a final exam of some sort. Early in
his preparation he decided that his father's advice was wise, and he put
the stress of his effort on the church's work and how Negro youth had
responded to it. The other matter was too delicate, he felt, for his
amateur handling, and, besides, he was not altogether sure even of his
own position.

On the convention night Saint Marks was crowded with young colored
people, some of whom came from places a hundred miles away. They were
badged and pennanted quite in the fashion to which J.W. was accustomed.
But for their color, and, to be frank, for a little more restraint and
thoughtfulness in their really unusual singing, they were just young
Methodists at a convention, not different from Caucasian Methodists of
the same age.

When J.W.'s turn came to speak, the chairman introduced him in the
fewest possible words, but with the courtesy which belongs to
self-respect, saying, "Mr. Farwell will make the delegates welcome in
the name of the First Church Epworthians."

And he did. He had his notes, pretty full ones, to which he made
frequent references, but the quality in his speech which drew the
convention's cheers was its frank and natural simplicity.

"I would have begged off from this duty, if I could," he began, "but I
knew from the moment I was asked that I had no decent excuse. But I knew
so little of what I ought to say that it was necessary for me to dig,
just as I used to do at school."

The result of my digging is that I know now and I want you to know that
I know, why First Church young people should join in welcoming you to
Delafield. Some of them don't know yet, any more than I did ten days
ago; but I intend to enlighten them the first chance I get.

We First Church Epworthians might welcome you for many reasons, but I
have decided to stick to two, because, as I have said, I have just been
learning something about them.

We welcome you, then, because you represent the most eager hunger for
complete education that exists in America to-day, unless our new Hebrew
citizens can match it. No others can. The record of our church's schools
for your race prove that it simply is not possible to keep the Negro
youth out of school. They will walk further, eat less, work harder, and
stay longer to get an education than for anything else in the world.

Not so many days ago I ignorantly thought that the 'three R's' was all
that ought to be offered, partly because the need is so great