The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-07

Hffk I AOVEH by the chief honorary pan-bsarer, whose ''oie sooman was mighty po'oiy.'' The home children stood back of her and the progeny of the various planta- tions behind them
 The casket was let down into the
 grave; . nswspaper picture of Abra- ham Lincoln. with the roster of the
 local Union League was placed on ths
 conn: receipt for s'one dollar for
 tle marked Magic Unguent.': then .
 hamper basket of evsrkreens was Bumped in and the real service be gan. Each preacher read the burial service and preached Q sermon and prayed Each delivered an extended
 euloGy. recitfng every virtue that characterized the holy life of the de- parted and many of the sisters went into '.trance." quite a number of orary PailbeareFs.
 I After awhile the distinguished
 brethren who could Aspeii out words'' and ''line. out e hymn" had their iu- Il nings.
 l The shadows were iengthening when the leading Baptist Bishop an- nounced that each, of the six would I .sline out 6 hymn, Under the excite ment of the songs more women fell into trance, fill the venire of Honor- i ary Pailbearers was exhausted--afl. all holding women in trance" The singing was inspiring.
 | Just before sun-down 1t came "El- lick, the Baptist's" time to line out a hymn. He was the last on the pro- gram. and became interested. His surname. -3aptist." had been given him by his fellow servant. Adam, in | derision because Ellick was so per once delivered to the Saints" Adam was a privileged man on .the planta- ton" and carried e load of affection from black and white that protected him in doing and saying what he pleased for Adam had attended his young master to the war and served him, Ohi how Faithfully. till that aw- ful affair at Petersburg. when he came homo. bringing his masters sword. fer his master needed 1t no more
 I became interested. Know Eiiick? Why hts features were photographed on the very fly leaf of my memoryf He was associated with every tradf- ton of ''the piantation," good or bad. He was strong. hard featured. dis agreebie. insubordinate. bold, rough, wicked, gentle and kind. My recol- lection was prematureiy shocked into being by . great and irfeparable loss and while my infant heart was break ing the big, black. hard favored man took me to his arms and did his best to soothe, to comfort and console.
 Ellick was my first school pupil and at six years old I undertook, at his irrepressib1e Importantly. to teach him how to read. Every night, for an hour, was engaged in teaching. It was weeks and months before he mas- tered the alphabet. for he was slow and dull Of mind.
 Months, and may be, years passed before we got to baker" When. at last he could spell "baker." >"lady," shady" pony and the other words of the lesson s'hy heart" his toy was almost uncontrollablo and when he could read Bakers bake bread and cakeas he went into ecstacies, and no College President ever delivered a Diploma with more pleasure than I when praised Ellick for his attain ment
 Ellick was the most wicked and troublesome nigger on the plantation. but one day I saw him 20 to the church and tell the church that he believed that The Christ had died for his sins: that he loved Him for 1t and wanted to serve Him. saw him baptized and the joy of his counte- nance indexed the peace of the 'an- swer of a good conscience."
 Years later when joined the church no more cordial hand was extended in fellowship than poor, happy Ellick.<
 After heAentered the church he ace cured q 'Hestafnent'' and a Baptist Psalmody" and he came to me for s0mething like q post-eraduate course, till he mastered the New Testament, except the hardest words His Testa- ment and Baptist Psalmody were hia constant companions. Of all the pages in his Psalmody the worst thumbed were those of his familiar hymns: .'show pity. Lord. Oh Lord. forgive, Let repentant rebel live" and
 "oh thou. my soul forget no more The Friend who all the sorrows bore." and
 "A cnsEge hq to .:.yE. Rs.sp>I :! have and
 "oh! sing to me Of Heaven
 When am called to die"
 When the negroes withdrew from our. church to s'set up' for themselves, Ellick refused. saying, '.the church where Marster and Ole Miss is, that's the one for me-tiIl die."
 Oh it was natural that when Ei- lick was going to "line out" the hymn. 1 I was aroused to new interest in the burial and "edsed" my way through the crowd and got near to him and he | saw me.
 
 Taking his stand at the head of the grave with all the assurance of supe- riorfty over every nigger that had lined out"; adjusting his '.goid l spectacles, which were worn l for ornament rather than perspective, he took from his pocket a finely bound, | gilt edged and gold clasped Baptist | which |'ole moster" had given | hlm years ago, and which only saw the | light on extraordinary occasions, open- | ed it carefully, cast his eyes over the | over the "specks" and | said: Les sing de 1as' hymn in de | book!" and he Tined out'' the first two | lines:
 'toh. sing to me of Heaven
 When am called to die."