A Watch-Night Meeting.
The very interesting sketch given below shows that the "old-time religion" in the South has not passed away, for this scene took place in one of the large cities and where schools have been sustained for years. The picture of the honored and worthy old preacher stands out conspicuously in the midst of this confused worship.
After the New Year's entertainment in our own church, we thought it would be interesting to some of the new teachers on our force to attend a watch-meeting at one of the churches near, so we started for a large barn-like structure bearing the imposing name of ——. We found the building filled to its utmost, and instead of slipping into some seats in the rear unnoticed, as we had hoped, we found ourselves forced to the front bench where the stewards held posts of honor, which were immediately vacated for the "teachers." Many of these men then went behind the railing and stood in solemn state around the pastor as he exhorted the people in most earnest words to get their records clean before the opening of the new year.
I wish I could picture him to you as he stood before us that night, his hair just turning gray, indicating in one of this race extreme old age; a real "Uncle Tom" in appearance, and in character, I think; his history taking in much of slavery and of life as Presiding Elder. Many times has he stood on guard between Northern teachers and Ku Klux Klans. He told us that night that the grace of God in a man's heart would make him shine all over; he had seen it make a man who had not combed his hair for a year, grease his boots and his hair too, and then what a shining! And so on through his talk were the most earnest exhortations with his striking illustrations.
One of the members there once in praising a sister to me spoke of her having the ability to "groan so beautifully," and that night it seemed a special gift bestowed upon all. All through the pastor's exhortation the audience were keeping up a sort of rhythmic accompaniment with both body and intonations. Their responses during the prayers certainly have the virtue of fervency, if not of intelligence. At some times so great was the noise it was almost impossible to distinguish any leader whatever. One old "Father in Israel" seemed to be specially delegated to encourage the praying ones by calling out above all the din, "Come on, son, come on," right in the midst of the prayer. One woman near us "got the power" and went off into spasms. Then the pastor gave the invitation for all "mourning ones" to come to the altar, and about sixty answered the call. Then the groans and ejaculations became more intense, until at least three whom we could see were in religious spasms or frenzies. I know not how many others had the "power," that is, were able to scream above all the groaning at certain intervals.
At midnight a hush fell upon all, and the pastor's prayer told us a new year had begun. Then all started up an old-time plantation song, the only words being "A Happy New Year" in all its changes, and we found we were expected to shake hands with everyone, and not any ordinary shaking hands was it, but the tighter our hands were clasped, the better did it show the individual's religious zeal. Before this, it had seemed as though some of our teachers would get struck by the mourning ones as they threw their arms around in their frenzy, but when the hand-shaking began and each one danced up to us, keeping time with the music and shook our hands in time, until the measure changed and they passed on to the next, we realized that we had, indeed, been taken right in. Thus the meeting closed, and many left—two, rigid in their spasms, lying on the benches.
But we found that the more devoted ones were to stay longer still, and as one of the sisters came up and asked me to stay and see them get real happy shouting, we did so. And now commenced a religious dance, perfectly indescribable, and as long as I have been in the South it was perfectly new to me. The leader started down one of the aisles chanting a weird plantation song, and every joint in his body moving in time with the measure; the sisters took it up and followed two by two until there was a complete circle all around the church, all dancing in time with the music. We were told that they would keep that up until morning.
It is rarely that we attend anything of this kind, but I think we had enough of the old-time religion to last us through 1890 at least. We have a number of scholars from this church, and it makes my heart sad when I think how hard it will be for them to put what they are taught in school with the example of their parents in this church. We have had many inquiring ones in school lately, and it is difficult for them to see how simple is the entrance to the narrow way contrasted with all the excitement in their church religion.
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