“Dat’s jest alritee ef Banjo kin cum ter sc’ool wid dat name. Don’t care w’at yo’ cal’ ’em nor how much yo’ beats ’em jest so yo larns em sometings, som’ gud man’ers lak he ole marster had.”
In a very few days after this unusual interview Rahab herself was given a position in the Schofield household where she was employed for many years.
Among all the mourners at the funeral none there were more deeply affected by the passing of Miss Schofield than the servants of her household.
One of the most beautiful traits of Miss Schofield’s character is to be seen in her treatment of the Negro servants in her employ. The excellent service which “Aunt Amy” rendered to her gave her a high appreciation of the Negro for domestic duties, and inspired the sentiment now common over the country that the Southern white people do not appreciate the value of Negro servants because they have never had the dissatisfaction attending the employment of other domestics of different nationality.
“Aunt Ann,” another employe for thirty-five years, equally distinguished the race by excelling in the art of domestic service. Rahab Obedience, Darius Bauknight and Charlotte, all so well pleased Miss Schofield with the quality and quantity of their services that each received recognition in her Will.
Martha Schofield was not only admired and loved by all her students and servants—she was idolized by them. Wherever she went in the South or North she always found a number to do her honor, and honor shown her by the humblest and lowest of the Negro race was to all appearances as much appreciated as that shown by the great poets and writers, many of whom knew her and delighted in showing her the respect which one great mind has for another.
Among the distinguished people who expressed a deep appreciation of her strength of character and firmness of purpose in carrying on her work was John G. Whittier, the Quaker Poet, who wrote her several pleasing commendatory letters, and dedicated all his works to the spirit which inspired her to carry on her work in the face of difficulties that would have discouraged into inactivity anybody but Martha Schofield. Other notable people who paid tribute to Miss Schofield were Lucretia Mott, the distinguished reformer and Miss Francis Willard.
At her home in Aiken she was highly respected for her strength of character in holding fast to her convictions and for her intelligence and absolute honesty.
The following resolutions by the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, a white organization to which Miss Schofield belonged, were passed at a recent session:
“Resolutions.