The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1916-02-11

rsee or creed The story 10 that of Pierre
Tousssint, Who came - . slave irom Sau-
In Domingo with his master and the
masters wife. fleeing from the revo, ution
oi August 1871. The master died OIL r
return trip Ia the Island. and the widow
found herself i'm her new home without
any resource-.''
Tou-ssint," We learn, "imm.~iiatrly
devoted himself to her maintenance. He
MAS an expert ladies' hair dresser and
soon becam~ the fashionable artist OF the
town. earning = considerable amount.
which he expended on his mistrs~s. who.
ON her death bed. in l>lO. emancipatr.i
him. But he also found time even
Then to do great deal Of charitable
work. helping the p..or with his savins-
AMI ministrring 60 the sick When lac
h~csme free his prosperity increased and
his thriit accumulated a modest comp.-
tence. the income of which went Ia ia.
poor. Tor churches. to orphan asylums.
or whatever fo~tered the progress of ~.
llgion. lie lived to the aye of -. dyinr
on June ~. l>5I. IL is stated that for
sixty years he never failed to hear Mas
every morning"
Nor were the great services which d.
performed unspprecist~d. At his death
there were many to testify to his gool
works. lady. a non-Catholir. wh..
had attended his funeral in New York
thus de-cribes il I'm letter "a friend
Il went on Saturday to attend Tou-
saints funeral. High Mass, incense
candies. rich robes. sad and solemn mu-i.
we're there. The Church gave all tina
II could give a. prince or noble. The
priest, his friend MIR. Quinn, made a.
most interesting address. lie did not
sllu'ie Ia his color, and -csr,-~ly To hi
station, Il seemed ~ II hls virtue s-
man and Christian had ai,~orbed all
other thoughts. A stranger would no,
have SUSPECTED that a black man of hi.
humble calling Icy in the midst of u-.
lie said no relative MAS lett to mourn for
linn, yet many present would feel tina,
they had lot one Who always had wi-.
counsel for the rich, words Of encourage
ment for the poor. and all would H.
grateful for having known him.
The sid lac had given 10 the lat.
Bishop fenwick Of Boston, To Father
Power Of our city, To all the Catholic in
stitutions, wAs dwelt upon at large. How |
much ] have learnt OF his charitabl. |
leeds which | had never known before,
Mr. Quin said: There were left few ]
among the Clergy superior t. him in de
votion and zeal for the Church and for
he siory OF GOD among isymen noue:I,
Historical Records and Studies, New
York, 1915, p. l27)
remarkable and beautiful story in
Iced, this life Of the ex-slave Tous~sint.
Gods image carved in ebony" has he
'een called by another lady who wrot
an account Of his career. tMr-. ~. y.
I>eo, Memoir Of Pierre Tou--aint. Born
4 Slave in -. Domingo" Boston, Cro-
~ and Nichols. 1854 His lie il worthy
,f remembrance i'm the annals of the Ne
,ro race. And IL is interesting to note
hat the same srticle in winch mention
Il his work Is contained also gives an ac
'"unt Of other tx xsmple- oi heroi-rn among
he Negro people. In l7II, in the New
ork Conspiracy" or the Negro Iiot,"
4 numtsrr Of Catholic Negroes, We learn.
sere burned at the stake. one Of them
mentioned IN particular. Juan lie sylvia,
yOIng % death most bravelv A. la. uent
IN fact, "he kissed crucifix. protesting
has Innocence % the last" Men such ~
these should not lie forgotten, e-TecialIy
by those Of their own race. Their nance
and records should ever i,~ prr-erved and |
carefully cherished
q. ". of g.. v.