Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-08-01
A Typical Southern Negro
Church

In compliance with an earnest invi-
we attended services at his church on
Sunday evening. This important in
diVidual, as he appears on the street,
is certainly parsonage of very unique
! aspect. About forty-fve years of age,
about six feet in height, coal black in
color, his bowed neither limbs set in
the center of a pair of No. IA shoes,
and incased in rather tight trousers
several inches too long, white shirt,
a long, black alapaca coat, out at the
elbows, the whole being topped by a
tall, black derby hat, describes him.
An ancient black cotton umbrella COM
pIetes the picture.
The church building, on the outside,
is an antiquated, rough board struc
ture, resembling very much some an
cient Sank county backwOods board
barn, or hop house, surmOunted by
diminutive cupalO, in which is hung
little cast iron bell. This bell, how
eyer. is loud voiced enough to be heard
by the members of the congregation,
as all live within scarcely more than
a stones throw from the church door.
The inside of the building is fitted
with painted pine seats, a vanished
hardwood pulpit, a cabinet organ, and
a profusion of coal oil lamps. These
latter, however, fail to dispeIl the
shadows to any appreciate extent.
When the meeting opened, besides
our party, there were only two old
colored women present, one of whom
offered up fervent prayer, and joined
in singing Pleyel's Hymn, the preach
er leading in a powerful tenor voice,
though in a somewhat jerky manner,
as follows:
How ge-hentle Ga-hawd's comman's,
How ki-hind his pre-ce-heps all,
Come ca-hast 20 bur-hurdens o-hon
de Load
An chatham his co-honstant cab"
Some others had by this time ar
rived, among whom were several very
stout old ladies and few men. These
joined in the singing of several more
of the old orthodox hymns, and then
a visiting sistah" led in an impas
stoned appeal to the throne C grace,
which ended in a perfect frenzy. While
still gasping for breath to continue
her efforts, the preacher proceeded to
begin his sermon on the millennium,
which is the favorite subject Ct dis
course here just at present. His SER
mon was quite able, but being dellv-
cred at the top of his powerful voice,
was anything but agreeable to my
ears.
At the close of the preachers dis
course. the visiting sistah" was given
the floor, and after arranging che
books and papers on a little table to
form couple of vacant spots, she an
nounced that Cali dem that wants ter
help a Pc OF sick CONAN kin lay DER
money down hyer, an all dem dat
wants ter hep de preacher kin put
DER money ober dar." There was a
united rush for the table, and when
the receipts were counted the sick
woman had S1.35, and the preacher
$1.25 to their credit. The visiting
sistah" then began a testimonial, but
her feelings and tongue ran away with
her, and she launched into an ava
lanche of invective against the whole
race of white men from Abraham Lin
coin, whom she claimed only partly
set the negroes free, down to the pres
ent time when, she claimed, they were
no longer free at all. However she
wound up by saying that all negroes
would be white in heaven, thus &C
knowledging that the Caucasian does
possess one important advantage over
the negro, Wis: being white on earth.
". G. ABBOTT.
Eureka Springs, Ark.