. Highways and byways of the South. ed servicesthat were admirably decorous, and where the eloquentgood sense of the preacher compared favorably withanything I heard from the pulpits of the whites. The character and learning of their ministers isdoubtless quite open to criticism. They are oftenblind leaders of the blind, and the impulse whichtakes them into the pulpit is frequently not unlikethat of the brother who got his call while he was athis farm work. Said he, Dis cotton fields mightyhot, an I believe, afore Gawd, Im called to preach !yet this sort of thing is growing less common. The ne
. Highways and byways of the South. ed servicesthat were admirably decorous, and where the eloquentgood sense of the preacher compared favorably withanything I heard from the pulpits of the whites. The character and learning of their ministers isdoubtless quite open to criticism. They are oftenblind leaders of the blind, and the impulse whichtakes them into the pulpit is frequently not unlikethat of the brother who got his call while he was athis farm work. Said he, Dis cotton fields mightyhot, an I believe, afore Gawd, Im called to preach !yet this sort of thing is growing less common. The negro churches are on the village outskirts, oroff still farther on some poor spot that has no valuefor other purposes. I heard of one colored congrega-tion which aspired to build on a desirable site in the The Niggers 357 middle of the village ; but the whites threatened that ifthat was done, the church would be burned within twodays after it was finished, and the project was aban-doned. The country churches are nearly always dis- ^. ?r-r -|-^ A Campmeeting Building mal little structures with leaky roofs, broken windows,uncertain foundations, and other marks of carelesspoverty. Many of the preachers have two or threechurches in their charge at which they preach in pastors entire salary is very likely not over onehundred dollars, and he usually has a small farm tohelp eke out a livelihood. The niggers believe in schoolin, I was told. Yes, theyre all anxious to get an education, and theyhave good memories and do first rate if they take hold 2SS Highways and Byways of the South right; but It is apt to make em above workin. Thekind of school that teaches em trades is perhaps thebest, but they soon get tired of the trade theyvelearned and try something else they think theyll likebetter. Theres one thing, though, where they comeout ahead o the white man every time. They got anatural gift o speech. You take a lot o white menin a public meetin, and there aint one In a dozencould
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjohnsonc, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1904
