hesitate to declare their dissipating and demoralizing tendency.
He also stated the attitude of the institution in regard to them by
giving utterance to the following sentiment: "Whilst everything at the
academy is available for the betterment of the colored people, there is
not an Oak Hill bucket available for use, at a dissipating and
demoralizing dance in the timber." This sentiment sounded a little harsh
and cruel at first, but it now commands the approval of all the good
students and of those, who are doing most to promote the happiness and
welfare of the young and rising generation. Since the young people have
come to participate, to a greater extent, in the frequent meetings of
the Presbytery and in an annual Sunday school convention, the old time
"dance in the timber", has become a "thing of the past."

EVERYBODY GOES TO PRESBYTERY

The meetings of the Presbytery are sure to be attended by everyone,
living in the vicinity of the meeting, and by as many others as can
manage to "get there." It is unusual for any colored minister and his
elder to be absent from any meeting, no matter how great may be the
difficulties, that have to be overcome in getting there. If the place of
meeting can be easily reached, additional delegates are chosen to
represent the Sunday school, the aid, Endeavor and Women's Missionary
societies.

If these additional delegates get to the meeting, they are duly enrolled
and later are accorded all the time they wish in making their oral
reports of the work they represent. All seem to enjoy making reports and
addresses at Presbytery. Many are animated with the earnest desire to
aid in giving their race an uplift, and the address in Presbytery seems
to be one of the nicest opportunities to do this. This is especially
true of some of those among the older people who cannot read, survivors
of the slavery period who inherited good memories and good voices.
Several of the most eloquent and deeply impressive appeals, it was the
privilege of the author to hear at the academy or Presbytery, were
delivered by those, whose condition of slavery in youth and isolated
location afterward prevented attendance at school. By frequent
participation in religious meetings, where they endeavored to repeat and
enforce Bible truths, to which they had given an attentive ear, caused
them, like some of the famous philosophers in the days of Socrates and
Aristotle, to be held in high esteem as persons of intelligence