The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-28
BUILDING A CHURCH IN ARkANsAW
How the Pillars of the Baptist
Church of Zion Managed It.

-Four months the deaeons and elders Of
the Emmanuel EEL ncipated Baptist
Church OF Zion, Poinsett county, Arkan-
saw had been planning their new edifiea.
1t was all the religious portion OF the coli
ored population talked about. Begging
Went on right and left. Every young buck
VINO made winning with the bones"
feit obliged 10 contribute 4.foh luck" The
sonber~yisaged chief cider asked no oues-
tions. The brown-faced bellies made their
offerings, toe. Everything of negotiable
value was cheerfulIy Therapeutics. due
bills, county scrip, commissary punch
outs" shoals, sauer- kraut and cast-nff
clothing. The elders were supposed 10
know how 70 reduce all the gifts to the
cash basis by barter and exchange. Labor
enough was pledged TO build q mile Of
leYee, the chance OF impressing it when
needed being taken strictly on faith.
Across the color line cash or It's immediate
equivalent was alone expected. that Is
money or building material a curious
i6t OF personality accumulated on the
church site. Variety. rather than guam
THY, characterized these donations Ten
railroad ties; j stick OF "culP cypress Dill
ing. three or four yards of rough. plank
walk flshed out OF the Mississippi back
water: dozen pieces Of iron pipe. all DIFF
ferent sizes and lengths, from burned
cotton gin: few hundred briekbats that
had supported the boiler: one small wagon
load Of rotten limestone from an old rail-
road culvcrt: bundle of ragged and rusty
cotton ties-thus the schedule ran. The
deacons and elders watched the growth OF
the Pile with honest pride. The accumu-
lation OF fairly available building lumber
proceeded mere slowly. but il was charac-
terized by great variety, too. There were
two oak and two gum silis; a little oak
and mnre yellow pine and cypress floor
ing material. three doors and seven win
dan. .3.. Il MI. &C.
and all secondhand: oak and cypress shin
gles in equal quantities for about half the
roof, and corrugated iron from an old
mill shed for the rest And so 1t went.
The nearest saw mill firm was levied on
heavily for donations. and gave literally
from its yard AZ the negro's own valua-
top But still moro really merchantable
material was needed-"cuir lumber being
taken with innocent freedom and without
question. For the additional stuff cash
or its equivalent-miil labor orders-must
be paid. one Saturday afternoon the
deacons and elders all laid of to make
the final and largest payment for raw ma
terial. They filed solemnly into the mill
mans office and took of their Aats
White folks. we has come to buy de
lumtah foh ouah house of Worship"
''Aii right elder, how much do YOU
want? The mill isn't running this after
noon because so many OF the men "had To
help dig the church foundation. but we
can start lit Monday early and cut 'er
right through" and ylsions Of weeks
profitable run fitted through the mill
mans mind. lie added: 'Have you the
bin Of dimensions made out?''
No, sab; but We Is got the money
this very proudly. I'VE thought you
would tigger up de pieces foh us"
Well. l amt a carpenter, but maybe
can fix you. How much do you wish to
pay?''
Then began an exploration OF patched
and ragged apparel on the part Of the
whole delegation. The mill man thought
he was going to get a hundred az least
from each delegate. His eyes began 10
buigc~ml'd avarice Illuminated his entire
T.sage- Up came the first brown ard
horny FIST II ciutched three quarters and
eight niekels. Back il went and this time
jug deep. The net result was another
nickel aud seventeen coppsrs The mill
man looked less 8Varcious now. The re-
'nalndcr Of the delegation had meanwhile
been condUctiug searches on their own
account IN about half an hour the mob
!iixrd fund lay before the SAWYER count
hit. bossT' and his every move MIS- -Iose-
~ scanned, until the task was finished
Very soon the sawyer looked up. contempt
ia ovefy line Of his face.
And you want 81 get lumber enough for
the church with this%'
well white folks. we Kinder on spectea
"a would hn' lie nails, too. You keeps 'cnl
in yoh Commiss4fy S1oh.'
The mill nam was from the North. and
be swors That pile contained one single
saper dollar SIN silver dollars tsa labor
orders for - cents each. and the re-
n1anfer in halves quarters. dimes. uckels
aud peunles-Sli&5 all tol1 Neither Of It's
late cuSto9.aas would have turned Il over
10 his fellow Committeene0 for any rea-
sen.