to form a Congregational Church. Their place of worship was a
bush arbor or "bush harbor" as it was usually called. Feeling the need
of more frequent ministrations than the pastor of Macon could furnish,
they asked to have one of their own number licensed as a leader. A
Council of churches was called at Andersonville, and the candidate
presented himself for examination.

He was a working man in middle life; his personal appearance bespoke him
better fitted for the blacksmith's forge than the pulpit. His literary
qualifications reached their limit when he could slowly read from his
pocket Testament that "God so loved the world," and "Jesus Christ came
into the world to save sinners." In theology, he was prepared to
discuss, with race shrewdness and quaint corn-field illustrations, the
doctrines of election and future punishment. His Congregationalism
comprised three points,--"To live by the Bible, to have only one wife,
and to not drink whiskey"--good points for that time, and popularly
supposed to represent the new denomination.

His spirit was excellent, as, with genuine humility, he expressed his
wish to serve the church only until it could command the ministrations
of some one of better education and more general fitness for the
position. His personal experience of religion was satisfactory, as were
also the testimonials to his character, and so the Council licensed him
to preach, Pastor Rogers, of Macon, giving him an earnest charge to be
faithful in the service of Christ.

NOW.

The circumstance had faded from my mind, but suddenly was remembered two
days ago, when sitting in the congregation that had gathered in the
chapel of Livingstone Hall, Fisk University, to listen to the
examination of ten young men who presented themselves to the Central
South Association for license to preach. These candidates were
physically and mentally alert, active, strong. With a single exception
they were under thirty years of age.

Besides the ordinary helps of Concordance and Bible Dictionary, more
than half of these young men in studying the Scriptures, can pick up
from their study tables, Testaments in German, French, Latin and Greek,
to gather the light these translations may throw upon any passage.

Their theology was clear, and showed acquaintance with the best thought
upon the whole range of subjects. Their Congregationalism embraced two
points, independence and fellowship. The right of private judgment based
upon in