Читать книгу The Cyclopedia of the Colored Baptists of Alabama: Their Leaders and Their Work онлайн

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Indeed, to those who had the ability to discern, the first view of liberty was frightful in proportion as it was seriously considered. Naturally, as the shackles suddenly fell off, there was such a forcible rebounding of life, as in many cases made liberty mean license to live idle and lewd.

I can never forget my first impressions at the full view of freedom. O, what helplessness appeared in our condition!

Every day, for weeks, shoeless and hatless men and women, with half naked, hungry children, passed through the little town where I lived, not knowing whither they went, what were their names, nor what they sought. A certain man, when I first met him, was introduced to me as Mr. M——. A little after this, I was surprised to find that he was not Mr. M——, but was Mr. R——. And my ability to be surprised was considerably lessened when I finally learned that Mr. R—— was now Mr. H——.

Long and anxiously I waited for the appearance of some great colored men to assume leadership in matters of religion and education, but I waited in vain. My heart ached as though it would break, and was at last only partially relieved of its weight when my brother (Rev. J. Gomez) and I had built an humble house in which to worship God and teach the children. Into this we, boys though we were, called the people to meet to hear the reading of the Scriptures and to pray.