The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-05-16
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: At a NEGRO +. RaE Y v. .ss'3
Unlettsred Men who Wisely E1pound ths,
Truth. ''N'1ss.s,.s4

Vfuth. o." ~'SSs>Sss%
We were party Of six, all Sunday,
school teachers, all supposed Soriptural
experts. One Of our number was r; ;
tired American Missionary association
worker and another one had been prepar-,
Ing for the foreign mission field when her.
health failed her. The FIVE of US accepted
the invitation Of the sixth, oyr hostess, to
attend oolored revival meeting near By. !
We were the only white people In tho
crowded church. All about us were dusky
faces; all around US the mellow negro
voices rang out In characteristic negro re-
vival songs The words were trivial, the
choruses but disjointed bits Of sentences,
but the melody was Intoxicating 30 the
senses. Though, untuned, what voices;
unframed, without rule, yet with
strange rhythm and passionate fire TINT
stirred ones pulses as never operatic aria
Couldi
Our dark skinned brethren were OF the
Christian religion; therefore they were
nearer to us than heathen. Nevertheless
between us and them rolled a. great gulf.
They were illiterate, emotional babes in
tho gospel. They had never heard Of tho
higher criticism and never studied Barnes
or Adam Clarke and were not afraid Of
De Wette or Renan. So we sat there with
tho patronizing air that human beings are
apt to assume when thrown in contact
with mortals less wise than themselves.
Brother Jonah Watkins, white wooded,
bent backed man of TO- was called upon
to pray. He responded, in nowise over.
awed by our superior presence. He prayed
as though his lips had indeed been touched
by live coal from Gods own altar.
80 Lord" be prayed, thou knowest
dis people. Here we are befo' de, down on,
our marrer bones In de lowlands of SORROW,
Raise US up, deah Lord, an stan us up
upon our feet upon do mountain tops Of
glory. An de sinnahs Of dis congregation,
deah Lord, smite EN- wild de hannah Of
Jeremiah"-
heard no more. "The hannah Of
Jeremiah was itY had read the
prophet Jeremiah through and through,
with the commentaries and Bible diction-
aries open at every page, but never syl-
liable had caught about Jeremiahs ham,
mer. What did this bent backed colored
man know about jeremiah that the wise
teachers of tho law had overlooked The
question was bfoaohed on the h6meward
walk. Our party had all been struck with
the expression, but not. ono Of us SIX Sun,
day school teachers had the remotest idea
of what Jeremiah's hammer might be.
Tho next day six men and women read
their Bibles, and each Of the six began at
the first verse of the first chapter Of Jere-
miah. One by one as we reached the
twenty-ninth verse Of tho twenty third
chapter we found what we were after.
Is not my word like a 1rep saith the
Lord, and like hammer that breakcth the
rock in pieces9" Jeremiah's hammer was
Gods word, that WAS able to break down
the finty resistance of the indifferent soul.
Could Scripture reference have been more
applicable9 And the wonder Of all was
that this low born son Of toll, spelling his
text out word by word, should have found
tho kernel of tho meat, while others, with
every help at hand, passed over lin
dependent. IN