This continued until 1880, when the bishops were elected for life or during good behavior: Since then this great Church has had a remarkable growth. It now has twelve bishops, two hundred and eighty-nine thousand members, two thousand two hundred and four organizations, with Church property valued at more than five million dollars. This Church has a full set of general officers, a publication department, and much valuable school property. Livingstone College, at Salisbury, N.C., is its leading institution of learning.

CHAPTER VI.

THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

        THE African Methodist Episcopal Church (Bethel) is the largest Negro Methodist Church in the world. Its history runs back as far as 1784, although as a Church organization we must take as the time of its birth the convening of the "Friend of Manhood Christianity" in Philadelphia, April 9, 1816. The following persons were members of the convention:

        The first General Conference of this infant of God was held in the city of Philadelphia in 1816. There we find in this body the following princes in heart: Rev. Richard Allen, Jacob Tapisco, Clayton Durham, James Champion, and Thomas Webster, of Philadelphia, Pa.; Daniel Coker, Richard Williams, Henry Harden, Stephen Hill, Edward Williamson, and Nicholson Gailliard, of Baltimore, Md.; Peter Spencer, of Wilmington, Del.; Jacob Marsh, Edward Jackson, and William Andrew, of Attleborough, Pa.; and Peter Cuff, of Salem, N. J.

        Bishop B.W. Arnett, of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, gives the following account of the work of the first General Conference of this Church:

        Richard Allen was elected to preside over the body; Rev. Daniel Coker was elected Vice Chairman; Richard Allen, Jr., was elected Secretary.

        The convention resolved "that we will favor an

independent Church organization." The committee appointed for this purpose reported the first Discipline of the Church. It was the Methodist Episcopal Church doctrine and government, except the presiding eldership.

        The convention elected, under the new form of government, two bishops, Richard Allen and Daniel Coker. Richard Allen was not present when the election took place; but the next morning when the journal was read he arose and informed the convention that he was sensible of the honor conferred on him, as well as the duties that would be expected of him, but, with a sense of his duty to his Church and the fitness of things, he was of the opinion that two bishops were too many for the organization to start with. One bishop was enough at this time, he said. He stated that he would resign his office and let the convention say which should hold over.

        This speech created some hard feelings on the part of the Baltimore delegation, who were in favor of Daniel Coker. The Philadelphians were in favor of Richard Allen. So the whole matter relating to the election of bishops was reconsidered, and a new election was held, when Richard Allen was elected; and on the 11th day of April, 1816, he was ordained by the imposition of hands of five ordained elders in the Church of God. The convention, after it had made arrangements for the meeting of the Annual Conference at Baltimore, adjourned, after completing one of the most important events of the age, when we consider the effects it has had upon the development of Negro manhood.

        In defense of the work of this convention, we quote further from the works of Bishop B.W. Arnett, of that Church:

        If Mr. Wesley had a right to ordain Dr. Coke, by the same rule Absalom Jones might ordain Richard Allen, and the ordination must be equally valid. And if "three elders and one deacon" or "three elders" can "ordain a bishop" to answer the purpose, by the same party the ordination of the Rev. Richard Allen must be equal, in point of virtue, as any now among Methodists. Therefore why not emit and transmit as much sanctity among those on whom he may lay his hands as any other Methodist bishop, according to the doctrine of episcopacy, provided he be as holy in heart, walking with God, whereby he may do it in the power of faith under the sanctifying influence of the grace of God.

        No one has ever doubted the real strength of Richard Allen's character or his devotion to racial ideals. From 1816 Bishop Richard Allen continued as the only bishop of the Church until 1828, when Rev. Morris Brown was elected as the second bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. As the Church grew in strength of organization it grew in members, until to-day the Church has a splendid organization, with fifteen bishops, over seven thousand organizations, and more than five hundred thousand members. It has Church property valued at more than ten million dollars. Wilberforce and Morris Brown Universities are its leading institutions of learning.

CHAPTER VII.

THE STORY OF MY EARLY LIFE.

        I HAVE delayed for some time the writing of this little book, in which I hope to set forth the principal events of my life, in a studious effort to put it in as brief a form as possible. Covering a period of more than sixty years of public service, the difficulty of selecting the material can be easily seen.

        I was born March 3, 1834, in the Western division of the State of Tennessee, in Madison County, five miles north of the city of Jackson, where I grew up to manhood. I was reared almost motherless and fatherless, having no parental care and guidance given me. I had an early conception of God, and somehow I was inspired to be religious. I sought religion when quite young; but I did not embrace faith until I was twenty-one years of age, that being the 11th day of September, 1854. It was then that I was happily converted and set out to serve God. Three or four months after my conversion I was called to preach. I joined the Methodist Church in Jackson, Tenn., October 21, 1854, where I retained my membership until the Civil War was over. It was then that I joined Salem Church, out about five miles from Jackson. I was licensed to exhort in November, 1856. This was the beginning of my public ministerial life. Being born in obscurity, out in the country, five miles from town, on a large

farm, I thought that no good could come from one raised with these environments and under these unfavorable conditions. To begin with, one can see clearly that my way was dark; but with the gift that God gave me, I began to work and continued until I was brought into notice by the people among whom I lived.

        My early life was spent on the farm; and, like the majority of the members of my race of that day, I was denied all the advantages of early training such as would prepare me for public service. I shared in all the evils common to slaves during those dark and bitter days. Pen will never be able to record, tongue will never describe the trials, the sufferings, and the heartaches of those days. Truly, slavery furnishes the blackest chapter in the history of the American republic and is the greatest and foulest crime of the nation.

        I learned to read and write under the greatest difficulties. I was not only deprived of a teacher, but I was not allowed the use of a book or a pencil. I had to learn the best I could. I soon found out what a great advantage it was to read and write, and I applied myself diligently to them as opportunities could be made. After the Civil War I established regular hours for the studying and the reading of God's Word, and these I have kept all of these years. I coveted the morning hours the most, although in the evening, when the hours for work were over, I would read and meditate until my

candlelight or pine torch would fail me or my body would succumb to fatigue and I would fall asleep. The Bible, Binney's "Theological Compend," Clarke's "Commentaries," Watson's "Bible Dictionary," and Ralston's "Elements of Divinity" were among the first books that I studied. These books I read with a fascination from which I have not escaped to this day.

My First Marriage and Early Experiences.

        When I was nineteen years and ten months old I was married to Miss Frances Ann Boyce, a young woman of eighteen years, who had attracted considerable attention because of her industry, modesty, neatness in dress, and ladylike bearing. She was not a converted Christian, and I was exceedingly anxious for her to have the joy and love that had come into my life when I was brought from darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. I at once began to pray that my mother and wife could enjoy the gift of grace unto salvation. There were three large families on the plantation on which I lived, and we held prayer meetings every Saturday night. Many persons professed faith in Christ in our meetings, and one of these was my wife. It was remarkable to me how she was converted. We were singing an old plantation melody, and these were the words: "God has done delivered Daniel; why not deliver me?"

        At night I would hold family prayer with my

wife and mother; and in those prayers the good Lord blessed my labors, and they were brought into the Church. They joined New Salem Church with me.

        To us were born eleven children, who lived to reach manhood and womanhood. Many were the trials I had to pass through to rear them; but I established the custom of praying three times a day on bended knees alone and in secret, and God did not fail to hear me. This custom I still observe. When I had no closet in which to enter, I made one of my hands, for I wanted to be a good man. I desired not only to live right before the people of the community, but before my wife and children as well as before my God. The natural gifts that God gave me when called upon to lead prayer service soon brought me to the front; and as practice makes perfect, the more I was called upon to pray, sing, and exhort, the greater was the number who professed faith in Christ. This caused my fame to spread throughout the community, and a great many sinners and wicked men were brought to Christ. Soon my reputation as a preacher having power with God and influence with man went abroad among both white and colored people. This was the period between the years 1856 and 1861. When the Civil War broke out, the white people were very hard on the Negroes. They did not want them to meet in any kind of gatherings, save that for preaching and praying. Ofttimes this was offensive and called for

the greatest vigilance on the part of the slave owners. The only time blood was drawn from my body after I was a man was on the occasion of our holding prayer meeting. As all well know, the Negroes were praying to the Almighty to be set free, and the white people were praying to the Lord that they be held in bondage. So for three years there was much supplication. The whole country was in hostility. The North was arrayed against the South, and the South was pitted against the North, and the Lord only knows how the Negroes were made to suffer during those trying days. Those were times that tried the very hearts of men. It has been a wonder to me how I made it through so well with my home affairs. I had a large family to support, but a painstaking, devoted, and true wife. To me she was a true helpmeet. Her honor and word were above gold and silver. She enjoyed the fullest confidence and profoundest respect of all who knew her. For purity of life, personal honor, and integrity no woman ever surpassed her.

CHAPTER VIII.

MY EARLY LIFE IN THE MINISTRY.

        SHORTLY after my conversion I was overcome with a feeling that I ought to preach. I strove for months to get rid of it, but without success. I went to a man in whose piety and Christian virtue I had much confidence and made known to him my struggle and the feeling that was then strong upon me. He gave me his sympathy and directed me to a certain preacher for counsel and aid; but this man did not believe in Negroes preaching, and he gave me no encouragement. I next sought the advice of a colored man whom the Methodists had helped. He was a pure Christian man, and he told me that if God had really called me to preach he surely knew his own business better than man and advised me not to trouble myself, but trust God. I did trust him; and soon thereafter the inspiration came, and I firmly decided to enter upon the work of a minister.

        I sent in my petition to a Quarterly Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, for license to preach. The Conference did not grant my request, but gave me license to exhort instead. The committee explained that the Church did not believe it proper to grant license to Negroes to preach. Rev. George Harris was the presiding elder, and Rev. A.R. Wilson was the preacher in charge of the local Church. Rev. Wilson was my

personal friend up to the time of his death, and he took a lively interest in my career and my work. In the early days of my ministry I regarded him as a great and good man, and during all the years of our acquaintance thereafter the esteem in which I held him when I was a young man did not suffer in any way.

        During the Civil War the attitude of the Southern Methodist Church toward granting license to Negroes to preach had undergone some changes, and so I appeared again for license to preach. This time I was sent before the Quarterly Conference presided over by Elder William H. Lee. After asking many questions bearing upon almost every phase of the doctrines of Christ and the Church, I was granted license to preach. I recall many of the questions that were asked and the answers that I gave. I shall never forget the occasion and the keen interest every one seemed to feel in the examination I was called upon to take. I give below a few of the questions and the answers that provoked considerable interest and discussion - viz.:

        Question. Are all men sinners?

        Answer: Yes.

        Q. What Scriptural proof or reference have you to offer?

        A. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

        Q. Is conviction a voluntary act or an involuntary one?

        A. Involuntary.

        Q. Can you give a Scriptural reference?

        A. "The grace that brings salvation has appeared unto all men, teaching them godliness."

        Q. What is the difference between justification and repentance?

        A. Justification is the work done for me, while regeneration is the work done in me. The former takes place in the courts of heaven, while the latter takes place in the human heart.

        These questions, together with others somewhat similar, being satisfactorily answered, I was granted license to preach, and I felt a freedom that I had not enjoyed before.

        I have already spoken of the prayer meetings and the splendid opportunity they afforded in exercising the gifts that God had given me and the deepening of the work of grace in our hearts. These meetings proved to be a great preparation for the work that I was called upon to do after I had entered fully into the work of the Christian ministry. Being licensed to preach, I was frequently called upon to preach and exhort, especially on Sunday afternoons, not only to my people, but the white people also would come out in large numbers to hear me. At first I was very much embarrassed to preach before such large crowds, because I realized fully that I was without education and had but little opportunity of learning anything. But God helped me wonderfully and blessed my work.

        From the time I was licensed to exhort up to 1865 I held meetings for our people. We had glorious

times, and many converts would rise and "tell of Jesus and his love." These meetings made our country famous for Methodism during the war. At some places we had stormy times. The old days of the beginning of the Wesleyan Movement in England, in Ireland, and in Wales had their reflex in these. Many times my life was in great danger, and the white people were constantly being reviled and reprimanded because they had encouraged me in preaching. The persecutors went so far as to burn down the church houses in which I had preached to my people. But I had gone too far in the work to be stopped by such methods. Too many people, both white and colored, believed in me to be sidetracked by any such methods; for at this time not only Methodists, but Christian people of all denominations, upheld me and sought to give encouragement. One good old Presbyterian brother said to me after I had preached in his church: "Brother Lane, keep on preaching the gospel, and we will keep on building church houses until the trumpet blows. Let them burn down. We will build, and you shall preach."

CHAPTER IX.

THE EARLY DAYS OF FREEDOM.

        THE Emancipation Proclamation that had been prepared by President Abraham Lincoln in the month of July, of the year 1862, was not issued until January 1 of the year 1863. It did not go into effect at this time, as we all know, but its influence was felt at once the country over. A studious effort was made on the part of a good many people to keep the issuance of this proclamation a profound secret to the Negroes. But it could not be done. There was too much excitement for such a clever piece of work to be done with any degree of success, and there were too many Negroes who were able to read and understand the trend of affairs to be misled by any subterfuge that might be resorted to by the sympathizers of the Lost Cause. The Confederacy was doomed, and this proclamation was the death knell to slavery on the American continent. The moral effect was wonderful. Strong men who had put all their faith in the supremacy of the Confederate army now began to weaken and became despaired of success. The slaves saw it, and it required great effort on their part to suppress their feelings of rejoicing.

        After Lee had surrendered and the Confederacy had gone to pieces and Jefferson Davis had become a refugee, our owners called us together and told us

we were free and had to take care of ourselves. There I was with a large, dependent family to support. I had no money, no education, no mother nor father to whom to look for help in any form. Our former owners prophesied that half of us would starve, but not so. It must be admitted, however, that we had a hard time, and it seemed at times that the prophecy would come true; but the harder the time, the harder we worked and the more we endured. For six months we lived on nothing but bread, milk, and water. We had a time to keep alive; but by praying all the time, with faith in God, and believing that he would provide for his own, we saved enough to get the next year not only bread, milk, and water, but meat also.

        The next year my family fared much better, and I was able to devote more time to the work of the ministry. I took an active part in the Church and soon gained the confidence and respect of both white and colored people. At our own request, our Church was organized as an independent society, and we took the name of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. In 1866 we had a Conference of our own in Jackson, Tenn., known as the Tennessee, North Alabama, and North Mississippi Annual Conference. I was elected and ordained deacon one day, and on the next day I was elected and ordained elder. At the close of this Conference I was appointed the presiding elder of the Jackson District of the above-named Annual Conference,

which position I held for four years. Meanwhile we found that the territory and membership embraced by this Annual Conference were entirely too large; and so later on out of this Conference we organized the Tennessee, North Alabama, North Mississippi, and West Tennessee Annual Conferences.

        As I won the confidence and respect of the people I grew into prominence in the Church. At the session of the Tennessee Annual Conference that convened in Brownsville, Tenn., I was elected the leader of the Tennessee delegation to the first General Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. Bishop David S. Doggett, D.D., of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, presided over the deliberations of this Conference and gave service that was highly satisfactory to all the brethren. It is difficult for any one who was not present to understand and appreciate the attitude of the Southern Methodist Church, as exemplified through its bishops and other leaders, toward the colored work. It is far more difficult to explain it. There was a fraternal sympathy, a mutual good will, a kindly interest that made the relation cordial and highly helpful.

        The Jackson District was a prominent appointment. As the elder I was given an assessment in the way of a salary of four hundred dollars per year. As a matter of fact, I was paid all the way from one hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars a year

during the four years I served in this capacity. Having served the time limit, I was afterwards assigned to the work as pastor of Liberty Colored Methodist Episcopal Church at Jackson, Tenn., and served that congregation for a little more than a year for the handsome salary of one hundred and seventy-five dollars! My family was large and growing, and I had to do much work on the farm in order to support my family properly. Nevertheless, during my pastorate I was successful in increasing the membership of this Church from seventy to three hundred members. These were great days for me in the ministry. I preached with much freedom and great power. My conversion and conduct showed to the people that I was sincere in my purpose and earnest in my efforts, and men seemed to realize that I was called of God. All of these things gave me the confidence and respect of the people, and I gradually grew into prominence and general favor.

CHAPTER X.

OUR FIRST GENERAL CONFERENCE.

        As early as the fall of 1877 several of the Annual Conferences of the future Colored Methodist Episcopal Church were organized, and by the spring of 1870 the number had been greatly increased. The General Conference had been called to assemble in the fall of 1870, and there was much interest displayed in the affairs of the new organization. I shall always remember the session of the Tennessee Annual Conference that convened at Brownsville, Tenn., and was presided over by Bishop David S. Doggett, D.D., of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The day before the convening of the Conference my wife's mother received a stroke of paralysis and fell dead. I received the message and had to return home to be with my loved ones during those sad hours. I rode all the way from Brownsville to Jackson on horseback. After giving all the comfort and consolation possible, I returned to the Conference room with a heavy heart. I was informed that the brethren, during my absence, had selected me as one of the delegates to the forthcoming session of the General Conference. I felt very keenly the confidence thus expressed and the honor conferred and sought by my conduct to prove worthy of it. I had labored earnestly, and this recognition was a source of comfort to me.

        In reading of the work of those early days let us remember that conditions were unlike the conditions of to-day in many respects. The people were greatly scattered and were constantly moving from one place to another. This was necessarily true because of the unsettled condition of everything in the country. It was no easy task to keep up with the people and safeguard the interests of the Church.

        On December 15, 1870, the first General Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America assembled in Jackson, Tenn. This was an interesting gathering of men. Among the more prominent persons who made up this Conference, as I recall, were Revs. Worden P. Churchill, Joseph Crouch, Benjamin Bullard, R.T. White, John W. Lane, Esquire Bobo, Isaac H. Anderson, R.H. Vanderhorst, and Lucius H. Holsey. W.H. Miles was a reserve delegate from the Kentucky Annual Conference. Among the active laymen there were Henry Hammond, James Graves, Augustus Bostick, and Wesley Ware. These men were the leaders in doing the early legislation of the Church. December 15, the first day of the Conference, was spent in prayer. I shall never forget the scenes of that day. A great work was to be done, and all seemed to realize the necessity of divine help and guidance. It was a precedent worthy of the men and the occasion and one that the succeeding General Conferences might do well to emulate. The white brethren commissioned by the Church to help us in every

way necessary were there praying with us, that no mistake be made in the important work before us. During that service a great spiritual wave swept over us as we lingered at the throne of grace. Bishop George F. Pierce, D.D., presided over this Conference; while the Rev. James A. Heard, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was the Secretary pro tem. Bishop Pierce then requested Dr. A. L.P. Green, of Nashville, Tenn., to read the action of the General Conferences bearing upon our request to them for a separate organization and their action with respect to the same. These documents made clear the fact that the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was anxious to help in every way possible to establish our Church and give us the advantage of their experience and knowledge. After listening to the reading of these documents, the brethren set their hands to the work before them.

        The organization was made permanent by the election of Rev. J.A. Heard, Secretary, and the Rev. L.J. Scurlock, Assistant Secretary. A majority of the delegates elected being present, the Conference proceeded to business. Besides the various committees that were appointed, the following work was done in a manner highly creditable to the Church and the delegates: The Rules of Order as set forth in the "Manual of Discipline" of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, were adopted for the government of the Conference. The Conference chose as the name of their Church the Colored Methodist

Episcopal Church in America. It adopted, in the main, the Book of Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, with such changes as necessity required, as the Book of Discipline of the new Church. It elected the Rev. William Henry Miles, a reserve delegate from the Kentucky Annual Conference, and the Rev. Richard H. Vanderhorst, of Charleston, S. C., as the first bishops of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. It created and established a Publication House, locating the same in Memphis, Tenn., with the Rev. L.J Scurlock as Agent. It established the Christian Index as its official organ and elected the Rev. Samuel Watson as its first editor. It established and fixed the boundaries of the nine Annual Conferences already organized, prorated the amount of funds to be raised by the Annual Conferences, and adjourned to meet four years from that date or at the call of the Senior Bishop, W.H. Miles. Without precedent or experience, the leaders entered upon their duties with a deep sense of their responsibilities and obligations. The polity of the Church had to be established, its relation to all other bodies had to be defined, and the protection of its interests had to be secured. It can be easily seen that these things were enough to fill the hands of the leaders to overflowing; and we venture the assertion that, had they not been men of action and of great vision, they would have failed in their first attempts. Be it said to the credit of the General Conference that both of the

bishops elected were men of strong personal character and much executive ability. Rev. William H. Miles was a great preacher and a strong executive, while the Rev. R.H. Vanderhorst had won a wide reputation as a great evangelist and a matchless orator. These men with much ceremony were ordained bishops of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America by Bishops Robert Paine and Holland N. McTyeire, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and were consecrated to this holy office December 19, 1870. Both being endowed with great physical parts, they gave promise of many years of usefulness to their Church. But not so. The duties were too onerous, the work was entirely too heavy, and the physical and mental strain was too great for them to live long. In July, 1872, Bishop R.H. Vanderhorst died, after serving the Church only eighteen months as a chief pastor. His passing was a subject of much grief and disappointment to the entire Church. Befitting memorial services were held throughout the connection to his honor and memory. The death of Bishop Vanderhorst multiplied the duties devolving upon the shoulders of Bishop Miles and forced the convening of the General Conference one year earlier than had been planned.

CHAPTER XI.

THE SECOND GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE COLORED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN AMERICA.

        ON Wednesday, March 19, 1873, a called session of the General Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America convened in Trinity Church, Augusta, Ga. It will be noted that the Conference met in March instead of in August. This was done so as to provide for the holding of the spring Annual Conferences and the summer district meetings that meant so much to the new organization. During these days of organization all of these meetings needed episcopal supervision and direction.

        Since the adjournment of the last General Conference Bishop Vanderhorst had passed away, and the work had grown to such magnitude and importance that the demand for more bishops was imperative. Besides the care of the work itself, there was an estrangement between the other Methodist bodies and the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America that seriously threatened an open breach. This came about by the other Churches occupying property that legally and of right belonged to the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. It can be easily seen that these problems and others that were constantly arising would involve us in ecclesiastical entanglement unless they were handled firmly and wisely, and Bishop Miles desired the counsel and

advice of associates. It stands to the credit of the leaders of our Church that, in a measure, these denominational differences were adjusted in a Christian spirit, and the open breach was averted. It is true that we lost some valuable Church property, especially in the great cities of the South and East. Some of the other Churches sent men from the North, especially persons who had some experience in public life, as politicians and the like, into the South to corral the people in large cities and thus persuade them to leave the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church and align themselves with the other Churches. Because we did not have men to cope with the situation, our organization lost heavily.

        At this General Conference a goodly number of the white brethren were on hand. They had come to offer words of encouragement and advice and to give assurances of their continued interest and good will. They knew of many of our trials and hardships and were in great sympathy with us. Among these godly men I recall Bishop George F. Pierce, D.D., Rev. Thomas Taylor, Dr. Sehon, Rev. J.E. Evans, and Dr. Whitehead. Bishop Miles presided over the deliberations of this Conference, and the Rev. J.W. Bell, of Kentucky, was elected Secretary.

        After the devotional exercises had been held and the organization perfected, Bishop W.H. Miles read the first episcopal address ever delivered to a Colored Methodist Episcopal General Conference. It was a masterly production and clearly showed that

TRINITY CHURCH, AUGUSTA, GA.
Where Bishop Lane was consecrated to the office of bishop, March 23, 1873.

the author had a full grasp of the situation and a clear comprehension of the problems before the Church, as well as the true mission of our Methodism in the world. The Conference was so thoroughly in accord with the work of Bishop Miles that it adopted all of his recommendations and elected three bishops to help him superintend the work of our rapidly growing organization. This election took place after much prayer on the morning of March 19, 1873. On the first ballot the Rev. Joseph A. Beebe, of North Carolina, and the Rev. L.H. Holsey, of Georgia, each having received a majority of the votes of the Conference, were declared bishops elect of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America by Bishop William Henry Miles. On the third ballot Isaac Lane, of Tennessee, was elected bishop, which election was duly announced by the presiding officer. The next Sunday, March 23, Bishop George F. Pierce, D.D., of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, preached the ordination sermon and assisted otherwise in the ordination of the bishops elect. This work was done in historic old Trinity Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, of Augusta, Ga., where, since then, many notable gatherings of colored Methodists have been held. The whole machinery of the Church was now put into operation. The financial plan was improved upon, the publication department took definite form, the educational and missionary work was begun, and the Church work gained in prestige and power.

CHAPTER XII.

MY EARLY EXPERIENCES AS A BISHOP.

        HAVING been elected bishop on the 19th day of March and consecrated to that holy office on Sunday, the 23d of March, A.D. 1873, to go out as a bishop and preach the gospel and administer the laws of the Church was no little embarrassment to me. In those early days of the freedom of the race the people were crude and had their own ideas of religion, of the ministry, and especially of the bishops. There was much curiosity attached to the coming of a bishop. This situation had to be met and in a way satisfied in order to reach the people in the interest of the Church.

        After our election and consecration, Bishop Miles called us together, and then and there we allotted and assigned the work for the year. I was called upon to preside over the Northwest Texas, the East Texas, and the Louisiana Annual Conferences. At that time our entire connection was composed of mission Conferences when compared with the work as it is organized to-day, and my work was from every viewpoint missionary. The territory was exceedingly large, covering the present States of Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. As all know, this territory was wholly undeveloped and sparsely settled by a wild and adventurous people, who cared very little for the Church, religion, and the ministry. Railroads

were very few, and most of the traveling had to be done by stage, on horseback, by boat, or on foot. To travel over this vast territory entailed many hardships, deprivations, and much suffering. Pen cannot describe, tongue can never tell, nor can language express the mental anguish and the physical pain I endured on those perilous trips. I shall never forget those early experiences.

        Being without money with which to purchase the necessary clothing, buy books, and the like, I was much embarrassed. At that time the railroad fare was five cents per mile, and my Conferences were far apart. After providing for the protection and care of my family, I started out to hold the District Conferences. Bishop Miles had asked me to hold some of these Conferences for him, and I did so. My first Conference was held at Cumberland City, Tenn. After calling the Conference to order, we conducted our devotional service. I made a talk based upon some portion of Scripture and then called for the election of a secretary. In those days it was a very difficult matter to secure the services of one who could write and record with any degree of intelligence the proceedings of our meetings. Therefore much care was exercised in the selecting of a competent secretary. This having been done, the Conference settled down to work. I spoke to the brethren on the duties of the presiding elder and the pastors. A great congregation was there to hear and see the newly elected bishop, and we had a

splendid meeting. I returned home only to spend a few days with my family, and then I was off to Minden, La., the seat of the next District Conference that I was to hold. En route to Minden I stopped at Water Valley, Miss., where I enjoyed the hospitalities of friends for a few days, and then I continued my trip. In order to reach the Conference I had to travel seventy miles on horseback. After getting there I was so tired and worn that I could scarcely go. The brethren were there in large numbers, and there was much uneasiness among them as to the proper care of the work of the Conference. I knew the attitude of the brethren, and I went on bravely in His name. Before we had gone far into the work of the Conference the brethren began to see for themselves that the interest and well-being of the Church were safe in my hands, and they soon accorded me all the courtesies, respect, and recognition due the presiding officer of their Conference. We could not secure a competent secretary, and I had to record the proceedings of the Conference and preside also. This made the work irksome and slow. After closing what was considered as one of the best Conferences ever held in Minden, I returned home and made preparations for the holding of my first Annual Conference.

My First Annual Conference.

        My first Annual Conference was the West Texas Annual Conference, which convened at Waxahachie.

Ellis County, Tex., in 1873. En route to the seat of the Conference my experiences were everything but pleasant. I had only a small sum of money, and while on a train a man robbed me of that. I had to go through St. Louis and Sedalia, Mo., and then via the St. Louis and Texas Central Railroad. I reached the State line of Texas and Oklahoma (then the Indian Territory). It was about sundown, and I had some sixty miles yet to go before reaching Dallas, my destination. Here I found Rev. A.J. Burrows hard at work. From Dallas I went to Waxahachie, a small town about sixty miles south of Dallas.

        The Conference was well attended; but the year had been a hard one for the brethren, and their reports were very poor. The preachers had not received very much in the way of support, and the general interest of the Church had suffered likewise. To indicate the nature of the support that was given, I give one item that will be quite interesting to the students of the conditions that prevailed during those days. For the support of the bishop the Conference had been asked to raise forty dollars, and they reported having raised three and one-half dollars. It was at this place that one of those unpleasant events took place - viz., the African Methodist Episcopal Church had gotten a hold among our people and greatly divided them. As a result the African Methodist Episcopal Church did not do very much and made impossible the success we

would have had under favorable conditions. I lectured and preached and exhorted and helped them in every way I could and then left for my next appointment.

My Second Annual Conference.

        My next Annual Conference took me to Henderson, Rusk County, Tex., a distance of over two hundred miles. Of this, forty miles had to be traveled on horseback. It was a long and painful trip. Upon the advice of friends, I stopped with Brother McElroy, a very aged man who was greatly afflicted with the palsy. He could not do anything for my comfort; but his wife, a young woman, did what she could to make my stay pleasant. I found the brethren much disappointed and disgruntled. For years Bishop Miles had been using a white man as the secretary of the Conference. The brethren had learned that this white man could not be present, as he had been called to attend court in a neighboring town, and they were at a loss to know how the Conference could be held without a competent secretary. The delegates and ministers hesitated in coming into the Conference room. We opened after the usual manner and then sent for the brethren to come in, as we were ready to begin the work of the Conference. We sang, read the Scriptures, exhorted, and preached the best we could, and gradually the brethren saw that we could have a good meeting if the secretary was not there to make a record of our

RESIDENCE OF BISHOP ISAAC LANE.

transactions. With my personal assistance, we used a layman and got along very well with the minutes and the work of keeping the journal. This was a large Conference; and although asked to raise three hundred and eighty dollars for the support of the bishop, they reported only fifty-seven dollars. When we called the attention of the brethren to the importance and necessity of raising the small amount asked for the support of the bishops of the Church, the brethren seemed to have been surprised to know that they would be expected to bring money for the bishops instead of the bishops sending money to them.

My Third Annual Conference.

        The Louisiana Annual Conference, which convened in Homer, La., was the third Annual Conference I was called upon to hold. En route to Minden I stopped over in Marshall, Tex., where I preached to an audience of white and colored people. They heard me gladly and gave me twenty dollars to help in carrying forward the work in which I was engaged. This made seventy-seven dollars that I had received in the way of salary during the year. At Homer we held the Conference under many difficulties. Our work was not organized, the people had not been trained, and there was apparent everywhere a want of unification of purpose and a concert of action on the part of the workers. As a result during the year the brethren had not accomplished

what they might have done under more favorable conditions. Of the three hundred and eighty dollars that the Conference was assessed, they had raised only eighty dollars. I explained the system of finance we were inaugurating, and the brethren promised to do better another year. Let it be said to their credit that they lived up to their new resolutions.

        With the adjournment of this Conference my first year as a bishop came to a close. I had worked hard during the year and had but little financial help. On my salary the Church had paid me only one hundred and sixty dollars and fifteen cents during the year, and my expenses necessarily carried me far into debt. My family was large and dependent, and my responsibilities were many. In order to make my episcopal tour I had borrowed two hundred dollars. My note was about to fall due, and something must be done to enable me to meet it. My wife and children had a crop of cotton. This I sold, and with the money I paid the debt and took up the note. I then worked hard to replace this money. I cut wood and hauled it to town and sold it, making enough money thereby to buy such things as clothing and other provisions that were needed by my family. This was a hard year for me and one that I shall never forget. The labor, deprivations, and hardships I endured were enough to bring tears to my eyes. The young ministers of our Church, even those serving missions to-day, do not know our

suffering during those early pioneer days of our Church.

        In the early spring of 1874 I was called to Texas on business for the Church, and after attending to the work I attempted to return home. The high waters prevented my returning; and a white brother, learning of my condition, gave me enough money to pay my fare to Louisville, Ky., where Bishop Miles had called us to our annual meeting. The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was in session in Louisville at this time, and it was very necessary for us to meet in that city. I reached Louisville at night and took a carriage for the home of Bishop W.H. Miles. He was out of the city, but his wife provided for me the best she could. The next morning Bishop Miles and the other bishops of our Church reached the city. We had a short session and then adjourned in order to visit the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The Conference gladly heard our message and renewed their assurances of interest, sympathy, and good will. The next day we had our annual meeting. The bishops made their reports, which showed steady progress and improvement. We laid off the work for the next year the best we could and discussed many of the perplexing questions and problems that were still before the Church.

        Our General Conference was soon to meet, and there were the usual things to be done prior to the

meeting of this body. The message had to be written, the recommendations had to be agreed upon, and general direction given to the advancement of every interest of the Church. I had entertained the hopes of getting some money at this meeting, but all my hopes soon vanished when it became evident that there was not a cent available for such purposes. During the year I had received far less than my expenses incurred in traveling over the connection. The bishops agreed to my preaching en route home, and by taking up collections I thus became able to pay my fare home. This I did, arriving home after an absence of six or eight weeks. Finding my wife sick and despondent, I gave such comfort and help as I could; and I began at once to make preparation for the care of my family during my absence in attendance upon the General Conference and the Annual Conferences that were soon to be upon me. This I did to the best of my ability. I cut and hauled to town wood for sale and did such other job work as I could get to do and at the same time helped in every way I could with my crop.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE THIRD GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE COLORED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN AMERICA

        THE General Conference that convened in Louisville, Ky., in August, 1874, was the third General Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. At this time the country was passing through a great financial crisis. On account of the long drought, crops had failed, money was scarce, and there was much suffering among the people. In spite of these untoward conditions, the General Conference was well attended. The brethren soon got down to business. Although there was to be no election of bishops, the interest in the general work of the Church was not wanting. The report of the bishops showed much improvement in our organization. There were reported fifteen Annual Conferences, with a membership of six hundred and seven traveling preachers and seventy-five thousand communicants. Like the rest of us, the Senior Bishop, William H. Miles, was impressed with the importance and necessity of a better-prepared ministry as the one outstanding, crying need of the hour. This one idea grew upon this great and good man until finally he threw himself into the movement of founding a great central school, with a number of smaller and more elementary schools that were to

serve as feeders. It became the one burning and all-absorbing question upon his mind and heart. He had laid his plans before the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, just a few weeks before and had been given some encouragement from the bishops, general officers, and delegates. One member of the Memphis Conference gave one hundred dollars, while others gave smaller amounts. The other bishops of the Church joined the Senior Bishop in this work, the General Conference indorsed the movement, and upward of sixteen thousand dollars was raised for this purpose. Later on Bishop Miles traveled far and near, urging the importance of this work and making appeals in its behalf. I remember many of his terse, trenchant sayings. Being a man of unusual ability, he swayed his audiences by his convincing logic and his matchless eloquence in his appeals. It is said that no man could sit under the sound of his voice without being thoroughly moved. The General Conference took steps to carry out the plans of its great leader. It adopted the Central University as the name of the proposed school and decided upon Louisville, Ky., as the site. It appointed Bishop W.H. Miles as its Agent and urged the ministers throughout the connection to take a collection for the college, sending the same at once to the Agent. It called upon our people and friends of the race everywhere to assist in this great and laudable enterprise.

        While the establishing of a system of schools was the one outstanding question, there were other matters that received the attention of the Conference. The salary of the Senior Bishop was placed at one thousand dollars per year and his traveling expenses, while the salaries of the other bishops were placed at seven hundred and fifty dollars per year and their traveling expenses. These amounts were prorated among the various Annual Conferences and were regarded in a way as assessments. While this money was never raised, the action of the General Conference made clear a plan that some day was to be operative in the Church.

        The Rev. E.B. Martin was the efficient Secretary of this Conference and as such rendered signal service to the Church. He afterwards became editor of the Christian Index and pastor of Center Street Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, at Louisville, Ky. Martin's short and brilliant career in the Church came to a sudden close because of family troubles that he could not control and of conduct involving his moral character.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE PERIOD FROM 1874 TO 1880, INCLUDING THE FOURTH GENERAL CONFERENCE.

        I REGARD the period from 1874 to 1880 as one of great transition. Everything was still in motion. There was nothing that had become fixed and definite in form or mode. Every Church movement was being tried and every plan inaugurated tested. It is not surprising that many of these plans failed. It is rather astonishing that so many of them succeeded. We were feeling very keenly the encroachments that the other Churches were making upon us. They constantly referred to us as a Southern Church, a rebel Church, and the like, and those names were very distasteful to our people.

        As early as 1866 the African Methodist Episcopal Church, through their bishops, urged our uniting with them, claiming that there was no room in this country for another independent organization. A memorial in the form of a petition was sent to the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, during their General Conference that convened in New Orleans, La. At once we made it known that we preferred a separate organization of our own, regularly established and organized after our own ideas and notions. The bishops and General Conference of the Southern Church readily agreed with us, and the petition was most respectfully returned

with regrets that the present conditions would not justify the granting of the petition as it had been presented.

        During this extraordinary period there were many overtures made for organic union between our Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and the colored members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; but no plan or basis of union was ever worked out and submitted on which we could agree, and this division has continued all these years.

        Our Publication House up to this time had not proved a paying proposition. There was constantly a deficit in the publishing of the Christian Index, and now something had to be done to save it to the Church. It had been moved from Memphis to Louisville, and from Louisville to Memphis again, and the deficit continued. What was to be done was still the question.

        Our educational movement had proved to be more of a failure than our publishing department. Fifty thousand dollars was needed to establish the connectional school, and it was necessary to have ten thousand dollars at once to save to the connection the property already purchased by Bishop Miles. This money could not be raised; and Bishop Miles, disappointed and greatly disheartened, decided to abandon the educational work and leave the field for others to cultivate. This was in 1878.

        The period from 1874 to 1880 was not only a

period of great trial to the Church, when her plans and policy were being tested; but it was also a period of much hard work, many disappointments, and hardships for her bishops. Demands for their services were constantly made, and the money necessary to cover their expense in traveling over the railroad from one point to another was not available. As we have already recorded, our salaries were small, and rarely did any of the bishops receive more than six hundred dollars per year in the way of salary. In 1875 I received two hundred and seventy dollars, and the next year I was paid the handsome salary of three hundred and eighty dollars! The territory over which I traveled entailed much traveling; and had I not been energetic and ambitious for my family, we should have suffering during those days.

        In the fall of 1877 I held the Georgia Conference. Among the other discussions provoking much thought were the requirements of a person who desires to become a member of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. The next year (1878) the General Conference met in Jackson, Tenn., and I requested the bishops to pass upon a form that might be used throughout the connection by ministers in receiving members into the Church. This form as drafted by me was adopted by the bishops and the General Conference; and, without any change, it has been used ever since. It is as follows and can be found in our Book of Discipline

on page 257: "To this question, asked by the minister, the candidate must answer in the affirmative: 'Do you solemnly, in the presence of God and this congregation, ratify and confirm the promise and vow of repentance, faith, and obedience contained in the baptismal covenant?' "

        This General Conference did much constructive work in the way of legislation and is regarded as one of the best we have ever held.

        It was at this General Conference that it became very apparent to all that unless something was done our beautiful Israel Metropolitan Church, in Washington, D C., would be lost to the connection because of financial conditions that had developed. The local Church was unable to take care of the large debt that was hanging over the Church property, and we were notified that unless something was done at once the Church property would be lost to the connection. In order to give the necessary relief, the Conference levied an assessment of ten cents per member upon the whole Church, and I was elected as the Special Agent and Treasurer of this fund. We raised enough money to "tide" the property over, but the original debt was not reduced to any appreciable extent. That debt has continued to exist all these years and has been a decided drawback to the building up of our Church work at the seat of our national government, where we should have not only a representative church edifice, but a large, representative congregation of worshipers.

        The General Conference of 1882 enacted much important legislation. The Church work began to take on the departmental form, and the machinery had to be adjusted to meet the demands of the times. The Church manifested considerable interest in the founding and establishing of her educational institutions, and new leaders were being developed for the advancement of the interests of the kingdom of Christ. The failure on the part of the Church in establishing the schools at Louisville, Ky., and Sardis, Miss., had dampened the educational ardor of the leaders, but in no way discouraged the people or lessened the desire of both leaders and people for schools of their own. So as early as 18/8 there was a movement inaugurated in the Tennessee Conference for the establishing of a school of high grade at Jackson. Rev. D.L. Jackson, of Alabama, Revs. C.H. Lee, J.H. Ridley, Sandy Rivers, Berry Smith, J.K. Daniel, and others were leaders in this movement. In 1879 Bishop Lane came to the assistance of the Church, and the movement began to take on a tangible form which eventually led to the founding of Lane College. A similar movement began in Georgia under the leadership of Bishop L.H. Holsey and resulted in the founding, in 1883, of Paine College.

CHAPTER XV.

MY WORK FOLLOWING THE FIFTH AND SIXTH GENERAL CONFERENCES.

        THE fifth General Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America convened in Augusta, Ga., May 4, 1882, and transacted some very important business. Among the most striking pieces of constructive legislation done by the General Conference was the one requiring all ministers, both local and traveling, to subscribe for the Christian Index, the official organ of the Church. This law has relieved the Church of the continued embarrassment in the publishing of the connectional organ. Its wisdom is recognized in that this law has never been repealed and is in vogue to-day. The Publication House was moved from Louisville, Ky., to Jackson, Tenn., where it has remained ever since 1882.

        During the General Conference of 1886, in laying off the plan of episcopal visitation, I was assigned to the Western field of labor again. My first Annual Conference met at Mountain Fork, Ind. Ter., August 19, 1886. On my way to this Conference I stopped at Clarksville, Red River County, Tex., and then went on to Shawneetown. I had been advised to spend the night in the home of Brother Mitchell Shaw, one of our preachers. I went there and was received by him and his wife. Mrs. Shaw was an Indian and did not know anything of the

manners and customs of the States' people. Crude and coarse, there was a complete want of all social intercourse and pleasantries, and for that reason I did not care to stay. Brother Shaw was living after the most primitive manner, and I decided that it would be pleasanter for me to be traveling along during the night than to stay there in the hut of Brother Shaw under the existing conditions. With my pony, I set out on this long and perilous trip. It was during this night that I had the saddest experience of my life. In fact, at one time I gave up all hopes of living to see the next morning. I had never traveled through that country before and did not know the paths (for there were no roads) nor the directions. I was soon lost in the woods, in the thickets and heavy undergrowths, and wandered about until about midnight, when I came to a man's house out in the lonesome forest, far removed from the roadside or any other house. It was the hut of an Indian. He and his wife heard my call and came out to the fence almost nude. Their very sight was frightful to me. I tried to tell them where I wanted to go, and in reply they gave me signs with their heads which were as meaningless to me as they were amusing. In fact, I could not understand them, and all I said was meaningless to them. I now saw that all efforts on my part to make myself understood were useless, and I left with about as much satisfaction as I had before I stopped.

        I continued to wander about until I came to a

village called Monther Fork. I passed through the village to the outskirts; and there I stretched out on the ground, using my saddle as a pillow, where I remained until daybreak. I did not sleep or rest any because of the strangeness of the place and the many unsightly things thereabout. At the dawn of day I saw a man across the way feeding his stock. I went over and talked with him. He was a white man and could speak English. I was glad to find some one whom I could understand and who at the same time could understand me. He informed me that he was personally acquainted with Rev. Lemon Butler, one of my preachers, and took great care in pointing out the direction and describing the way by which I could reach his home.

        I was greatly encouraged and started out with renewed determination. It was shortly after seven o'clock when I reached the home of Rev. Butler. After he and his family found out who I was and my mission, they gladly took me in, gave me breakfast, and ministered to any comfort the best they could. After resting there awhile, these good people put me on the road to the church house, Brown's Chapel, named in honor of Dr. Robert Turner Brown, their former pastor, who built it.

        There I held the Indian Territory Mission Conference. Some well-dressed Indians came out to hear me preach. They appeared friendly enough, but I could not get acquainted with their peculiar mannerism and apparent indifference. I saw many

hopeful signs for this Mission Conference. All in all, we had a fairly good Conference.

        At the adjournment of the Indian Territory Mission Conference I started for the seat of my next Annual Conference, which was to be held at Newton, Kans. I returned largely the way I went. When I got to Red River I lay out all night. The next morning I got an early start for Clarksville, and from there I went on to Sherman, Tex. In order to fill some engagements that had been made for me, I went up the Texas and Houston Central Railroad to Stringtown, Ind. Ter., and other places in that section of the country. At Stringtown I had a very pleasant stay in the home of an aged man who once lived in my native town. It was, indeed, a pleasure to talk with him about the ways of the people in the Territory and the conditions that prevailed at that time in that new and open country.

        From Stringtown I went on to Newton, Kans., where I held our Annual Conference in the white people's church in Newton. The people, both white and colored, showed me every courtesy and made our work a success. I traveled over Kansas with Rev. Berry Smith. He was my strongest man out there, as was Rev. U.S. Smith in the Territory. These two old pioneers of our Church were great men in that day for the people of that country. They did a service for the race and Church that was far-reaching in its influence. The history of our Church work in the West would be incomplete without a full chapter

being devoted to the work and sacrifices of those early fathers. God bless their memory!

        At Newton we held a good Conference, at the close of which I hastened home to be with my family and to make preparation for the meeting of the General Conference at Little Rock, Ark.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE SEVENTH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE COLORED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND SOME TRANSPIRING EVENTS.

        SINCE the adjournment of the General Conference that convened in Augusta, Ga., May 5, 1886, many important events had taken place within the Church. The general fund assessment created for the purpose of raising money with which to meet the obligations of the general Church had worked well and was far superior in results to anything that the Church had ever tried before.

        Mr. Samuel B. Wallace, a prominent layman of Columbia, S.C., resolved to leave the African Methodist Episcopal Church and come over to the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. Others agreed to follow him; and finally the whole membership, together with the congregation - the membership numbering about six hundred, with a following of something like fifteen hundred - came with him and joined the Colored Methodist Episcopal connection, bringing with them much valuable Church property. Wallace was a man of rare gifts and many talents, and soon after joining the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church he was licensed to preach. His stay in the local ranks was short, as his services were soon needed elsewhere. He rose rapidly into prominence, and at the time of his untimely death he was one of

the most prominent preachers in the whole connection. It was generally conceded that, had Wallace lived, he would have been called to the episcopacy of the Church of his choice. His career in the ministry was short but brilliant, and his death was a subject of great lamentation throughout the connection.

        Among the Church schools that were now organized were Lane College, Jackson, Tenn., Paine College, Augusta, Ga., Phillips College, Tyler, Tex., Haygood Seminary, Washington, Ark., and two Alabama schools located at Booker City and Tuscaloosa, Ala.

        From the above facts it can be easily seen that the approaching General Conference would be interesting. No bishops had been elected since the Conference convened in Augusta, Ga., in 1873, and some of the delegates thought it well to elect at least one more bishop at this Conference. The advocates of the election of an additional bishop pointed out the fact that Bishop Miles was in feeble health and that Bishop Holsey was in need of rest and recuperation, and they urged the importance of the Conference's electing at least one more bishop. Much confusion and disputation existed among the brethren, and finally it was agreed to abandon the idea of increasing the number of bishops at this session of the Conference. Bishop Holsey asked to be relieved of episcopal duties in order that he might regain his broken and impaired health. The matter was taken under advisement, and the bishops saw their way clear to

lighten his duties and responsibilities, and this was done to the satisfaction of the Bishop and the Conference.

        The General Conference had established its relation with all other Methodist bodies and had fraternal delegates at the Ecumenical Conference and the General Conferences of all the other Methodist Churches, and thus with the close of the quadrennium the Church was recognized as never before as a great power for good in this country.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE GREAT NEED OF A DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOL - MY INSPIRATION AND EARLY EFFORTS - FOUNDING OF LANE COLLEGE.

        I BEGAN the work of a bishop under great disadvantages. Not having had the opportunity of early training in the science of letters, it was very embarrassing to me to preach to congregations composed of so many persons who had enjoyed those advantages. Nevertheless, by consecrating myself to my Heavenly Father and applying myself to such books as I had, I got possession of a vocabulary of words and a line of thought that served me well on all occasions. Wherever I went, my services were acceptable, and the people heard me gladly. I continued to study, and by using all I had I grew in knowledge and power of speech. Above all, I wanted to be a good man, and when a young man I resolved that I would live a pure, upright life before God and my fellow man. I knew that if I could not be learned or rich I could be upright in my life.

        I took special notice of the conditions of my people and found that our preachers needed a common-school education such as would enable them to read and write and speak the English language correctly. It became apparent to me that unless the minister were able to speak the native language correctly he would not be able to command respect and recognition

from the better-informed members of the congregations, whose influence he most needed. We needed a training school. I saw also that we could not maintain our Church as a separate organization without intelligent representatives who were able to defend its doctrines and support its polity. I realized, furthermore, that if other denominations trained our young people they would train them largely in their doctrines and Church usage, and that would mean that our people would be in a measure trained from our Church. So it became necessary and urgent for us to establish and operate a school of high grade for our Church. But what could I do? I was poor and had a large family of children to care for, and I had to work hard in order to give them a chance at an education and at the same time provide properly for their support.

        Some years before Bishop William Henry Miles saw the situation as clearly as I and attempted to carry out a scheme that was in keeping with his vision and the necessity of the hour, but his ambition was too great and his plans were too big for the resources and wealth available to carry them into effect. He wanted to establish a system of schools, and a failure was inevitable. These observations did not make the field very inviting to me. I had been among the colored people a great deal, and I knew that they did not have much money and but little love for education. Just out of slavery, poor and ignorant, it was almost unthinkable for

OLD MAIN HALL, LANE COLLEGE.

them to own, control, and operate a high school or college. Such was looked upon as preposterous.

        Bishop L.H. Holsey spent several weeks in Tennessee raising money with which to purchase the grounds for a school to be located within the bounds of the State. I then came to the work and took it up where he had left off. The brethren had met with some reverses and were much disheartened. I met with them and soon had the situation and plans well in hand. We had raised enough money to buy the four acres of ground upon which the principal buildings now stand, paying cash for the same. Having accomplished this much, the enterprise took on new life, and then we started out to construct a building. In the summer of 1882 the first building was erected at a cost of one thousand one hundred and fifty dollars. It was a two-story frame structure thirty-four feet by forty-four feet, containing a chapel, a library, and recitation rooms. The large attendance soon demanded a more accommodating building, and thus we were pressed for more funds with which to operate the school and provide for the ever-increasing demands. We needed very much a room where the preachers might meet and read and study the Bible and the doctrines of Christ and his Church. I remember quite well how we would study such works as Binney's "Theological Compend" and Wesley's "Lectures and Sermons." They were our textbooks. We would read and discuss the doctrines of the Church as we

understood them, and in this way the ministers were greatly improved in their knowledge of the Bible and the teachings of their Church.

        As the years passed by the school grew into prominence, and we found it imperative to have larger and better buildings. The success of this work in the early days was due to the careful management and the sacrifices on the part of so many earnest, upright Christian men and women who became interested in it. The trustees selected their teachers with care, and from the very beginning the work had the indorsement and encouragement of the best of our people. Among the trustees who were associated with me in the early days of this work were: Rev. W.T. Thomas, of Alabama; Rev. J.A. Hatcher and Rev. P.A. Samples, of Kentucky; Revs. I. H. Anderson, S. Bobo, R. Bates, M. Ralston, Berry Cannon, and J.C.W. Smith, of Mississippi; J.W. Thurston and G.L. Davis, of the Tennessee Annual Conference; besides the following, of the West Tennessee Annual Conference: Revs. H.N. Snow, C. H. Lee, W.W. Sevier, M.D. Partee, W.M. Payne, W.H. Daniel, E.W. Moseley, R.T. James, H. Thompson, J.K. Daniel, Sandy Rivers, and Berry Smith. Among the early teachers who rendered the Church and race great service as teachers in the early days of this work, we might mention with propriety Miss Jennie E. Lane (now Mrs. N.C. Cleaves), Prof. J.H. Harper, Dr. C.H. Phillips, Prof. T.J. Austin, Prof. E.W. Benton, Prof. E.

W. Bailey, and Prof. E.L. Honesty. All of these men and many others equally as earnest and deserving helped to lay the foundation for a work that is now known extensively as Lane College.

Rapid Developments.

        Because of the labors of these men, Lane Institute (now Lane College) grew rapidly in public favor and gained prestige. The one crying need was larger and more modern buildings in which to carry on the work and provide for the care and protection of the many young men and young women who were coming from different States to enter. It was apparent that the main hall would cost at least fifteen thousand dollars, besides the furniture and equipment. This was a great outlay of money for our people and required sacrifice on the part of those who had challenged the cause. In 1895 this building was completed; and in the fall of the same year, October 23, in the presence of a large concourse of people, it was dedicated to the cause of Christian education by Bishop R.S. Williams, of Augusta, Ga. Bishop Williams was assisted in this work by Bishop Elias Cottrell, Dr. C.H. Phillips (then editor of the Christian Index, now bishop), and several of the trustees of the college. I acted as master of ceremonies.

        After this building had been erected and furnished, there were other demands made upon us. Our boarding department was not sufficient to care

for the number of students who were coming to us from other places. This forced us to provide for a dormitory for the young men and at the same time enlarge the one we had for the young women. This meant an expenditure of something like ten thousand dollars more. Two cottages and an industrial hall were afterwards erected.

        These buildings served the purpose of the school until November 4, 1904, when a disastrous fire completely destroyed the plant. Our loss was great, and we had but little insurance on the property. It was a sad scene on that dark and cloudy night, amidst the sprinkling of rain, to see go up in smoke and down in ashes buildings that had cost so much in labor, prayers, and suffering. The school that was in session was put out of doors, and what to do was the one great question that confronted us. When the money from the insurance companies was collected, we had less than ten thousand dollars. We constructed a temporary building in which to continue the school work the best we could. By placing the young men in the city, we took care of the girls in the young men's hall, which by chance had been saved, and under these unfavorable conditions the work went forward during the year.

        In passing over this period of time we must stop long enough just here to make mention of the interest and help bestowed upon us by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In all of our struggles we found the members of this Church, together with

GIRLS' HALL, LANE COLLEGE.

their bishops and leaders, anxious to help. They made contributions from the very beginning and are helping to foster and carry on the work now.

        In 1886 we petitioned the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, to furnish us a teacher, one who could give instruction in the science of theology. The very next year they selected for this work the Rev. T.F. Saunders, D.D., of the Memphis Conference. Dr. Saunders devoted thirteen years of his life to this work and did what he could for its advancement. During these years Dr. Saunders served as President of the school and Professor of Theology, and much good work was done under his administration. He retired from the work with the confidence and respect of all who knew him.

        During this time I traveled extensively among my people and among the white people, making appeals for financial assistance. I sold tracts, pamphlets of all kinds, books, pictures, and the like, and applied the proceeds from the sale of these articles to the building fund. I made public addresses, delivered lectures, and preached sermons. By taking up collections and by private solicitations and public appeals we raised money with which to establish and carry on this work. God gave me strength and health, and I used these in his name.

        When the last dollar on the old buildings had been paid and I had about decided to turn my attention to the mission work of the Church, the disastrous fire of 1904, of which I have already spoken, took place.

The years of toil and suffering entailed in raising money for our educational work will never be forgotten by me. Regarded by some as a crank on the subject of education, by others as a beggar, I was ofttimes rejected; but I continued to work and pray, receiving just enough consideration to give encouragement. While some men of wealth and influence refused me even an audience, others made small donations and thus kept me in good spirits and in good cheer. I continued to work, showing much earnestness, and thus grew in favor with the people of our race, as well as with the people of the white race. In accomplishing the work I have done for the educational uplift of the young people of our race the world will never know of the pain, toil, suffering, the many sleepless nights, headaches, and the mental and physical anguish I endured all of those years.

CHAPTER XVIII.

A YEAR OF GREAT TRIAL AND SEVERE AFFLICTION.

        AS I look over the past twenty-one years of my career, I regard the year 1904 as being one of great trial and affliction for me. On September 14 of that year I lost by fire some valuable personal property, the results of years of sacrifice and toil. The insurance did not begin to cover the actual loss. On October 14, while en route to Warrensburg, Mo., to hold the Missouri and Kansas Annual Conference, an excursion train collided with a through freight train about three miles east of Warrensburg. We got there in time to see the sight, with all of its horrors and sufferings. I had never seen so many dead and wounded people before. Two little boys died after we reached the scene. It was enough to move the hardest heart to tears.

        It was during this Conference session that I received a letter from my wife telling me that our old family horse had died. From that Conference I hurried home for a few days' rest and recreation. But before I had rested from the trip the principal buildings of Lane College were destroyed by fire. This took place Wednesday night, November 4, 1904. Our loss was upward of thirty thousand dollars. It was a sad time for me. I was about to give the work up; but my friends, both white and colored, said, "No; let's build again," and I set out to rebuild.

        On December 27 my dearly beloved son, the Rev. Charles Wesley Lane, D.D., pastor of our Church at New Madrid, Mo., came to visit me. He had spent only two days before he took critically ill and died. He was one of the most talented of my children and the only one who felt a divine call to the ministry. His career, although short, was brilliant, and his life was useful. He was the pastor of a good many of our largest and best charges and as such rendered great service as a preacher and pastor. For four years he presided over the Memphis District, winning much credit to himself and honor to his God. His death brought great grief to me. I then counted the words of Job: "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away." His death was a sore trial; but the Lord was with me, and I said: "Though he smite me, yet will I trust him."

The New Lane College.

        We now come to a period of great activity. The principal buildings at Lane College had been destroyed in the awful fire of 1904, and I had made it up in my mind to undertake the work of rebuilding.

        The first and most needed building was a main hall, in which recitation rooms, classrooms, study halls, chapels, library, and office rooms might be had. We employed Mr. R.A. Heavner, of Jackson, to draw up the plans and specifications for such a building. We gave him an idea of what we wanted; and, after several months of waiting, he presented a

Boys' Hall at Lane College, Jackson, Tenn.

        BOYS' DORMTORY, LANE COLLEGE.

suggestive plan. With some modifications, this plan was accepted, and the specifications were all drawn and accepted by the building committee appointed by the Board of Trustees. These plans called for a building one hundred and twenty-eight feet long by seventy-six feet wide, three stories high, brick with stone trimmings, and a flat roof. It was a most beautiful structure, well built, having large assembly rooms, study halls, recitation and lecture rooms, a library, a reading room, a chapel, laboratories, and the like. This building, together with its furnishings, cost nearly thirty thousand dollars. It was completed in 1906.

        Rev. T.F. Saunders retired from the presidency of the school in the spring of 1903 and was succeeded by Rev. J.A. Bray, A.M., LL.D. Rev. Bray took charge November 17, 1903, and continued until June, 1907. The fire took place and the work of reconstruction began during the years of his administration.

        Before the main hall had been paid for, work on the girls' dormitory was begun. The campaign for funds was on, to remain until the old buildings were replaced by larger and more modern ones. This hall is a large, well-constructed, three-story brick structure with stone trimmings and a metallic roof, containing the kitchen, laundry, dining hall, reception rooms, the Young Women's Christian Association room, and dormitory rooms to accommodate sixty-four young ladies. This building, together

with a large heating plant, cost about twenty-one thousand dollars. In order to accommodate the grounds with reference to the proper location of the new buildings, some of the old buildings had to be moved, and the campus then took on a new form. The President's home was moved, as was also the Industrial Hall, and thus the new and greater Lane College began to make its appearance.

        The third building to be erected was the boys' dormitory. The plans and specifications for this building were drawn by Mr. Moses McKissack, of Nashville, Tenn., and called for a three-story brick structure, containing dormitory rooms, the Young Men's Christian Association room, reception hall, workshop for the boys, and a suite of rooms for the preceptress. This building was constructed by Mr. William Burrows, a contractor and builder of Memphis, Tenn., for nineteen thousand six hundred and thirty-nine and one-half dollars. With the heating and lighting and other furnishings, the building cost nearly twenty-five thousand dollars. Toward the erection of this hall the General Education Board of New York made a donation of seven thousand dollars. This was done in 1912.

        The college has been working for the uplift of our people for thirty-four years; and the results are seen not so much in the valuation of the property to be found on the grounds, but its greatest work is seen in the men and women who have been trained within its walls - persons whose minds and hearts

NEW MAIN HALL, LANE COLLEGE.

have been touched and inspired with the spirit of Christ, who while on earth went about doing good wherever an opportunity presented itself. Up to the time of my retirement as an active bishop I had raised more than one hundred thousand dollars for this work. The buildings may not stand, the reputation may pass from among men, but the work will remain forever.

CHAPTER XIX.

MY LABOR AS A CHURCH EXPANSIONIST - WORKING IN THE MISSION FIELD.

        THE greater part of my life as a bishop has been spent in the mission Conferences, especially in the North and West. Here I observed our people moving from the South and East in great numbers, and it became clear to me that unless we followed them up with our Church organization they would soon be lost to the connection. The changed civic and economic conditions in the South, the constant agitation of the race question by political demagogues, the lynchings, and other unjust treatment accorded the colored people are responsible for the manifest unrest and the grim determination on the part of so many members of our race to migrate to the North and West, where a change for the better with respect to some of these conditions, if not to all of them, can be had.

        Among the many mission points I began which have grown into good, self-supporting charges are the following - viz.: Lane Tabernacle, Cleveland, Ohio, organized in 1902 with about twenty-four members, has to-day property valued at more than thirteen thousand dollars and a membership of one hundred and fifty. St. Paul Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, Chicago, Ill., organized about ten years ago, now has Church property valued at twelve

thousand five hundred dollars and a membership of five hundred. Lane Chapel, St. Louis, Mo., organized about fifteen years ago, now has Church property valued at twenty-five thousand dollars and a membership of five hundred. Kansas City (Mo.) Station, organized about sixteen years ago, now has Church property valued at ten thousand dollars and a membership of one hundred and eighty. Kansas City, Kans., was organized about eighteen years ago and now has property valued at ten thousand dollars and a membership of one hundred and eighty-five. Lane Chapel, Topeka, Kans., organized about nineteen years ago, has Church property valued at twenty-five thousand dollars and a membership of three hundred. Oklahoma City, Oklo, was organized about fifteen years ago and now has Church property valued at twelve thousand dollars and a membership of two hundred. Muskogee, Okla., was organized about twelve years ago and now has Church property valued at thirty thousand dollars and a membership of three hundred. Tulsa, Okla., was organized twelve years ago and now has Church property worth three thousand five hundred dollars and a membership of one hundred and twenty-five. Champaign, Ill., was organized about eighteen years ago and now has property worth five thousand dollars and two hundred and twenty-five members. East St. Louis, III., was organized about twelve years ago and now has Church property

worth three thousand dollars and about one hundred and twenty members.

        These are only a few of the many Churches in mission territory that were organized through my personal efforts and official direction. There are many smaller and less conspicuous appointments that mean equally as much to the progress of the Church and the saving of men that might with propriety be mentioned. Suffice it to say that I labored unselfishly, and, on the whole, God blessed my labors.

        In doing this work for our Church I made it a point to keep in sympathetic touch with our friends, and especially those who were able to give assistance. On Monday mornings, where there were such meetings, I would visit the Ministerial Alliance of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and would talk with them and pray for them. I did not hesitate to make known our needs and our desires. Occasionally they would give a helpful suggestion or encourage me in a more substantial way. In St. Louis, Mo., where I have a host of friends among both white and colored people, Mr. Richard Scruggs (white) became so much impressed with the importance and necessity of our work in that great and rapidly growing city that he gave five thousand seven hundred dollars to our Church. This is the largest gift ever made to a Colored Methodist Episcopal Church of which I have any knowledge. In other places we solicited smaller sums. While in themselves these contributions were not great, they were

LANE TABERNACLE, ST. LOUIS, MO.

sufficient to give our members encouragement and served the very great purpose of an incentive for them to do their very best.

        This kind of constructive work in mission fields has been so attractive to me sometimes that I feel I was called especially to do it. If one would stop and think long enough, he would see that from Cleveland, Ohio, on the east, to Muskogee, Okla., on the west, our strongest appointments were begun under my administration.

        I have not spoken of my work accomplished in the South, as this is well known by the Church at large. In the North and West it was freely predicted that these organizations would be a great burden upon the general Church. But I did not see it that way. I asked the general Church for some financial assistance at certain strategic points, and it gave some little help. Time has vindicated all the claims I made for this work; and instead of being a burden to the general Church, they are a great help in that they give their support to all the general interests of the Church and contribute their share in the support of all its work.

        The great Northwest is a wealthy section of our country and one that has hardly been touched by our Church. It presents a splendid field of rare opportunities to us. The foundation has already been laid, and my successors can go forward with the construction in keeping with their increased strength and enlarged opportunities.

CHAPTER XX.

CHURCH ACTIVITIES IN RECENT YEARS.

        THE past ten years have been marked by many activities within the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. For the most part, these movements have been wide in their scope and helpful in their results. The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church is seen, perhaps, at its best in its educational work and activity. During the period of time under our survey just now Lane College, at Jackson, Tenn., and Paine College, at Augusta, Ga., have doubled their holdings, their plants to-day being valued at more than one hundred thousand dollars each. Phillips College, at Tyler, Tex., has virtually been reestablished and is now, in point of facilities and scope of work, far in advance of what it was prior to this period. The same is true of Miles Memorial College, at Birmingham, Ala., and the Homer Industrial College, at Homer, La. This period embraces the time of the founding and establishing of the Mississippi Industrial College, at Holly Springs, Miss., and the Arkansas Industrial College, at Pine Bluff, Ark., both of which from their very organization have had remarkable growth.

        Be it said to the credit of all of those who have been interested in this work that the sacrifices made by our people in establishing these schools have called forth the applause and words of commendation

FRONT VIEW OF NEW BUILDINGS AT LANE COLLEGE.

of the friends of Christian education the country over, and their success has done much toward establishing the confidence our people have in themselves and their ability to provide in a way for their own educational advancement. A friendly rivalry between the patronizing bishops and Conferences fostering the various educational institutions has helped in the raising of large sums of money for this very worthy cause.

        In 1910 the General Conference of our Church convened in Augusta, Ga. This Conference was largely attended. As usual, the greatest interest was centered in the election of the bishops and general officers. Contrary to our custom and all precedents, some ambitious men resorted to political methods to promote their friends and measures. I do not mean to say that all of the previous General Conferences had been free from political trickery. Such could not be successfully maintained. But I do assert that never before was there so much boldness and affrontery as was displayed at this Conference in such methods and actions. As a natural result, some of the brethren became distrustful of the others and at every point showed their distrust by being ready to impugn their motives and call into question their integrity and honor. This was very unfortunate and greatly embarrassed the Church and its work during the quadrennium.

        Despite all of these unfavorable conditions, this Conference did some very good work. The Discipline

of the Church was revised; the ministerial course of study was enriched and otherwise improved upon; an appellate court for the trial of ministers was created; and a more friendly relation toward all other evangelical Churches, especially those of the Methodist persuasion, was strengthened and established. In a hotly contested election the Rev. M.F. Jamison, D.D., of Texas, and the Rev. George W. Stewart, D.D., of Alabama, were elected to the office of bishop. These brethren had served the Church in various capacities and were promoted in recognition of their services to the Church.

        At this writing (1916) Bishop M.F. Jamison, D.D., presides over the Fifth Episcopal District, where he is held in high esteem by both laymen and ministers. Bishop George W. Stewart, D.D., served the Church as bishop only two years, when he became entangled with some money matters in Alabama which resulted in his being retired without salary by the General Conference that met in St. Louis in 1914. During the very next year (1915) the Bishop died, leaving a wife and several children and the Church at large to mourn his death.

        The General Conference of 1910 elected the Rev. A.J. Cobb, A.B., D.D., of Georgia, to the office of editor of the Christians Index. During the quadrennium following this Conference, when there were so many divisions and so much confusion and dissatisfaction in the Church, Editor Cobb displayed many excellent traits of a rounded Christian character.

His editorial policy was of a conciliatory nature, and he left the office in 1914 with the full confidence and respect of the Church at large. Dr. Cobb took seriously ill in 1915 and died at his home in Barnesville, Ga., surrounded by a host of admiring friends. He is survived by Mrs. Helena B. Cobb, the efficient Principal of the H.B. Cobb Female Institute, the only school of its kind fostered by our Methodism. It is located in Barnesville, Ga.

        The quadrennium following the General Conference of 1910 was marked by the passing into the great beyond of a good many of the most prominent of our Churchmen. Among these were Rev. G.F. Welch, of Alabama, Rev. W.B. West, D.D., of Texas, Rev. J.H. Coley, D.D., of Alabama, Rev. Ralston, of Louisiana, Rev. V. Washington, of Alabama, and Rev. R.O. Williams, of Louisiana. These brethren were closely followed by Bishop George W. Stewart, Rev. Henry Bullock, Dr. A.J. Cobb, Rev. J. B. Washington, Rev. I. S. Person, D.D., Rev. J.W. Smith, A.M., and two prominent laymen, Mr. L.F. Few, of Oklahoma, and Mr. J. B. Meadows, of Memphis, Tenn.

                         "Servant of God, well done!
                         Thy glorious warfare's past;
                         The battle's fought, the race is won,
                         And thou art crowned at last."

CHAPTER XXI.

THE THIRTEENTH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE COLORED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN AMERICA.

        THE thirteenth General Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America convened in Lane Tabernacle, St. Louis, Mo., in May, 1914. At the very opening of the session all of the bishops were present, and a full set of the delegates were in their seats ready to answer to the roll call. This was the first time in the history of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America that a General Conference convened in a city north of the Mason and Dixon line.

        The following work was done during the two and one-half weeks' session: The Department of Ministerial Relief and Support and the Department of Education were created. A financial budget for the quadrennium was made, and the amount of money required each year to meet the demands of the general Church (seventy-five thousand dollars) was placed as an assessment on the Church at large and then prorated to the various Annual Conferences to be raised. The salary of the bishops was increased from two thousand dollars to two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, so as to relieve them of all embarrassment as to their railroad expenses in traveling over their dioceses. At my own request,

the General Conference gave me a retired relaxation; and, according to the provisions already made for their retired bishops, six hundred dollars was set aside as a yearly stipend for my support. The Conference went on record as favoring many reforms in the Church. Some were necessary, while others were not altogether out of place.

        The Church had been greatly embarrassed because of charges of misapplication of Church funds on the part of Bishop George W. Stewart, D.D., and the Rev. Henry Bullock, D.D., the Book Agent, who had resigned his office during the quadrennium. There were charges also of unbecoming conduct on the part of Bishop Elias Cottrell, D.D. These charges and rumors caused a cloud to hang over the skies of Church people which did not pass away by a vote of the brethren or by impassioned appeals made by interested persons who discussed the matter. Bishop Cottrell was given a vote of confidence on the part of the Conference in that his character was passed, and he was continued as one of the bishops of the Church. As has already been stated, Bishop Stewart was retired without salary; and the Rev. Henry Bullock, D.D., was allowed to adjust his alleged shortage in whatever way he could.

        Amid all of these things there was the usual interest manifested in the election of the bishops and other general officers. My retirement was the strong argument advanced by those in favor of an increase in the number of bishops, and it became clear that

the Conference would elect two or more bishops at this Conference. There were an unusually large number of aspirants in the field, and they were not slow in making it known that they had an ambition to serve the Church in that capacity. I hope the time is not far off when the Church will consider any man unworthy who will urge his election to the office of a bishop or seek to organize his friends with that in view. Be it said to the credit of this Conference that there was but little, if any, wirepulling on the part of "friends" seeking promotion. We want to see less and less until there will not be observed any semblance of such in the Church of the living God.

        There was no election for bishop on the first ballot. On the second ballot the Rev. R.A. Carter, A.M., D.D., of Atlanta, Ga., and the Rev. Nelson C. Cleaves, D.D., of Columbia, S.C., each having received the votes of a majority of the delegates, were declared bishops elect of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. These young men represent the product of our own schools; and because of their training and wide acquaintance with the Church, its history and polity, they should be able to serve the Church and race in a large and most effective manner.

        Having accomplished much valuable legislation in behalf of the Church, the General Conference adjourned, and the work of the Conference became a matter of history.

CHAPTER XXII.

DEATH OF MRS. FRANCES A. LANE.
[From the Christian Index.]

        SISTER FRANCES A. LANE, wife of Bishop Isaac Lane, was born in Haywood County, Tenn., October 16, 1834, and died May 11, 1895, at 8:45 A.M., aged sixty years, six months, and twenty-five days. The deceased was married to Bishop Isaac Lane December 24, 1853, and lived in holy wedlock forty-one years, four months, and seventeen days. There were born to them during these years of devoted companionship twelve children, five of whom were sons and seven daughters. Sister Lane enlisted in the cause of Christ at a prayer meeting in. the fall of 1864 and joined the Methodist Church at Salem. She transferred her membership to Liberty Church, Jackson, Tenn., in 1868, where for twenty-seven years she lived a faithful member and a consistent Christian.

        As a wife she was devoted and affable, contributing largely to the comfort and happiness of her husband, sharing his sorrows and burdens, and was a factor in all the accomplishments of him who mourns his loss.

        As a mother she was gentle, kind, and affectionate, imparting that instruction, by precept and example, which is embodied in the words of Solomon: "Train up a child in the way he should go." Her

gentle and loving hand, like a magic wand, has led a large family through the meandering of childhood into manhood and womanhood and bequeathed to them the legacy of noble sentiments and lofty aspirations.

        As a Christian she was meek, yet persistent; quiet, but firm; steady, but true. In her was the combination of those qualities which made her life "shine more and more unto the perfect day." Steady, firm, and true to the end, it may be said of her that she kept the faith, finished her course, and is now in that land of Beulah, joined with her loved ones, where the wicked shall cease to trouble and the weary are at rest.

Your Wife Is In Heaven; We'll Meet Her Again.

(A Poem Dedicated to Bishop Isaac Lane.)

BY SOLOMON G. BROWN.

                         Dear Friend: Sad news comes here to-day
                         That God has called your wife away;
                         For forty years she's been your bride,
                         But now she's taken from your side.

                         None more than you can feel her loss;
                         None know but you what it has cost.
                         By words you can't describe your pain,
                         And feel you'll ne'er get right again.

                         You'll meet her when this life is o'er,
                         Then you will meet to part no more;
                         You'll meet your wife in heaven above,
                         Where all is joy and peace and love.

MRS. FRANCES ANN BOYCE LANE.

                         You'll meet her at the throne of God;
                         She'll introduce you to the Lord;
                         She'll meet you at the pearly gate
                         And all her heavenly joys relate.

                         The cutting pain has reached your heart
                         Because your wife from you did part;
                         So long you've traveled through this life
                         As lovers, husband, father, wife.

                         We mourn with you and share your grief;
                         Could we but offer sure relief!
                         Just how you feel no one can tell
                         But Christ, who doeth all things well.

                         He saw it best that she should go
                         And leave this world of pain and woe;
                         And when she bowed to him in prayer
                         He came from heaven and met her there.

                         Just when she started from her knee
                         He softly said, "Rise, follow me";
                         Heard her prayer and deemed it best
                         That he should call her home to rest.

                         While down at prayer she heard the call;
                         She quickly rose, was seen to fall;
                         Her body struggled for its breath
                         Till finally o'ercome by death.

                         On her he laid his hands of ice,
                         Her soul steals out and goes with Christ;
                         Forever there her soul will stay,
                         Where there's but one eternal day.

                         That dreadful news soon spread around,
                         That Bishop Lane's dear wife had gone;
                         This news a sad impression made
                         On all who learned their friend was dead.

                         Her friends stood grieving o'er her form,
                         From which a precious soul had gone -
                         Gone where? Can any mortal say?
                         And is that soul at rest to-day?

                         At rest! O yes, as Jesus lives,
                         A full assurance she would give.
                         While death relieves her from all pain,
                         She's dead, but rose to life again

                         To-day she wears the heavenly palm,
                         Free from all the tempter's harm,
                         Falls prostrate at the feet of God,
                         Where she receives her great reward.

                         Her joys are full, her griefs are o'er;
                         She meets with thousands gone before -
                         Relatives, kindred, neighbors, friends -
                         Whose union there will never end.

                         She's given up all cares of life
                         And all her duties as a wife;
                         She freely parts with all she owns
                         To take her place around God's throne.

                         You've lost a loving, faithful wife,
                         Who's been your bosom friend through life;
                         She loved you dear, but when God called
                         She followed him and gave up all.

                         To God's will we all must bow;
                         'Tis hard, but Christ will teach us how.
                         We know our loss is her great gain;
                         She's free from strife, released from pain.

                         Look on her form; look, friends, and weep -
                         So calm, so peaceful, fast asleep.
                         Will any mortal dare profane
                         Or say one word against God's name?

                         Who gave her life? Who takes away?
                         Who fixed the limits of her stay?
                         If she has made her peace with God,
                         She goes to meet that great reward.

                         This is God's plan. O brother, yield
                         While you her loss so deeply feel;
                         Give her to Christ, where she belongs;
                         Prepare to join the heavenly throng.

                         Soon you shall meet in realms above,
                         And join her in that perfect love,
                         Where you'll be truly one in heart,
                         From each and Christ will never part.

                         Sleep sound, dear one, so free from stain;
                         Sleep in the tomb where Christ was lain;
                         Sleep there in peace till that great day
                         When all will rise and come away.

                         Farewell, dear wife; we'll meet no more
                         Till I come down to Jordan's shore.
                         For this shall be my earnest prayer,
                         That you, with Christ, shall meet me there

WASHINGTON, D. C.

        She was affectionately kind to all of her husband's friends, and especially to preachers. As a hostess she found great pleasure in providing for their comfort. She had the highest regard for Bishops William Henry Miles, J.A. Beebe, and L.H. Holsey, and Bishops Williams and Cottrell were winning her affections. She entertained Bishop Henry M. Turner one week in her home, which visit he mentioned quite frequently in his public addresses. As a husband, I have lost a true, affectionate wife, a great and good woman. As a mother, my children have lost a kind and loving one. She strove earnestly, both by precept and example, to rear her children right. But she is gone, to come to us no more. Her place in our home circle is vacant. Our loss is irreparable.

        Below is a select sentiment of sympathy from a few of the letters and telegrams from our many friends: