The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-09
OLD AND BLIND AND HAPPY.
PLYMOUTH CHURcHS JOSHUA.
PRINCE or OPTIMISTs;


Now the Church Honors Its Humble
Servant and None Is Proudcr Than He.
Joshua Savell Is ole, and blind, and he is
a colored man. He is the humblest servant
Of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, but the
other day the white men and women Of the
church gave a party In his honor and for
his benefit.
For thirty-seven years Joshua has pumped
the organ, first in the. church and OF
late in the Sunday school, and he has
never missed a Sunday In those thirty
seven years. Every Sunday he sits beside
the organ in the big Sunday school room.
on the floor above the church, and In full
sight Of the thousand or more children
assembled there, an example Of faithful
ness to duty in an humble station, Alb
He can find his way unaided to his room
across the trolley tracks in Fulton street,
but II he couldn't there would be a hundred
youngsters willing to take him there.
Joshua has become an .ipstitution at
Plymouth and shares the affection and ven
GRAFTON OF the institutions In the church which
Henry Ward Beecher and a succession OF
celebrated pastors have made famous
In the church he Is Joshua but to
outsiders and among his neighbors he Is
mister Savell,' a title earned by long
years old-fashioned responsibility n in
innate association with church folks. You
might know. TO look at him, that he
was connected with a church or some
equally ~irreproachable institution.
He is a little man, a very few inches over
five feet, with a shaven face, wrinkled and
yellow rather thai dusky The hair has
gone from the top Of his head in the place
where IL used to grow. leaving him re-
specially bald, and from his well-shined
shoes 70 his tie he is clad in sober black
He is 70 years old and alone In the world,
but the old mans prominent characteristic
is c~heerfulness. To all appearance he
couldn't be happier-maybe wouldn't be
so %happy-if he had youth n eyesight, q
million and a mansion in Fifth avenue,
He is happy over his good health-h he
never wa Ill for a day In his life. he says
over having a comfortable roof over his
head and over the good care OF IN old
colored housekeeper; over his being able
TO get about . well; over his luck in lodging
trolley cars: over being able to live 90 near
the church; over his thirty-seven years
of organ pumping, and over the good will
and respect the fine folks Of Plymouth
give him. There never was a happier
old man.
When he tells Of his life he chuckles with
pleasure, though he has been blind almost
from birth. He considers that he has been
~lucky-lucky to find such nice work as
organ pumping, so we'll suited to his physi-
cal ability; lucky to rave had so much
experience at it. for he tells you with pride
that he has pumped music into seventy
two organs in his time; lucky to have lived
at a time before hydraulic power n
electricity drove organ bumpers COM
pletely out Of business: lucky TO have found
such an easy organ as that in Plymouth
Sunday school to pump in his old age;
lucky, to have had a good daughter. though
she has been in her grave these thirteen
months; lucky to ave lived at all. Why,
his life has been chock full Of nothing but
good luck! If any reader Of THE Sun Is
discontinued with life let him OF her go
and ak with blind old Joshua Savell down
In Fulton street. II should be a sure cure.
He has had six childr en- and five are
dead. There is one son remaining n
he left the old man several years ago. saying
he couldn't be burdened with him. But
that's lucky. too. .
said he couldn't be bothered with me. .
chuckles the old man. well, maybe it's
as well that I'm not bothered with him
He was born 10 Philadelphia, Joshua
will tell you. While he was a baby he got
cold in his eyes, somehow. n between the
cold and the doctoring ichuckle, Tor being
a well man. he's no friend 10 d~octorsl why.
YOU might say he was blind from his birth.
When he was @ years old he came to Brook
lyn and he's been there ever since. Brook
lyn's a fine place TO live in.
When he first went TO Brooklyn he had
-. 4 III AVasA Ia sAAlE htna ANnn
That was lucky. too, for he learned his way
about the city aud now he knows II pretty
well. though since there has been so much
traffic, particularly 20 many trolley cars.
in the streets he doesn't go about alone so
much az he used 20,
At 10 he began 70 pump for organists.
The organs were all pumped by hand labor
in those DAYS. He could always bc relied on,
so his services we've in demand.
Once he had steady work pumping six
organs at the same time. he played the
cello too, in a band for parties and became
prosperous. Then he married a good wife
what colored girl could refuse such an
optimist? And they lived happily for
many years.
All Of the children but two, a son and a
daughter, died. The daughter studied
music and became well known as a singer
and a teacher Of guitar and mandolin play
ing.
They called her Madame Savell. She
married IN time and her father lived with
her. Then a year ago last December she
passed away, too. and he was left alone.
But right there. in this great misfortune
Of his life, he was lucky too. The old
NANNY who was a kind nurse to his daugh-
ter In her illness was willing to stay and
look after him. And she's doing Il now
doing il well; and the kind folks of Plymouth
Church. hearing that he was left alone and
remembering his faithful service. got to-
gether and were giving a party and sale OF
homemade things for his benefit.
Was there ever a luckier. happier man
than Joshua Savell? Mark Tapley was a
veritable Mrs. Gummidge in spirit beside
this old blind organ pumpcr.
He is no braggart ~though-just a mo3os,
unassuming old negro with all the cheer
fulness of his race coming out in him. THE
SUS reporter found him In his rooms In the
Fulton street tenement.
The old mar himself descended the stairs
to open the door, He moved 20 lightly and
nimbly that except for a glance al his sight
less eyes II mightn't have been believed
that he was blind.
His Is n neat room in the second story.
There were pictures on the wall. most 81
them pictures # the dead daughter, but
n a photograph Of old Joshua himself.
standing on the steps Of Plymouth Church,
a little girl, one of the Sunday school chill
dren, leading him by the hand. He is