The Portland daily press., 1895-10-07
LOCAL PREACHERS IN THE SOUTH.
His Position NO Sinecure Although Col
league of the Conference Gets all the
Salary.
lFrom the Philadelphia Times. J

(From the Philadelphia Times.
| Every Llantation at the South has It's
local preacher, and If the acreage be OF
broad extent there may be two or three
preachers in order to accommodate the
various neighborhoods The position OF a
local preacher is no sinecure, although he
has not the stipulated duties nor the
stipulated salary Of his colleague OF the
conference, who only breaches two or
three times month, administers COM
munion, takes up collections and per-
forms such other exalted services as shall
please him.
1t is the province of the local preacher
to attend to various wants of the congre-
cation which the legitimate minister,
either owing to distance or disincl1nation.
leaves undone. When member is i'll
and friends become solitious on his or her
behalf the 'slocus'' preacher, as his constit-
uents call him. conducts the all-night
"situing up" which is believed to be a
vital necessity under such circumstances
"Dere neber was no singin' ober him
nor no 'tercedin' they say with horror
when some neighbor dies suddenly with
out opportunity for the ceremony, and al
though physicians denounce the practice
and say that the loud singing, exhorting
and general hubbub about the patient
greatly increase the chance Of death, the
friends of the sick invariably adhere to
the custom of having the .settin' up. !"
The local preacher adjusts all conjual dis
putes, tries all backsliding members and
turns them out of the church If necessary,
argues and wrestles with them to win
them back within the pale, and often
marries impecunious lovers who have not
the wherewithal to purchase his magic
words, but promise to pay in the fall.
frequently he not only buries the dead,
but makes the simple collins which holds
them, again agreeing to wait for compen-
sation.
He is clever with carpenters tools, hav
ing picked up the trade by chance as he
has picked up the calling of preacher and
while shaping the rough pine boards and
staining them to the customary solemn
black he makes eternity and the uncer-
and lectures extempore to the young dark
les whom he has enlisted to help him.
tsNo use cen layin' up treasure on de
earth,' - he advises, as he pushes away the
yellow sawdust with his sinewy, black
fingers, sskase yearthly treasure amt no
more account dan dat, and gEine. float
way dat same fashion. (Flinging a
1du1llu III VI CAdA w ulO WiAO-
ode box you must look to for hold your
treasure mustn't be like dis yere one, )"
he continues, lacking on the black calico
lining to the coffin which his assistant is
holding, cit must be de kind what no
tief kin git into and no moth and fish
worm eat way and corrup'; please master
dis de solemn truth you-all niggers is
hearin' dis day."
The local preacher by dint Of perse-
vering scrutiny Of the spelling book and
a close imitation Of the words and man.
ners of more advanced dlvines is able to
read very impressive chapter of the
Bible, and If the meaning of the we'll
turned sentences is not quite clear to his
listeners they attribute that fact to a
superior wisdom on the part Of their lead
or which they may never hope to emulate,
that is if they notice any incongrnity at all
which is not likely The younger. more
careless negroes have now, even in remote
backwoods districts, faint smattering of
education, but the older ones who are apt
to pay undivided attention to the preach
or have much more faith than they have
knowledge.
"Does locus preacher mean an exhort-
err" black mother in Israel was asked,
relative to parsonage who was conduct
ing prayer room" in vacant cabin
on the plantation. "Well, not 'zactly
'zorter," was the reply, "but it means
he's pushin' it close. he kin read right
sharp outen de ole Testament.