After

forts to provide for age. His experience as Chairman of the Presbyterial Committee on Relief Fund made him very anxious to avoid ever being, in any measure, dependent on the Board. He carried a $5,000 life insurance policy for some fifteen or more years, lifting it when he reached his sixtieth year. setting aside the tithe for benevolence as was always his custom, he divided $1,000 between his four children, and the larger part of the remainder, he was induced to invest in Chicago real estate. He couldn't afford to go and see it for himself, so took the word of the agent, (a serious mistake). This proved a failure. Through the aid of our fathers and a loan from his maiden sister who needed a home, we built a very comfortable house which we enjoyed a number of years with our little family, but when he was no longer able for regular pastoral work, he resigned and became supply for vacant churches. He then sold the home for much less than it cost him, and invested in a firm that was paying good dividends but which collapsed in a few years, leaving him just $220 and a note of $925 on which he was paying interest, which his sister was and is still obliged to have as her income is very small. He made other investments but all proved failures although, at the time of his death, he didn't know it all, and I am glad he didn't. "I hold deeds for two lots in Chicago-one in Prohibition Park, N. Y., and also certificate for $500 in stock in a firm in New York. The lots I find are all worthless and the firm has ceased to pay dividends on stock, pleading hard times. Kind friends have helped me look after these interests, but to no avail. I have a few hundreds in stock in a bank which furnishes me an income of $24 while I pay more than twice that amount on the loan. I am kindly cared for by my children as far as they can. My son has a family of eight to provide for on a salary of $1,000. My single son, an invalid for some time, died at the home of his brother two years ago. My daughters both married ministers and they get fair salaries, but are aiming to provide for age, but they are good to me, and as I am able to help in the home, old as I am, (77 in this month), we are hoping it will not be necessary for me to send in an application for the coming year. My sense of dependence is my cross and I want to bear it cheerfully, but it requires grace. I thank you and I thank God for help in time of need."

A minister of 82 writes this interesting life-story.

"As to my story: It has been a wonderful experience. Born on April 21st, 1827, this will make my age, if spared to next April. 84 years. My mother, left a widow in her youth with four boys on her hands, and a small farm in New York state, had a trying experience. But there was an aunt of Puritan stock with a few hundred dollars, a maiden lady, who with my father gave us boys to the Church and work for the Master. The oldest and youngest boys were called away, leaving the two middle boys-my brother and myself. These two, this aunt said, were to be ministers, and daily she went away and prayed, as we boys knew well. She would place her hands on our heads and say, You will be ministers! We laughed and said Not so, but she could not be discouraged.

"With her help we were prepared for college, and year after year, we trudged with dinner pail to the Academy a mile away for this preparation. We started for college on a canal boat on the Erie canal, and were a week on the way, to Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. We had strict ideas as to the Sabbath and so on Saturday night we stopped at a village and went to church, taking the packet at 12 at night and reaching our boat the next day.

Dr.

We entered the Sophomore Class. Watt was the president of the college, In 1847 we graduated, I with Phi Beta Kappa honor and the Latin oration at Commencement. We had no thought of the ministry, but we had ambition for other professions or for business. I taught a private school and then taught the languages in western Pennsylvania. It was there, ere the year ended, in a forest through which I walked to my classes, and where daily I had my trysting time with Christ. (I entered the church when twelve years old). And there it was, I was brought to see my duty, and offered myself for the ministry, and so wrote home to this dear old saint, my aunt, that I was ready to go to Princeton and prepare for the ministry. It was a joy to her, and she was ready to depart, and did depart before I reached home. In the fall of 1849 I entered Princeton.

“In the meantime my brother was principal of an academy and was doing splendid work. But in the winter he had an attack of bronchitis and wrote for me to take his place for a few weeks until he recovered. I took his

place and was kept there for a year, and then the next fall, 1850, I began again.

"I was postmaster for the students, and the last year was supply for the colored church, and upon the persuasion of Dr. Schenck, pastor of the church, I organized and taught a parochial school. I graduated in 1852, with three years' course, and with diploma. The Presbytery of New Brunswick licensed me in 1851, one year before graduating. I began my ministry at once.

"In the meantime my brother went back to take his school, and a revival broke out in the church, and several of his scholars came into the church, and he wrote to me saying he was coming on to Princeton for preparation for the ministry. We were two years together in seminary.

"I took a charge near Lake Mahopac, back of Peekskill, for a while. Was called to Hughsonville where in 1854 I was ordained. After four years I was called to Port Byron, N. Y., a few miles from my old home. In the meantime my brother was called to take up a mission field in New York City, where he built a church, raising the money for it, and also a manse. He worked too hard and died suddenly in the harness, after seven years of devoted ministry. I helped him previously in a revival season.

"In the spring I was called to his place, where I had a blessed ministry of seven years, until quite worn out. It was found that I must leave this city work and, if possible find a country charge. One opened for me unexpectedly.

"In the meantime the Lord gave us four children. Salary always small and no other income. Had to educate my children. 1 taught a class in the high school. My children went there. An excellent teacher prepared them for college. The Lord provided, how, I can scarcely tell; but my two sons in time graduated, one from Princeton, the other from Williams. Two daughters graduated from Vassar College on Fellowships.

"I have since then seen a grandson graduate at Williams; two granddaughters graduate at Vassar. The two younger daughters

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were students at Wilson College. Whatever money I gained went for their education, and not a dollar was saved from my salary. After a serious attack of pleurisy I felt that my work was about finished, but unexpectedly, and when I did not know where the place was, I received a call to a church.

"It was a grand charge, for me physically, and here I had a blessed ministry for about twelve years. Since then I have been living

with my youngest daughter, and am glad and thankful still to keep in touch with the churches and the work. It has been my

great privilege to preach in nearly all the churches in our Presbytery.

"I have also served ten years as Stated Clerk, at first at salary of $50 and then $100. This with my pension constitutes my income, with an occasional addition from preaching. My children have their families to support and educate and I cannot be a burden to them. For nearly sixty years it has been my joy and honor to serve in this blessed ministry, never without a charge until I gave up the work.

"The Lord has wonderfully blessed all my pastorates with the edification of believers and conversion of many souls. It was my privilege to welcome many souls into the kingdom. On two occasions more than fifty at each session were added to the Church. It was my privilege last Sabbath to preach twice in my former parish, the pastor being sick. Thus I am privileged to help the brethren still.

"I have labored hard, and I can say with all my heart, and could wish to go over it again and again. I am glad to receive the pension and need it for my comfort and necessities, but it will not be long before the pilgrimage must end, and the Board will be relieved of my care.

"Now, dear Dr. Agnew, you need not travel over all this history, although I am glad to acknowledge with praise the wonderful love and care of the Master. He counted me in grace worthy, putting me into the ministry

Yours fraternally.

T

WENTY-ONE years ago the 9th of May, I graduated from Auburn Theological Seminary and started immediately for my native state, North Carolina. I stopped at Penn Valley, Pa., a few hours, long enough at any rate to take unto myself a wife, who has been ever since an untiring and most faithful helpmate. We came directly to this place, an entirely new field so far as the Presbyterian Church was concerned. We came for the purpose of establishing a church. A few months' work however convinced us that the people were in great need of a school. Fathers and mothers, young men and ladies appealed to us to start a school. The leading white people of the town encouraged the idea and placed at our disposal a part of the public school funds for the colored people of the district. The growth of the work has been phenomenal. There has not been a year that we have been able to accommodate all the students who have applied for admission. As to numbers, we have the second largest of the 126 schools under the care of the Freedmen's Board, our enrollment at present being more than 400. The school has about 10 acres of land in the corporate limits of the town, and 70 acres of valuable farm land two miles from the school, all paid for.

But what have we been teaching these twenty-one years, and what has been our observation as to the kind of instruction needed and pays the best for the Freedmen? I have tried to identify myself with every educational move in the state and throughout the South. I am at present the President of the North Carolina Teachers' Association. I have visited for the purpose of study the leading schools of the South, including of course, Hampton and Tuskegee. I have watched closely the discussions that have been going on concerning the education of the negro. Some of the discussions and methods have been foreign to the idea of the Presbyterian

Church. The Presbyterian Church has stood from the first for the education of the three H's, Heart, Head and Hands, putting the emphasis on the first and second H, but by no means discouraging the last. Some have the emphasis on the last, and second and some on the first and last, and others yet on the second. Today most all educators are together as to where the emphasis should be placed and it is where the Presbyterian Church placed it more than forty years ago; and in the midst of the storms that have been raging around the discussion of the subject, has never been swept from her moorings. A great many Presbyterians, however, have been swept away, in some cases to the hurt of Presbyterian work, but the Church as such has stood her ground. Today we may congratulate ourselves on the fact that time has endorsed the wisdom of the stand the Church took. Forty years have proven that the greatest need of the negro was, and is today, a Christian educated leadership, a close or even casual observer must admit that the morals of the negro have not kept pace with his material development. This is due largely, I believe, to the fact that re has been told that a home and bank account were a panacea for all his ills, and that with these he would be "recognized" as an indispensable citizen. A well-trained hand would make him a wealth producer, put money in his pocket and force recognition. As a result there are by far too many pretentious negro homes with nonChristians and even immoral heads. Too many who have the bank account and are of no account themselves. This is the natural result of misplacing the emphasis in his training as to the three H's. We must teach the negro to be thrifty, buy homes, and if possible have a bank account. The teacher who does not by precept and example teach these things is unworthy of his or her position. On the other hand, he who puts undue emphasis on them and gets it into the young negro's head

and heart, that above all things he must get money, and when he has done that he has made himself an indispensable citizen, has done untold harm. Christ had neither a home nor a bank account, and yet He was a good citizen. He says seek first the Kingdom of God, heart training, and all these other things will be added unto you, money, homes, honor, recognition, civil and political rights and all other things so far as it will be for our good and the glory and honor of God. Some say

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through its Freedmen's Board, placed it forty years ago. A thoroughly educated Christian ministry, a Christian and educated laity with trained hands, will solve our problem just as God would have it solved.

I am afraid that because the ministers of the North do not often see or hear of colored Presbyterian ministers up there advertising and soliciting aid for our schools, they either think that we are not aggressive workers, or that we have no schools to advertise, or that

get first money, a bank account, and recognition and all other things will follow. Who is right? That I may not be misunderstood, let me say that we have connected with our school, a farm, and would not be without it. We teach sewing and cooking and are trying to get shops for our boys. We try to put the proper emphasis upon these industries and a bank account. But to me, the greatest need of the negro is a Christian education. A good name is better than riches, character is of more value than houses and land. As I have said, it is encouraging to notice that today most of all the educators of note are placing the emphasis where the Presbyterian Church

we are not in need of money to support them. As a matter of fact we have more schools than any other denomination, and it is admitted by all the best white people of the South, as well as by the colored people regardless of denominations, that the Presbyterian schools generally, are doing an ideal work. It is also true that our schools under the care of the Freedmen's Board, are the most economically conducted of all schools. When we consider the large number of schools (126 of them) and all depending upon the Freedmen's Board for support, and the Board being comparatively poorly supported, it is not strange that we should be in constant need of funds.

some

It must not be forgotten, too, that it is against the rules of the Board for any of its workers to go North to solicit aid without the Board's consent. We are not allowed to make general appeals, nor in any way interfere with the regular contributions of the churches. In other words, we must stay on the field and take what the Board gives us. The Board is able to give only what it can glean from the churches. Our non-Presbyterian brethren take advantage of this restriction. They go North and enter the Presbyterian pulpits and congregations, advertise their schools and churches, come back South and flood the North with appeals for their schools, which often has a catch name and claims to be giving specific education that promises to solve the Race Problem at once. They delight to flaunt it in the face of the Presbyterian workers here in the South, that they can go North and get Presbyterian money, when we can not. They tell us that the Presbyterians North don't want the colored people in the Presbyterian Church, and will give more to support him out of it than they will in it. We believe this charge of course is untrue. Some of these solicitors have made the impression even among some of our most intellectual ministers North, that the negro is "naturally a Methodist or Baptist, and will not go into any other church." The negro generally having the reputation of being excitable, it is an easy matter to make such an impression even upon Northern Presbyterians. As a matter of fact, as the negro becomes educated, he becomes ashamed and disgusted with the excitement and demonstration that has charac

terized his worship in the past. He turns to the Church that worships God more quietly. The growth of the Presbyterian Church is a true exponent of the moral and intellectual development of the negro. I may say too and, of his spiritual development, that when we came here the other churches, Baptist and Methodist, were well established and had been since the war; yet today our Church compares favorably with either one of them. One of the leading white men of the town, a Methodist, said to me that he had watched the growth of our Church and the character of its members, and he had concluded that while the Methodist Church made the best white people, the Presbyterian Church made the best colored people. As to the latter, I agreed. I wish to assure our friends North that the Freedmen's Board does more with a dollar towards the uplift of the negro than any other agency at work among us. With the proper support there is no reason why we might not have here, at Mary Potter, or at some other school, a plant with all the attractive features of Hampton or Tuskegee. Why send money to Egypt to build pyramids, when men at your door, of your own Church, are suffering for bread. We appeal to the friends of Presbyterian work, to fill up the coffers of the Freedmen's Board. If you have a rich steward of the Lord among your flock, interest him or her in some one of our many schools. Believe me, there is not a dollar that may be given by any one to the work in the South, that will do more good or go further than the one given through the Freedmen's Board or directly to your own work.

WR

E give in this number of the HERALD a picture of the West End Presbyterian Church and the Arkadelphia Presbyterian Academy. Rev. W. D. Feaster has charge of the church and is also principal of the Academy. Mr. Feaster has had charge of this work less than five years and yet in that time he has secured this attractive church building and this commodious and handsome

The plan of the school building was selected by Mr. Feaster and approved of by the Board, and was erected entirely under his supervision, and the whole cost of it did not exceed $5,000. The two buildings stand on a plot of thirty-eight acres owned by the Freedmen's Board.

The school has an enrollment of over two hundred scholars. The church has a mem