Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-06-22
A WONDERFUL NEGRO.


slim, and at the first glance would
not be taken for any more than an
average negro f; but the Rev. Ma
than Smith is in some respects a
very remarkable man. He claims
to be fifty two years old, though he |
does not look it, and enjoys in his |
declining years the reputation of
being an honest, as well as sensi-
BILE man.
The manner in which he first |
learned to read, how he was struck |
with the "sperrit,' and and how he |
began preaching, seems like a
chapter from hOOdoOism, and yet |
the story is told in the most
straightforward manner, in all
earnestness, and with an air that
defies denial.
At an early age, while plough.
ing as a slave in a Mississippi cot
ton field, he says he was suddenly
felled to the ground by something
like a dull thud that changed the
whole course of his life. 1t was
the "sperrt' that struck him, he
says, and Immediately he saw
scenes brighter than the sun had
ever shone on before there was all
brightness above him, and below
was an awful gulf. The trees
around in the woods bowed to him
as he looked at them, and every
thing was greatly changed. For
several weeks he remained under
the spell, and during that time his
master thought he had lost his
mind. $50 had" said Smith, $50
far as temporal things were con
cerned." Finally he came out
from under the spell, and one night
he had a dream, or rather vision.
He saw something like pot boil
ing over, and out of the steam
came a little man with an open
book in his hand. Placing 1t be-
fore the dreamer, the little man
pointed to the book Of John and
told him to read. Smith was con-
scious of the tact that he did not
know one letter from another, and
in an instant remembered how he
had pored over the little black
Testament gwen him by his uncle,
and which he kept locked up in his
trunk. But he could not resist, as
much as he tried, from looking at
the book, and then to his great
amazement he read the book OF
John as readily as anybody could
have done. He read the book
through to the end and then read
other books. They were as easily
read as the first. Thus, in a single
night, he had learned to read. The
little man then vanished as he had
: appeared, and the balance OF the
night was spent in finding himself
preaching to crowds of people, oil
walking up and down amon9 the
congregation and saving souls.
The next morning when he
= awoke he went to his trunk, and
r taking out the little black Testa
. ment, opened it, and the first wor(
. to meet his eye was John. lie
9 tried to read, and found that h'
| could read as we'll as he did the
= night before when told to do so by
3 the little man. Then he went t
D an old negro on the place, who wa
= preaching around, and told him HI
3 could read the Bible. The old maj
+ told HIM he did not know a lettei
t in the book. Smith opened hi
: Testament and read aloud. Th'
l old negro was astonlshed, and told
= him he must be a preacher, that h'
D had been ordained to preach. Tha
r was thirty five years ago last Sun
e day night, and in that time he has
}, read the Bible, newspapers or any
# thing in the shape of reading, and
Q vet was never taught letter
a When bis master refugeed from
e Mississippi and settled in Americas
G Smith was one of the party. Ii
s 1867, when the Federal govern
n ment had work done at Anderson
o vile, Smith was one of the hands
y and it was while there that he was
o induced to attend a general meet
o ing of Primitive Baptists. Th'
Q text for that morning was verse
= Smith had read when the LITTLE
n man showed him the way to read
1t This impressed him very much ant
o that night he was taken into tn
10 church. In short while after
4. wards be went to preaching ant
d has kept It up. He has church
1t in Laurens county, sixty-five miles
from Macon, and one in Houston
county. When he has no none!
he walks the distance, believing
that he must not incur debt.
y, Smith has memorized the entire
- Bible from Genesis to Revelation
He can tell the verse, chapter an
i book of any extract asked of hin
and without the least hesitation
- Not only can he repeat any pass
age, but he can give his idea of th
>, meaning of it. He visits the stor
of Davis & .Balkcom occasionally
and often some one tries to tri
:. him with his Bible knowledge, bu
10 it is always failure.-Macon (Ga