Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-17
WHAT HIGHER EDUCATION MEANS
FOR THE NEGROES OF THE SOUTH

AS we laid her body reverently away to
it's rest it seemed to me that the scene
revealed a friendly relation between mis-
tress and servant such as belongs to
past age. No well informed person can
doubt that there formerly existed in the
south thousands of such instances of u1u-
tual devotion.
Reference was made in a recent article
to Andrew Bryan. famous negro preach
er among the Baptists OF the early days.
Possibly a more remarkable man even
than he was Harry Hosier, the negro
servant of Bishop Asbury. the real found
er of American Methodism. BLACK Har-
ry.'' as ne was popularity called. could
neither read nor write, but he was said
to have been. lone of the most powerful
exhorters, white or black, then on the
American continent" He is described as
being small in stature, coal black and
with eyes of remarkable brilliance and
intelligence" He had a quick mind. a
most retentive memory, and such an elo-
quent flow of words. which he could soon
put into almost faultless English that
he was pronounced by many the great
est orator in America" Nor was this at
all undeserved. He travelled in turn with
Asbury, Coke, Whatcoat, Garrettson,
Jesse Lee, and other distinguished Meth
odist preachers, to each OF whom he acted
as driver but excelllng them all IN pop
cident concerning him is related as oc-
curing at Wilmington. Del. Some per-
sons who had never heard Bishop Asbury
preach were DESTROYS of doing so, and
for that purpose, contrary to their custom,
attended the Methodist meeting because
of the crowd they could not get inside OF
the building, but listening without, heard,
as they supposed, Bishop Asbury, but in
reality marry Hosier. They were very
much pleased with the discourse. and de-
clared that If all Methodist preachers
could preach like the bishop, they would
like to be constant attendants upon their
services.
Another remarkable man was Henry
Evans, of Fayetteville, n. C., Of whom
Bishop Capers said: Il have known and
loved and honored not a few negroes in
life who were probably as pure Of heart
as Evans or anybody else. Such were
my old friends CASTLE Selby and John
Boquet, of Charleston; VIII Campbell and
Harry Merrick, of Wilmington; York
Cohen, of Savannah and others might
name. These I might call remarkable
for their goodness. But use the word in
a broader sense for Henry Evans, who
was confessedly the father Of the Meth-
odist church, white and black, in Fayette-
vile, and the best preacher OF his time
In that quarter; and who was so remark
able as to have become the greatest GU
NAOSANy VI tic NON|ug AucOAAA~n NAA0~ us
tinguished visitors hardly felt that they
might pass a Sunday IN Fayetteville
without hearing him preach"
The story OF this mans humble Christi
like character, Of his useful life and
triumphant death, as related by Bishop
Capers. is intensely interesting. His fu-
neral at the church." he says, was at
tended by a greater concourse OF persons
than had been seen on any funeral occa-
sion before. The whole community ap-
peared TO mourn his death, and the uni
versal feeling seemed to be that in hon
oringN the memory of Henry Evans We
were paying a tribute to virtue and re-
ligion. He was buried under the chancel
Of the church OF which he had been IN so
remarkable a manner the founder"
It Is not of course claimed that these
instances represent the prevailing type OF
life among the slaves. Among them
there was necessarily much OF ignorance,
superstition and sin. But instances such
as those above referred to could be du-
plicated many times over from the rec
ords OF the past. Properly considered
they form a valid defense Of the south
from a charge, formerly not uncommon,
of harsh and inhuman cruelty to the
slaves. They represent a kind Of life not
too frequent in their race today