the action to the
word, many went out of Bethel, and never returned.
These well-meaning people must be pitied rather
than censured. They acted according to their convic¬
tions—according to the light which they had taken into
their intellects. But that light was darkness; hence
their convictions were false, erroneous, destructive.
Here we pause to remark that an individual man
or woman must never follow conviction in regard to
moral, religious, civil, or political questions until they
are first tested by the unerring word of God. If a
conviction infringes upon the written word of God,
or in any manner conflicts with that word, the convic¬
tion is not to be followed. It is our duty to abandon
it. Moreover, I will add that light on a doubtful
(233)
234
Recollections of Seventy Years.
conviction is not to be sought for in the conscience,
but in the Bible. The conscience, like the convic¬
tion, may be blind, erroneous, misled, or perverted;
therefore it is not always a safe guide. The only
saf& guide for a man or woman, young or old, rich or
poor, learned or unlearned, priest or people is the
Bible, the whole Bible, nothing but the Bible.
Had these self-called sanctified ones been Bible-
readers—Bereans instead of mere African Method¬
ists—they never would have called choral singing the
" devil;" they never would have forsaken that Church
in the bosom of which they had been reared, convict¬
ed, converted, and sanctified—if sanctified at all. So
great wras the excitement and irritation produced by
the introduction of the choir into Bethel Church that
I, then a local preacher and school-master, was re¬
quested by the leader of the choir and other promi¬
nent members in it to preach a special sermon on
sacred music. This I did as best I could. In my
researches I used a small monograph on music writ¬
ten by Mr. Wesley, but drew my information chiefly
from the word of God. The immediate effect of that
discourse was to check the excitement, soothe the ir¬
ritation, and set the most intelligent to reading as
they had never done before.
Similar excitements and irritations, resulting in
withdrawals and small splits, followed the introduc¬
tion of choral singing in the majority of our Churches
—not in the cities only, but in the large towns and vil¬
lages also. Rev. Elisha Weaver, stationed in Chi¬
cago, was impeached in 1857 by his Board for intro¬
ducing vocal and instrumental music into his Church,
and at the Annual Conference of that year an ani-
Music and Literature in the Church. 235
mated discussion followed, relative to a resolution
declaring instrumental music detrimental to the spir¬
itual interests of the Church. But now it is the aim of
every Church in the Connection to have a good choir.
The moral and religious effects of choral singing
have been good, especially when the whole or a ma¬
jority of the choir were earnest Christians. I have
witnessed spiritual effects produced by Bethel choir
in Philadelphia, and by Bethel choir in Baltimore,
equal to the most unctuous sermons from the lips of
the most eloquent and earnest preachers, so that
Christians did rejoice as though they were listening
to the heavenly choir which the shepherds heard on
the plains of Bethlehem announcing the advent of
the Saviour.
Instrumental music* was introduced into our de¬
nomination in the year 1848-9. It commenced at
Bethel, in Baltimore, under the following circum¬
stances: We had erected the present grand house of
God in 1848, at a cost of about fifteen thousand five
hundred dollars. We had paid, at its completion and
dedication, five thousand of it, and had eight years in
which to pay the remainder, which was divided into
eight equal notes. Immediately after the dedication
dissensions arose among its officers. While the new
church was in progress, as I have stated elsewhere,
Ebenezer Chapel was sold to its Church-members for
the nominal sum of ten dollars, which fact, and the
signing of transfer documents, produced so much an¬
tagonism among the trustees of Bethel as to render
the raising of the first note uncertain; so it was
deemed prudent and wise to resort to extraordinary
measures in order to raise the sum needed. This
236
Recollections of Seventy Years.
was a concert of sacred music under the management
of Dr. James Fleet, of Georgetown, D. C., whose mu¬
sical taste was exquisite. The lyrics were composed
by myself in order that I might be certain that noth¬
ing incongruous in sentiment to the sanctuary should
go into it. The novelty of the measure was a power¬
ful attraction. It filled Bethel to overflowing, pro¬
duced a fine effect, and gave us three hundred dollars
net. The next sacred concert held in Bethel was for
a similar purpose, and consisted of seven stringed in¬
struments, the conductor being Mr. William Appo,
then the most learned musician of the race. As in
the former concert, so in this, all the music was sa¬
cred. After this the members of Bethel Church were
convinced that instrumental music could be as fully
consecrated to the service of the living God under
the New Testament dispensation as it was under Old
Testament, when King David wrote the following
rapturous Psalm:
Praise ye the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firma¬
ment of his power.
Praise him for his might}' acts: ^
Praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
Praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: *
Praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise him upon the loud cymbals:
Praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.
Praise ye the Lord, f
* Xot our vulgar dance, but an instrument by that name. Dr. Clarke
called it the " pipe."
tTins arrangement is according to the French version by Louis Se¬
cond, L).D., of Geneva, Switzerland.
Music and Literature in the Church.
237
By reading and studying the one hundred and for¬
ty-eighth Psalm some of the reasons will be seen why
David wrote and doubtless set to music the one hun¬
dred and fiftieth Psalm. In this one hundred and
forty-eighth Psalm the inspired poet calls upon all
creation to praise the Lord—all animate and inani¬
mate, all the works of God in the heaven of heavens,
all the works of God in the earth and ocean. If he
is right and pious in this psalm, who will dare to say
that he is not right and pious in the one hundred and
fiftieth Psalm? If it be right to call upon all the
works of God to praise him, why not call upon all the
works of men to praise him? Man is a product of
God's wisdom and power; therefore he should be
called upon to praise God with his mouth. The in¬
struments are the product of man's genius and skill.
"Why not use the sounds of these instruments to praise
the Creator?
A choir, with instruments as an accompaniment, can
be made a powerful and efficient auxiliary to the pul¬
pit. Two things are essential to the saving power
and efficiency of choral music—a scientific training
and an Ernest Christianity. Two things are neces¬
sary to make choral singing always profitable to a
Church—that the congregation shall always join in
singing with the choir, and that they shall always
sing with the spirit and the understanding.
In a musical direction what progress has been made
within the last forty years! There is not a Church
of ours in any of the great cities of the republic that
can afford to buy an instrument which is without
one; and there are but few towns or villages where
our Connection exists that are without an instrument
238
Recollections of Seventy Years.
to accompany the choir. What is true of the Church
is also true of the homestead. Every pastor and
bishop who loves music and can afford to buy an in¬
strument has one of some kind to make his household
joyous and happy.
The progress of literature has also been remarka¬
ble. Comparatively, our literature is small in quan¬
tity and poor in quality. Nevertheless, there is more
of it now than in 1852, and its quality is better than
that of 1852. These remarks are as applicable to the
journalism of the denomination as to the monographs
written by different persons, both laymen and preach¬
ers of the same. The productions in prose and po¬
etry are all more elaborate and finished.
The greatest of all that can be called poetry is that
of Rev. A. A. Whitman, which was pronounced "a
poem " * by Longfellow and Bryant To cap the cli-
® It is entitled "Xot a Man, and Yet a Man." Since the
publication of that he sent forth another entitled "-The Rape
of Florida." Mr. Whitman is by nature a poet. A classic
training and wide travel over his country and foreign lands
might have brought him into high rank among American
poets, and may yet if he will emancipate himself%rom the
bondage of alcoholic drinks. In both poems may be found
some beautiful passages. Listen to these from " ]STot a Man: "
Full blue~eyed Summer, stately coming on,
With shouting harvests stood the hills upon;
The breath of -wasting juices did inhale,
With blooming cotton whitened in the vale,
Spread out the ripened cane along the steep,
And waving rice-fields in the swamp did reap.
From " The Rape of Florida " I give a sublime specimen
from stanza fifteen, in Canto I., page 14:
Have I not seen the hills of Candahar
Clothed in the fury of a thunder-storm;
When Majesty rolled in his cloud-day caT,
Wreathed his dread brow with lightning's livid form,
Music and Literature in the Church. 239
max, our own young, poverty-stricken but vigorous
Wilberforce gave birth to the judicious and practical
pamphlet, by William E. Mathews, Esq., entitled:
" Young Manhood—Its Relations to a Worthy Fut¬
ure." But more than all and above all is the excel¬
lent work of Prof. W. S. Scarborough—"First Les¬
sons in Greek." Two volumes, historic in character,
have been produced—Dr. B. T. Tanner's "Apology
for African Methodism," and Bishop Wayman's "My
Recollections of the A. M. E. Ministers." The last
named has also published a small "Cyclopedia of
African Methodism." Two volumes are on " Church
Government"—one by the same, and another entitled:
"Church Polity," by Bishop Turner. Rev. T. G.
Steward has produced two works—"First Lessons in
Theology," and "Genesis Reread."*
The General Conference of 1880 ordered the publi¬
cation of a Church magazine. In 1884 it was brought
out in the form of a quarterly—the A. M. E. Church
And with a deluge Tobed Iris threatening arm;
Not seen when Night fled his terrific feet,
j^ie great deep rose to utter forth alarm,
The hills in dreadful hurry rushed to meet,
And rocking mountains started from their darkened seat?
O "Whitman, Whitman! canst thou not break the chains
that bind thee to the chariot-wheels of intemperance? Why
boast of thy freedom from the white man, and yet be the slave
of alcohol?
* These two productions of Dr. Theophilus Steward place
him in a bright light as a scholarly writer, and do honor to his
natural talents and literary acquirement. But as theological
and religious efforts they are to be cautiously read, because
of the heresy contained in them, which the discriminating
judgment perceives, but which untrained intellect does not
recognize.
240
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Review—which is ably edited by Dr. B. T. Tanner.
The establishment of the Sunday-school Union, under
the efficient management of Rev. C. S. Smith, has also
added greatly to the Church literature in the publica¬
tion of the Sunday-school Review, Teachers' Quarterly,
and Lesson Leaves.
There are also a few others who have entered the
ranks of authors.* The volume containing the liis-
* "American Questions—Black and "White," by T. Thomas
Fortine, a brave and gifted layman of the A. M. E. Church,
also the editor of the New York Globe and Freeman. His book
is an able discussion of the political and industrial problems
of the South. "History of the New Jersey Conference of
the A. M. E. Church," by Rev. Joseph II. Morgan, is a val¬
uable contribution to our Church literature. " The Negro in
Sacred History," by Rev. J. E. Ilayne, shows a great deal
of Biblical research, and is worthy of the attention of our
readers. "Origin of Races and Color," by Dr. Martin R.
Delaney, another layman of tlie-A. M. E. Church, is a meri¬
torious work, and worthy a place in the library of any one
desirous of studying that question. Another treatise, entitled
" Richard Allen's Place in History," is a more original work,
but it is characterized by the same florid style, not to say
bombastic, that distinguished the writings of Bishop Henry
M. Turner. "African Methodism in Arkansas" is an histor¬
ical narrative written by Dr. Jiiaifer for the Triennial cele¬
bration of 1882. It is concise and valuable as data for the
future development of our Connection in Arkansas. An¬
other was written by Rev. Thomas W. Henderson, and still
another by Rev. Charles S, Smith, both of which are valua¬
ble contributions to the literature of our Church. The latter
was published and is styled " The Literature of the A. M. E.
Church." But even the poorest of the productions since
1850 are far in advance of Noah Cannon's "Rock of Wis¬
dom " (1833), which is made up of a little of every thing he
could think of, for he was a man—a preacher that could nev¬
er stick to his text".
Music and Literature in the Church.
241
torical sketches of the A. M. E. Church invher expan¬
sion South, West, and South-west, which will soon be
published, and a treatise on " Domestic Education,"
form my own contributions in book form, and help to
increase the volume of our literature. All taken to¬
gether can be reckoned among the most valuable
literary productions of the Church; and may be re¬
garded as the glittering crown of the Triennial,
In the encouragement of the fine arts and indus¬
trial pursuits the Connection has done little or noth¬
ing, because there has been no organized efforts for
that purpose. But individuals have sprung up in
the boso"fri of our denomination with respectable tal¬
ents for oil painting, the most distinguished of whom
is the gifted son of Dr. Benjamin T. Tanner. His
Christian name is Henry. From specimens of his
paintings in my possession, and from other pieces
which he has produced, I -think that he will go down
to history as one of the most successful of American
artists which the present century has brought forth.
1G
Chapter XXV.
A VISIT TO BOSTON AND VICINITY.
AFTER my assignment to the First Episcopal Dis¬
trict at the General Conference of 1876, in the
following autumn I set to work again to organize his¬
torical and literary societies; and although in some
cases there was much indifference exhibited by the
" I respectfully decline," when nominated to hold po¬
sitions in these societies, I organized seven. In some
cases it was the second time I had organized a society
among them for the improvement of the preachers,
having done so before during the first years of my
bishopric (1852), when I was over the same field. In
January I reached Washington, where I preached to
the members of Israel Church, which it will be re¬
membered was my first pastorate in the A. M. E.
Church, and which had revolted from our Connection,
and was under the jurisdiction of the Colored M. E.
Church of America.
The following winter I was at home working on the
" Church History " and my " Centennial Discourse "
until April, when I again set out for the East. I
reached New York in time to attend a missionary
meeting held previous to the departure of our mis¬
sionary, Rev. Charles W. Mossell, and his wife for
Hayti. The* next morning we went on board the
(242)
A Visit to Boston and Vicinity.
243
steamer "Alps " to see tliem before their departure for
their field of labor. A number of friends were pres¬
ent, and others arrived as the vessel was moving out
of the dock, While gazing upon the vessel as she
was fading in the distance, my soul went up to the
great Head of the Church in prayer for the safe tran¬
sit of our missionaries across the ocean and their
success in the Isle of Hayti—that the God of Mis¬
sions might lead them safely across the deep, blue sea,
land them safely in Port-au-Prince, open the hearts of*
the Haytiens to receive the gospel which they bore,
make the Mission prosperous, and bless them with
good health, with many friends, and with grand suc¬
cess.
On my way to the New York Annual Conference at
Owego, N. Y., I passed through scenes varied and
beautiful, wild and romantic. A grander valley-scene
than that of the Wyoming Yalley I have never beheld.
Hills rose above hills 011 both sides of the glen, like
cones, like pyramids, like gigantic lions crested and
maned with the evergreen pines; so the valley, open¬
ing and closing, meandered along with the winding
stream from which perhaps it takes its name. Who
dug out such a deep valley, such a narrow glen? Who
threw up those rugged, verdant, towering hills to shut
them in? My Father's hand, my Father's omnipo¬
tent hand!
O11 the 4th of July, 1877, in company with friends,
I revisited Mount Auburn, whose natural beauty of sit¬
uation struck me particularly on this occasion: its
gradually-undulating surface, culminating in a steep
hill, whose summit is reached by granite steps and
crowned with a circular tower; the grand view from
244
Recollections of Seventy Years.
this point of the surrounding country, which is hilly
and interspersed with rivers, inlets, and bays, with a
chain of towns and villages looming up in the dis¬
tance, and making the landscape exceedingly pictur¬
esque. From this elevation the most striking view to
the south-east was Boston, with its numerous spires
and its majestic domes glittering like balls of gold in
the sunlight; and farther' still in the distance Bun¬
ker Hill Monument, around which clusters so many
revolutionary reminiscences. While beholding this
scene, so full of historic memories, a gentleman stand¬
ing by remarked: "I should like to be on one of the
Pyramids of Egypt." His companion replied: "This
tower is connected with a history grander than that of
Egypt." It was a patriotic remark, but it aroused in
my mind some of the history of old Egypt, and I re¬
marked: "Egypt has a grand history—it was the
birthplace of one of the greatest leaders of humanity
and the asylum of its onl^r Saviour—Moses and Je¬
sus." The elder gentleman assented, and I added:
"There also lived St. Augustine, Tertullian, and St.
Cyprian, and there also originated the great contro¬
versy between Trinitarians and Unitarians, which
shook the world and disturbs it till this day." I had
visited Mount Auburn some twenty years before, but
many additional objects of interest had since been
placed there. The "Sphinx" was one of them—
carved out of the solid granite to commemorate the
overthrow of American slavery. This strange figure
had the serene face of a virtuous and queenly woman,
whose leonine body was in an attitude of repose upon
a pedestal of darker granite. On one side of this was
the Latin inscription:
A Visit to Boston and Vicinity,
245
"America conservata,
Africa liberata."
We looked about for the tombs of those martyred
heroes of universal freedom, Torrey and Sumner. The
tomb of the former has already been described. The
grave of Sumner was marked only by a plain marble
slab bearing no inscription but his name, and the
thickly-grown periwinkle covered the sleeping cham¬
pion of freedom. Never was statesman more true and
faithful to his country. Never was reformer more de¬
voted to his principles. Never was champion of human
rights more loyal to the cause for which he labored,
lived, and died. Nature had given him a noble phy¬
sique, a majestic presence and courtly manner, as well
as a splendid intellect and an eloquent tongue. One
was led to believe that a frame as powerful as his
would continue vigorous to at least eighty or ninety
years, and that he might possibly have lived out an
entire century; but his powerful constitution was
broken by the murderous club of " Bully Brooks,"
that Congressional ruffian, native of South Carolina,
and fitly a kinsman of the blood-thirsty General Butler,
leader of the murderous Rifle Clubs which aided in
the butchery of the freedmen at Hamburg, S. C., in
July, 1876. But Sumner died at sixty-three years.
The colored Americans, whose freedom and whose
rights he so eloquently pleaded and defended, should
be foremost in erecting a monument of bronze to his
memory—not to immortalize him, because he lives for¬
ever in the hearts of all the friends of human freedom
and equal rights, but to mark the spot consecrated to
the sleeping martyr. We visited the shores of Plym¬
outh the following day. There is nothing striking,
246 Recollections of Seventy Years.
nothing bold, nothing grand; but what a grand history
has been evolved out of the landing of the forty-one
men with their families who stepped upon that mod¬
est rock in 1620! I was greatly disappointed as to the
size of Plymouth Rock. I had expected to see an im¬
mense rock projecting into the sea, whereas it is ap¬
parently not more than four and a half feet square
and several feet distant from the nearest water. It
was protected by a monumental structure of the Doric
order, the dome of which had four pediments crowned
by sea-sliells, all of solid granite. This monument
rests upon a base which projected itself in the form
of four distinct parallelograms, the angles of which
were filled up with as many green plats of grass.
Tli.ere was no inscription upon it. The background
of this monument was a hill some twenty feet high,
whose escarpment was graded and swarded. Another
monument in honor of the pilgrims was called Pil¬
grim Hall, in the court-yard of which was an irregu¬
lar stone, on which was written " 1620." This was
protected by an iron railing in the form of an ellipse;
this in turn was girded by festoons each of which bore
the name of one of the pilgrims lettered in iron. A
third monument—grandest of all commemorative of
the pilgrim fathers—was in process of erection at
that time on one of the highest hills in the town of
Plymouth. From its top, to which we climbed by lad¬
ders, we had a fine view of the surrounding country,
which arose westward and northward in abrupt undu¬
lations like the waves of a lake, higher and higher, till
they seemed to touch the clouds, forming a bent edge,
and producing the figure of a great ocean shell more
than any thing else to which it might be compared.
A Visit to Boston and Vicinity.'
247
The face of this scooped-out landscape was covered
with wild shrubs, and seemed never to have been cul¬
tivated by civilized man, for only here and there could
we see a human habitation. To the south and east
lay the town of Plymouth, with its simple, old-fash¬
ioned houses and its narrow streets well shaded with
elms, the favorite tree of New England. In the fore¬
ground moved the waters in Plymouth harbor, and
still farther east Massachusetts Bay, and beyond
rolled in one eternal movement the Atlantic, which
those forty-one men with their families had traversed
two hundred and fifty-seven years before to find an
asylum from civil and religious persecution, to enjoy
the benefits of free institutions. What events have
followed in their wake! What a vast empire of free¬
men has been constructed from that little colony!
Out of the wild wilderness—the habitation of nomad¬
ic savages—at their very landing-place has sprung up
a forest of flourishing villages, towns, and cities, the
abode of civilized men and devout Christians; and
this little band has multiplied, spread, and received
accessions until now we count them by the millions—
at the very least 60,00.0,000—made up of all the races
descended from Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Chapter XXVI.
IN THE EAST—PRAYING BANDS.
IN August I visited Princeton, and had an opportu¬
nity to view some of the buildings of the College of
New Jersey. This venerable college will, in another
twelve years, reach its one hundred and fiftieth anni¬
versary. At the time I was there the library struck
me as the most remarkable among the buildings—a
magnificent edifice, octagonal in form, and built of a
variegated stone, with red granite columns decorating
the door of entrance. Viewed from the highest win¬
dows of the scientific building, its roof is exceedingly
beautiful. The scientific building contained a small
museum of natural history, ample in American orni¬
thology, but poor in other respects. The library of
the theological department being separate from that
of the college, we did not obtain admission to it. In
my opinion Dr. Hodges, professor of theology, was
the greatest theologian which America has yet pro¬
duced, even as Dr. McCosh is the greatest philosopher
that Scotland ever produced, and without doubt the
greatest living metaphysician.'51"
*11 is work on " Divine Government, Physical and Moral,"
gives a deep and lueid insight into the profoundest of all
questions, excepting the wonderful plan of salvation. His
(24S)
In the East—Praying Bands.
249
In September, with some friends, I set out for the
Catskill Mountains. These mountains are said to be
about three thousand feet above the level of the Hud¬
son River. The precipice upon which the Mountain
House was built is of fearful height. I prostrated'
myself in order that I might overlook it with impu¬
nity, and yet in one instance I felt a species of dizzi¬
ness in my head. Pudding-stone Hall I found a very
curious object, formed by the juxtaposition of sever¬
al immense blocks of " pudding-stone," which seemed
to have been cleft asunder by some terrible commo¬
tion of nature, and one passes through it by succes-
"Tvpio.il Forms in Creation " is full of instruction concern¬
ing the divine plan of the physical universe—the great one
thing so varied in form and color, in design and adaptation,
as to be countless and seemingly contradictory, yet a single
plan originated by one infinite Mind, changing and modify¬
ing every form and every color according to his unerring wis¬
dom, yet never antagonizing himself by producing confusion
in any of them. In his book on " The Emotions " he gives
us an excellent anatomy and physiology of the human heart
and the development of human character. The human mind
has depths which no created being can fathom, and heights
divine which no angelic wing can scale. But Dr. McCosh,
in his profound work entitled the " Intuitions of the Mind,"
has attempted with gigantic strength to sound its hidden
-depths and scale its sublime heights with all the clearness
possible for a mere man, and for the present state of intel¬
lectual science. I know of no book which can compare in
depth and clearness with the "Intuitions of the Mind" but
Dr. Laurens P. Iliekok's "Rational Psychology." I now
call the attention of young men whose intellects incline to¬
ward skepticism to read Dr. MeCosh's small works entitled
"The Development Hypothesis," and his "Reply to Tyn-
dall." They are worthy of young men's careful study, espe¬
cially those who think they are wiser than Moses.
250
Hecollections of Seventy Years.
sive flights of rugged stone steps formed by the hand
of nature. The Fawn's Leap was also a remarkable
spot for its depth and the clear pool of greenish water
that flows from it, as well as for the deep glen, whose
bottom was payed with blue stones and through which
a streamlet flowed even at that dry season of the year.
I learned later that this streamlet was fed by an in¬
exhaustible pool. The glens of these mountains are
numerous, narrow, deep, and darkened by overshad¬
owing trees, deciduous and evergreen—the latter
chiefly pines and hemlocks. Lichens, mosses, and
wild flowers were the robes of the ponderous rocks
that lined both the glens and the mountain-sides.
This verdant mantle I found both curious and beauti¬
ful: the lichens varied, the beds of green moss deep
and rich, and a beautiful layer of small ferns, as lux¬
uriant as unique in beauty. Between the north and
south mountain were two small lakes, in which scanty
beds of water-lilies were growing. From the foot of
these mountains a rugged but verdant plain eight
miles wide and about fifty or sixty long spreads itself
out toward the Hudson Biver. The day of our visit
was cloudy, and therefore greatly detracted from the
grandeur of the scene. The ascent of the mountain
was slow and tiresome; its descent was rapid and
dangerous. Slight accidents happened to both of the
vehicles in which we were conveyed up and down.
In descending the mountains we came to the B,ip Yan
Winkle house, and the greater part of the party sat
down in the chair where the legends say he sat and
slept for twenty years. I found the colored people of
the Catskills very poor.
It was my intention to be present at the dedication
The original Building of wilberforce University. Burned April 14, 1865. (s<?f pa :e i.">4.)
In the East—Praying Bands. 251
of tlie new building of Wilberforce that autumn, bat
owing to a mistake concerning the train at Philadel¬
phia, Pa., and other reasons, I abandoned the idea
and turned back to Brooklyn, N. Y.
During my stay in that city I made a visit to the
Bible House in New York to see how Bibles are
made. We were conducted through the establish¬
ment by a lad detailed for the purpose. We visit¬
ed first of all the,engine-room. Thence we ascend¬
ed to the printing-room, where the Word of Life
was printed, all of the operatives being women;
thence we went to the drying-room, and in succes¬
sion to the folding, stretching, gold-leafing, bind¬
ing, finishing, and selling-rooms. Some of the op¬
erations were curious, others very delicate, as in the
gokl-leafing and the folding into permanent forms.
This last was done both by hand and by machinery;
the latter folded, cut, and packed into the book form
in almost a minute of time. The folding by hand
was slower and more tedious. In this case an instru¬
ment of horn, made like a paper-knife, was used to
square the edges and to fold them one upon the other.
The electrotyping-room was also very interesting and
instructive. 'A layer of wax is spread out upon a
plate; upon this the letters are impressed; then it is
laid, or rather suspended, in a battery, and receives a
deposit of copper bearing every type, word, and
sentence; this is detached, and the back is filled
up with lead, which gives firmness and stability to the
plate. From this plate the copies are printed. In
the last room, where the finish was being given by
women, I could not but remark how proper it was that
woman should be employed in that work, as she was
252
Recollections of Seventy Years.
the one who first brought death into the world, and
now her hands were aiding in the distribution of the
word of eternal life.
In October I attended the anniversary of the His¬
torical and Literary Association of the New Jersey
Conference at Burlington, where the exercises were
very interesting, exhibiting much progress. I found
the Church in a prosperous spiritual condition, and
the Church property a good one. The same was true of
Mount Holly. I then made a rapid trip home, where a
meeting of the trustees of the school arranged to
comply with the terms upon which we were to receive
the ten thousand dollars from the Avery estate, and
again went on East, where in December I heard for
the first time those remarkable evangelists, Moody
and Sankey.
In January, 1878, I assisted at the crowning,
successful effort to pay off eight thousand dollars
for our beautiful and convenient chapel at Tren¬
ton, N. J., within thirteen months after its dedi¬
cation. Our white friends manifested a lively inter¬
est in the matter; indeed, we only speak the truth
when we say they gave us this chapel, because I be¬
lieve that our own people gave but a little over dne
thousand dollars. We had to thank our Presbyterian
friends especially, who gave us about one thousand
six hundred and fifty dollars.
The Board of Missions met a few days following
this to consider the affairs of the Mission in Hayti,
and to decide certain questions submitted to us by St.
Peter's Church in that island. We had raised one
thousand dollars within twelve months for the sup¬
port of this Mission, and several hundred dollars for
In the East—Praying Bands.
253
the traveling expenses of the missionary and his he¬
roic wife.
In May it was my privilege to visit the Sunday-
school of Old Bethel, in Philadelphia, and at a meet¬
ing of the Sunday-school teachers I conducted re¬
sponsive reading of the First and Second Psalms of
David. I showed them how England had become
great by habitually making her people read the Script¬
ures on Sunday in the great congregations; and how
the colored race, who had been oppressed for centu¬
ries through ignorance and superstition, might be¬
come intelligent, Christian, and powerful through the
enlightening and sanctifying influences of the word of
God. I also stated that thereafter, by my orders, every
pastor occupying the pulpit of Bethel should make
responsive readings of the Holy Scriptures a part of
the public worship. Bethel Church about this time
had set about furnishing the music-room at our uni¬
versity, which they completed by June.
I have mentioned the "Praying and Singing Bands "
elsewhere. The strange delusion that many ignorant
but well-meaning people labor under leads me to
speak particularly of them. About this time I at¬
tended a "bush meeting," where I went to please the
pastor whose circuit I was visiting. After the sermon
they formed a ring, and with coats off sung, clapped
their hands and stamped their feet in a most ridicu¬
lous and heathenish way. I requested the pastor to
go and stop their dancing. At his request they
stopped their dancing and clapping of hands, but
remained singing and"rocking their bodies to and fro.
This they did for about fifteen minutes. I then went,
and taking their leader by the arm requested him to
254 Recollections of Seventy Years.
desist and to sit down and sing in a rational manner.
I told liim also that it was a heathenish way to wor¬
ship and disgraceful to themselves, the race, and the
Christian name. In that instance they broke up their
ring; but would not sit down, and walked sullenly
away. After the sermon in the afternoon, having an¬
other opportunity of speaking alone to this young
leader of the singing and clapping ring, he said:
" Sinners won't get converted unless there is a ring."
Said I: "You might sing till you fell down dead, and
you would fail to convert a single sinner, because
nothing but the Spirit of God and the word of God
can convert sinners." He replied: "The Spirit of
God works upon people in different ways. At camp-
meeting there must be a ring here, a ring there, a ring
over yonder, or sinners will not get converted." This
was his idea, and it is also that of many others.
These " Bands " I have had to encounter in many
places, and, as I have stated in regard to my early la¬
bors in Baltimore, I have been strongly censured be¬
cause of my efforts to change the mode of worship or
modify the extravagances indulged in by the people.
In some cases all that I could do was to teach and
preach the right, fit, and proper way of serving God.
To the most thoughtful and intelligent I usually suc¬
ceeded in making the "Band" disgusting; but by the
ignorant masses, as in the case mentioned, it was re¬
garded as the essence of religion. So much so was
this the case that, like this man, they believed no con¬
version could occur without their agency, nor outside
of their own ring could any be a genuine one. Among
some of the songs of these "Rings," or "Fist and
Heel "Worshipers," as they have been called, I find a
Tn the East—Praying Bands. 255
<n
note of two in my journal, wliicli were used in the in¬
stance mentioned. As will be seen, they consisted
chiefly of what are known as " corn-field ditties: "
"Aslies to ashes, dust to dust;
If God won't have us, the devil must.
" I was way over there where the coffin fell;
I heard that sinner as he screamed in hell."
To indulge in such songs from eight to ten and half-
past ten at night was the chief employment of these
" Bands." Prayer was only a secondary thing, and this
was rude and extravagant to the last degree. The
man who had the most powerful pair of lungs was
the one who made the best prayer, and he could be
heard a square off. He who could sing loudest and
longest led the "Band," having his loins girded and
a handkerchief in hand with which he kept time,
while his feet resounded on the floor like the drum¬
sticks of a bass drum. In some places it was the
custom to begin these dances after every night service
and keep it up till midnight, sometimes singing and
dancing alternately—a short prayer and a long dance.
Some one has even called it the "Voudoo Dance."
I have remonstrated with a number of pastors for
permitting these practices, which vary somewhat in
different localities, but have been invariably met with
the response that he could not succeed in restraining
them, and an attempt to compel them to cease would
simply drive them away from our Church. I suppose
that with the most stupid and headstrong it is an in¬
curable religious disease, but it is with me a question
whether it would not be better to let such people go
out of the Church than remain in it to perpetuate
their evil practice and thus do two things: disgrace
256
Recollections of Seventy Years.
the Christian name and corrupt others. Any one who
knows human nature must infer the result after such
midnight practices to be that the day after they ar *
unfit for labor, and that at the end of the dance their
exhaustion would render them an easy prey to Satan.
These meetings must always be more damaging phys¬
ically, morally, and religiously than beneficial. How
needful it is to have an intelligent ministry to teach
these people who hold to this ignorant mode of wor¬
ship the true method of serving God. And my ob¬
servations lead me to the conclusion that we need
more than an intelligent ministry to cure this relig¬
ious fanaticism. We need a host of Christian re¬
formers like St. Paul, who will not only speak against
these evils, but who wrill also resist them, even if ex¬
communication be necessary. The time is at hand
when the ministry of the A. M. E. Church must drive
out this heathenish mode of worship or drive out all
the intelligence, refinement, and practical Christians
who may be in her bosom.
So far from being in harmony with the religion of
the Lord Jesus Christ, it antagonizes his holy relig¬
ion. And what is most deplorable, some of our
most popular and powerful preachers labor systemat¬
ically to perpetuate this fanaticism. Such preachers
never rest till they create an excitement that consists
in shouting, jumping, and dancing. I say systemat¬
ically do they preach to produce 6uch results, and
just as systematically do they avoid the trial of per¬
sons accused of swindling, drunkenness, embezzling,
and the different forms of adultery. I deliberately
record that which I know, and am prepared if neces¬
sary to prove.
In the East—Praying Bands.
257
To these sensational and recreant preachers I rec¬
ommend the careful and prayerful study of the text:
"To the unknown God, whom ye ignorantly wor¬
ship, him declare I unto you." (Acts xvii. 23.) The
preachers against whom I make this record are in¬
tensely religious, but grossly immoral. "By their
fruits ye shall know them."
17
Chapter XXVII.
GENERAL CONFERENCE DF 1880.
DURING this year and the following (1879), in ad¬
dition to my regular work, which took me from
home much of the time, and the daily reading and
study which for years have formed a part of each
day's labor, I took upon my shoulders the raising of
money with which to purchase for Wilberforce the
museum already referred to. Then at the opening of
1880 I spent much time in efforts to obtain an effect¬
ive hearing in the Senate of the United States in be¬
half of the same institution—preparing petitions and
visiting parties in regard to the bill which had been
brought before Congress, giving the unclaimed bounty
money of colored soldiers to educational institutions
for that race. This effort had been twice made in
Congress, but in both cases Wilberforce was exclud¬
ed.* This work, with my episcopal duties and con¬
tinued endeavors to meet coming obligations in re¬
gard to the museum, and my labor upon my papers
"Upon the Nature and the Functions of the Govern¬
ment of the A. M. E. Church," kept my hands full
up to the sitting of the General Conference of 1880
in St. Louis, Mo.
* Later the whole proved to be a fallacious representation,
and no one received aid.
(258)
General Conference of 1880.
259
This the sixteenth General Conference convened in
St. Paul's Church, in that city, May 3. Bishop Camp¬
bell read the bishops' quadrennial address. At this
meeting we received for the first time in our history
fraternal delegates from the Wesleyan Methodist
Church of England, one of whom made in his speech
a very suggestive remark, saying: "We hail you as
fruit of the past, and as seed of the remarkable fut¬
ure." This struck me forcibly, as it must all who
reflect for a moment. There was also present an
agent from the M. E. Church, South, who represented
the purpose of that Church to erect a monumental
Church in Savannah, Ga., as a fitting monument to
Wesley. One argument which he advanced as a rea¬
son that all Methodist Churches should assist in this
object was that Wesley never had a parish outside of
Savannah, Ga.; when he left that, he went out to claim
the world as his parish. The Conference voted to
raise one thousand dollars for that purpose.*
Interesting remarks were also made by a fraternal
delegate from Ireland. After stating that he found
there wTas a great difference between the reading of a
thing and seeing it, that it was a good thing to know
how little we do know, he confessed that reading had
given him no idea of the strength and greatness of
Methodism in this country. He then added a word
concerning the " Green Isle," speaking of the diffi¬
culties of Methodism there, and stating that it had
twenty-five thousand followers. He assured the Con-
*Thc committee appointed to execute this order failed to
do its duty, and in order to meet the obligation honorably
the amount was raised and paid over by three of the bishops
H. M. Turner, W. F. Dickerson, and D. A. Payne.
2G0
Recollections of Seventy Years.
ference of their interest in the A. M. E. Church from
the time they first knew of its existence; predicted
a grand future for it; invited all who came to the Ecu¬
menical Conference to visit Ireland, assuring them
of a hundred thousand welcomes, and closed with
reference to the fact that work done for God faileth
not.
The fraternal delegate from the British Methodist
Episcopal Church said, in the course of his remarks:
" We love the mother Church; we evidenced that fact
in not making much of a change in our name." He
said: " Mother, you have the "A," but we shall not go
very far; we will take the "B"—"British M. E.
Church,"—so that no one can come between us and
our mother." He also showed that the West India
Islands are a grand missionary field. A high compli¬
ment was paid to the episcopal activity of Bishop
Nazrey, who, when being asked upon his death-bed
what should be said to the brethren, replied: "Tell
them I die at my post." One important point had
been gained by that Church. In one of the islands
the local courts declared a marriage by one of its
ministers to be null and void, claiming that only a
clergyman of the Established Church was competent
to perform the ceremony. This was confirmed by a
higher court, but on appeal to the authorities in Can¬
ada, the decision by the Governor-general was that
the B. M. E. Church was a branch of the A. M. E.
Church of the United States, and as that Church was
regularly recognized by that Government, the B. M.
E. clergymen were competent to perform such a cere¬
mony. Thus they gained in one year what it took
the Wesleyan Church in England forty-five years to
General Conference of 1880.
261
accomplish. At the time of this General Conference
the B. M. E. Church had three missionaries—one in
Bermuda, where six churches had been built in ten
years; one in St. Thomas, where there was a large
Church; and a mission in another island.
Reference having so often been made to the B. M.
E. Church as our "elder" or "eldest daughter," I
took occasion to say that in our case there was no such
thing as "elder" or "eldest daughter;" there was
only one daughter, and (pointing to the B. M. E. dele¬
gate) her representative sat there. Again, when a
mother had three children her affections were divided,
but when only one all were centered on that one; such
was our case.
Bishop Dizney made some remarks showing a dispo¬
sition to unite with us, and one of our bishops (H. M.
Turner) moved that if the commission of our Church
and the B. M. E. Church agreed on co-operation or
organic union, it should be submitted to the Annual.
Conferences, and that a majority vote should make it
binding, so that we would not have to wait for the
next General Conference. Thus the first step was
taken toward our present situation. As a reason for
such a union Dr. B. T. Tanner endeavored to show
that the word "African " could unite all of the colored
people on the continent, including all the West India
Islands.
Delegates were appointed to the Ecumenical Con¬
ference to be held in London the following year, and
three additional bishops were elected, in the follow¬
ing order: Revs. H. M. Turner, William F. Dickerson,
and R». H. Cain. Appropriations were also made for
our schools, which were in working order, as well as for
262
Recollections of Seventy Years.
the projected one in Florida. This was done through
the leadership of the last elected bishop. Large ap¬
propriations were made, amounting to about two hun¬
dred thousand dollars, to be paid within the next
quadrennium. It all proved to be little more than
paper-work.
The General Conference of 1880 was the tenth in
which it had been my privilege by divine Providence
to sit. In many respects it differed from all others
preceding it. As to its composition there was a larger
amount of intelligence that entered into it than any
previous one. There was also a larger amount of
business tact. While this was true, • there was an
extravagance of legislation disgraceful to all con¬
cerned.*
I was appointed to the Second District for the en¬
suing four years. I then expected, and so expressed
myself, that the meeting of another General Confer¬
ence would find my seat vacant. I am now con-
* There was also a spirit of contention and strife mani¬
fested by many of the young men, who for the first time had
a seat in the General Comference, that was shameful to con¬
template. They seemed to think that they were in an assembly
of rabid politicians. This spirit of contention and strife often
burst out in such vociferous sentences as compelled people
outside in the streets to stand and listen with astonishment,
wondering at what was going on within the house conse¬
crated to the holy religion of the Prince of Peace. These
young men were from North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Georgia. No respect for age and experience, no respect for
authority, no respect for the Discipline wliich they had
vowed to obey, and lio respect for the word of God could in¬
duce them to think clearly and with penetration into the
future. They had made up their minds to do this and to
have that, be the consequences conservative or destructive.
General Conference of 1880,
263
strained to cry out, ''Well! well! well!" in astonish¬
ment at finding myself not only having met another
such assembly, but, though feeble, to have seen more
than two years of another quadrennium pass over
my head. Surely the Lord has been very gracious
to me.
Our educational interests were becoming so scat¬
tered that the following spring (1881) I prepared an
"Appeal to the Common Sense of the Clergy and
Laity of the A. M. E. Church," hoping to convince
them of the impossibility and danger of attempting
to establish and support so many educational institu¬
tions. I spent a portion of this time endeavoring to
raise the necessary funds to liquidate the last of my
indebtedness on the museum for Wilberforce. This
wTas my final effort to raise the sum; I abandoned the
attempt after this, and paid the amount lacking
(about $300) myself.
June brought me westward to attend the Bishops'
Council, and to comply with the invitation to deliver
the annual sermon at Wilberforce University. I found
the condition of our educational affairs warranting my
alarm and justifying my appeal. And here I will say
that I can think only of four ways by which institu¬
tions of learning of a high order can be established—
such as colleges, universities, and theological sem¬
inaries. These are: 1. By royal decree and unlim¬
ited power to execute it. 2. By the legislation of a
democratic, republican, or aristocratic government,
with constitutional power to enforce its enactments.
3. By the united energies of an intelligent, educated,
Christian denomination having sufficient wisdom to
see the necessity of concentration and unity. 4. By
264 Recollections of Seventy Years.
the munificence of ricli individuals, whose tact, pluck,
and wisdom will enable him or her to employ the
men and the measures needed to secure success.
Where all these are lacking there can be no success¬
ful effort.
Chaptep XXVIII.
SECOND TRIP TO EDROPE.
Y time was fully occupied up to the day I made
my departure for London and the Ecumenical
Conference as one of the delegates of the A. M. E.
Church. I sailed on the "Egypt " July 9. The voy¬
age was in every way uneventful, and on the morning
of the 19th we saw the rugged outlines of Ireland,
rendered dim by the heavy mist that hung over it.
The next morning we arrived at Liverpool. In the
Mercury of that morning I read that the AVesleyan
Methodist Conference opened the day before, and
that afternoon I visited it, where I was agreeably sur¬
prised to meet Dr. Clark, of Georgia, the agent of the
Monumental Wesleyan Church to be built in Savan¬
nah, Ga.
Two days later I left for London. There I met two
distinguished friends at a reunion held at Mrs. Job-
son's, the widow of my old friend, Dr. Frederick J.
Jobson. And here I must diverge to pay my tribute
to one of the noblest specimens of what a Christian
gentleman and minister ought to be, whom I had the
happiness to become acquainted with while in Eu¬
rope. He was of medium size and slightly corpulent ;
generous and catholic in his spirit toward persons of
pther denominations than his own; a man of varied
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266
Recollections of Seventy Years.
accomplishments — for he was an architect and a
painter in oil and water colors. I saw many speci¬
mens of his skill in oil upon the walls of his home,
and his genial and dignified widow exhibited to me a
large volume of his aptness in water-colors, represent¬
ing scenes in foreign lands which had been witnessed
by himself and his wife in their repeated visits to the
continent. As a pulpit orator his qualities were of
the noblest kind. I quote from Dr. Pope's memo¬
rial address: "There are many types of fervor. Dr.
Jobson's was a noble one. He had all the elements
that go to the preparation of a Christian orator; he
had a good intellect, fairly trained; his sensibilities
were exquisitely susceptible and ready to be played
on through the entire range of emotion, from the
light gleam of the humorous up to the wildest pas¬
sion—I fill up the sentence as an act of justice, for
it would be a great mistake to think that our departed
preacher was only an enthusiast, carried away by
strong impulse. Far from it. In the judgment of
many he was one of the most cool, clear-headed,
shrewd, and unimpassioned ministers who ever com¬
posed a sermon. In fact, he was an artist, and not
the less such because lie was under the influence of
the Spirit; he was under the influence of the Spirit,
and not the less so because he was an artist." And
in this connection let me tell the reader how Dr. Job-
son was led to a personal knowledge of the Lord
Jesus. I state it in the words of Dr. Pope: "He car¬
ried a load of anxiety long, and found no relief. One
day, however, while painting a picture of the Saviour
standing before Pilate, his thoughts were suddenly
and strongly directed to the former; he was led to
Second Trip to Europe.
267
study the gospel narrative of the crucifixion, to med¬
itate upon it and revolve it in his mind, until there
sprung up in his heart the persuasion that he avIio
hung upon the cross, One for all, hung there on his
account, and died to give him life. He never after¬
ward wavered in his devotion; with more or less inten¬
sity and fervor he was the Lord's forever." Five of
his works are in my library. Two of the most inter¬
esting are: "A Mother's Portrait," which is a tribute
of his own grateful heart to the sainted parent who
brought him into the world; and a small volume en¬
titled " Saving Truths." After a brilliant and success¬
ful career as an itinerant preacher the Doctor filled
two of the most important positions in the gift of the
British Wesleyan Methodist Church—those of Pres¬
ident of the Conference and of Book Steward. In
this latter office he spent fifteen years of his very
useful life, leaving the "impress of his genius" upon
almost " every thing pertaining to it."
From London I went to Canterbury to visit the ca¬
thedral. The country on my journey was like a great
garden, in the midst of which many villages arise.
The Cathedral of Canterbury and its environs are
rich in mediaeval history. At Canterbury British
Christianity was born and cradled. There the British
bishopric was founded by Gregory the Great, through
the agency of St. Augustine/" who was constituted its
first bishop and its first archbishop. Augustine was
also empowered by Pope Gregory the Great to estab¬
lish twelve bishoprics in England, and given authority
to constitute any one of these twelve the Metropolitan
*The Italian monk, and not St. Augustine of Ilippo, in
Africa.
268
Recollections of Seventy Years.
of York. The Archbishop of Canterbury also justly
enjoyed the prerogative of crowning the kings of En¬
gland.
These historic facts will make the. reader under¬
stand why Archbishop Becket was offended when
in France he was informed that Boger, Archbishop of
York, had crowned King Henry II. Begarding this
act of Boger and his associates, the Bishop of Lon¬
don and the Bishop of Salisbury, as an infringement
upon his office, he procured authority to suspend the
Archbishop of York and to " revive " a former ex¬
communication of the bishops of London and Salis¬
bury, who had assisted in the coronation. King
Henry II. naturally entered into practical sympathy
with the dignitaries who had crowned liim. These
three bishops immediately left England, and arriving
in France, proceeded to the palace and reported to the
king the facts concerning their humiliation by Becket.
Henry became enraged, because he felt that in sus¬
pending the Archbishop of York and the other bish¬
ops liis own crown and scepter were insulted. So in
the midst of his fury he exclaimed: "A fellow that
has eaten my bread has lifted up his heel against me;
a fellow that I loaded with benefits dares insult the
king and the whole royal family and tramples on the
whole kingdom; a fellow that came to court on a lame
horse, with a cloak for a saddle, sits without hinder-
ance on the throne itself." "What sluggard wretch¬
es! " he burst forth again and again. " What cowards
have I brought up in my court, who care nothing for
their allegiance to their master! Not one will deliver
me from this low-born priest! " These fateful words
acted like magnetism 011 four knights who were among
Second Trip to Europe.
269
his courtiers.* They conspired to rid Henry of the
insolent Becket. They crossed the British channel,
arrived in Canterbury, and found their way into the
bed-room of the archbishop, who was conversing with
the monks, his particular friends. An angry dia¬
logue took place, which grew more and more violent,
until both parties became furious, when the blood¬
thirsty knights rushed out to arm themselves. Before
their return the faithful monks forced him to take
refuge in the cathedral, ascend and seize the horns
of the "high altar," where, it was supposed, his en¬
emies would not dare to touch him. But the assas¬
sins overtook him in the transept near a central pillar,
and with three blows from their drawn swords they
brought him down on his knees, then "flat on his
face." "In this posture he received from Richard
the Breton " the fourth and last blow. "The stroke
was aimed with such violence that the.crown, or scalp,
of the head was severed from the skull." Hugh Iior-
sea, who had joined the knights, " planted his foot on
the neck of the corpse, thrust his sword into the
ghastly wound, and scattered the brains over the
pavement." "Let us go, lot us go," he said; "the
traitor is dead; he will rise no more."
To strangers visiting Canterbury Cathedral the
guide points out the spot where the archbishop fell
with these words on his lips: "For the name of Je¬
sus and defense of the Church I am willing to die."
He was no coward. He followed liis honest convic¬
tions even unto death by martyrdom by assassins, with
the power of the throne behind them. Unarmed and
* Their names were Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville,
William de Tracy, and Richard le Brez.
270
Recollections of Seventy Years.
surrounded by his murderers, lie dared to say: "When
the rights of the Church are violated I shall wait for
no man's permission to avenge them. I will give to
the king the things that are the king's, but to God
the things that are God's." How lie was buried, how
canonized, how his shrine was visited annually by
pilgrims from all parts of Christendom, during a pe¬
riod of three hundred ye#rs, are graphically described
by Dean Stanley in his work entitled "Historical
Memorials of Canterbury," to which the reader is re¬
ferred.
From Canterbury I set out for Paris; to find myself
again among old friends.* One of my first calls was
*I3ut not all; for some had finished their earthly career,
and had gone to enter upon a more glorious one in the heav¬
ens, among ■whom was Dr. Valette, the instructor of several
of the princes of Europe, who was in 1SG7-S at the head of
the Lutheran Church in France. He was a grand old man,
with a large heart full of the catholic spirit of Luther. In his
home I spent many pleasant evenings with his interesting
daughter, who was always anxious to learn something about
the women of America—how they lived, what were their
privileges, what their rights, and how they used them? To
this Christian home my dear, sainted brother gave me a
standing invitation. To his house of worship he also fre¬
quently invited me, and with him I enjoyed the divine bless¬
ings. On one of these occasions, to Avhich I had a special in¬
vitation, he confirmed about twelve young ladies. They were
all arrayed in spotless white. The house, or chapel, in which
this ceremony took place had been a convent, built doubtless
near the close or immediately after the mediaeval age. An¬
other sainted friend, who had finished the holy war against
the Satanic hosts, and had gone to wear the victor's crown, was
the Bev. Emile Cook, whose father Mas one of "Wesley's
missionaries to the Romanized French people. While Broth¬
er Cook's father -was English, his mother was French; there¬
fore he spoke the French and the English with equal facility.
Second Trip to Europe.
271
upon Professor Quatrefages, whom I found in his li¬
brary. He gave me his last ethnological work—■
"L'Espece Humaine"—in which he wrote his name.
I was pleased to receive it, as I had been paying much
attention to another work of his for many years—
"Rapport sur les Progres de l'Antliropologie."* I
spent but a few days in Paris, but found time to re¬
visit hastily the places which had so interested me in
my previous sojourn there. With my interest in
natural history still unabated, I visited the Zoolog¬
ical Garden, where my attention was drawn to a spe¬
cies of sheep from Abyssinia, which was both new to
me and equally curious. Their bodies were covered
with perfectly white hair, their necks and heads were
black; they were without horns, and their tails were
very short, while the hinder, part of the animal was
very fleshy. They were of ordinary size, and very
pretty animals. The antelope from Senegal was also
very pretty. It was unlike any other antelope which
I have seen.
See an account of his visit to my evergreen cottage atTVilber-
force, O. Then, there were my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Moin-
dron, with whom I boarded for about three months, near
the "Palais Napoleon." Mr. Moindron was a man of few
words, who seldom spoke unless he was addressed. But Mrs.
Moindron was communicative. She had spent some time in
England, and spoke the English fluently. She had a sweet
voice—not powerful, hut melodious—performed well on the
piano, and always made her guests happy with the holy songs
of Mount Zion. Iler favorite song was Quel Amour (" O
"What Love ! "). To hear her sing, accompanied by the piano,
was to me a divine joy.
* I am now engaged in reading another work of this great
anthropologist entitled "Les Polvnesiens et leurs Migra¬
tions," which is equally instructive.
2?2
Recollections of Seventy Years.
From Paris I returned direct to Canterbury, where
[ attended the cathedral service. I cannot say that I
311 joyed it, because, in the first place, I could not fol-
ow the chanting, for evtry thing was chanted, even
;he Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed; and in
lie second place, I could not understand the order of
he services, the officiating priests seeming to skip
ibout from point to point. At St. Martin's Church I
aw what is said to be the tomb of Queen Bertha.
>he sleeps very near the altar. The tomb is very
imple and altogether inornate—too much so, I might
ay, for one of her historical importance. Other ancient
Dmbs were there also—some in the form of the Egyp-
ian sarcophagus. As that day was a day of sight-
eeing, I rode thence to St. Augustine's Abbey. The
riginal building was all in ruins, with only portions
f the wall still standing. The new wing of the ab-
ey was in good condition. This was used for a
•aining-college for missionaries. From the founding
E the college up to that year a noble band of five
undred had gone from its cloisters to the very ends
: the earth.
From Canterbury I wei>t to London again, and a
w days later to Harrowgate to preach for the pastor,
bom I had met at the Wesley an Conference in Liv-
pool, aiid who then begged me to go there and fill
e pulpit for him at this time. I was accompanied
e next morning by a layman of the Church to the
ief of the "Wesleyan chapels in that "Saratoga of
igland." This chapel had a debt of one hundred
d twenty pounds sterling hanging over its beauti-
[ organ. I assisted at three efforts to liquidate this
bt. Though I was very feeble and utterly unfit to
Second Trip to Europe.
273
speak in public, especially to a strange audience, I
did the best which my weakness allowed. A Chris¬
tian gentleman of the congregation, entering into sym¬
pathy with my great weakness, called upon me while
I was at dinner, and told me that he could relieve me
if I would take his remedy, which I was glad to re¬
ceive. It was homeopathic, and had the effect of a
charm, relieving me instantly; so that at night I spoke
with the strength and energy of my early manhood,
everybody wondering at the difference between the
sermon of the morning and that of the evening. The
following day was one of great interest. Four of my
English friends took me to the magnificent park of
the Marquis of Ripon, to see the rains of the famous
Monastery of Fountains. This park required twenty-
five years to complete it. Its grandeur and beauty
can only be realized by a visit to it and a promenade
through it. The undulating surface, the graceful es¬
carpments of the hills, the artificial lakes, the statua¬
ry, and exquisite shrubbery (especially evergreens)
made it one of the most enjoyable spots on earth.
The famous Monastery of Fountains was so called
because ifc was located in .a small valley about three
miles west of the town of Ripon, where springs of
water bubbled from the ground around it, from which
circumstance the monks who inhabited it gave it the
name of the Abbey or Monastery of Fountains. This
monastery was founded in 1132 by Archbishop Thurs¬
ton, of York. The echo produced by a cavity at the
base of an unhewn rock and a point in the opposite
ruins of the Abbey is one of the most remarkable
phenomenon of the kind whicjj I have ever witnessed.*
„ * Standing by the cavity of this unhewn rock, and speaking
18
274
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Every thing connected with my visit to these ruins,
even my emotions and reflections, were exceedingly
interesting and unique.
The Springs of Harrowgate were also very inter¬
esting. The waters were sulphur, saline chalybeate,
and pure chalybeate. The sulphur-baths were also
very luxurious and refreshing.
It has been said that English women have no inter¬
est in the affairs of their country, but one morning
after family worship I listened to and shared in a con¬
versation of the English boarders concerning the po¬
litical and educational affairs of the government and
the people. No group of American ladies could have
exhibited more interest in the republic than did these
in England. An elderly maiden-lady led the conver¬
sation. She belonged to the Conservative party of the
time, and was opposed to Mr Gladstone, the Pre¬
mier at that time. When I suggested his fitness for
the position, and told her that by Americans he was
considered the greatest statesman in Europe, she
concluded her remarks with the illogical exclamation:
"Well, lie is better fitted to go and take care of his
wife, who is ill with erysipelas."
While at Harrowgate I received a kind invitation
from Rev. James Eae, a Scotch Presbyterian minis--
to a. friend in an ordinary tone of voice, from the ruins of the
abbey our speech was echoed with such startling force as to
make us feel as though the spirit of one of the departed
monks was mocking our utterances. Several sarcophagi
were pointed out, said to be the casements of abbots who in
their day were the governors of the monastery. .These an¬
cient ruins of the mediaeval age are considered so sacred that
a noble lady of large fortune has put a portion of them in a
state of preservation.
Second Trip to Europe.
275
ter, to spend a Sabbath in his elegant home at Sun¬
derland, and preach to his flock. Sunderland looks
directly upon the German Ocean, and is noted for its
high cliffs. I lectured there to a large and attentive
audience 011 " What I have seen of the past and pres¬
ent condition of the southern portions of the United
States."
From Sunderland I went to Glasgow, and the
morning following my arrival I sailed up the Clyde
about thirty miles in company with several friends,
returning to Glasgow in the evening. The scenery 011
the Clyde reminded me much of our noble Hudson
in its natural contour. I think it fully equal to the
Hudson; and in the multiplicity of its beautiful towns
and cities, in my judgment, it surpasses the Hudson.
The still perfect castles and the ruins of ancient ones
add to the grandeur of the scene.
From Glasgow I went to Edinburgh to deliver a
letter of introduction to the husband of the daughter
of Livingstone, the great African missionary and ex¬
plorer.- I then went to York, the seat of the Arch¬
bishop of York, where the cathedral was the leading
point of interest—said" to b& larger than that of Can¬
terbury.*
* York is a walled city, said'to have been built by the Ro¬
mans after they had conquered Britain, now called England.
From one of its gates the traveler can ascend by steps and
promenade these walls, from which he has a fine view of the
surrounding country. On these walls I came into social con¬
tact with several learned and communicative foreigners. In
York you will find an interesting museum, a large portion of
which contains the countless presents given to the IMnce of
Wales in his tour around the globe. They consist of domes¬
tic utensils and martial instruments made of copper, silver,
276
Recollections of Seventy Years.
I arrived in London from York in four hours, a dis¬
tance of one hundred and ninety-eight miles, in the
rain. And how it rained! It did nothing but rain!
Pleasant letters from home awaited me, and as the
weather continued unpleasant I postponed until
morning a search for my colleagues and other dele¬
gates from America to the Ecumenical Conference.
My first view of the Salvation Army was at their
chapel, where I listened to their utterances for one
hour. The exercises consisted chiefly of singing and
telling their own personal experiences, intermingled
with music from one fiddle, a tambourine, and nine
brass instruments, after which they invited seekers of
religion to kneel at the altar. Then followed five or
six prayers.* On my way to my lodgings 2^ met three
distinct groups of persons conducting religious wor¬
ship on the streets. They were led by young men
and women. And so the Lord of the harvest scatters
seed along the highway. O that none could fall on
stony ground!
and gold, among which were several table-cloths, whose text¬
ure was Interwoven with threads of silver and gold. The
gifts presented General Ex-president Grant by the dignitaries
of the globe could be exhibited on a large table, but those
given to the oldest son of Queen Victoria require immense
halls to contain them. General Grant represented the young
republic; the Prince of Wales represented the British Em¬
pire, upon which the sun never sets. A magnificent oil-paint¬
ing representing Queen Victoria, her children, and grand-chil¬
dren, taken as large as life, is also to be seen in this museum
at York.
* Every thing about this meeting had a strange and unique
appearance, for even one of its members rose up with a banjo
in his hands and played it as a bass accompaniment, while
he sung a sacred solo.
Chapter XXIX.
ECUMENICAL CONFERENCE—TRICENNIAL.
THE morning of September 6, which I spent at a
breakfast given at Exeter Hall by the Religious
Tract Society to the delegates of the Ecumenical Con¬
ference, I reckon among the most interesting social
events of my life. We listened to an abstract of the
report of the Secretary, pending the first part of the
breakfast. This gave a very interesting account of
the work. After this two gentlemen connected with
the Society in India gave us brief statements of its
operations in that country. These were followed by
brief remarks in order from Bishop Simpson, the
Lord Mayor of London, Dr. Osborne, the President
of the Conference; Rev. William Arthur; Dr. Coke, of
the New Connexion Methodists; Bishop McTyeire, of
the Methodist Church, South; a representative of
the Primitive Methodists, and myself. Singing and
prayer preceded all. After a most enjoyable time the
benediction was pronounced, and the brethren shook
hands and departed. In company with some of our
delegates from America, we spent the remainder of
the day sight-seeing at Windsor Castle.
The next morning our own dear Bishop Simpson
preached the inaugural sermon of the Conference at
10:30 a.m. His text was John vi. G3: "The words
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278
Recollections of Seventy Years.
that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are
life." The treatment was scientific, philosophic, and
evangelic. I think that it made a profound impres¬
sion on a very large and attentive audience.
It was a busy time for me up to the 20th, on the
evening of which the august body held its last meet¬
ing. I presided over the love-feast at the Prince of
Wales Chapel one evening; preached at Lady Mar¬
guerite Road Chapel in the morning of the first Sun¬
day, and on the second Sabbath gave an account to
the Wesleyan Church at Tunbridge Wells of God's
educational work among the freedmen, reviewing a
period of fifty years. In the evening of the same
day I gave them an account of the political, indus¬
trial, and social condition of the freedmen. On the
fifth day of the meeting I fulfilled my part on the
programme by reading my paper on the " Relation
of Methodism to the Temperance Movement," and at
one of the morning sessions it was my duty, by ap¬
pointment of the committee, to preside over the delib¬
erations of the Conference. How I discharged this
honor let others say. The social pleasures of these
days were very enjoyable.. Private dinners and teas
were given, at which I met various members; but the
crowning social event of the occasion was the recep¬
tion given by the Lady Mayoress of London and her
brother-in-law, Mr. Alexander McArthur. This, I re¬
gret to say, I did not attend, as after dressing I was
kept waiting so long for my carriage that when it
did come it was too late for the appointed hour, and
I remained at home. A meeting especially abound¬
ing with greetings of fraternal feelings, sympathy,
and congratulations was the one at Exeter Hall to
Ecumenical Conference—Tricennial.
279
receive the deputies of many non-Methodist Chris¬
tians—United Brethren, Presbyterians, Congregation-
alists, Baptists, and the Bible Christians. To me this
meeting seemed like a prophecy of the near future,
when all of God's children will see eye to eye and
speak as the tongue of one man.
In the midst of all I tried to find time to visit, or
rather revisit, points of interest with brother dele¬
gates and other friends. One of these of especial in¬
terest was Dore's Art Gallery, where we saw some most
beautiful paintings on scriptural subjects. Jesus de¬
scending from the pretorium, Jesus within the preto-
rium, Jesus on the way to Calvary, and Jesus arisen
were all masterpieces of beauty and sublimity. The
soldiers of the cross, the battle of Ascalon, the mar¬
tyrs, the angel warning Herod's wife in a dream, and
Moses before Pharaoh were also fine, belonging to
the grand, the magnificent.
During the sitting of the Conference the sad news
of President Garfield's assassination was cabled to
London. All the American delegates were immedi¬
ately called together, and a committee appointed to
draw up resolutions of sympathy, upon which com¬
mittee my name was placed by Bishop Simpson. The
sad tidings threw a gloom over all, especially over the
American delegates.
I left London for Liverpool to take the steamer
"Erin" for New York the morning of September 21.
There I found a half-dozen others who had also taken
passage on the same vessel. One of them placed in
my hands a printed copy of my essay from the editor
for correction, which I did in time to mail before sail¬
ing. We left Liverpool under a cloudless sky. The
280
Recollections of Seventy Years.
night was cool yet bland, the stars shone out with
splendor, and I promenaded the deck until after 9
p.m., when I was the first to retire of the four passen¬
gers in the state-room. A day or so out, the sea be¬
came rough, affecting a remarkably large number with
seasickness. The sky remained clear a portion of
the time,, the sun shining brightly. I never saw the
sea so rough under so clear a sky. The waves rose
to such a height that the horizon seemed to be not
more than forty or fifty feet distant from the stern of
the steamer. Every wave was crested with foam. For
several days this continued; sometimes the steamer
rolling so fearfully and violently, the undulating bil¬
lows rising up into such high and steep liquid hills,
the ship ascending and descending, rolling into the
intervening valleys, that every thing movable was
thrown down; dishes had to be confined in grooves,
and we could not remain on our seats. It seemed as
though the vessel would throw up her keel, and empty
herself of her living cargo of eight hundred souls.
We encountered about a week of this disagreeable
motion, when gradually the ocean became calm, and
the steamer glided so easily over the short-crested
waves that the motion was scarcely felt. This, how¬
ever, lasted only for a few hours, and the whole scene
again changed. A thick fog blew from the west, hid¬
ing the sun; the motion of the ship was checked, and
every five minutes the whistle was heard like a mad
bull groaning out, as a warning to other vessels. The
passengers, who an hour before had all been on deck
basking in the sunlight and drinking in the balmy
breath of the atmosphere, were seeking shelter in the
saloons. What a picture of individual life!
Ecumenical Conference—Tricenniul. 281
The first Sunday out I approached t"he captain in
regard to divine service. He replied by saying: "I
attend to that myself." Accordingly at the usual
hour the bell was rung, and as many as desired as¬
sembled in the saloon. He read the Liturgy of the
Church of -England, and abruptly left the saloon.
The following Sunday he did a little more—staying
to join in the singing of several cf Sankey's songs;
but he never invited any one to preach, although'
there wrere at least four colored clergymen on board,
two of whom were bishops.
The 4tli of October we were in New York harbor.
I separated from my companions in New York, and
went to Baltimore, where I preached the following
Sunday, and spoke to the Sunday-school. On the
night after I was up late, caused not only by organ¬
ising an historical and literary society at Ebenezer,
but by the distance to my lodgings, and the difficulty
of passing through the city thronged by crowds of
citizens and strangers who were celebrating the fete
of the "Oriole Demonstration" in honor of the com¬
pletion of the new water-works of Baltimore. Tues¬
day night I again retired late, and traveled all Wednes¬
day night; lost my noonday rest on Friday and
Saturday, so that the following Sabbath, which found
me at home, also found me too prostrated by my ex¬
ertions to attend church, still less to preach, as had
been desired. But sufficient rest restored me, and I
was soon enabled to look after the business at home
demanding my attention.
In November I went to Baleigh, N. C., to open my
work in the Second District, and the spring follow¬
ing found me in Charleston, S. C., the city of my
282
Recollections of Seventy Years
birth. I was anxious to learn of the progress in the
schools, and visited that of Morris Street, which I
round very interesting, well instructed, and well gov¬
erned. I learned then that about five hundred thou¬
sand dollars was raised by the State for educational
purposes, of which the county of Charleston raised
one hundred thousand; yet notwithstanding this fact
one hundred thousand boys and girls attended no
school; four thousand children in the county attend¬
ed no school. The pupils were asked if they under¬
stood their relation to this mass of ignorance, to the
vices and crimes resulting from it. In two schools
which I visited there were two thousand and ten pu¬
pils, with thirty-eight teachers. A visit to the public
schools of Norfolk, Ya., a short time after, convinced
me that these schools are improving the rising gen¬
eration , preparing it to take a higher rank in society,
and to be more intelligent and useful citizens than
the parents. , "
It had been stated by one of the fraternal delegates
at the General Conference of 1880 that the tendency
of the age was union, and the regularity wTith which
the subject of unification of the A. M. E. Churoh with
other colored Churches came up would seem to ver¬
ify this statement. That of our Church and the Gol-
ored Methodist Episcopal Church of America had
been discussed at one of the meetings of our bishops,
and a committee had been appointed to interview their
bishops, which resulted in the call for a meeting of
both in Baltimore, April, 1882. So hither I went,
but there was but one of their bishops present, and
we were unable to do any thing but express views,
which seemed quite unanimous for unification, as
Ecumenical Conference—Tvicennial.
283
there was 110 difference in doctrine or in government
between the two bodies.
On the 11th of May we left Baltimore for New
York to attend the exercises which had been decided
upon to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of my epis¬
copacy. Bishop Brown, who was to deliver the ad¬
dress of welcome, was not there, and Bishop Dick-
erson was substituted, who delivered a short but
beautiful and apt speech. A sketch of myself was
given by Rev. W. H. Hunter, which was concise, lu¬
cid, and comprehensive. Papers relative to our work
and progress were read the following evening. Sat¬
urday the 13th was the annivercary day proper. An
excellent dinner was served in the afternoon, at which
a number of guests sat down. After dinner toasts
were read and convivial speeches made. At night
essays were read. The Sunday following was an ev-
er-to-be-remembered day. I preached my triennial
discourse, and it led mo to treat as a subject to be
considered " Domestic Education the Highest Duty
of the Parent and the Citizen." In the afternoon,
after an eloquent discourse by Bev. C. S. Smith, we
partook of the Lord's Supper. That day completed
the labors of those who had gathered together to cel¬
ebrate the occasion.
That a valuable amount of information respecting
the extension of the A. M. E. Church was gained
through this anniversary I have not a shadow of
doubt; that the volume of the essays when published
will awaken the spirit of historical research in the
minds of many of our young ministers is also certain;
and, moreover, that the future historian will find in
these essays the romantic chapter of our ecclesiastic
284
Recollections of Seventy Years.
history is equally certain. I wrote at that time:
"Why has the great Head of the Church thus hon¬
ored me—one so feeble in his physical structure, so
humble in his mental endowments, so inconstant in
his moral nature, so weak in faith, so wayward in lore,
so inefficient as a workman? Why, I ask, O thou
who art the Alpha and Omega, who still walkest amid
the golden candlesticks, holding the stars in thy own
right hand—why, I pray thee, tell me why I have
thus been* preserved to see the thirtieth year of my
episcopal career and labors?" Not on account of
any merit in me, not on account of superior mental,
endowments, not on account of superior literary at¬
tainments, not on account of any spiritual excel¬
lence—for in all these qualities "I am less than
the least of all saints"—but on account of Thy lov¬
ing-kindness and tender mercies; wherefore I con¬
secrate myself anew to Thee.
Chapter XXX.
UNPLEASANT AND PLEASANT EXPERIENCES.
ABOUT this time I came in contact on several oc¬
casions with a spirit which I wish to note as det¬
rimental to all progress. It was that lawless spirit
which animated so many of our young people, as well
as older ones, who have an idea of freedom without
law, order, or government; so that as soon as you at¬
tempt to enforce order, law, or government, they throw
themselves 011 the American Constitution, and say :
" That document guarantees freedom of speech to
every American citizen;" "I am no slave;" "I will
not be gagged," etc. This same lawless, disorganiz¬
ing spirit believes itself at liberty to assail every
thing and every person that displeases it, no matter
how sacred the thing, how high the character of the
person, or how exalted the office. I have always en¬
deavored to show that class of persons who believe
that liberty and freedom mean lawlessness that free¬
dom, without law to regulate and control it, must end
in anarchy and destruction. In a word, when Church
troubles have occurred, I have endeavored to make
such a one understand that if he knew our Discipline
and the word of God he would recognize the truth
that order, law, and government must pervade the
(285)
286
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Churchand that liberty must be regulated and con¬
trolled by the Church of the living God.
Here I have to record one of the greatest outrages
to which I have been subjected in my advancing
years. The East Florida Conference was in session
ut Fernandina, to which I was invited by Bishop
Way man. I accepted, and purposed giving the ben¬
efit of my experience in the ministry to some young
men who were to be ordained. My purpose was to go
by steamer from Jacksonville, assured that, being
known to the captains of the steamers, I would have
no difficulty; but I was persuaded by a friend, Dr.
D., to tarry till Saturday morning and go down with
him and two of the lady teachers on board the train,
on the Jacksonville and Fernandina Railroad. I asked
him if there would not be some trouble on account of
color, and he replied that lie did not think so. I
told him he had better see about the matter. He did
so, reporting that the agent liad assured him there
would be no trouble. On the morning in question
lie accompanied me nearly to the depot, and then went
after the ladies. I purchased a first-class ticket, went
into the car, and deposited my hand-bag on a vacant
seat; then went out to see the surroundings. There
were not more than a half-dozen persons in the car at
the time. Meanwhile my friends went in and took
'.seats in the rear of the same car, and I soon re-entered
to join them. Passing Rev. Dr. D., President of
Cookman Institute, he requested me to sit by him. I
did so, having in my hand a copy of the Christian Ad¬
vocate, in which there was an interesting discussion
concerning the merits of which we began a familiar
talk, as he held a cop^ of the same. The train was
Unpleasant and Pleasant Experiences. 287
already in motion, and during the conversation tlie
conductor called for our tickets. He examined mine
and said : " This is not your seat."
" Where is my seat? " I asked.
" In the front car."
"Why?"
" Because there are no accommodations for colored
people except in that car."
" I'll not dishonor my manhood by going into that
car," I replied.
He repeated the same statement.
" Then," said I, " before I'll dishonor my manhood
by going into that car, stop your train and put me off."
" I'll put you off at the next stopping-place, he re¬
turned.
A lady and gentleman from the North, sitting be¬
hind ns, and other persons in the car cried out:
"Shame! shame! shame!" We soon reached a point
five miles from Jacksonville. He stopped the train
and said: " This is the point for you to leave the car."
I took my baggage to leave, fearing personal violence^
and knowing my unequal strength might result dis¬
astrously for me. The excitement then became very
great on t'he part of many in the car—Dr. D., with
whom I had been sitting, repeatedly saying, "Don't
leave;" while some were crying, "Shame! shame!"
A man, evidently of German extraction, said: "The
conductor must carry out the orders of the company."
As I reached the door, very excited and indignant, I
turned and said: " I have traveled over many portions
of foreign lands, and found no such treatment. I also
came from Baltimore to Jacksonville having no
trouble, and I want to know if white men riding be-
288
Recollections of Seventy Years.
tween Jacksonville and Fernandina are better than
white men elsewhere." So saying, I left the train.
As the train was moving off, the guilty conductor
looked out and said: "Old man, you can get on the
platform at the back of the car." I replied only by
contemptuous silence. There was no platform at this
place, and I stood with my heavy baggage, looking for
some place to rest. I finally discovered a little house,
to which I went to find a conveyance back to Jack¬
sonville. But I was sent to another house a few rods
off, where I found no one, and it became evident that
the only way back was to go on " shank's mare." On
I started, carrying part of my baggage on my shoul¬
ders, the other in my right hand. Nearly the whole
road to Jacksonville was a heavy bed of sand. I
walked till too tired to proceed farther, and sat down
to rest. After resting I walked on again until I was
exhausted, and was obliged to lie down flat on my back
by the stump of a tree large enough to shield me from
the burning sun, where I lay for a long time. I then
began again my journey toward Jacksonville. It be¬
ing too late for the wagons to go into market with
produce, I came across no opportunity for a ride.
When within one mile of Jacksonville, and ready to
drop with fatigue, two colored men approached, to
one of whom I paid a small sum of money to carry
my baggage the rest of the way. My friends, Dr.
D. and ladies, continued their journey and reported
the outrage to the Conference. The whole body im¬
mediately went to the superintendent of the road in
relation to the matter, asking under what instructions
the conductor acted. "Mine," he replied. Several
of the leaders intimated what an enraged and insulted
Unpleasant and Pleasant Experiences.
2S9
people might do to the road under the circumstances.
Then the superintendent immediately wrote an order
for the conductor " to bring Bishop Payne down, giv¬
ing him all the courtesies of the road." A committee
came up to Jacksonville bearing this order, but I was
too exhausted by the trials of the previous day to re¬
peat the trip, and declined going.
The next week an indignation meeting was held at
Jacksonville, and a protest published in the Jackson¬
ville Times. Judge Tucker also wrote an article of
censure; but so great was the pressure brought to
bear on both the publisher and Judge Tucker, that
the latter wrote another article, in which he took the
opposite view, and questioned whether I might not be a
spy or emissary sent down to test the " civil rights law."
Though I was urged to prosecute the company, I
refrained, as several similar cases had been 011 the
court docket for two or three years, and had not been
prosecuted; also because it was best to put my case in
the hands of the Omnipotent. I am no superstitious
man; but before my return the next winter to Jack¬
sonville the district attorney who would not prosecute
such cases, and the editor of the Union who would
not ventilate our wrongs, were both summoned before
"the Judge of all the earth," who is 110 respecter of
persons. Since then I have had no trouble, but on
the contrary have repeatedly had complimentary
tickets given me. A friend in Washington, D. C.,
who interrogated me later, remarked: " How omnipo¬
tent sometimes is a quiet, peaceful conduct! "
My visit to the Commencement of Miner Normal
School, in Washington, D. 0., in June of this year, is
a pleasant remembrance. By invitation I addressed
19
290
Recollections of Seventy Years.
tlie graduates—fifteen young ladies—and as I sat
upon the stage of the school named for that noble
woman, Miss Myrtle Miner, and as recollections of
lier self-sacrificing life rose up before me, I could find
nothing more fitting to say than to relate the incident
of my first meeting with her in the office of the Amer¬
ican Missionary Association in New York, which led
to her work in Washington, some of the results of
which I saw before me. At the close of the exercises
Hon. Frederick Douglass brought a lady to me, say¬
ing that " preparations were being made for a biog¬
raphy of Miss Miner, and what I had told them was
a needed link in the chain for those engaged in the
work, as those facts were utterly unknown to them."
A pleasant exchange of reminiscences followed this
meeting.
I was quite busy during the spring and summer, at¬
tending necessary meetings, preparing my odes for
Children's Day, writing a reply to Judge Tucker's
article, and working upon my " Treatise on Domestic
Education." In September I traveled southward,
giving some attention to our work on the Peninsula,
or Eastern Shore of Virginia, which covers a distance
of forty miles. The pioneers were Rev. J. H. A.
Johnson and Rev. J. H. Offer, whom I sent from the
Baltimore Conference in 1866. On the arrival of the
latter at Eastville, Va., there was not a single house
of worship, and but two small societies in the region
organized by Rev. J. H. A. Johnson. Elder Offer at
first preached under an oak-tree, but in 1868 six
houses of worship had been erected and a seventh
commenced. Since then, new ones have been erected
in some places and the old ones consecrated to educa-
Pleasant and Unpleasant Experiences. 291
tional purposes. The chief employment of the col¬
ored laborers there was farming, which at that time
consisted of the cultivation of both Irish and sweet
potatoes, and corn. Large quantities of fish were
shipped to the cities of Baltimore and Philadelphia.
The steamer on which I left Onancock took away at
cue time one thousand and twenty-nine barrels of
sweet potatoes from one point. The mental and moral
condition of the people was lamentable. This is the
legitimate fruit of the house of bondage from which
they had so recently issued. The following spring I
visited some settlements where I found the homes
most miserable, with but few exceptions. We inter¬
viewed some seven or eight heads of families—all
mothers; and on my putting to each the question,
" Can you read the Bible ? " the invariable response was
" No," in every case except one. I urg^d every one
to go to night-school, or to Sunday-school, in order
that they might learn to read the word of God. The
majority promised to learn. These mothers all had
children. What must become of such, if their moth¬
ers are unable to train them right? and what mother
can train a child in the way it should go, if she is not
a daily, prayerful reader of the Bible ?
In October I attended the Evangelistic Convention
in Chicago, which was opened on the 11th in an upper
room of Farwell Hall. There were a number of prom¬
inent clergymen present from England, among whom
was the Rev. Charles Spurgeon, Jr., the son of the
famous preacher at London. He was about twenty-
four years of age, and had been preaching seven years,
but as a pastor only three. Commencing in a small
cottage of two rooms, with 110 membership, he had
292
Recollections of Seventy Years.
gathered a membership of four hundred souls. He
was very simple in both dress and manners, not wear¬
ing gloves, saying humorously: "I wear nothing but
bare-skin gloves." His style was very much like that
of an earnest Methodist exhorter. Dr. Mackey, a
Scotchman, from Hull, England, spoke with the brogue
and manner of a Scot, in sledge-hammer words,
often humorous; but upon Rev. Marcus Rainsford,
of London, it seemed to me, as upon no other man
who spoke, rested a double portion'of the Holy Spirit.
To my unspeakable disappointment, for the first timQ
in my life I failed to fill an appointment to speak
for lack of physical power. I was in a most nervous
condition, having been the night before either almost
sleepless or tortured by disagreeable dreams. I en¬
deavored to bring my nerves into a condition of re¬
pose, so that I might speak at the appointed time.
When I lay down it seemed as though my whole nerv¬
ous system was cracking. The sensation was utterly
indescribable. Finally, one by one, each nerve seemed
to seize a point of repose, till my whole frame sunk
down into a sweet slumber. I awoke refreshed, but
110 tongue can express my regret to find that the time
for me to fill my part according to the programme had
passed by. "Why this failure?" I cried out to the
Lord. Yet I ought not to have complained, for no one
will complain if his watch should run down at the end
of seventy odd years. Nor was this all. Another dis¬
appointment awaited me for the morrow, occasioned
by the mistake of a little child, and I waited in vain
for the friend who was to call for me and conduct me
to the church, where I was to preach. He did call,
but the little girl of the house, having seen me de-
Pleasant and Unpleasant Experiences. 293
scend the steps a sliort time before, told him "that I
had gone. The congregation waited in vain for me.
During the convention I was the guest of Mr.
James S. Smithson, Corresponding Secretary of the
Convention. I cannot but recall my sojourn in their
home as one of my most pleasant experiences. Tho
whole family exhibited all that freedom and kindness
characteristic of English—I ought to say British—
Christians, because I have found these same charac¬
teristics among the Scotch and Irish gentry, as well as
/imong the English. Our own pastor, Rev. George
Shaffer, took me to ride about the great city of Chi¬
cago, to see the improvements and to view one cf its
finest parks. The Convention closed on the 14th, and,
taking leave of him and my white fellow-Christians,
I took my seat in the Pullman sleeper bound for Co¬
lumbus, O.
After two weeks with my family, in my own sweet,
evergreen home, I left for the East, where in the city
of Baltimore, Md., wre held the first celebration of
Children's Day, on the 29th of October. The new
songs and music, prepared by Rev. L. J. Coppin and
myself, were commingled with some of the sweetest
in the book, " White Robes." Dr. Tanner, the editor
of our Church organ, and Rev. C. S. Smith, Corre¬
sponding Secretary of the Sunday School Union, with
others, aided us in the celebration. The meeting was
enthusiastic, and doubtless seed was sown that shall
be productive of great good. In the evening we held
another celebration at Ebenezer Church.
An incident in regard to a Church trouble at this
time, in which a young preacher fell into trouble be¬
cause he did not take the advice of those older and
294
Recollections of Seventy Years.
more experienced than himself, fully illustrates the
wisdom of obedience to those who have the authority
to rule over them and advise them. The majority of
our young men seem to think that because they are
free they are qualified to govern the planetary sys¬
tem. Such will never learn wisdom except by sad and
bitter experience. Freedom is one thing; qualifica¬
tion is another. The former only places us in a po¬
sition to obtain the latter, but it is no substitute
for it.
After attending the North Carolina Conference at
New Berne, I went to Norfolk, Ya., to attend the meet¬
ing to organize the Board of Managers of the Sunday
School Union of the Church; and on the 29th of No¬
vember I went to Washington, D. C., to preach the
Thanksgiving sermon at Union Bethel Hall. My sub¬
ject on that occasion was, " National Greatness, True,
Solid, and Perpetual."
The opening of the year 18S3 found me in Norfolk,
Ya., on my way to Jacksonville, Fla., where I designed
spending the remainder of the winter, as far as my
duties would permit, on account of health which
seemed no longer able to endure the rigors of the
winters at my Northern home. I attended the South
Carolina Conference, held in Charleston in February.
Bishop Dickerson was its presiding officer. His judg¬
ment is that one-fourth of the entire Connection is
embraced in the South Carolina and Georgia Confer¬
ences. How wonderfully God has prospered the field
in South Carolina since the organization of the A. M.
E. Church in that State in the summer of 1865! Then
the whole field, from Yirginia to the Gulf, on the At¬
lantic sea-board included but between fourteen and fif-
Pleasant and Unpleasant Experiences. 295
teen hundred members; but at the time of which I
now speak South Carolina alone embraces about fifty
thousand and Georgia about another fifty thousand.
The one South Carolina Conference of 1865 had mul¬
tiplied into eleven.* For so large a Conference as
this was in 1883, it was also one of the most harmo¬
nious I ever witnessed. My work from that meeting
up to June kept me in Virginia much of the time, vis¬
iting different points. I also assisted in laying a
corner-stone of a new church, a few miles from Ports¬
mouth, after which I went to hold the Baltimore Con¬
ference. Here I will say that the Sunday excursions
which occur at Conference and other religious gather¬
ings are to be deplored on account of the desecration
of the holy Sabbath; for multitudes are in them who
go not to be instructed and saved from their sins, but
to have pleasure of some kind or other. The camp-
meetings also, of our times are disgraceful, on ac¬
count of the Sabbath desecrations which attend them.
These violations of the sanctity of God's holy day
are in many instances designed and encouraged, that
the Church may make money to pay off debts.
While in Virginia at this time I was impressed
with the improvements in Portsmouth. Our Church
at this place, with the one in Norfolk, was taken into
our Connection in 1863, and I then named it Emanuel.
If the former slave-holders who still live could have
visited this improved and remodeled building with
me, they would see the difference which freedom
makes in the condition of a people. The same was
*Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, North Georgia, Macon,
Columbia (S. C.), Florida, East Florida, Alabama, and North
Alabama.
296
Recollections of Seventy Years.
to be noted in many sections of the South. The par¬
sonage at Portsmouth, as I found it in 1885, is the best
in the Connection, being the largest, most convenient,
and best arranged that I have ever seen. It reflects
honor upon Emanuel Church, upon the A. M. E.
Church, and upon the colored race.
In June I again witnessed the graduating exercises
of the Miner Normal School, held in Lincoln Hall,
Washington, D. C. This was filled to overflowing,
and the platform was decked with flowers in every
conceivable shape and form. It was said that the
cost of these gorgeous tributes alone was three hun¬
dred dollars. What an expenditure for mere show,
or at best to gratify a taste for the beautiful, with¬
out thought about the lessons these flowers teach of
the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Creator! No
amount of begging could have induced the givers of
these beautiful bouquets to educate one of their own
race for the work of education. On this subject I
speak from experience—the experience of many years
of labor in the cause of Christian education.
On this Commencement occasion President Arthur
was present. His coming was delayed; bat finally,
when all hope of his presence was abandoned, he ap¬
peared upon the stage. When the moment arrived
for delivering the diplomas to the class of 18S3, the
graduates, one by one, approached the President, took
the diploma from his hands, bowed, and returned to
their seats. His Excellency said not a word of en¬
couragement to them. Register R. K. Bruce deliv¬
ered a very appropriate address to them, after which
the Commissioner of the District of Columbia, made
a short, pithy, encouraging speech of about three or
Pleasant and Unpleasant Experiences. 297
five minutes, on the "Relation of Common School
Education to Liberty." We were much gratified with
the speeches and the appearance of the graduates,
but disappointed at the reticence of His Excellency,
the Chief Magistrate of the Republic, whom the
Commissioner styled " the august presence of the
United States."
From Washington I returned home t ) attend our
own Commencement at Wilberforce University; but
an accident kept me in my bed for several days, and
confined me to the house still longer; and it was al¬
most miraculous that I was not at least crippled for
life. In endeavoring to adjust a curtain I mounted a
chair; my foot slipped, and I fell, striking my head
and shoulders upon the floor. My whole nervous sys¬
tem received such a concussion that for the moment
I felt completely shattered. I gradually recovered
myself enough to straighten my limbs (which were
drawn up in a cramped condition) and place my¬
self in a rigid horizontal posture, that the cramping
of my limbs and spinal column might not be perma¬
nent. The injury to my back seemed to be perma¬
nent for some time, and I fully expected that my days
were numbered; but God, in his wisdom and mercy,
saw fit to enable my system to withstand a shock in
my seventy-third year which I would hardly have ex¬
pected it to have done in early manhood.
I was thus able to resume my duties again in ^No¬
vember, going to the North Carolina Conference, and
so on southward, stopping at various points, and visit¬
ing Allen University, Columbia, S. C., as the guest of
my friend and colleague, Bishop W. F. Dickerson. I
was much interested in the work done there—a good
298
Recollections of Seventy Years.
work for the colored peopie of Soutli Carolina; and I
felt that should it be amply endowed it would be
a grand one.
The morning that I left the residence of Bishop
Dickerson for Charleston—during Christmas week—
was under a very stormy sky and freezing atmosphere.
There was snow on the ground, sleet on the snow,
torrents of rain were descending from the clouds, and
fearful darkness enshrouded almost every thing, as it
was six a.m. ^Che hackman had to help me down the
flight of steps, and the drive to the depot was a fear¬
ful one—so dark and dreary. The landscape from
Columbia to Branchville was fearfully wintry in its
appearance. I had never seen the like in any south¬
ern latitude. The Sunday previous it had been im¬
possible to make the houses of worship comfortable,
so that few people attended the services. At Branch¬
ville my discomfort was increased by the conductor
not giving proper notice, and by my own ignorance;
so that I entered the cars bound for Augusta, Ga., and
did not discover my mistake until the conductor came
to collect tickets. He then stopped the train and put
me off, nor did he increase the pleasure of the situa¬
tion by calling to me to " hurry up, or you'll be left."
I had to walk with my hand-bag over an icy, slippery,
and snowy road about one and a half miles; but when
I felt like fainting two men appeared, and I paid one
to assist me. I reached the depot in time to see the
train slowly receding from me; but I took another
train a little later, and reached Charleston about noon.
I remained in the South during the winter, until
duty called me northward in the spring.
Chapter XXXI.
VARIOUS INCIDENTS.
TN May I met the General Conference of 1884 in
1 Baltimore, at whicli Bishop J. M. Brown preached
the quadrennial sermon. The discourse was evi¬
dently delivered in favor of sacerdotalism and apos¬
tolic succession. It produced considerable commotion
in the Conference. But the Episcopal Committee, in
its second recommendation, repudiated the dogma of
apostolic succession. The immediate effect was to
produce great excitement and a most powerful and
eloquent opposition speech from the lips of the Sec¬
retary of the Sunday School Union, Rev. C. S. Smith.
The second effect was to produce a new chapter in our
Discipline (Chap. VIII.) embracing seven declara¬
tions against the figment of apostolic succession. The
first section threatens that "any person or persons
who shall violate these declarations by preaching the
dT)gma of apostolic succession shall be guilty of a
breach of discipline, and shall be tried, and if found
guilty, be suspended or expelled at the discretion of
the committee before whom such person shall be
tried." The second section of the same chapter con¬
tained a preamble and four resolutions against the
wearing of robes, gowns, or surplices by the bishops
or ministers of the A. M. E. Church.
(299)
300
Recollections of Seventy Years.
Bishop Dickerson delivered the bishops' address,
which-abounded in thoughtful and practical recom¬
mendations. The necessity for improvement in every
department of the Church was urgently recommended
in the able address.
The Conference received two fraternal delegates
from the Congregational Church. Reference was
made by them to the work of the American Mission¬
ary Association—its freedom from caste, its determi¬
nation to educate the colored race as £ar as it could,
and the self-sacrificing teachers in its employ.
The recommendation of the Episcopal Committee
that there should be no bishops elected at that session
was adopted by a very large majority, and had a cool¬
ing effect upon heated ambition. The Woman's Tem¬
perance Union was heard through two able advocates—
Mrs. F. E. W. Harper and Mrs. Dr. Thomas. In con¬
trasting this General Conference with earlier ones, I
am reminded of what Bishop Quinn told me at a
meeting of the bishops in Philadelphia in 1866. He
said that at the opening of the Convention of 1816 h&
" was appointed the door-keeper, and was ordered to
furnish the Convention daily with twelve bottles of
cider, nine pounds of cheese, and a peck of crackers."
A great many changes have taken place since then,
and notably in temperance sentiments and principles.
Educational matters were kept very prominently be¬
fore this body, and in a vigorous manner, which
argued well for better work in maintaining our schools.
Another, also prominent, was the union of the A. M.
E. Church and the British M. E. Church. The ma¬
jority of the bishops expressed themselves in favor
of the measure. Bishop Shorter and myself were
Various Incidents.
301
opposed to it; but the Conference voted tlie union—
106 to 5. I then repeated my protest which I had
made three years before, which protest was signed by
myself and six of the elders who were members of
the Conference. During the sitting of this body
news was received of the death of John F. Slater,
whose round million of dollars, devoted to the cause
of industrial education among the colored people in
the South, has shown him their true friend indeed.
Like the sainted Rev. Charles Avery, he executed
largely before he died, and lived to see some of the
fruits. Resolutions to his memory as well as to that
of another friend, Wendell Phillips, were passed by
Conference in the name of a grateful people.
At one of the sessions I delivered my lecture on
" What God is Doing for the Redemption and Recon¬
struction of Africa," speaking especially of the great
rush for the Congo River, the immense fields, and
the great conquests made in various parts of the
Dark Continent by the power of the purse, sword, and
Christianity. The Conference was urged to begin
operations there as soon as possible. " On, on, on! to
the Congo," was my closing appeal.
It was but a few months later that I read an inter¬
esting account of Stanley's Congo; and, as I have
been especially interested in the missionary labors in
Africa for some time, as my lectures on the subject
show, I will record an interesting fact which I learned
from it. It is said "the Free State" has an extent
of sea-coast of one thousand nine hundred miles; that
its area embraces one million square miles; and there
is a population of forty-two millions, over one million
of whom are ready and eager for trade. This free
302
Recollections of Seventy Years.
zone extends across the continent, to witliin one de¬
gree of the eastern coast, containing within its area
a population of about ninety millions. Lord Jesus,
what will be the outcome of this preliminary triumph
of civilization over barbarism and savagery? what the
triumphs of Christianity over heathenism?
As to the work and characteristics of this General
Conference I will say that it was not as boisterous as
that of 1880, but it was too boisterous for Christian min¬
isters and laymen. Indeed, this and the one in 1880
were distinguished by disrespect for episcopal author¬
ity and episcopal character. Several cases of disci¬
pline elicited an amount of forensic talent that was
not known to exist in the Conference. But the chief
event was the quadrennial sermon, which fell upon
the audience like a clap of thunder in a clear sky!
AVe closed our labors May 26, and I soon journeyed
homeward to seek my summer rest.
The union of the two bodies, as voted by this Con¬
ference, leads me to speak of liow two religious de¬
nominations may become one. There are ttvo ways:
(1) by absorption; (2) by unification. To effect one¬
ness of two distinct denominations by absorption,
whether they be similar or dissimilar, depends upon
the qualities which distinguish the one to be absorbed.
These qualities may be such as: (1) numbers, (2) in¬
telligence, (3) piety, (4) wealth. If all these, or a
majority of these, be out of proportion to its related
body, then absorption is necessitated, also when they
stand related as one to three, or one to four, or two to
four in numerical strength; when they are related
as children to full-grown men, in knowledge and in
piety and usefulness, this superior knowledge, piety,
Various Incidents.
303
and usefulness being demonstrated by what lias been
accomplished; when the poverty of the one and the
wealth of the other are related, one-tenth to one hun¬
dred, or one hundred ten-thousandths to one million.
But two or more religious denominations may become
one by organic union when the aforementioned quali¬
ties are equally possessed by the parties desiring to be
united in one government under the same discipline.
Such is the pride of the human heart that, unless the
Spirit of Jesus has taken entire possession of it, the
more numerous, the more intelligent, tbe more pious,
and the more wealthy will regard the less numerous,
the less intelligent, the less pious, and the less wealthy
as inferiors; therefore they will reject all proposals
for organic union. But, if two or more differing de¬
nominations sincerely and earnestly desire organic
oneness—in answer to the solemn, marvelous, and im¬
mortal prayer of the Son of God, as given us in the
seventeenth chapter of St. John's Gospel—no ine¬
quality of numbers, of intelligence, of piety, or of
wealth will prove to be an insurmountable barrier.
As for names and titles—be they genuine or not—de¬
vised by mortal, erring roan, they shall not be able to
stand against the omnipotent will of the Iiedeemer.
What is true of names and titles is equally true of
human organizations; for no particular form of
Church government is indicated, much less com¬
manded, in the written word of God. Presbyterian,
Congregational, Episcopal, Papal, ore all of human
device and origin—designed to minister to human
pride, human vanity, human dignity, or human power.
All these must fade away before the presence of the
conquering Son of God. The name Christian—that
304
Recollections of Seventy Years.
and that alone—will be able to stand before enlight¬
ened, progressive humanity, the glory of the millen¬
nium and the consuming fires of the judgment-day,
to which we all are hastening, and for which we all
ought to live.
I remained at home through the summer of 1884,
busy with the "History of the Church," my studies,
and the great amount of correspondence incident to
my office. Save a violent attack of kidney complaint,
my health was good during the months of my stay in
the North. This was brought on by overwork. I had
been in search of the minutes of the New England
Conference for 1856, in order that I might construct
a tabular view of the results of the labors of our min¬
istry from 1816 to 1856—a period of forty years, cov¬
ering an entire generation. I spent the best portions
of three days in search of it, working on a Friday and
Saturday long after dark. This prolonged night-work
so excited and taxed my nervous system as to render
me unfit not only for study, but also for any reading.
It was November before I left my own comfortable
home, which my heavenly Father had given me, for
my field of labor in the States of Florida and Ala¬
bama. I reached Hagerstown, Md., where I became a
guest at the home of Dr. J. H. A. Johnson, presiding
elder of the Baltimore District. While in Harris-
burg, en route to Baltimore, a trifling incident took
place, which, though trifling, is of such unusual occur¬
rence that X note it as showing a tendency, however
slight, to a different state of things. A little white
girl of eleven or twelve years of age volunteered to
show me the house I desired to reach. She also car¬
ried a part of my baggage for me. May God's bless-
Various Incidents.
305
ings rest upon tliat kind-liearted child! The day on
whicli I reached Hagerstown the sky was cloudless,
the atmosphere chilly and bracing, and a thin mist
hung over the Alleghanies in the west, while the out¬
lines of the Blue Mountains were clearly cut and dis¬
tinctly seen in the east. The remodeled church at
Hagerstown, whose present pastor is Eev. Francis
Peck, now presents itself as a pleasing object to be¬
hold. There I addressed the children, and especially
the youth. O Lord Jesus, the friend of little chil¬
dren, save the children of the world; let each gener¬
ation become wiser, holier, and more Christian than
its predecessor!
On my way southward I stopped in Baltimore and
signed the credentials of the delegates to the Meth¬
odist Centennial Conference, and forwarded them to
our Financial Secretary, and then proceeded on my
journey. The recent national election caused several
gentlemen to interview me on my way to Florida.
They desired to know my opinion about the results of
the national election upon the well-being of the col¬
ored people of the South. I freely yet cautiously ex¬
pressed them, as I felt it best for one in my position.
The second night of my arrival in Charleston, S. C.,
after preaching in the morning at the Mount Zion A.
M. E. Church, I worshiped in the evening at the
Plymouth Congregational Church, where I heard some
interesting discussions on the subject of Temperance,
and the adaptation of Congregationalism to the col¬
ored people of the South. They were ably handled,
and Fthink the^ made a favorable impression on the
audience. To the testimony of one speaker concern¬
ing the last-named subject I added my own unbiased
20
30G
Recollections of Seventy Years.
convictions—convictions resulting from my personal
knowledge of the operations of the American Mission¬
ary Association in their efforts to plant institutions of
learning throughout the South, for the special benefit
of the colored race, at the same time excluding no other
race, as is clearly demonstrated at Berea, Ky. I also
alluded to the successful labors of the American
Board of Foreign Missions in behalf of the Dark
Continent among the Zulus, and of their plans for
running a chain of missions from east to west in that
part of the country. I could not but thank the Lord
that my wishes expressed in 1865 had been fulfilled in
the present Plymouth Church.
I reached Jacksonville, Fla., my winter home, on
the 18th, after a brief stop in Savannah, Ga., to greet
our pastor there. I saw a sickening sight at one of
our stopping-points—a young man of seventeen who
had just been killed. He was on a train, jumped off
to turn a switch, and stumbled and fell, at which mo¬
ment the train rolled back upon him and crushed
him to death. Such accidents are becoming so fre¬
quent that I am inclined to believe they result from
the extreme carelessness of the men themselves, who
become so by constant contact with danger; but it is
an awful thing to think of the sudden hurling of a
soul into eternity, and it causes me many sad reflec¬
tions.
The last of the month I left for Tallahassee to hold
Conference. Nothing happened on the journey
worthy of note, except the fact that I was treated like
a gentleman by both ticket agent and conductor on
the Florida Central and Navigation Railroad. In 1882
I was refused such accommodations. "The Lord
Various Incidents.
307
reigneth," and the hearts of the rulers of the earth
are in his hands as wax in the hands of the artificer.
I am reminded here, by recollection of this and
other evidences of prejudice, of an incident which I
had noted, wherein is well illustrated how the strong
ones of earth destroy the weak, and how the powerful
races prey upon the feeble. A "hobby-horse," as
some people call the insect, or a "Johnny-cock-horse,"
as others call it,* was in a cluster of dahlias, so. closely
planted as to seem but one bush, or plant. Suddenly
he seized a small butterfly which came within his
reach, and inclosing it in his long, front, crab-like
arms, he began to eat off its head, This was rapidly
done; then he began to eat its body, and when he
reached a wing he scraped it off with his right claw
and threw it away. Then he proceeded until the beau¬
tiful little butterfly was consumed. Under my pocket
microscope his head was prodigious, and resembled
that of a horse, with enormous eyes set high upon his
head. Perceiving my glass, he stopped eating; but, still
holding liis prey between the crab-like claws, lie threw
liis head back and looked steadily in the direction of
myself, as if he were studying the object and the be¬
ing that disturbed liim in his dejeuner, as a French¬
man would call it. The " hobby-horse " seemed greedy,
and his jaws moved rapidly as he seemed to enjoy his
morning meal. As I gazed upon this object my re¬
flections were serious. Curiosity gave way to medita¬
tion, and I said to myself again: "How the strong
ones of earth destroy the weak, and how the powerful
races prey upon the feeble! " Life is maintained by
the destruction of life. The despotic king and the
W * A large species of the Mantis, found in tropical regions.
308
Recollections of Seventy Years.
slave-holder maintain themselves by robbing and op¬
pressing those who are too weak to defend themselves.
Later I went into the garden again, and I found upon
the same bush one of the claws of the "hobby-horse."
What other creature had destroyed him?
This suggests another idea. About this time I was
reading the " Life of President Edwards." In his de¬
scription of the character and habits of the wood-
spider in America he concludes with the following re¬
flections: "Without doubt almost all aerial insects,
and also spiders, which live upon trees and are made
up of them, are at the end of the year swept away
into the sea and buried in the ocean, and leave noth¬
ing behind them but their eggs for a new stock the
next year." In the face of this I have to ask, What
becomes of these insects? Do they become the food
of fishes or "other insects inhabiting the ocean; or do
they assume new forms of life? Both science and
revelation indicate that nothing perishes. Every an¬
imal and vegetable passes from a lower into a higher
organization. The seed becomes the flowering plant
or the fruit-bearing tree. The egg becomes either
the winged bird or the crawling reptile, or the quad¬
ruped; and the crawling caterpillar becomes the four-
winged butterfly; and the two-legged man, walking
on earth, becomes the winged angel, now flying amid
the universe of God, chanting the praise of the Re¬
deemer in the company of the varied and countless
inhabitants of the heaven of the heavens. I make
this remark because of the connection with the sug¬
gestive peculiarities of animal life and habits, and be¬
cause of the limitless train of ideas inspired by it. In
reading this brief but lucid outline of President Ed-
Various Incidents.
309
wards s life I was struck with his unfair)iliarity with
the heathen classics, his profound knowledge of the
sacred writers, his towering intellect, the purity of his
character, the earnestness of his piety, the shortness
of his useful life. Instead of seventy-five or eighty-
five, he finished his glorious career at fifty-five, burned
out like the candle, consumed by the fire of enthusiasm.
After the Conference in Tallahassee I went to Pen-
sacola, where I preached to a crowded house and a very
attentive audience. It is to be hoped that a good and
deep impression was made in behalf of the Lord
Jesus and his saving truth.
I-left the following day for the Alabama Confer¬
ence (which met at Mobile, Ala.), through a most
monotonous country—nothing but swamps, marshes,
and rivers for about nine miles from Mobile. To
construct a railroad through such a tract of land must
have been both very difficult and costly. During my
sojourn in Mobile I visited the Emerson Institute in
that city—a school under the auspices of the Ameri¬
can Missionary Association. The buildings are located
on forty acres of land and shaded by noble water-
oaks. A Congregational Church is connected with it.
I was much pleased with the progress of the pupils
and the ability of the teachers. The teachers of the
school are white, the pastor colored.
Christmas found rue in Montgomery, Ala. For the
first time in my life I found a community where the
solemn sound of the cliurcli-bells was not heard on
Christmas morning, and there was no public assembly
in the sanctuary of the Lord to celebrate the most
wonderful and gracious event in human history the
advent of the Redeemer of the world. Until night
310 Recollections of Seventy Years.
no sign of the sacred day was heard or seen but that
of thoughtless boys blowing tin horns, which made
more noise than music. At night I spent an hour at
our chapel, where the Sunday-school children were
assembled to make their recitations and to receive
presents from a Christmas-tree. While there I de¬
livered a lecture one afternoon on " What Agencies
God Is Employing for the Reconstruction and Re¬
demption of Africa," illustrating it by three maps—
one representing the entire continent, another Cen¬
tral Africa, and the third Southern Africa. The two
former were colored English maps, while the last was
constructed for the use of the American Board of
Foreign Missions. They were admirably suited to
my purpose. The audience was very attentive and
apparently delighted with the information given them
concerning the "Dark Continent."
Chapter XXXII.
IN THE SOUTH AND CANADA.
HILE we were in Mobile holding the Alabama
Conference news was received of the death of
Bishop Dickerson, from heart disease, at his home in
Columbia, S. C. Memorial services were held at Un-
iontown, Ala., at which time Bishop Turner preached
the memorial sermon, and remarks concerning his
short career were made by myself.* He was the
* Elected and ordained in May, 1880, he died the last week
in December, 1884, at the end of about four years and six
months. He was a man of fine talents, which Avere cultivated
at Lincoln University, from whose halls he came forth to en¬
ter upon his life-work. Well built, with a wide and deep chest
and a large throat, he seems to have been made to shine as a
pulpit orator. He was also possessed of a sonorous voice, the
bass tones of which did at times roll out of his mouth like the
diapason of an organ. He had a warm and generous nature,
and was therefore capable of strong attachments as a friend.
In founding Allen University he was chief, and did all within
his power to secure its success; but his career was too short
to carry out the liberal plans he had formed for its develop¬
ment. The'brilliant career upon which he had entered was
cut short by disease of the heart. He died lamented by all
■who knew him and who understood his motives as a leader
of more than one hundred thousand of the Lord's sacrament¬
al hosts. His lovely widow still lives to mourn his departure;
but she is thankful that li'er beloved husband so managed his
finances as to leave her in a commodious home.
(311)
312
Recollections of Seventy Years.
youngest member on the > episcopal bench, and the
first to be called away. So uncertain is life! *
Selma, Ala., was my next objective point after leav¬
ing Montgomery. I found it an interesting town, ly¬
ing west of the latter place, in Dallas County. There
were many enterprising colored persons in it, a black¬
smith shop, a livery stable, several family groceries,
a commodious boarding-house, a score of carpenters
and of brick-masons, several tailors, and a dozen or
two painters. As to the schools, one was supported
by State funds, one was a Baptist Theological and
Normal College; one academy—Knox's Academy—
under the auspices of the United Presbyterians. The
Churches consisted of four Baptist, two A. M. E., two
A. M. E. Zion Societies without chapels and one with
a chapel, one Presbyterian, and one Congregationalist.
Two papers were also edited by colored men.
At nearly all these places in the South I organized
Mite Missionary Societies, the first being at Mobile,
and preached or lectured upon missionary work in
Africa and in Hayti. About this time my attention
was drawn to Bishop Taylor's African Mission through
articles in the Christian Advocate. The outset of this
*At his ordination in May, 1S80, lie seemed as hearty as
the most robust man in the General Conference. His friends
and admirers predicted a long and grand career of episcopal
usefulness. Talented, learned, eloquent, and politic, as well
as polite, he made a deep impression upon the multitudes,
and carried the masses with him wherever he was heard.
Why was his race so short? why did he die so young? why did
one so gifted by nature, so cultivated by college training
die on the threshold of episcopal usefulness? are questions
which no one can answer but Him who is the resurrection and
the life.
In the South and Canada.
313
missionary band, of about; fifty men, women, and chil¬
dren, as described by those articles, presents to the
eye of Christendom perhaps the most wonderful and
deeply-interesting spectacle of the nineteenth cent¬
ury. Wonderful! because of its "audacite de la foi,"
as it may be termed, as it had no great missionary
organization behind it like the Church Missionary So¬
ciety for Africa and the East, or like the Wesleyan,
Methodist Missionary Society, or like the American
Board of Foreign Missions. The marvelous bishop
and his band placed themselves like trustful children
in the hands of our heavenly Father, " who feedeth
the ravens when they cry." Like David's "young
lions, [they will] roar after their prey, and seek their
meat from God." I could not but meditate that, with no
bank in America, nor any in England, their drafts
must be on the bank of heaven. Whom are they to
meet to teach, to convert by the truth? For many a
year barbarous and savage men must be their pupils
and hearers. Who are not interested in contemplat¬
ing such a band of Christians among the heathen,
whom they do not understand, and whom the heathen
in turn do not comprehend? How strong their faith!
but how much stronger is that God upon whom their
faith reposes! O thou omnipotent Hand of the
Church, let not such "audacious faith" be disap¬
pointed! Open thy hand, O Lord, and satisfy their
wants! O be unto them a pillar of fire by night and
a pillar of cloud by day.
After my return to Jacksonville, and after holding
the East Florida Conference, I met in March the
newly-incorporated Board of Trustees of the Scien¬
tific, Normal, and Divinity School, of Florida. The
314
Recollections of Seventy Years.
new board was organized, of which I was made Pres¬
ident, and our outlying land—six hundred and forty
acres—was decided to be thrown upon the market. A
visit to Oakland common school at Jacksonville, Fla.,
was of interest. It is a graded school, whose pupils
seemed to have issued from uneducated families, who
do not compel their children to study at home, which
made hard work for the teachers. The smallest child in
every class which I heard reciting was the best scholar
in it, and in every case it was a girl. How do we ac¬
count for such a fact? Speeches were made by the
principal and by several visitors, including myself.
One speaker, Mr. Gibbs, made.some timely remarks,
referring to the mercenary character exhibited by the
colored voters at a recent election in Jacksonville,
where colored men by the scores sold their votes for
from three to twenty-five dollars a vote. One man
sold his for a pair of shoes. The speaker endeavored
to impress upon the boys that such conduct was mean
and degrading. Another speaker, Rev. Mr. Culp, was
equally practical and timely in referring to the custom
of some children, who go to the hotels to dance and
stand upon their heads for coppers and nickels thrown
out to them by white men from the North. He de¬
nounced both the white men and black boys for in¬
dulging in such degrading amusements.
I spent the remainder of the month in Jacksonville,
'except a day that I spent at St. Augustine. In May
|I went to Ocala, Fla., a most interesting place from a
natural stand-point. I preached there, aided in ad¬
ministering the Lord's Supper, and addressed the
Sunday-school on the Sunday following my arrival.
The Monday after, I went, in company with several of
In the South and Canada.
315
our members, to see the famous Silver Spring, four
or five miles distant. This spring lies east of Ocala,
and. is reached from there by railroad, and from Pa-
latka by a stern-wlieel steamer. The spring is a curi¬
ous natural structure; the basin is a semi-circle, its
mouth hidden in its deep center, from which you can
sec clear water bubbling up. It is surrounded by a
dense swamp of towering cypress-trees—the tallest
and the most aged I have ever seen. The depth va¬
ries from ten to eighty-five feet. Its bottom is irreg¬
ular, and seems to be a bed of rocks perforated with
large chasms, out .of which a long grass grows, inter¬
mingled with a species of fresh-water alga—at
that time in bloom. The rocks that constitute a part
of the bed of this spring have a silvery appearance.
Persons often throw into the water pieces of silver
money, which can be seen descending tremulously till
they touch the silvery rocks, when you may see a fish
approach to see if they are eatable. Perhaps the most
remarkable phenomena in the rocky bed of the Silver
Spring are called the three wells, which can be dis¬
tinctly seen perforating the rock in the form of circu¬
lar holes. The walls of these holes can also be clearly
seen from top to bottom—perhaps I ought to have
said that the upper and lower edges of the wells may be
seen, but not the bottoms, as they are out of sight.
Silver Spring is said to extend by a run of from seven
to nine miles north-east, forming the Hiver Ochlawalia,
thence emptying into the St. Johns. The swamp
through which the waters of Silver Spring flow is in¬
fested by snakes and alligators. One of the former
was killed by one of the boatmen while we were navi¬
gating the stream. It was what is known as the
316
Recollections of Seventy Years.
" water-moccasin," whose bite is deadly. The boat¬
men took o at the fangs in our presence.
The orange-groves around Ocala are very large and
numerous. They are all located in dense forests of
water-oaks, tall and majestic. These oaks are ev¬
ergreen, as are also the so-called live-oaks. The
land is undulating and rich. This forest that once
was is said to be about three miles wide and six
miles long. I was informed by a friend who accom¬
panied me that one of these orange-groves had re¬
cently been sold for thirty thousand dollars, and two
or three connected ones were sold for one hundred
thousand dollars within the previous forty days. The
attractions of Florida cause many efforts to speculate
in lands. I am reminded of a visit to Bruce City a
year later. It lay about eighty-three miles from
Jacksonville, in a high piece of heavily-timbered pine-
land several miles from any body of water. It was
laid off in lots, but there was not so much as a log
cabin on them. The question that springs up in view
of such facts is, Where are the means to plant and
develop such cities which have only a map existence?
There was not a capitalist on the spot, and none but
the laboring classes had purchased lots.
I spent most of my time in Ocala in reading and
writing and observing. A number of colored people
were engaged in business of various kinds—some of
them intelligent and enterprising young men. Among
these is Mr. Frank B. Gadsen, a native of Charleston,
S. C., a very successful "merchant commanding two
stores—then treasurer of the town of Ocala. He was
but twenty-four years of age.
Gainesville, in the same State, was the next point
In the South and Canada.
317
which I visited, and where I preached and addressed
the Sunday-school on the subject, " The Boy Is Father
of the Man, and the Girl Is Mother o£ the Woman."
I then returned to Jacksonville, where I found a large
amount of correspondence and the last proof-sheets
of my " Treatise on Domestic Education." This book
embodies in brief my thoughts upon a subject which
lias occupied my attention and filled my mind and
heart for more than fifty years. I had searched far
and wide for all books bearing upon this important
theme, and had. gathered into my library many vol¬
umes in both French and English relative to it, espe¬
cially 011 the domestic education of girls. These I
gathered while abroad as well as when at home, and
perused them with the interest and care necessary
in writing upon such a topic. My reasons for
writing upon this subject may thus be stated:
Because this all-important subject has absorbed
my soul and spirit for many long, long years;
because I have seen in my extensive travels such
great and lamentable need for light 011 domestic ed¬
ucation; because I have diligently searched books
relating to it, directly and indirectly, without finding
one fully expressing my o\^n views; and because the
lack of home training is one of the most abundant
sources of all the evils which are now scourging socie¬
ty. I have felt it to be my duty as an aged and expe¬
rienced educator to strike a blow at this " upas-tree,'
and to strike it with a sharp broad-ax; for even
though the blow may be a feeble one, I desire to aid
in cutting it down, and if possible to root it out of
the soil of humanity. In the execution of this task
I have been filled with the pleasing gratification that
318
Recollections of Seventy Years.
on submitting my humble work to the publishers for
perusal my esteemed friend and co-laborer for some
years at Wilberforce, Dr. Richard S. Bust, of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, gave as his valuable
opinion that it was the most exhaustive treatise he
had ever read on the subject. May it accomplish the
good for which end it wras conceived!
In May I went North, stopping a few days at home,
and then I set out for Chatham, Ontario, Canada, be¬
ing summoned as a witness in the Court of Chancery
to testify to the facts of history concerning the or¬
ganization of the B. M. E. Church, and what claims
the A. M. E. Church had then and now upon the
property of the former, which has been in their posses¬
sion, undisturbed and unquestioned, for twenty-nine
years. I did my dutjj before the Judge of all the
earth, and that Avas to tell the trut'i and nothing but
the truth, as the records in my possession confirm
and illustrate that truth.
On my journey to Canada I stopped at Detroit,
and was obliged to apply to four different persons be¬
fore I could find lodgings for the night. Among
those to whom I applied was one whom I had taught
when a child, but he knejv me not, though I endeav¬
ored to make him recognize me by uncovering my
head and reminding him of the town in Pennsylvania
where I had dwelt, and where he had been my pupil;
but all in vain. He inquired my name, but that I\
would not reveal; and, repeating the divine command,
"Be hospitable to strangers," I bowed and said:
" Good-night." On my return journey I stopped again
at Detroit, having to wait from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. This
pause accorded with my heart's desire, because I
In the South and Canada.
319
wished to hunt up certain friends of the past. So,
leaving my heavy baggage at the depot, I went in
search of one who from 1845 to 1851 had been a
member of the flock tinder my care in Baltimore, Md.
She recognized me at sight, and gave me a hearty
and hospitable welcome. At my request she sent a
lad to be my guide to other friends, the second of
whom was a lady whom I had often nursed when a
helpless baby in the town of Carlisle, Pa. She was
the sister of the person who could not recognize me;
but at sight she recognized the friend of her godly
father, now in heaven, I trust. After a pleasant com¬
munion of about one-half an hour I was conducted to
another friend, whose first wife was a granddaughter
of Rev. Peter Williams, to whom I presented my first
letter of introduction in New ^ork in 1835. From
him I received a hearty welcome, being recognized as
soon as seen. While my first visit to Detroit was
disagreeable—I might say painful, as I was so long in
trying to find lodgings for my aged and wearied limbs,
unknown to everybody I met—on my return I was
recognized at sight by all, who were very young per¬
sons when last I saw them, welcomed and made hap¬
py by all these things and the awakened reminiscences
of by-gone years.
Before I left Canada, in company with another
friend of years before, I paid a visit to the grave of
Mrs. Hiram Wilson, whom X have mentioned in a
previous chapter as having been sent, with her sainted
husband, by the Anti-slavery Society to instruct and
advise the fugitives from American slavery. She was
an earnest Christian, and up to her last sickness and
death labored diligently and successfully for these
320
Recollections of Seventy Years.
unfortunate ones. She now sleeps by the grave o£
"Uncle Tom's" first wife, who lies beside her hus¬
band. What a marvelous Providence that such a la¬
borer for the intellectual, moral, and social well-being
of the fugitive slaves should lie resting from her la¬
bors so near the ashes of "Uncle Tom," one of the
noblest characters in Mrs. Stowe's masterly work,
"Uncle Tom's Cabin." He had set apart a portion
of a fine farm owned by him as a "field of graves"
for his family; and the sacred ashes of the saintly
Mrs. Wilson were deposited by him in this lovely
spot on the upper river Thames. " Uncle Tom's "
resting-place is marked by a white marble monument;
the grave of Mrs. Wilson has no tombstone or mon¬
ument, and is greatly sunken in. Had not Mrs. C.,
a daughter of "Uncle Tom's," led us to the spot, I
could never have identified it, because the fencing
which guarded it in 1851 had been taken away. From
the graves I bore away some rose-leaves and rose¬
buds. The people whom she served—some of whom
still live—and their children, ought to erect a neat
monument over her grave.
The summer was spent in comparative quiet at my
own " Evergreen Cottage," which I did not leave until
the latter part of October. Then I journeyed south¬
ward by way of Washington, D. C. I visited the
Metropolitan A. M. E. Church edifice, then in prog¬
ress ^)f erection,.and which is now completed, at a
cost of about sixty thousand dollars, I think. It is
the noblest of our chapels for dimensions, conven¬
ience, and beauty. On my way to Florida I stopped
at Portsmouth, Va., as usual, where I was invited by
the chaplain of the jail to visit and address the pris-
In the South and Canuda.
321
oners. I went accompanied, by a friend, Pastor Alex¬
ander; and in the narrow, contracted corridor ad¬
dressed them through grated doors in hope that the
Saviour of sinners might come and save them in their
cells, from the vices and crimes which led them there.
Nine-tenths of these prisoners were men of color.
The inmates were also addressed by my friend, whose
song power, with that of the chaplain, must have
deeply affected them.
I reached Jacksonville about the end of the month.
Though I was quite feeble in health, the ensuing
month (December) I held the North Alabama Con¬
ference at Marianna, where the last day of 1885 found
me—a day remarkable for its softness; opening clear
with a heavy dew upon the earth, almost like rain,
and the setting sun pouring a golden hue over the
western horizon—more like a day of May than of
December.
21
Chapter XXXJLll.
THE END.
THIS, the year 188G, dawned upon me at work at
my place of duty, a living monument of the loving
care of God the Father, who had thus preserved me
through another year.
On the night of the 30th of January I was seized
with malarial fever, which first manifested itself by
most violent, darting pains at the base of the brain,
as though a strong man had driven a steel wire
through it from ear to ear. I suffered from this fever
the whole of two months, unable to attend to my du¬
ties. Bishop Wayman and Dr. Tanner filled my
place at the East Florida Conference—the former pre¬
siding over the Church work, the latter over the lit¬
erary work of the Conference. The fever continued
most intense at night, cooling toward morning, up to
the eighth or ninth day, when its crisis seemed to
have been reached, and constrained my physicians to
call in counsel. Under their combined care I was
treated until the 24th of February. On this, my sev¬
enty-fifth birthday, my fever was completely broken,
bat left me in a state of child-like weakness. On that
day I made this entry in my journal: "O Thou who
didst give me life in this sinful world, and didst place
within my reach all of its possibilities, I thank thee,
(322)
BENJAMIN W. ARXETT, I).D. WESLEY .T. GAINES, D.I).
BENJAMIN T. TANNER, I).D. ABRAM GRANT, I).D.
In point of seniority, according to election, the new bish<
rank as follows: Wesley J. Gaines, Benjamin W. Arnett, Benjani
T. Tanner, Abrain Grant—elected May 19, 1888.
(42)
The End.
323
O Lord, the God of my father, the God of my mother,
that my unprofitable life is still prolonged! Forgive
the past—all the past forgive—for Jesus' sake. Blot
out all its errors and blunders, its vicestand its crimes,
and write my worthless name on the breastplate of the
Lamb who taketh away the sins of the world. O de¬
stroy in me the love of sin, the power of sin, the guilt
of sin! Fill me with love, infinite love, with holiness
and righteousness—fill, O fill me with all the fullness
of God! Thus I dedicate myself anew to thee. Let
my last days be most holy and godlike! And the glory
be thine forever and ever! Amen, amen, amen! "
I was too enfeebled to recover strength rapidly, and
was still very weak, when on the last Sunday in
May, 1886, I reached Washington, D. C., to be pres¬
ent at the dedicatory exercises of the Metropolitan
Church. I had been appointed to deliver the sermon
on that occasion, but I was eo weak that it was with
difficulty that I entered the carriage that was to con¬
vey me to the church, and was still more exhausted by
the ride. When I reached the edifice I had to be sup¬
ported by Bishop Shorter up the steps and into the
pulpit, where an easy-chair had been provided for my
feeble frame. When I arose at the close of the open¬
ing services I did not expect to be able to stand upon
my feet longer than a few minutes, nor to say more than
a few words, and these I did not expect to be heard
in that immense building, holding twenty-five hundred
souls, but only by the few around me and near the
pulpit. >1 took my text in Psalms xcii. 12-14, and
preached full forty minutes, I am told, ii) a clear
voice that was distinctly heard in every part oMhe
vast edifice. I say I preached; I did not preach. The
324
liecolledions of Seventy Yeats.
Spirit of the Lord spake through me, inspiring me
with strength to do what I had felt to be utterly im¬
possible to do on taking my stand at the sacred desk.
Thus it lias ever been. He has ever been my support,
and I fully believe that my powers of endurance and
lengthened days have been due to that triple conse¬
cration of myself, by my sainted parents, to the Lord's
service when I was but a helpless infant.
With this date I close the chapters which briefly
record the memoirs of seventy-three years.* As I look
back over the past I am amazed at the mercies of the
Lord in sparing my life for more than threescore
years and ten; and my wThole heart goes out in solemn
thankfulness to that Omnipotent Being for enabling
me to live to see such mighty wonders as this century
has afforded, and for allowing me to be even a hum¬
ble instrument in his hands in aiding to work oat
the salvation of our people, and to uplift a race that
has been nearly two hundred and fifty years in the
house of bondage.
And now on looking back upon fifty-one years,
about the time I left Gettysburg, to enter upon my
career fairly and fully as a minister of the Lord Jesus
Christ, I beheld three young men about my age
(twenty-six) starting out in their chosen fields of la¬
bor. One was a graduate of a university in Scot¬
land, another from the University of Vermont, the
third-from Union College, in the State of New York
—viz.: James McCune Smith, A.M., M.D.; Andrew
Harris, B.A., B.D.; and Isaiah Degrasse, B.A., B.D.,
whom I shall attempt to sketch.
*1 am now seventy-seven years and four months old. My
memory goes back to my third year.
The End.
325
James McCune Smith, M.D.,
was in Scotland pursuing liis studies at the time of my
arrival in New York, May 11, 1835, but graduated
either from Glasgow or Edinburgh University in 1837.
Educated with the sons of the nobility and gentry, he
graduated with distinction as one of those who took
the highest honors. He was of medium stature, not
squarely, but roundly built. He was the first man of
color classically and medically trained in a foreign
institution.
At the time of his return to New York the whole
country was excited by the teachers of phrenology,
who professed to be able to determine the character¬
istics of any person by feeling the bumps on his head.
They called it a science, but the young doctor re¬
garded it as a humbug, and therefore challenged its
professors to a public debate. The challenge was ac¬
cepted by one of them. How many were convinced
by the arguments of the young doctor that it was a
humbug we cannot tell; but one thing is certain, the
public disputation introduced him into the commu¬
nity as learned in the classics and in all the branches
that underlie the science and practice of medicine,
such as anatomy, physiology, and psychology. The
doctor, simultaneous with his practice, supplemented
his income by opening an apothecary-shop, in which
he prepared several young men for the medical pro¬
fession.
Upon the organization of Wilberforce, Dr. Smith
was invited to fill a professorship, with the privilege
of choosing his chair, and he made choice of Anthro¬
pology. We were anxious to have such a scholarly
young man to begin to construct and develop an in-
326
Recollections of Seventy Years.
stitution o£ learning, which we hope will be increas¬
ing in volume and power Until its influence shall be
felt at the extremities of the earth. Therefore we
consecrated the first cottage on the left side of the
campus as we enter the gate to his use, and kept it in
reserve for twelve months; but before the year ex¬
pired the doctor died of heart disease, leaving a widow
and several interesting children behind, one of whom
was a girl of uncommon beauty.
It was about that time when two other young men
appeared on the stage of human history—viz.:
Isaiah Degrasse and Andrew Harris.
They were both classically trained—the former for
the pulpit of the Protestant Episcopal Church, the
latter for the Presbyterian (New School, as it was then
designated). Degrasse commenced his labors in the
city of New York. Harris began his in Philadelphia,
in what was then known as St. Mary Street Presbyte¬
rian Church, which was founded by Rev. Stephen
Gloucester, and was also the. root of the present Cen¬
tral Presbyterian Church in Lombard "Street.
The career of both Degrasse and Harris was short.
The former fell into the snares of Satan, fled to one of
the West India Islands, and died about three months
after his arrival there. Andrew Harris fell under a
similar accusation, was tried before a " Police Court
Justice," and subsequently before an ecclesiastical
court. Being his friend, and-believing'in his inno¬
cence, I made it my duty to be present at both trials.
His case was carefully and thoroughly searched to its
very bottom; but, finding no evidence of guilt, he was
declared innocent andjionorably acquitted.
If my recollection is accurate, the ecclesiastical
The End.
327
court that examined the charge brought against Key.
Andrew Harris was the " Third Presbytery of Phil¬
adelphia, of which Dr. Albert Barnes, the commen¬
tator, was a member; and Dr. Barnes was present
from the beginning to the end of the trial, and took
an evidently deep interest in it. So did Dr. Converse,
who was the Secretary of the Educational Society of
the Presbyterian Church, of which Harris had been
a beneficiary. I know that no one was more active
than Dr. Converse in ferreting out all the testimony
in order that either guilt or innocence might be
proven. His conclusion was that Mr. Harris was
" black-mailed by an envious and jealous woman."
Such was substantially the statement I obtained from
the lips of Dr. Converse.
Rev. Andrew Harris was living in the same house
with his accuser—boarding with her mother. I think
his case was similar to that of the incorruptible
Joseph in Potiphar's palace.
Then half a century ago the race and the Christians
of the race could say—and did thankfully say—that we
had three classically-trained men, capable of represent¬
ing us 011 any platform and in any assembly of civilized
men. Now, we can gratefully say that such a class of
men, capable of representing the colored race in the
pulpit, on the stump, in medicine, and in law, have
run up to many hundreds.
In the school-room as teachers and educators, fifty
years ago, about a h^lf-dozen persons of good educa¬
tion represented us. These were Charles L. Reason,
now living and honored as Professor Reason; Mr.
Brady and Miss Brady, brother and sister—the un¬
cle and the mother of Mrs. John F. Cook-who were
328
Recollections of Seventy Years.
operating in New York; also Mr. Jolin Peterson, of
the same city, and Miss Sarah M. Douglass, born and
reared in Philadelphia, but then teaching in New
York. About the same time Rev. John F. Cook, fa¬
ther of John F. Cook, Esq., and Mr. George Cook,
with Mr. James Fleet, were teaching in Washington,
D. C. You see, reader, we could then count them on
our ten fingers, but now such teachers and educators
run away up into the hundreds.
Of all the colored teachers whom I have named as
operators in the school-house a half-century ago, all
are gone to the spirit world, resting—yes, I believe,
resting—in the bosom of Abraham. Only Reason and
Payne are tarrying behind. When shall they leave
the workshop and go to enjoy the saints' everlasting
rest?
Among the hundreds of operators in the harvest-
field of education I do not count the flirts and the
dudes who are swarming around the school-house as
bees around the flower-gardens, to get money as bees
get nectar—to make money. No! no, no; I do not enroll
them on the noble list. I embrace in my count only
those men and women who are in the field because
conscience and duty and love of the cause have led
them into it and kept them in it. They are those
whom the Lord Jesus Christ has called, and sent to
mold and color the character of the children and
youth who are destined to be the future Moseses and
Joshuas and Deborahs and Hannahs of the descend¬
ants of Ham. A lialf-century will give a thousand of
such teachers and educators.
I shall conclude by comparing the work and char¬
acter of the General Conference of 1844 and that of
The End.
329
1888. When I take up the telescope and look back
over the distance of forty-four years—four-tenths of a
century upon the sixty-eight men and the elements
composing the General Conference of 1844, and com¬
pare it with the men and the elements which composed
the General Conference of 1888, I perceive a strong
and striking contrast. The men who made up the
Conference of 1844 went there with singleness of
heart and with but one aim. That was to improve
the condition of the Connection by some simple
needed amendments to the Discipline. To our own
knowledge there were biit two aspirants to the epis¬
copal office—viz.: William Paul Quinn and Richard
Robinson. They had no episcopal committee to ex¬
amine the characters of Bishop Morris Brown and
Bishop Edward Waters. The friends of Quinn and
Robinson were innocent of political combinations be¬
cause they were ignorant of them, and were also in¬
nocent and ignorant of the intrigues and cunning of
politicians; because they had not been trained in the
caucus or in the ways of scheming politicians. In
that General Conference brethren differed in regard
to this or that measure, but differed peaceably—with¬
out bluster. There was excitement, it is true; but a
man and a body of men can be excited without bluster.
In that General Conference there was great respect
for moral character and great value set upon the
knowledge which comes from the experience of age.
No man impeached for immorality was allowed a seat
in it. But the General Conference of 1888, embrac¬
ing about two hundred and fifty delegates, included
many who went there determined to be put into of¬
fice themselves or to put their favorites in by hook or
330
Recollections of Seventy Years.
by crook. The aspirants for the episcopal office and
for the position of secretaries could be counted by the
scores. To effect their purpose combinations and
other political measures were employed. It was even
rumored that some of the delegates sold their votes;
but as this is such an awful charge it should not be
believed without the most convincing proof. Hence
the aspirants had their particular friends operating as
agents to solicit votes. There was a greater number
of educated and good men in the General Conference
of 1888 than in the General Conference of 1884, and
so also there wTas a greater number of bad men—by
which I mean men governed by no holy principle,
but by their blind passions and still blinder ambitions.
Hence there was not only excitement, but the most
shameful bluster. Many paid little or no regard to
moral character, so that the wisdom and superior
knowledge and moral excellence and greater useful¬
ness of the majority were set aside and crushed out by
bluster and brilliant rhetoric, which made virtue ap¬
pear as vice, and vice as virtue. But as respects bus¬
iness tact and pluck in the General Conference of
1888, the like was not in any previous General Con¬
ference. 1. There was a neat and respectable busi¬
ness office, with the prudent Book Manager at its head,
and competent clerks and salesmen to sell the books
of the Publishing House. 2. There was also a
branch post-office in .the same vestibule with the Book
Concern. In this branch post-office, with the sagacious
Secretary of the Connectional Sunday School Union at
its head, was a couple of clerks—one female, the other
male. In this office the members of the General Con¬
ference and their friends could mail and receive let-
The End.
331
ters; could, send by post-office order or by registered
letter any sum of money. Envelopes with the printed
inscription, " General Conference Rooms, African
Methodist Episcopal Church, Indianapolis, Ind.,"
with commercial-note sheets, a pen and pencil put
into a paper bag decorated with a picture of our Sun¬
day-school Publishing House, were put in the hands
of every one of the two hundred and fifty delegates
at the expense of the Connectional Sunday School
Union. Secretary Smith also provided a telephone,
which was of great service. Such conveniences we
never enjoyed before, and they are evidences of the
advance of the Connection. As regards the election
and ordination of four additional bishops—every one
of the number, in intellectual endowments and busi¬
ness capacity, is an improvement upon 1844. But
how they will develop in personal and official charac¬
ter time alone can reveal. It is to be hoped that
every one of the four will prove himself a great
moral and spiritual blessing to the Church and the
race.
We now come to speak of the most solemn duty
which the General Conference of 1888 had to perform
—unlike any thing which had transpired since the
death of Bishop Allen. It was to hold a memorial
service in honor of three of its bishops who died in
little more than three years after their activities in
the General Conference of 1884.
These three were Bishops Dickerson, Cain, and
Shorter. We have already sketched the first. Of
the second we can truly say that he was a man of such
intellectual endowments as lifted him head and shoul¬
ders above the masses of the colored race. He had
332
Recollections of Seventy Years.
great energy and organizing power, so that he organ¬
ized with the aid of few persons—such as the upright
August T. Carr, who, as presiding elder, was his most-
efficient assistant in putting tens of thousands of the
natives of South Carolina within the jurisdiction of
the A. M. E. Church. I found him out in the North¬
west in 1857-8, a young man of great uncultivated
talents, but rude and unpolished. Seeing there was
grit in him, I pat him upon a course of study in the
Indiana Conference, and after the death of his first
wife ordered him to Wilberforce, where he spent
about one year, at the end of which the Civil War
closed Wilberforce, and I sent him to Brooklyn, N. Y.
Upon the reconstruction of the State of South Caro¬
lina he became a leader in the Senate of that my na¬
tive State, and politically did a grand work. He was
elected in 1880 through the influence he had acquirect
both as a Church and State organizer, to the awfully
sacred and fearfully responsible office of a bishop.
But while full of energy, tact, and pluck, Richard
Harvey Cain wras greatly lacking in moral conscience.
He seemed to be perfectly oblivious of the moral sig¬
nificance of a promise—so much so that in financial
dealings with his acquaintances and friends he was a
miserable failure.
Let our young men imitate his energy, tact, and
pluck, but let them avoid his moral weakness. Let
our young men never forget that a man's promise
should always be heavier than his gold.
Respecting Bishop James A. Shorter, with whom I
had a personal acquaintance for forty-four years, I
can say with equal truthfulness that +ie possessed
great force of character, with but ordinary intellect-
The Encl.
333
ual activity, so that he did not seek knowledge in the
foim of erudition as Bishop Cain did. Bishop Short¬
er was more of the practical turn of a business man.
With less organizing ability than Bishop Cain, he was
a more successful pastor and financier, in which par¬
ticulars he was a perfect success. He belonged to that
noble band of men whose word is heavier than their
gold. I have known him to make many promises, but
never to break one. Perhaps the largest lump on his
cranium was candor, in which he sometimes indulged
to an excess bordering upon rancor. It was in view of
his candor and rough energy that he was elected one
of the three bishops in May, 1868, at the General Con¬
ference which sat in his native city, Washington,
D. C. So at the end of about nineteen years of offi¬
cial labor he suddenly finished his episcopal career
at his elegant home at Wilberforce, O., without a blot
upon his character, and entered upon the saints' ever¬
lasting rest, lamented by all who knew him.
Such are my recollections of men and things over
a period of seventy-three years. I am now seventy-
seven and four months. My recollections date back
to my third year, when listening to the moving songs
of my sainted mother and father at the family altar.
That worm! that worm! that curious, beautiful
wTorm! " The Lord reigneth " in the heavens and in
the earth. The former truth is admitted by all
thoughtful men; but comparatively few, even of pro¬
fessing Christians, see the Almighty Hand in the
small and ordinary affairs of men. From that worm
sprung up an acquaintance with that great naturalist
who gave me those letters of introduction to the
Lutheran clergy, who placed me in the theological
334
Recollections of Seventy Years.
seminary at Gettysburg, which prepared me for the
enlarged usefulness of more than fifty-three years.
As an educator thou didst lead me from Charleston,
S. C., to Philadelphia, Pa.; from Philadelphia to
Washington, D. C.; from Washington to Baltimore,
and from Baltimore to Wilberforce, O. Over North¬
ern lands, over Southern States, over foreign coun¬
tries, back to my native State, through storm and
calm, through dangers seen and unseen—in the
sweltering South, back to the freezing North. Where
next, O thou Giver of life, thou Author of all its pos¬
sibilities—where next? "O the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past
finding out!"
And now I feel my years of labor coming to a close.
I consecrate, O thou Most High and Holy One, the
remainder of my days to thy divine service. Let the
past sins and errors of my life be all forgiven; let all
my guilt be washed away in the blood of the Lamb;
and give, O give unto me the mind that was in Him
who went about doing good, and was obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross! All the work
of salvation and of education committed to my over¬
sight, vouchsafe to bless, to build up, and to estab¬
lish for the benefit of all the generations and for
all the races. Let the translation of the Bible and
the diffusion of its life-giving truths, by the living
missionaries, go on without faltering. Let the vic¬
tories of thy conquering cross be ever increasing!
Let its living trophies in the heathen world be
as innumerable as the stars in the skies, and as
countless as tho sands upon the ocean shores! To
The End.
335
all these glorious ends, O Lord Jesus, make thy aged
and feeble servant helpful! Let my science bow
down before thee and become consecrated by thee.
Let my philosophy kiss thy feet, as Mary kissed the
feet of Jesus, and be enlightened by thine unerring,
thine immortal truth.
But what will be the use,of these recollections of
men and things; what of these reflections on them if
they will not awaken some slumbering boy; if they
fail to excite the latent faculties of a sportive lad; if
they be not effective in stimulating the energies of
some youth, who, having strong, pure, good blood
flowing from a large, broad heart through his entire
body, is by nature fitted to accomplish good work for
God in heaven and good things for man on earth?
O youthful reader, hear me! The spirit of Rev.
John Brown, of Haddington, Scotland, aroused my
soul to a life of usefulness. Shall not my soul start
thee on a career of study and usefulness that shall be
pleasing to thy Creator, and that will bring blessings
to mankind?
For a useful life by holy wisdom crowned,
Is all I ask, let weal or woe abound.
*•' f