The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-06
A NEGROES MEMORY
HONORED BY SUNDAY SCHOOL OF
INDEPENDENT CHURCH.
PASTOR AND SUPERINTENDENT
BOTH SPOKE TENDERLY OF THE
DEATH OF DANIEL GRANT.


For Years Vie Had Been the sexton
| of the Church and by the Children
He Was Specially Beloved, as He
! Loved Them-They Laid n Wreath
of Flowers ut the Base of the Pull
pit in His MemOry-Dr. Fairs
! Touching Reference to the Loss of
! the Old SextOn-The Chinese Glass
in the sunday school a Success.
! The niuety-seventh anniversary of the
| Sunday-school Of the Independent Presby
terrain Church was celebrated last night.
The most noteworthy feature of the cele-
/ bration was the tender reference made
I-by the pastor and superintendent to the
death of Daniel Grant, the negro sexton
of the church.
For many years Grant had been the
sexton, for SO long that his wel-known
face and figure had become identified, in
the minds of many citizens of Savannah,
with the stately edifice that was his es-
| pecial pride BY the children of the Sun
| day-school he was greatly beloved and
he returned this affection with a fervor
characteristic of the race from which he
sprang and of the old regime of which he
and his kind had been an essential part.
! Mr.. Malcolmn Cunningham was acting
| superintendent of the Sunday-school and
in his report, in which he had occasion
to say that there had been no deaths
among officers, teachers or pupils of the
school during the year that was past, he
added that the school and the church had
of Daniel Grant
| In DIR. Fairs address the memory of
the old sexton was paid another tender
tribute. After again abiding to the kind
! ly providence that has watched over the
| Sundsy-school and protected its officers
and pupils from the grim reaper, he said:
! But he has been among us and taken
away Daniel Grant. Our faithful old sex
] ton is dead. How he loved us all, What
loss was ours when he was called away.
How we miss his kindly fade. as it shone
upon us, each time we assembled here,
| from the door of the church!
| "He is gone. but I have the sweet hope
| that we shall see him again. that just
| as we used to see him standing in the
doorway of this earthly sanctuary, SO we
| shall see him again before the gate of
| tho celestial city, not made with hands.
! and be reunited with him there"
| Among the memorial offerings, laid
! around the great cross of white roses that
was planted at the foot of the pulpit was
a wreath OF. roses TO the memory of Dan
! iel Grant. The children that placed II
! there. in remembrance of the old and
! faithful negro, around whom some of their
own sweetest and tenderest memories
| clustered.
| 1t is custom in the church Cor the
members of the Sunday-school, at each
anniversary celebration, to bring flowers
and lay them around the pulpit in mem
! DRY of those of their number who have
passed away within the year. The wreath
to Daniel Grants memory lay last night
among the others. Near it was placed
cross in memory of Mrs. Hemap Charl-
| ton.
Last night the children of the Sunday
school were the figures in very beauti-
full scene. In dainty spring dresses. bear
ing bouquets of roses, they marched into
| the church. In the hymns they sang their
/ young voices rang out gladly and sweetly
and tunefully; their very presence was
| an inspiration.
| The report of the superintendent showed
| the existence of a very encouraging con-
dition of affairs. The membership of the
| school is large and the attendance on
|
always large proportion of the total.
OF special interest was the report as
| to the class of Chinese. This work has
| been attended with considera BILE difficulty
4 In order to broaden it beyond the posi-
| bilittes of verbal instruction, 1t has been
| deemed necessary to teach the pupils
| something of the written language This
| has not been easy but with patience
| perseverance and tact something has
been accomplished. Two or three mem
bers OF. the class are learning to read and
| others are following the example thus set
4 them. Some of the class. a moro essential
! fact, have begun to have a real under
| standing and comprehension of the
truths and the beauty of the Christian
religion and a real trust and faith in its
| promises.
In addition to the singing by the school,
which. directed by Mr. Clarence Coburn
was of special excellence. and the report
of the superintendent, the exercises cCE-
sisted of a prayer by Mr.. d. r. Thomas
and an address by DR. Fair
These anniversary OCCASIONS" said Dr.
Fair give me pleasure cannot express
1t is a fact that the great majority Of
those who die. die in infancy, and | be-
lieve that all infants who died, whether
baptised or unbaptised, in pagan lands
or Christian, are saved The kingdom OF
heaven must be largely kingdom of lit
tie children. and so this reunion here
presages that greater reunion beyond the
| stars"
The great white cross of roses. that
formed the central figure i'm the decora-
tons last night. Will be placed this morn
ing upon the grave of Or. I. S. X. Arson.
formerly and for many years, pastor OF
the church.