“Aiken, S. C., April 17th, 1916.
“Whereas, God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to take from us, our sister and earnest co-worker, Miss Martha Schofield; We, the members of the W. C. T. U., Aiken, S. C., do hereby offer the following resolutions:
“1st. That in her passing away the W. C. T. U. has lost one of its earnest workers.
“2nd. That we extend to her neice and to her companion, Mrs. Taylor, our deepest sympathy.
“3rd. That a page in our Minute Book be inscribed to her memory.
“4th. That a copy of these resolutions be sent to her neice, to Mrs. Taylor and to the County papers for publication.
Meta Summerall,
Hattie P. Hill,
Tweetie M. Carter,
Committee.”
If one ever questioned whether the services of Miss Schofield were appreciated by the colored people of Aiken all doubts must have been removed by the demonstration of Negroes at the funeral on Monday, February 3, and again on the same day as the casket was borne from the Schofield home to the railroad station. The line of march included over 1,000 school children and citizens and the mass was so great at the train shed as to interfere with the movement of all traffic. As the train moved off the citizens joined in the favorite song of the lamented lady and sang so sadly and feelingly as to bring tears to the eyes of all: “Steal Away, Steal Away to Jesus.”
Among hundreds of telegrams, letters and personal messages received at the school following the death of Miss Schofield, the latter are typical:
“I am here to give my testimony of the value of the life of Martha Schofield to my race. She was one of the bravest, kindest women I ever knew. It is true that Martha Schofield was a fighter. She dared to contend for what she believed was right, but always took counsel, weighed things carefully, and, when she took a stand that she believed was right, believing she was right, there was no earthly power to turn her from her course. Martha Schofield is not dead—she lives in the memory of her students scattered all over South Carolina and other States. She will live in the memory of their children and their children’s children, for there are few colored homes in which her name and deeds are not recounted in the family circle.”