The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-05-11
NEGRO PREACHER'S
RISE REMARKABLE
DR.. G. A. TindIey Of Philadelphia, Who
Spoke ID Iowa Recently, Rose
from Janitorship to
Leader.
TEXTS IN NEWSPAPERS
Bits That He Used for Text Books
Were Studied at Night by the
Aid Of Pine
Torches.
LAD TEXTS IN NEWSPAPERS

Dr. c. A. Tindley, pastor OF Phila.
delphia church and who has been
speaking recently in Iowa, rose to
! the pastorate from the lowly position
of janitor. DR.. Tindley studied news.
paper clippings by the aid OF hight
from pine torches. His story is told
in an interview which he gave re-
Gently in this state.
He plowed all day on the farm and
went at night to the day schooi
teacher to be examined in lessons
studied in the day and as he walked
the fields behind the teams blowing.
As boy he was often so hungry
that he fought with dogs for bones
TO gnaw so that he would not 60
hungry to bed. This poor colored
boy is now the pastor of the church
to which he was once sexton.
Il was born in Berlin. Worcester
county, Maryland. too long ago, /
have forgotten the date said Dr..
Tindley with laugh ''My educa-
tion began with reading bits of news
and in the fences. A white boy read
the words and pointed them out with
a stick or his finger. Soon l learned
to know the words by sight and
learned to read the daily paper with
out spelling. / never had book un-
til / was II years old and l worked
on the farm all the time.
Newspaper Scraps His Textbook.
My father married a second time
and he hired me out to farmer, who
was an infidel. l used to stay up at
night reading my lessons with the
aid of a burning pine knot, and when
i heard my employer coming to my
room would blow out the light and
pretend to be sleeping. Ny thirst Tor
education was SO great that / wou;d
plough all day and when my days
work was over l would run seven
miles to spend half an hour with a
day school teacher. Ny rule was to
never let day pass without learn
ing one thing that did not know
the day before.
The bits OF newspapers that were
my lesson books became so soiled
and dirty as studied them through
the day that often I could not see
T.. i
first time / attended church, ran
away from my lodgings and reached
the church in the middle of the after
noon in time for Sunday school |
had washed my feet in the brook and
put my 25-cent straw hat under my
arm. l was SO scared and ashamed
of my clothes that 1 hid in the choir
loft behind some boxes until the Sun
day school missionary asked for all
boys and girls who could read the
Bible TO come to the front seat. l
came out OF my hiding place, hoped
down the aisle of the church, and
took my place with those on the front
seat Ny clothing embarrassed me,
but / knew l could read the words
in the Bible. was in advance OF the
teaching OF those days. There were
not sufficient Bibles TO go around and
when the book was handed to me
was to read John, the fourth chapter
and fourteenth verse. Of course
read it easily When the school was
out the better dressed boys chased
me half a mile from the Sunday
school / went back to my lodgings
with an indomitable resolution to be-
come all that God had put me in the
world to be- My employer never
knew / had been to church, and l
MIXED the cows that night with
music in my ears and heart. Ny
heart was strangely warmed and the
world was never the same to me, but
/ kept studying day and night from
the bits OF newspaper.
Bought Spelling Book.
Two years after l bought John
Comiey's spelling book, which / soon
mastered, and then sold my corn
patch and bought another advanced
edition and began studying it.
Il began preaching in 1885 when
+ was ianjtor or sexton of the church
of which am now pastor. In May,
1885. / Joined the Delaware confer
ence and was ordained elder in 1883.
NV first pastorate was at Cape May,
n. 7. We had seven members. Two
were too old to pay, three were too
Door and the other two were too
stingv. so | took my ak and chopped
wood all winter at so cents a cord
and preached on Sundays. Twelve
years after this pastorate became
district superintendent for three
years and then was called as pastor
to the old cambridge church. 1t had
a membership OF $50. In 1906. act
ing on the advice of Bishop McCabe.
entered the present East Calvary
street church, Broad and FTitzwa1er
streets, Philadelphia. During the
years the membership has grown to
more than 5000 and we have con-
gsttuency Of another 5000 that We
serve.
.On sunday we have five services
and turn people away at most Of the
meetings. We can only accommo-
date the people in church by having
those who come in the morning stay
away at night
I'VE expect to build new church.
The board OF home missions and
church extension in the centenary
program has purchased ground, 4 lot
fe2 by $50 feet. and will hell. US
build a church TO seat 1000 people.
-. ~~,,rvv.n, &,roz oh in astemt heknU cling