Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-07-11
ALL HAD SEEN GOLDEN IMAGES
UnQueIIabIe Row Started in a Negro
Sunday school by an Ambitious
New Teacher.

The daughter of man prominent
IN Washington tells an amusing story
of her recent experience in negro Sun
iay-school work.
She has taught a Sunday-school class
for years, and, being used to colored
servants, fiattered herself that she
understood the negro temperament.
So, when a Washington friend who
taught a class of negro children in the
poorer quarter of the town was taken
i'll and obliged to miss her Sunday
school class, the young woman of eS-
perience blithely volunteered as sub
stitute. The teacher looked doubtful,
relates the New York Sun.
''They are awfully ignorant little
larkies'
"Of course"
s.And they don't always behave
WE'LL
''Now don't worry for minute. 1
reckon 1 can manage a roomful of
pickaninnieS."
So the matter was arranged. Then
the substitute teacher betook herself
to earnest thought. She wanted to
make hit with the children, and she
didn't intend to be tied down to any
Biblical order of sequence. She
would pick out a lesson wherever she
could find one to suit the emergency.
The only problem was the choosing
of the chapter that would prove most
thrilling and appeal most strongly to
the juvenile darl1y. The teacher-elect
went at the question intelligently.
What did negroes like most? she
asked herself. She meditated a long
time and went back over her expert
ences. Finally she decided that long
names, gorgeousness and heat were
as dear to the darky heart as anything
in the world.
That fact being established, she ran
mental eye over the chapters of the
Bible. At Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego she stopped in triumph.
There was subject ready to her hand
long names, pomp and circumstance,
fiery furnaces and all.
She studied diligently, and on Sun
day morning sailed forth full of en-
thusiasm. In a stuffy little room on
a narrow alley she found Is prefer
naturally solemn little darkies wait
ing for her arrival and looking a shade
more solemn. The teacher felt
thrill of pleasure at the thought of the
coming triumph. She had decided that
since grandeur was beloved of the col
ored race she would preface the entry
of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
" vivid description of the mag
nificence and extravaganza of the
Iox 4 4 I,xa
tention of her pupils, she would go on
to the men of imposing names and the
fiery furnace.
Her reasoning was good, but her
knowledge of pickanniny nature was
defective. She began her description
of the times. Rapt attention. Then,
unfortunately, she was moved to talk
of golden images and she asked ques-
ton.
Did any of you ever see a golden
image?" she asked.
Of course, she said to herself, no
one could have seen golden image,
but the interrogative form chains
childish attention. She reckoned with
out her audience. The question had
hardly left her lips before fat little
darky on the front seat held up his
hand and tumbled breathlessly into
speech.
"Yes, lady; 1 done seen golden i'm.
age. big as de DOH"
The boy next to him gave him
vicious nudge.
''G'way, you niggah! 1 seen image
biggah'n dis room," said the second
boy.
They were off. Every child in the
class had lived life full of golden
images. Each image mentioned was
bigger than the last; each voice was
louder than the last.
The teacher gasped and tried to still
the tumult; but she was helpless
against the storm she had raised. The
air was full of golden images.
Golden images as big as the white
house, as big as the capitol, rained
upon her. Verbal contest led to brute
force. The assertions of image seers
were emphasized by hair pulling and
slapping. Shadrach, Meshaeh and
Abednego never had chance to show
their heads. The class broke up in a
row.
When she saw most of her pupils en-
gagged in a freefor-all on the floor.
amid babel of image testimony, the
teacher gathered up her belongings
and fed. AS she escaped through the
door she heard 81 loud voice insisting:
81 seen goid'n image big nuff tub
put the Washington monument in his
pocket
"You don't want to get negro Sun
day-school class too much interested
right at the start" says the ambitious
teacher, sadly.