Library of Congress Subject Headings, 21st edition, 1998

LC Subject Headings:

• Arter, Jared Maurice.
• African Americans -- Biography.
• African Americans -- Education.
• African American Baptists -- Biography.
• Baptist theological seminaries -- History -- 19th century.
• Educators -- Biography.
• Slaves -- Southern States -- Biography.
• Harper's Ferry (W.Va.) -- History -- 19th century.
• Sermons, American -- African American authors.

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ECHOES FROM
A PIONEER LIFE

By

JARED MAURICE ARTER, D. D.
Harper's Ferry, W. Va.

1922: A. B. CALDWELL PUBLISHING CO.,
ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Copyright, 1922
JARED MAURICE ARTER

Dedicated to Mrs. Maggie Wall Arter and Charles Oliver Arter
(mother and son)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• A Sketch of Harper's Ferry . . . . . 123
• A Message to the Race . . . . . 72
• A Temperance Sermon . . . . . 98
• A More Comprehensive View of Work at Hill Top . . . . . 51
• An Address Delivered on 105th Anniversary of Birthday of Abraham Lincoln . . . . . 117
• An Address of Importance of S. S. and Its Work . . . . . 120
• Baccalaureate Sermon Delivered to Graduating Class Lynchburg Seminary . . . . . 88
• Baccalaureate Sermon Delivered to Graduating Class, Cairo High School . . . . . 92
• Baccalaureate Sermon Delivered to Graduating Class, Bluefield, W. Va . . . . . 95
• Birth and Early Boyhood . . . . . 9
• Extracts from Address at Celebration of Fifty Years of Freedom . . . . . 113
• Jared's First Four Years of Freedom . . . . . 13
• Jared's Installation and Work at Hill Top, W. Va . . . . . 43
• Jared's Teaching at Fayetteville and Recall to Work at Harper's Ferry . . . . . 64
• Life, Teaching and Work in Cairo Mission Field . . . . . 33
• Life at Storer and Teaching in Preparation for College . . . . . 24
• Sermon Delivered to Woman's Baptist State Convention . . . . . 101
• Sermon Delivered to S. S. Convention . . . . . 104
• Sermon Delivered to W. Va. Baptist State Convention . . . . . 107
• Sermon to National Training School for Women and Girls . . . . . 110
• Three Years of Struggle and Uncertainty . . . . . 21

CHAPTER I

BIRTH AND EARLY BOYHOOD

        The subject of this autobiography, Jared Maurice Arter, was born a slave Jan. 27, 1850. He first saw the light in a little one-room log cabin, on a small farm lying on both sides of the Winchester Turnpike and the Shepherdstown Highway, at their crossing.

        The Big House on this farm, located four miles from each, marked the half-way point between the now famous towns of Harper's Ferry and Charles Town both in Jefferson County, W. Va. Jared well remembers the John Brown Raid and the great excitement arising therefrom.

        The master of the Little plantation, William Schaeffer, of Pennsylvania Dutch extraction, was inspector of arms in the United States Arsenal at Harper's Ferry. He was accustomed to rise and leave home on horseback at 5 o'clock of mornings, to eat breakfast with his mother and father in Bolivar, and to go from there to his work in the arsenal. On the morning of the John Brown Raid he left at 5 o'clock as usual. Soon the news spread that Brown and his men had made a raid through the county on the previous night, had taken into custody a number of the leading citizens, had

ORIGINAL PLAN OF THE BUILDINGS OF WEST VIRGINIA INDUSTRIAL
SCHOOL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AND COLLEGE

captured Harper's Ferry and the arsenal and had barricaded himself and his men in the engine-house of the armory and was holding the captured citizens as prisoners or hostages.

        For a brief while all sorts of rumors were afloat, and all the day long groups of men on horseback, armed with revolvers shot guns, and rifles, could be seen going towards Harper's Ferry, the scene of excitement. These accomplished nothing. Troops of two States, Virginia and Maryland, and a company of U. S. Marines were summoned and after two days succeeded in dislodging and capturing Brown and his sixteen white comrades.

        The trial, conviction and hanging in Charles Town of John Brown and six of his men is familiar history.

        On the day of his execution, Dec. 2, 1859, he handed this paper to one of his guards: "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood. I had, as I now think, vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed it might be done." Within a year and a half from the day of his death, the North and the South were at war with each other, and a Northern regiment, on its way to, the front, was singing:

                         "John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave:
                         But his soul is marching on."

        When Brown was hanged the excitement ran so high and fear was so great that his friends in the North might attempt to rescue him that few persons except strong men were permitted to witness the execution.

        But Jared stood beside his mother, holding to her apron and saw hanged four of Brown's men, Cook, Coppie, Green, and Stephens. The scene all around was very war-like, but Jared at the time knew little of what it all meant. Soon the flames of a dreadful war broke forth and raged for four years.

        More than once Jared saw the great Federal and Confederate armies marching along the highway, moving sometimes westward, sometimes eastward, sometimes deliberately, sometimes in hasty retreat. Twice in the course of

that war, and for several weeks each time, the home of the master and slaves was between the firing lines of the two armies.

        Some nerve-wrecking scenes were witnessed at these times, especially when assaults were made by first one side and then the other, or when the pickets were being relieved, or when a determined and stubborn effort was made by one army to drive the other back.

        The cellars of the homes were much used at these times.

        The last time that this situation occurred, in the summer of 1863, one could scarcely venture to go to the spring, wood-pile or garden without being shot at.

        Jared knows almost nothing of his direct ancestry beyond his mother and father. His father, Jeremiah Arter, was a slave, belonging to Wm. Grove of Duffield, Jefferson Co., W. Va. He was married three times. In height he was about six feet, weighing about 200 pounds, of dark complexion, positive and stern in disposition, and could read and write a little, was quick-witted, especially good in figures, a miller by trade, having had charge, at different times, of four different mills. These were at Charles Town, Flowing Springs, Halltown, and the Bloomery, all in Jefferson County. He was much thought of by his master and by all who knew him intimately. He died at the age of 72 from paralysis, the effect of a fall down the stairway of the mill. This accident occurred in 1857, just preceding the Civil War. But like many other slaves he seems to have gotten a vision of the coming freedom. Jared's mother, Hannah Frances Stephenson Arter, was a slave, and 38 years younger than his father. She was illiterate, but quite intelligent, a devout Christian. Queenly, cultured, and refined through having grown up in the services of some of the first famliies of Virginia. She had a strain of Indian but a larger per cent of white blood coursing through her veins. She was thoroughly up in domestic science as acquired by practice. She was highly respected by the people of the neighborhood, white and colored, was very motherly toward all and was much respected and loved by all the children of the little plantation both white, and other colored children, as well as by her own.

        She was married the second time. She and her family were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863; and in the fall of 1864 with second husband and seven children by first husband, and two children by second marriage, she moved to Washington, D. C., where she and most of the family remained about 16 years.

CHAPTER II

JARED'S FIRST FOUR YEARS OF FREEDOM. HIS
HOME AND WORK IN A PRIVATE FAMILY

        Shortly after moving to Washington, a home was found for Jared in a private family by the name of Wealch, in Georgtown, now West Washington. The head of this family, Mr. Wealch, with Mr. Herr, formed the great flouring mill firm of Wealch and Herr of Georgetown. Jared's stepfather, for a number of years, worked for this firm. In this family, Jared remained for about five months. His principal work was to make up fires, to care for the dining room and wait table and to run errands. Jared got along well most part of the time in his new line of work, was sometimes highly praised and encouraged by good words and "tips" from the head of the family and his sons; at other times it fell to his lot to be braced up sharply by severe scoldings and keen-edged chastising lectures from Mrs. Wealch, or Mrs. Stephenson the married daughter, or from some one of the four single daughters.

        There were three sons in the family, all grown up, single young men, two of whom were very stately and aristocratic. From these Jared received a number of favors, but never an unpleasant word.

        Only once did Mr. Wealch speak unkindly to him, and then his words were so terrifying and his manner so menacing that Jared's rabbit blood took possession of his being and he fled for refuge to the home of his mother in Washington.

        The Wealch family and his own parents tried to persuade Jared to return, but Providence ordered otherwise.

        In one of the Washington papers, of that evening was seen an advertisement for a bell-boy at Dver'sHotel. Jared answered it and was turned down because of failure to stand the test of reading numbers. He returned home, took lessons that night from a brother-in-law and answered the advertisement again the next morning and secured the position.

        Here Jared remained some three or four months; and while here Providence was opening the door of hope and opportunity a little wider.

        Jared early showed interest in learning; his first teacher was his father; his second was his old mistress. In the spring of 1865 his mother received a somewhat flattering proposition from a business man of the State of New York to educate, train and equip with trades her two older boys, on condition they be bound out to him until twenty-one years of age.

        Jared's mother decided she could not spare William, the older; neither did William care to go. But Jared, the younger, craved to go, and pleaded for the privilege. It was granted and he went.

HIS TRIP NORTH AND HOME IN NEW YORK STATE

        The time of starting, as Jared recalls it, was early in the month of April. He left home cheerfully, on his trip North, under the care of a Union soldier, a captain, returning home, having been mustered out of the service at the close of the war. Heavy rainfalls and floods had done much damage to railroads and bridges of the sections through which they had to pass. This added quite a little to the time and distance of the trip. After much delay, here and there, and running over other roads to reach desired points, they arrived at Ithaca, N. Y., about 9 o'clock at night, and took the stage for Newfield, a village eight miles distant, in Tompkins County, N. Y. There they arrived about 10:30 P. M. and Jared was ushered by the Captain into his new home, a large brown, roomy two-story structure with beautiful front and back porches, and beautiful front, side and back yards decorated with trees, rose-bushes and flowers.

        Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Ayers and their daughter, Mary, ten years of age, and some near relatives and friends of the family, were there to meet, greet and welcome the captain. They also gave Jared a cordial welcome and tried to make him feel at ease and as comfortable as possible in his new home and somewhat strange environments. Mr. Ayers, and Mr. Nathaniel Gillett, his brother-in-law, in

partnership, ran a, grocery, clothing, and drug store in the village, and had their homes on Main Street opposite each other.

        Despite the cordial welcome and the gentle and kindly manner in which Jared was broken into his new home, environments and life, for a time, a feeling of loneliness, strangeness, and embarrassment was experienced. One very trying experience growing out of this embarrassment is well remembered. Jared was taken into the Ayers home as one of the family. He was regularly seated at the table with them for his meals. For breakfast in winter time cakes. They seldom if ever failed in this morning service of bread during the whole of Jared's stay with them.

        The remainder of the breakfast service consisted of some species of breakfast food, canned or other fruits and vegetables, potatoes, eggs, steak, ham or breakfast bacon. The cakes were of quality, size and other things were graded accordingly. Three of these cakes were as many as any one of the Ayers family would eat; and they ate as frugally of the rest of the meal and seemed well satisfied. Their dinners were considerably more substantial, but their suppers were even more frugal than their morning meals. Being in Rome, Jared tried to do as Rome did, and it is natural to imitate. So Jared watched the other members of the family and for three or four days imitated them pretty closely. But Jared was growing rapidly, had a vigorous appetite, and had been used to plenty of good, strong, wholesome food, such as corn bread, fat meat, potatoes, cabbage and beans. Had he eaten to his full satisfaction of these delicate but delicious buckwheat or wheat cakes, a dozen or fifteen would not have been too many. But with slight advance in quantity of cakes from three to five or six Jared continued to imitate the Ayers family for a few days. By that time his wolfish appetite was beginning to assert itself, almost beyond control. He got up from meals almost as hungry as when he sat down. He thought of the cornbread, potatoes and cabbage he used to enjoy to the full on the old plantation and of the abundance to which he had access through serving table in the Wealch home, and as bell-boy

in Dyer's Hotel. But this was as a dream and only aggravated the case. He must invent some way out of this sore trial. As stated before, he had noted that the noon meal was considerably more substantial than the rest. It was about his fifth or sixth day i nthehome that he determined to remain in hiding till the family were through dinner. This he did and came in just as the family and some friends had finished and left the dinner table for the sitting room. Mrs. Ayers asked Jared where he had been, said she had called him several times; that he must always be present for his meals, and that now he would have to eat all alone as they were all through. Jared forced himself, violated his conscience, stretched the blanket (it was hard for he had been trained to tell the truth and had established a reputation for being truthful) got excused for absence, and - sat down to his dinner, happy in being alone. He ate out of the dishes until the contents therein approached so near the vanishing point as to disturb his nervous system. He then, finding pie, pudding, roast beef, sweet potatoes and other things left in the side dishes of those who had gone before him, cleared up these so completely that the dog and cat had to go hungry that noon. Mrs. Ayers, returning to the dining room and surveying the table, exclaimed, "Why! Jared! You must have been starving yourself! It is very evident that you have not been eating enough! There is no need of that, we want you to have plenty. Hereafter you be sure you have enough before leaving the table. With this encouragement and now feeling more at home, Jared had no further trouble with hunger.

JARED'S PRINCIPAL WORK THAT SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL

        Jared's principal work that spring, summer and fall, was to assist in caring for two horses, to care for and milk one cow, to plant and care for the garden of the Ayers and Gillett families and to help around the stores. For the first few weeks Jared was a sort of curiosity in the village. So far as he knows he was the first member of the Negro race ever to make his home in that village. His movements

came in for considerable notice and remarks. A few times, friends of the Ayers family with one or more of the family, stood on the back porch and watched Jared at his work in the garden or about the premises, remarking, "He seems strong, spry and active." "I bet you he is a good worker." Jared did succeed in establishing a record as a good worker. He got along well with everybody, and passed through quite a successful spring summer and fall. Sometimes he was nick-named "Coffee," sometimes "Shade." These were given in sport and taken as a joke. It is true, there were one or two incidents of that season that roughened Jared's way somewhat.

        In the third month of his stay in the village a wrestling contest occurred between a number of the boys of the village and Jared. In this line of sports Jared was at home and succeeded in throwing the champion boy athlete of the village, a youth of his own age, the best two out of three. This developed some hostility, and led to some picking at Jared, which finally terminated in a fight between Jared and a full- grown brother of the boy athlete that had been bested in the wrestling contest. In this fight Jared was out-classed and the combat was stopped. Jared had been roughly handled and though not knocked out had been decidedly worsted. Following this episode, peace between Caucasia and Africa again reigned.

        In way of education Jared had been given lessons at night by Minnie Ayers, the daughter and only child of the Ayers family. Early in December Jared entered the village graded school. The teacher was a lady, the daughter of the captain in whose charge Jared had made the trip from Washington to Newfield. She was a competent teacher and a stern disciplinarian. This was Jared's first attendance upon a regularly organized school and he had several things to learn besides book lessons. He made the third grade and continued to stand well in his classes. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred except on two or three occasions. One morning in the third week of his attendance he had a somewhat unpleasant experience. The weather was bitter cold, the benches between the desks were loose

and Jared had one standing on end close to, the stove warming it. The teacher rang the bell for the pupils to take their seats. Jared remained standing at the stove warming the bench. The teacher said to Jared, "Take your seat." Jared answered, "Yes Ma'am, as soon as I can get this bench warm." Scarcely had the words escaped his lips when a large book thrown by the teacher's hand struck him between the eyes and felled him to the floor as if shot through the heart by a rifle bullet, the bench falling on him. In a dazed state he rose and in tearful voice inquired what he had done to merit such treatment. "You insolent wretch!" exclaimed the teacher, "If you can't obey instantly when I speak to you, I will knock you senseless." The lesson went home. He learned that--

                         "It was not his to make reply,
                         Nor to ask the reason why,
                         But to do or die."

        His conduct for the remainder of the term was exemplary. A few times in course of the term the teacher had Jared recite his geography lesson as an example for the rest of the class.

        In the following spring Mr. Ayers sold his home and business in Newfield and purchased a farm of 80 acres, two miles from Ithaca, N. Y., lying above the head of Cayuga Lake and along the Trunansburg Highway. Here he began the planting and development of a fruit farm.

        He laid off and mapped out 30 acres of this farm to be planted with the very best species of all kinds of fruit trees, grape vines, berry bushes, and other fruit plants. He planted some ten acres the first year, and also cultivated a large crop of vegetables, especially beans. These ten acres for trees were both plowed and subsoiled. This gave Jared his first practical knowledge of what subsoiling meant. Wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley and hay were grown mainly in sufficient quantities for home use. On this farm Jared remained and worked for about two years and six months, attending school about four months each year. It is easily seen that there was plenty to do. A hired man at $25.00

per month and board was employed for eight months each year. Along with him Jared worked most of the time. Mr. Ayers, too, in part for the sake of health, worked somewhere on the place much of the time.

        From the middle of November to the middle of March Jared did the chores on the place and attended the district school located two miles distant along the Trumansburg highway. The chores consisted of feeding and milking three cows, caring for about twenty head of sheep, from six to ten head of hogs, three horses, chopping wood, and at times hulling beans.

        At the end of two years on this farm Jared having been persuaded that he could do better and having become very dissatisfied, was released from apprenticeship and put upon wages. The following fall, having served for wages six months, he returned to Washington, D. C.

        It was in the course of these three years and six months spent by Jared in the service of Mr. W. W. Ayers that he got a fairly good start in the primary branches of English, and a good foundation laid in regular habits of work. In Washington, finding the outlook for employment poor, and having spent ten days with his mother, and other relatives, Jared left for the State and county of his birth, Jefferson County, W. Va. The corn crop that year was large, work was plentiful and wages fairly good. Jared at once, off with his coat, and went at it. He shucked corn that fall, chopped wood in the forest in the early winter, and in midwinter when the snow, with a stiff crust on it, was ten inches deep, and when no other living soul was to be seen in any of the fields around, Jared might be seen in a 30-acre field of corn, part of the time, shovel in hand, cleaning the snow from around the shocks and then shucking the corn. Twenty days service was performed in that field that winter and the compensation was $20.00 and board. In the spring, under contract, Jared cut nearly one hundred cords of wood for burning brick, and later worked on the brick yard, later still in the summer and fall of that year, after harvesting, he worked on the fine country mansion for which these brick were burned. This mansion was owned

by Mr. Geo. Wm. Eichleburger, the owner of a large plantation and a prominent citizen of that part of the county. Jared found employment with the brick masons, plasterers and carpenters on this building till Christmas, when he returned to Washington, D. C. and entered a private school there, taught by a Mr. Cook.

CHAPTER III

THREE YEARS OF STRUGGLE AND UNCERTAINTY

        In the following spring Jared returned to Jefferson County, W. Va., and secured service on a farm near Duffield, where he remained through harvest. From August to Christmas of the same year he worked for Mr. Wm. Raymy on the Roper farm adjoining the Geo. Wm. Eichleburger plantation. In course of that winter Jared cut some cord wood, split some rails, assisted in making shingles, and did some piddling jobs till spring, when he secured work on the farm of Mr. John Yates near Charles Town. Here he worked till July, harvested for Mr. Geo. Wm. Eichleburger, and in August he secured service at the paper mill of Mr. Eyster& Co., Halltown, Jefferson County, W. Va. Here Jared, under the eleven hour- day system worked on the yard for about three months, and was then transferred to the team service. Six teams of six mules each were kept busy every week-day hauling loose straw from distances requiring one, and often two-day trips. With these teams Jared and John Harris were sent as loaders and assistants. Often on account of bad roads, soft fields and upsets it was nine or ten o'clock at night, sometimes even as late as eleven when they got into the straw sheds, the place of unloading. But Jared was required to rise at five o'clock next morning along with others to begin the unloading that the teams might be ready by 7 o'clock to start on the next trip. There was much exposure in this work in many ways, for no day in the year was regarded as too rough or inclement for the teams and men to be out on the road. Jared remained in this service till April 1, 1873, at a salary of $1.25 per day.

        Having been assured that wages in Pittsburgh were much better, on April 2, 1873, Jared, along with his brother, William, left for that city, where they obtained work at once in rolling mills at $12.00 per week and later secured positions on public work at $15.00 per week.

        Before this in the summer of 1869, Jared and his brother, William, signed a contract to buy, and made the

first payment on, a good home in Bolivar, twin-town to Harper's Ferry. They at once wrote their mother in Washington, D. C., urging her to come and occupy the new home that it might furnish a home for her and a real home for all. Ten days later, while waiting to learn their mother's decision, their two sisters, Bettie and Laura, next to William

and Jared in age, on a Sunday, came walking through the yard towards the kitchen of the old home plantation where Jared and William happened to be spending a few hours with the one time masters and mistresses. Their sisters informed them that their mother, with all the family and belongings, was on the Maryland side of the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, waiting to be moved into the new home, that the family and belongings had been brought from Washington to that point on a canal boat, run by their brother-in-law, Beverly Payton. Jared and his brother, William, secured from Mr. Schaeffer the use of his team and at once hitched four horses to the large farm wagon, drove to the ferry and moved all into their new home, consisting of their mother, stepfather, three younger brothers, two sisters, and a niece. Jared and his brother William had

planned and hoped to be in position to enter Storer College by the fall of 1871, but the enterprise of purchasing a home and having their mother move from Washington there to make a home for all, and their stepfather being sick with a spell that disabled him for any outdoor service for more than two years, caused nearly the whole weight of providing for the family to fall upon them. As a result they had to delay their plan of entering Storer for two years.

CHAPTER IV

LIFE AT STORER AND TEACHING IN PREPARATION
FOR COLLEGE

        October first, 1873, Jared and his brother William returned from Pittsburgh, Pa., made the last payment of $100.00 each on their home and entered Storer College. Here they found a fine body of students, for most part healthy, thrifty and alert, and a corps of teachers, scholarly, devout, faithful and painstaking. Among them were the founders of the school. Hon. N. C. Brackett, Ph. D., came to Harper's Ferry, W. Va., in '65 as principal and founder of Storer. He was an ordained minister of the Gospel, a fluent speaker, scholarly, and a remarkably fine teacher; had fine business qualities, and was a man of very great patience. He was the man for the place and times.

        Mrs. Louise W. Brackett, wife of Dr. N. C. Brackett, came to Harper's Ferry in '65 as one of the founders and teachers of Storer. She was scholarly and brilliant, a fine teacher and splendid disciplinarian and thorough in her work. A devout and memorable factor of inestimable worth in the history of Storer.

        Mrs. Laura Brackett Lightner, sister of Dr. N. C. Brackett, came to Harper's Ferry as one of the teachers of Storer in '70. She was calm, deliberate, patient, painstaking, persevering, in every way a fine teacher. She is still with the school (1922) as Treasurer.

        Rev. A. H. Morrell of Maine, came into the mission work of Shenandoah Valley in '65 and into the work at Storer as evangelist, pastor and theological teacher in '67. He was very spiritual, devout, magnetic, consecrated, whole-souled. Jared and all who came under the instruction of these faithful teachers owe them much.

        Miss Annie Dudley, now Mrs. Annie Dudley Bates, came into the Christian Mission work of the Shenandoah Valley in '65, and remained for a number of years. She was a whole-souled, consecrated woman, overflowing with the evangelistic

spirit. She will always be well remembered by those who sat under her influence.

        Here soon after entering Storer Jared was asked by Mrs. L. W. Brackett to sign a temperance card on paper, which he did gladly, as he had never learned to use tobacco in any form or to drink intoxicating liquor in any form or to indulge in profanity. This act became a matter of conscience, with Jared. And not only did he keep sacredly this pledge, but there grew up in his mind a strong prejudice against these degrading habits and evil practices. Indeed he has reason to be proud, especially thankful since he is quite convinced that the moral conviction, sentiments and

strength entering his life from this first positive pledge and open stand against the use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage account very largely for the very creditable part he took in a strong prohibition campaign while a student in Hilldale College, and for the campaign he helped to wage against the saloon while in the Cairo Misison, meeting every Sunday afternoon with others in the county court-house, or elsewhere, speaking against the evils of the saloon and the liquor business, seeking abolition, and for the joy that comes into his soul at every item of news announcing the success of the temperance movement and the downfall of the saloon.

        Here, too, in the fall of '73, under the lucid and powerful preaching of Rev. A. H. Morrell, Jared was led fully to accept Christ and from that until now he has been a soldier of the cross, fighting along the upward way.

        After six years of hard study and diligent application, teaching primary schools a part of three years, and by studying through three summer school terms, Jared became prepared for college.

        In the fall of 1879, he entered the Freshman Class of Pennsylvania State College. He was cordially received by the student body, and so far as he knows, he was the first Negro student to enter that institution. The following two years he remained out of school and taught the district school of Rippon, Jefferson County, W. Va., the same school he had taught for two school years before entering college.

        In the fall of 1882, he entered the Sophomore Class of Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Mich. Being a little short of the full requirements in Greek, he graduated, Ph. B., with the class of '85.

        The next two years he taught the same district school of Rippon.

        In the summer of 1887, having been licensed several years before, he was ordained to the Gospel ministry, called as pastor of the college church, and elected as a teacher in Storer College.

        This position he held for four years, teaching four, sometimes five subjects in the college, and pastoring in the church.

        It was in the course of Jared's pastorate at this period that the foundation of the present college church was built and the cornerstone laid. He resigned in the summer of 1891 and entered the Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, Ill., and graduated, B. D., with the class of '94, and matriculated in Chicago University for the summer term. Shortly after graduation he was ordained as a gospel minister of the Missionary Baptist denomination and received a call to the pastorate of two Baptist churches, one at Danville, Ill., and another about 30 miles northeast of Chicago. Having received an urgent offer to teach in the Baptist Theological Seminary at Lynchburg, Va., Jared accepted the call to serve in the seminary. This school had been projected in the early eighties by the Baptists of Virginia under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Morris, pastor of Court Street Baptist Church of Lynchburg.

        Later the American Baptist Home Mission Society was asked to aid in the work. They agreed, on condition that Dr. Morris would resign from his church and devote his whole time to the school as its president, else resign from the presidency of the school and allow someone to be elected president who could devote his entire time to building up the institution. At the following State convention Prof. Gregory Hayes was elected president. He was a graduate of Oberlin College, well educated, a stirring, magnetic orator, resolute and energetic, a good money getter, and a good business manager. The school grew rapidly both in students, buildings, and other facilities under his presidency. He was president at the time Jared entered upon his work there, January 1, 1895. The president turned over to Jared for the remainder of that school year his classes in Latin, Civil Government, Physics and Rhetoric, and he took the field to raise funds, make friends, and to secure students for the school.

        Jared remained as a teacher in this school for four years and besides his regular work in the school, assisted Dr. Terrill one hour after school each day for about two years in training young men for the ministry. During the summer vacations he went on the field outside the State as

financial agent for the school. He spent considerable time in the cities of Pittsburgh, Alleghany, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pa., and in Atlantic City, and Jersey City, N. J., and a little time in the city of New York and in other parts of the States named.

        He succeeded in interesting nearly all of the Colored Baptist Churches in these cities in the work of the seminary and led them to pledge and actually to give financial support to the school. Influenced by his representation and pleas for the school, the Pennsylvania Western Association adopted the seminary as the institution especially for which it would contribute financial support and to which it would send students. One church alone, in Pittsburgh (Ebenezer, Rev. W. W. Brown, pastor) at the time pledged, and fulfilled its pledge by contributing $400.00 annually to the seminary, to aid in supporting two students, and in the payment of teacher's salaries. Through Jared's representation it became the custom of the Western Association or a group of the leading churches to invite the president of the seminary to pay them a visit every year, and in this way many strong and lasting friends for the school were made.

        Jared's stay and work in the seminary for most part was quite pleasant and successful. He saw a number of young men and young women graduate from the school even while he was connected with it that have made their mark in the world.

        Jared resigned from the seminary in the summer of 1898, and in the spring and fall of 1899 he taught as the principal of a four-room public school in Hagerstown, Md. In the course of the fall term of this year he received a call from his old friend, Prof. G. E. Stephens to accept a position in Morgan College, Lynchburg, Va., of which Prof. Stephens was president. As he had contracted for a year, the education board of the schools of Hagerstown would not release him till the first of the year 1900. Hence on January 1, 19,00 he began teaching in Morgan College or Morgan College annex at Lynchburg. His position here was quite agreeable and his work quite enjoyable. He soon became on easy terms with the faculty and popular with

the student body. However, his stay was destined to be short. About three months before going to Morgan Jared had had a long personal talk with Rev. Dr. H. M. Ford, chairman of a committee of White Free Baptists with reference to opening up a Bible School in Cairo, III. This school was to be for training men for the gospel ministry and for training men and women for Christian service and mission work. The committee was sincere in desire and purpose, but a way of carrying the project into effect had not yet been revealed. Many were engaged in prayer that God would so move upon the hearts of his stewards as to lead them to finance the scheme. These prayers were answered. A wealthy, devout Christian gentleman, B. C. Jordan of Maine, who was deeply interested in the welfare of the colored people, and in the work of Elder J. S. Manning, who had spent many years as a missionary among the colored people of the Cairo Mission came forward with a pledge of sufficient means to pay the salary of a man and wife to open and conduct the school. Jared, months before, had been asked to pray for the work and to expect a call. So in two weeks after Jared had entered upon his work in Morgan College he received a communication from Dr. Ford, saying that their prayers had been answered in the provision of means for opening a Bible School in the, Cairo Misison. and that of three white men and himself proposed for the work the mantle had fallen on him (Jared). Hence he was requested without fail to be in Cairo, Ill., to take prominent part in a minister's institute to be held in the first week of the following April, and to open the Bible School on Monday of the following week. Jared broke the news to President Stephens and his good wife, and both they and Jared had some regrets that they were destined to part company so soon. But as Jared was ordained to the Gospel ministry and had full fledged theological training, the call to the Cairo Mission seemed more directly a call from God; hence his duty was plain. So in answer to the call he resigned and on the 29th of March, after a most encouraging and soul touching good-bye and farewell by the faculty and

student body, Jared was taken to the station by President Stephens and he took the train for Cairo, where he arrived the next day about 9 o'clock P. M., and found the home provided for his residence during the institute.

CHAPTER V

LIFE, TEACHING AND GENERAL WORK IN THE
CAIRO MISSION FIELD

        Jared's first work in the Cairo Mission was in connection with the ministers' institute under the direction of Dr. Ford. The institute opened Sunday April 1, and continued till Saturday, April 7. Two other white brethren were present and assisted Dr. Ford. Jared was on the program for three specific addresses which he delivered, and assisted in general with the rest of the program. Rev. Dr. Ford in this institute gave several lectures, rich in timely instruction. His coming to the Cairo Mission was always looked forward to with very much interest.

        On Monday, April 9, 1900, with an enrollment of nine licensed and ordained ministers the Cairo Bible School proper, under the official name, The J. S. Manning Bible School, opened in the lecture room of the 15th Street Free Baptist Church., Rev. N. Ricks, pastor. Here the school was conducted until the middle of June, when it was closed for the summer. Jared went on the field for a few weeks, visiting churches and associations in the interest of the school. In July he returned to West Virginia and spent a few weeks with his family at Rippon, and again returned to Illinois and did field work for the school till the beginning of the fall term, October 1, 1900.

        Early in the summer of this year Dr. Ford, as agent for the Home Mission Society, succeeded in purchasing a staunch, two-story brick structure of eight rooms as the permanent home of the school. The new home of the school stood on the corner of 21st and Walnut Streets and had an inviting, commodious yard all around it. It was in a popular part of the city and was in every way suitable for the exalted work.

        Here the school in its new home on the above date, opened with an enrollment of eleven ordained ministers and licentiates and five ladies in training for Sunday School and mission work. The student body seemed all to appreciate

much their new home and the special opportunities and privileges that God, through His faithful servants of the North and their friends, had provided and opened up to them. Jared, too, was much pleased and encouraged by the manifest interest and hearty, tangible response to the endeavors made for their intellectual, moral and religious betterment and that of the Cairo Mission through them. The outlook for the school at this early stage was certainly quite promising and bright.

        Thus the work in the beginning of the second term of the school, moved on very delightfully. It is readily seen that the work, this early, had developed beyond the capacity of one teacher to meet all the demands. The prudential committee and friends of the school foresaw this and in

their original plans provided that a man and his wife should be employed in the school from its beginning. In line with this the five rooms on the second story were neatly fitted up and furnished and about the middle of November Jared sent for his family, a wife and three children, and located them in their new home. Mrs. Arter at once took up the work as assistant in the school. Jared remained at the head of this school as principal eight years. Eight months of each year were spent in teaching and training men for the Gospel ministry and men and women for Sunday School and mission work, and two months each year were spent on the field in visiting and working in associations and conventions and yearly meetings and General Conferences for the general interest of the school and Cairo Mission.

        The eight years spent in conducting the work of the J. S. Manning Bible School of the Cairo Mission are regarded by Jared in some respects as the most exalted, practical and blessed work of his life. Men and women of Free Baptist, Misisonary Baptist, and Methodist persuasion attended the school and got the benefit of the training in the English branches taught, and in theology or the plain teachings of the Bible. They got clearer views of the great essentials, and a candid and faithful setting forth of the points of difference in belief. Of course, the school emphasized the beliefs and doctrines of the Free and Missionary Baptist denominations as those, in the judgment of the school that rested clearly and firmly on the teaching and authority of the Bible or Holy Scriptures.

        But there was no friction, all moved smoothly and blessedly on and the school graduated a number of classes in the course of Jared's administration, of which a number of the younger ministers have made marked success in their work as preachers, evangelists and pastors. Some of those as young men meriting special mention are Revs. Donaldson, Hodge, Dixon, Henderson, Green, Britt, Herron, Hancock and Bullock. There are others scarcely less deserving of mention.

        The one serious draw-back that Jared experienced in his career there was the early breaking down of the health

of his wife. When she first went to Cairo her third child, Jared Maurice Arter, Jr., was only six weeks old. Sometime in February of the next year Jared, Jr., having fallen asleep in a draught, caught a heavy cold which fell on his bowels and placed him under the care of a doctor and careful nursing for nearly four months. Mrs. Arter herself was not very well and this extra care, though she had assistance all the while, was quite a strain upon her system. With the close of school in June, she returned to her mother's home, Rippon, W. Va., where she remained till the middle of November of the following fall, at which time she returned to Cairo with her health considerably improved. For a few months after her return she assisted in the work of the school. But before the close of the school year, in the spring of 1902, her condition of health became serious again and she gave up teaching. With the close of school in June she again returned to the home of her parents in W. Va. The following November she came again to Cairo and remained about four months. Finding the climate of Cairo so decidedly against her health, in the latter part of March she left Cairo to return no more.

        When it became evident her health would not permit her to teach, Jared secured the services of Prof. J. T. Lott, who proved to be an excellent teacher and remained as assistant in the school during the remainder of Jared's administration. The year 1907 proved a sad year in Jared's life. Early in January he received the sad news of the death of his brother William, who had died with pneumonia. Jared left at once for Harper's Ferry to attend the funeral and burial services. William Arter was Jared's senior by a year and six months, and was therefore the oldest child of the family except one, Mary Elizabeth Arter, who was a year and four months older than William.

        William Arter was quite a remarkable man in many particulars. In education he never went beyond the normal course in Storer. As an industrial worker he was of the highest type, as a business man he was most prompt and reliable. As a teacher he was remarkably successful. He taught the Myers Town School in Coble Town District, Jefferson

Co., W. Va., for more than 32 years, and was never once late to school in all those years.

        He made a practice to be at his school most always from an hour to an hour and a half before time of opening for the day. After the first four or five years he seldom, if ever, failed to have one or more pupils to finish the grade that permitted them to enter Storer. As a husband and father he was a splendid provider, a fine disciplinarian and greatly devoted to his family. As a citizen he was loyal to his country and highly respected by almost everybody who knew him.

        In speaking of his life at the time of his funeral, Dr. N. C. Brackett said, "If we had two or three William Arters in every community of this country the race problem would be settled." The maiden name of his wife was Rosie Scott of Charles Town, W. Va. At the age of eighteen when first married she was modest, gentle and a most beautiful mulatto young woman. They became the parents of six children, four girls and two boys: Estella, Rossa, Aurabella, Juanita, Charles Sumner, and Jared. The first two died when about sixteen years of age, and now sleep in the cemetery in Bolivar, W. Va., with the remains of their mother and father, in whose memory there has just been erected (Aug., 1921) at the head of their graves, by the living children, a beautiful granite monument costing $220.00. The remaining four children are Charles S., Aurabella, Jared and Juanita Arter. Chas. Sumner and Juanita are both teachers in the public schools of W. Va., and Aurabella and Jared are employees of the Federal Government in Washington, D. C., and Pittsburgh, Pa. Jared is married and has one child. They are all upright, forward looking young people of whom any father or mother might be proud. After the burial of his brother, and spending a few days with his family at Rippon, Jared returned to Cairo and pressed on with his work. Late in March, about two months after the death of his brother William, Jared received a telegram telling him that his wife was nearing death and summoning him to come at once. Again he entered upon a sad journey to Jefferson County, W. Va. He reached Rippon about

9 A. M. the next day, after leaving Cairo, and found his wife had pased away early on the night before. After fitting funeral and burial services and spending a few days with his children and the family circle, Jared again with a sad but trustful heart, returned to Cairo and took up his work. The remaining two months of this year's school were spent with much solemn reflection and deep meditation on the mysteries of life and how to make it of greatest worth., As Jared's interest in heaven was constantly on the increase, and his work was that of Bible study and training men for the Gospel ministry and men and women for Sunday School and misison work, he determined if possible to reach a higher plane of life and service, and he has reasons to believe that his efforts to live nearer the cross have been marked by success.

        With the close of this school year, after spending about two weeks on the field for the school and mission, Jared returned about the middle of June to West Virginia to spend some time with his children and his wife's people, to give and receive comfort and to plan for their future. He had at this time three living children, Charles Oliver Arter, the oldest, about sixteen years of age, Rose Elizabeth Arter, about twelve, and Jared Maurice Arter, Jr., nearly seven. While Charles and Rose were both very dear children of much promise, Jared, Jr., had a number of qualities that made him a marked child of unusual promise. But sad even to mention, he was afflicted with hernia or rupture from boyhood. His mother and father had employed the treatments of specialists for years, with promise of sure cure, but all in vain.

        After the death of his mother the condition of the baby boy, Jared, weighed heavily upon the mind of his father.

        The boy Jared's Aunt Lizzie Carter, had been a trained nurse at Freedmen's, D. C., and was a graduate of that institution. At this time she was a trained nurse in a private hospital at Berryville, Va., under the expert control and management of Dr. Parker, who had had more than twenty years of practice and experience in the hospitals of New York City. Baby Jared's Aunt Lizzie Carter gave most

interesting accounts of quite a number of children who were placed in Freedmen's and treated for hernia while she was there, and she told how every one of them was easily and safely cured. Dr. Parker also, when approached on the subject, said he had had many children suffering from hernia put in his hands for treatment in course of his twenty years practice in the hospitals of the city of New York, and that he never had but one to come back on his hands, and that was the first one that he treated. In view of the apparent safety and certain cure gathered from these statements Jared the father of the boy, felt it to be his bounded duty to have his boy treated and cured in his childhood days. His first mind was to send him to Freedmen's. But as his Aunt Lizzie was a nurse in Dr. Parker's Hospital, and as Dr. Parker gave such convincing argument that if trusted with the case he would return him safely and soundly healed, the child was placed in Dr. Parker's hospital for treatment with all fear of malpractice or failure removed. Indeed, so completely was all fear of any ill outcome of the case removed from the father's mind that after the child had been in the hospital under treatment for three days and all seemed going well, the father took a trip to Jamestown and spent two days in attendance upon the Jamestown Tri-Centenary. On Jared's return and visit to the hospital he found his baby boy getting on seemingly as well as could be expected, but a little fretful and wanting to go home with his father. His father said nice things to him, telling him he must remain under the doctor's special care just a few days more, that if he would be good and cheerful and remain a few days longer the doctor and his aunt Lizzie were saying he could go home a new, well boy and that his father was going to get him a new suit of clothes, a new wagon, new ball and lots of other nice things. With this counsel and these promises the baby boy, Jared, was quieted and went off to sleep. While his beloved boy was thus resting, his father returned home. On the second day following this about 9 A. M., a telephone message was received summoning the father and grandmother to come at once, that little Jared was dying. His grandmother, Mrs.

Amanda Carter, and his father, hitched up a horse to the buggy and drove rapidly to Berryville, a distance of seven miles and found little Jared in a dying condition from tetanus or lock-jaw, resulting from blood poisoning. He knew his grandmother and his father and threw his arms around their necks, and a little later there came over his face a beautifully sweet smile, as he passed out of this life, and as we believe met his dear, sweet mother in the blessed land of Paradise. This blow to Jared's heart, already deeply afflicted and sore from the loss, so recently, of a favorite brother and a dear, sweet, loving wife, will never fully heal in this life. Jared remained several weeks longer with his remaining two children, Charles Oliver and Rose Elizabeth and with his wife's people in their home at Rippon, and then took his journey again for another year's work in the Cairo Mission field. He spent six weeks on the field, visiting associations, conventions, churches and yearly meetings in quest of students and to deepen the interest in the work.

        On October 1, 1907, he opened the school for another year's work. The attendance this year was creditably increased above other years. Professor Lott, who had been Jared's assistant for the last three years, was of signal help in the work. The school progressed through the year in good form and closed the last week in May, with the graduation of four young men as ministers of the gospel. After spending about four weeks visiting churches, Forward Movement Clubs, Sunday Schools, and other religious bodies in the interest of the school and mission, Jared, in company with Rev. S. R. Bulloch, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Charleston, W. Va., took a trip to Niagara Falls, N. Y., where they spent several days.

        While thus associated Rev, S. R. Bullock, who was at one time a student of the J. S. Manning Bible School, and at this time besides being pastor of the First Baptist Church of Charleston, was a trustee of the West Virginia Industrial School Seminary and College, mentioned to Jared the fact that the above named school at Hill Top, Fayette County, W. Va., was without a president and sought to ascertain if a call came to Jared whether he would accept or not.

        Jared regarded the matter as a little pleasant pastime and so spent no serious thought about it. In the latter part iting associations and young people's meetings preparatory of August he again returned to Cairo Mission and began visto opening the Bible School for another year's work.

        While engaged in this phase of his work in the Cairo Mission he received an official call from the trustees of the West Virginia Industrial School Seminary and College, asking him to accept the presidency of that institution. This led to quite an extended correspondence. All questions having been satisfactorily answered, Jared agreed to accept. Hence he offered his resignation to the trustees of the J. S. Manning Bible School to take effect in thirty days. Rev. Dr. Ford, secretary of the educational work of the Free Baptists, called a special convention of the leading ministers and laymen of the Cairo Mission to convene in the Morning Star Free Baptist Church, Cairo, to take under consideration the resignation of Jared and the future well-being of the J. S. Manning Bible School and the Cairo Mission. The convention met at the appointed place at 9 A. M. and adjourned at 3:30 P. M.

        The subjects discussed were: 1. Resolved, That the Manning Bible School is a necessity and must be maintained.

        2. That we will not accept the resignation of Rev. Jared M. Arter. These resolutions were both unanimously affirmed with the exception of one vote in the negative of the second.

        Concerning the second resolution as a means of inducing Jared to reconsider his action and to remain at the head of the J. S. Manning Bible School, and in the Cairo Mission work, it was agreed if he would stay to add $200.00 a year to his salary, to give his wife employment in the school if he married again, to add $500.00 more yearly to the running expenses of the school. Besides this Dr. Ford was so confident that there was no school at Hill Top, Fayette County, W. Va., worthy of the name that they became willing as a last effort to grant Jared a leave of absence for one month to go and see for himself, feeling perfectly certain he would be led to remain at the head of the J. S.

Manning Bible School. Jared accepted the leave of absence and leaving the Bible School in charge of Prof. J. T. Lott, he left the last of September for Hill Top, and opened the fall term of the Seminary there, September 28, 1908, with three assistant teachers. A district school and one year high-school were affiliated with the seminary.

        Jared, as principal of the graded and high school and president of the Seminary, conducted the work for a month, was fairly well pleased with it, and accepted it in good faith. He returned to Cairo, had Prof. J. T. Lott installed as principal of the J. S. Manning Bible School, disposed of his household goods to the trustees of the Bible School, packed up his books, pictures, book-racks and shelves, shipped them to Hill Top, and returned promptly to his work there.

CHAPTER VI

JARED'S INSTALLATION AND WORK AT HILL TOP

        About the middle of November an extra sesison of the West Virginia Baptist State Convention met in the Seminary chapel at Hill Top and formally inaugurated Jared as President of the Seminary. Rev. Dr. I. V. Bryant, president of the State convention, in his formal address, and others as well, promised hearty co-operation and expressed high hopes for the future of the Seminary.

        Jared, in his address, after expressing appreciation for the honor conferred, the confidence imposed, and desire and hope of fullest co-operation, called attention to what seemed to have been the policy of the previous administration, that of allowing things to run to the bad too long before instituting repairs. He pointed out a number of examples and had it on his tongue to speak of the bad condition of the roof of the main building, but thought it not expedient to paint too dark a picture in his first public utterance. The convention made a good impression, and adjourned leaving on the whole a bright outlook for the school.

        The teachers had all been freshly inspired and imbued with a deeper sense of duty and strengthened purpose to co-operate heartily in worthy endeavor for best results in their high calling; and the student body were stirred to greater pride and interest in their choice of school and in their preparation for life's work and responsibilities. All were bent on making the year's work a prime success. But how soon the clear sky can become covered with clouds! How soon our hopes can be dashed somewhat and our joy turned into mourning for a time at least!

        Just about two weeks after the close of the convention, on December 2, 1908, at 10:25 A. M., while the class rooms were all filled with students and teachers hard at work, an alarm of fire was given. Jared, who had a class in Algebra in the room next the printing office, looked along the stovepipe and seeing no sign of fire hastened to the outside and looked up at the chimney, the only one to the building,

and there he discovered flames extending back from the chimney along the comb of the roof about one and a half yards long and flaring upward about two feet. By this time the yard was full of students and teachers. Mr. Malone, the printer, and one of the teachers suggested that we fight the fire. But Jared said there is no use, we have no show. Get the things out of your rooms and the furniture out of the building with all possible speed! There had been no rain for weeks, everything was as dry as tinder. There was but one well on the premises, and that 159 feet deep and the water was drawn by a windlass. We had no means of reaching the roof speedily, hence there was nothing to do but to rush things out of the building with all possible speed! This was done with a will. And in the briefest time, neighbors from all around were there and worked like heroes to help save the stuff: furniture, books, trunks, pictures, beds, bedding, clothing, and the old dining room, kitchen and laundry, which stood apart from the main building. In the incredible time of forty-five minutes the main building was in complete ruins. The old dining room, kitchen, laundry, stable and hen-house, were saved. Jared by far suffered the largest personal loss by the fire. His books, book-cases, pictures and other belongings, shipped from Cairo, fully a month before, had just arrived in time to be opened and most of them carefully arranged in two rooms, on the second floor, to be occupied by him as bed-room and study. Two large boxes of books were yet in the printing office unopened. All of these and many of those in the two rooms above were completely destroyed. This was a total loss, as the $800.00 policy protecting them in the residence at Cairo was void the moment they were removed. The loss of the school building and other school property was estimated at $12,000. Insurance on the property was $5,000.00 but there was a debt of $2,400.00 on the building, and an outstanding debt of $1,600.00. Many tears were shed, by some of the student body and at least one of the teachers as they struggled to save what they could of the property and saw the flames so rapidly reducing to ruins what had so recently been their quiet and much loved school home. Some tearfully inquired

"What shall we do now?" Jared answered, "Let us rise and build better." The trustees were notified at once of the

calamity. The next day a majority of them arrived on the ground, knelt around the ruins and prayed fervently to Almighty God for courage and spiritual guidance. They then arose, discussed the situation for a time, expressed serious regrets that such a sore calamity had befallen the enterprise, but declared there must be no steps backward, so they resolved in the fear of God and in the name and interest of progress to rise and rebuild.

        A committee on ways and means, with Jared at its head, was appointed. A meeting of the citizens of Hill Top and Red Star was called and they agreed to be responsible for

raising $3,000.00 for rebuilding. The Baptist Church organization of Hill Top granted for the remainder of that year, the use of their church for conducting the school. In less than two weeks after the fire the first step toward rebuilding was made by a digging bee. This was not as well attended as we had hoped. But a few weeks later, Mr. Stanley McNorton, a thrifty business man of Glen Jean came with his teams and a force of men, who, with a number of men from Hill Top and Red Star, began the work with a will. Meanwhile Jared, as opportunity offered, set out to canvass the business white men who had made it possible for Dr. Perkins to secure a site and erect the main building that was burned and those saved from the flames. He called first of all on Mr. Samuel Dixon of McDonald, who was the president of extensive coal works at that place. Upon entering Mr. Dixon's office he was cordially received and asked, "What is your mission?" Upon learning that the trustees were fully resolved to rebuild, and were already hard at work on a larger and firmer foundation on the old site, he said, "I would never rebuild there! That low site was never a fit place for a school! Besides you have not sufficient ground there. You need land enough as your school grows to erect new buildings and to build homes for your faculty and workers." Upon this he offered a grant to the trustees for educational and religious purposes of twenty acres any where along the White Oak Branch of the company's railway leading from Glen Jean to Oak Hill.

        Jared thanked him for the offer, but called his attention to the strong attachment of the people to Hill Top, that there they owned their homes, and that it would be no easy matter to get them to consent to rebuild the school elsewhere. Mr. Dixon then said, write and tell your trustees that Samuel Dixon says they may go anywhere along the White Oak Branch of the company's road and select a site and if we do not own it we will secure it for them and will give them fifty acres for educational and religious purposes and in addition we will grant them the privilege of buying as much more connected therewith as they may wish. Jared thanked him kindly and said he would write

the trustees at once and urge them to take the first trains to Hill Top to explore for a site. Jared then said to Mr. Dixon, the trustees will need some backing to secure the money to push the work of rebuilding. In answer Mr. Dixon said his company would make it possible for the trustees to secure in cash as much as $8,000.00.

        Jared, before writing the trustees, called upon Mr. George Jones of the Jones Bros., extensive coal operators at Red Star, and who had granted to Dr. Perkins for educational and religious use the four acres which formed the site of the school property so recently reduced to ruins by fire. He told Mr. Jones of Mr. Dixon's offer and asked him if he had any counter offer to make. Mr. Jones said he had not and gave reasons. Jared then asked him what he thought of Mr. Dixon's proposition, and what advice he would give with regard to accepting it. Mr. Jones said he thought the offer was a good one, and advised us to accept it.

        Jared then wrote all the trustees, telling them of Mr. Dixon's proposition and urged them to come on a day named to consider Mr. Dixon's offer. They came in full force on the day specified , and led by a guide of Mr. Dixon's selection, they made a careful canvass of all the land along the White Oak branch of the McDonald Coal Company's road as far as Oak Hill, and finally selected the site known as the "Falkner Farm." Here they had prayers and then returned to the church at Hill Top, where they formally accepted the offer, passed resolutions of thanks to the company and appointed Jared as a committee of one to see the land properly surveyed and that an outline map was made of the same. In a few days this was done and speedy preparations were being made to build a cement-house and to begin excavations for building the main school structure.

        But just in this nick of time Mr. Charles Jones, the older of the Jones brothers, having returned home from a trip South in search of health, called up Jared on the telephone and requested him to call at his residence in Oak Hill the next day, saying he wanted to talk school matters with him.

        Jared called promptly the next day and found Mr. Jones

alone in his sitting room. He gave Jared a cordial invitation to come in and be seated. After exchanging a few words about the weather, he said: "I have invited you here to talk school matters with you." "My brother," he said, "told me of the proposition Mr. Dixon made you, and that you had respectfully come to him at once to learn if he had any proposition which he wished to make, and that he had told you, no, he had none, and that he had even advised you to accept Mr. Dixon's offer." Continuing, he said, "My brother and I were over to Fayetteville yesterday and we thought and talked the matter over, and we have decided to make you a proposition."

        Then after inquiring more particularly about the proposition made us by Mr. Dixon, he said, "We know we must make you a better proposition." So he said, "We have decided to grant and deed outright to your trustees and their successors perpetually fifty acres of ground at Hill Top in connection with and including the old original site, to grant also the privilege of purchasing other land connected therewith if desired, and to secure for the trustees a loan of $5,000.00 to aid in constructing the building." Jared was requested to convey this proposition to his trustees and to ask them to consider it. This was promptly done, and at the earliest date convenient; all the trustees again met in full forces in the Baptist Church at Hill Top.

        The president, Rev. D. C. Hunter, D. D., was prompt in calling the board to order and after a proper service of Scripture reading and prayer, the two propositions, carefully written out, were taken up and discussed. That of Mr. Dixon had previously been accepted and the land surveyed. This made it important to weigh the situation very carefully. After mature thought viewing the two propositions from every angle the board unanimously, for a number of reasons, decided to cancel their acceptance of the Dixon proposition and to accept the proposition of the Jones Brothers. Again Jared was appointed as a committee of one to have the land grant of the Jones Brothers surveyed and to convey to Mr. Dixon their change of action. A few years later it became as plain as day that the Jones Brothers

proposition was very providential, for the work and burden of building and running the school became so heavy that again and again at conventions and associations, the people, through reading the deed and otherwise, had to be assured that the land was theirs and that whatever they built on it would be theirs to use or dispose of in whatever way they might wish or choose. Had this not been true it is very certain that it would have been more than doubly hard to rally the people around the enterprise, and there would have been great danger that the dissatisfaction would have become so great as to have led them to have abandoned the work altogether and thus to have lost much if not all they had put there.

        But in the Jones Brothers' proposition providence removed all these drawbacks.

CHAPTER VII

A MORE COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF THE WORK

        The school at Hill Top in its beginning was a private enterprise, started by Dr. Perkins, and later was taken over by the Baptists as a denominational school. In the charter secured by the Baptist trustees the school is known as the West Virginia Industrial School, Theological Seminary and College. When all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the Baptists of West Virginia and to West Virginia itself that furnish rational ground of hope for the success of a denominational enterprise such as the school above named, are carefully weighed, carefully considered, it will readily be seen that the undertaking at that time by the Baptist denomination of West Virginia to build, support, develop and conduct a good deserving school, required much resolution and courage. The churches of the State for the most part were small. A very considerable portion of the membership was from other States, especially from Virginia. These, for the most part, were greatly attached to the mother State and regarded it as their real home. They had been reared there and most of their near kin and intimate acquaintances were still there. In their minds they were in West Virginia only for a few years to make some money, as good money at that time could be made there, then they would return home and settle down. Besides, in many parts of West Virginia, especially in the coal fields, it was not possible to buy a foot of ground for a homestead, hence many who would have tied themselves to the land by purchasing homes could not, at least, around where they had a source of employment.

        Many of the pastors of the West Virginia churches were also from Virginia and other States and had in large part become rather attached to the denominational enterprises of their own home States. The Baptist Theological Seminary and College at Lynchburg, Va., under the presidency of Professor G. W. Hayes,, at this time, was looming large, and was making many strong friends outside the State. Indeed

the Flat Top Association of West Virginia, if not others, had begun to contribute yearly and quite liberally to the support of that school. Many of the strong ministers

and influential leaders of the State were not convinced that the Baptists needed a school in West Virginia. The public school system in West Virginia for the most part was furnishing good schools for the colored children. Besides the high and graded schools there were the Institute below Charleston, the Bluefield Seminary and Storer College at Harper's Ferry. The time had come, too, when there was

little use of going North to solicit funds for secondary schools such as the Lynchburg Seminary or the Baptist Seminary at Hill Top. The educational and home mission work at this time North among the white people was so thoroughly and completely organized that all deserving schools were listed or catalogued. Those not listed must give full proof of their merit by work done before they could be enrolled or listed and secure financial aid. Besides the educational facilities of the Southern States for Negro education were better known by those of the North, having charge of the educational and misison work than by almost any of the people having their homes right down in the South. Hence if the West Virginia Industrial School, Theological Seminary and College was to be built, supported and successfully run, it must appeal to and depend almost wholly upon the Colored Baptists of the State, and such other friends in the State as it might find and interest.

        To overcome these obstacles arising from financial weakness, division of interest and sentiment, required great courage, strong resolution and wise leadership. But despite these drawbacks and discouragements the State was blessed with a goodly number of strong ministers of the Gospel, strong pastors and strong men and women in other professions and callings and among the laity. Among the Gospel ministry were such as Dr. Daniel Straton, Dr. I. V. Bryant, Dr. C. N. Harris, Dr. R. H. McCoy, Dr. J. W. Robinson, Rev. Dr. Mitchell, Dr. D. C. Hunter, Dr. H. C. Gregory, Dr. D. C. Dean, Dr. G. W. Woody, Dr. Wm. Jackson, Dr. B. R. Reed, Dr. W. H. Crawley, Dr. J. W. Page, Dr. L. A. Watkins , Dr. J. D. Coleman, Rev. Dr. Pryor, Dr. S. E. Williams, Dr. W. T. Kenney, Dr. R. D. W. Meadows, State Missionary, and others wearing the title of D. D.

        Associated with these under more modest titles were a large company of strong gospel ministers, as Rev. A. D. Lewis, Rev. L. Dabney, Rev. W. W. Hicks, Rev. E. G. Holcombe, Rev. N. A. Smith, Rev P. A. Harris, Rev. H. M. C. Reed, Rev. S. A. Thurston, Rev. R. Daniels, Rev. Frank Smith, Rev. J. J. Turner, State Sunday School Missionary, and other ministers.

        Among the laity were such influential worker as Prof. J. W. Scott, Prof. Byrd Prilleman, Prof. H. B. Rice, Prof. Boyd of Charleston High School, Prof. Mosse of Hinton, Prof. R. P. Sims, Principal of Bluefield Institute; Prof. H. Hatter of Bluefield Institute; Prof. Thomas Jefferson of Hill Top, Prof. Wyley of Kimball High School. And in the medical profession among others were Dr. Lawrence and Mrs. Dr. Lawrence of Montgomery, Dr. Washington and Mrs. Dr. Washington of Hill Top, Dr. Gordon of Thurmon, Dr. Callaway and Mrs. Dr. Callaway and Dr. Anderson and Mrs. Dr. Anderson of McDonald, Dr. Holley and Mrs. Dr. Holly of Hinton. Besides these, in the same profession were those of Huntington, Charleston, Bluefield and other places, too numerous to mention.

        And of those nearer the great rank and file of the people were Brother J. P. Caul, Sisters Parker, Alexander, Fannie Cobb Carter, and others of Charleston; Sisters Hodge, Wilkerson and others of Montgomery; Brothers John, James and George Monroe, Hicklin, Clemmens, McIver, Hughes, Denson, Price, Tranum, Reynals, Wilson, Penn, Oglesby, Gregory, Higginbotham and other brethren of Red Star, Hill Top,, and Prudence, and their respective and worthy companions. Also Mrs. Oglesby of long standing as teacher, and Mrs. Prof. Jefferson, and Mrs. M. A. W. Thompson, president of the Women's Baptist State Convention, all of Hill Top, F. W. Board and Stanley McNorton, and others of Glen Jean; W. P. Palmer, wife and daughter (Maybelle) Bowles and family, and others of Sun; J. McIver and wife, and A. Callaway and family of McDonald; A. P. Straughter and wife and others of Hinton-- these all merit special mention. But to mention by name all of those of the various professions and classes, in this connection, that are highly worthy would require a volume.

        The persons here named and those highly deserving but not named, becoming stirred by the burning of the school property, and by the resolute determination of the trustees to rebuild and by the liberal propositions of Mr. Samuel Dixon and the Jones Brothers, especially by that of the Jones Brothers, and moved by clearer vision, and a

growing sense of race pride and State pride, and by a deeper sense of racial needs and duty, began to grow in interest and responsiveness and in more perfect organization for work. Thus, from almost all parts of the State they began to rally around the denominational enterprise at Hill Top.

        The fifty acres donated by the Jones Brothers enabled the trustees to abandon the old, obscure site and to make choice of a location lying along the highway between Raleigh and Fayetteville, which forms one of the most beautiful and lovely school sites to be found anywhere in the State of West Virginia.

        The building originally planned to be erected was in the form of a center building between two wings. The center building was to be five stories, including the basement, and the wings four stories each. But the trustees knew that was too arduous and expensive a task to be undertaken at once with any hope of success. Hence to be practical and to meet present needs they decided to undertake that year to build the west wing of the building as planned. About the middle of June, 1909, work was commenced. A foundation, 90 feet by 44 feet, was excavated and a concrete base put in, and four-story building constructed of Charleston paving brick, for most part nearly as hard as iron. The walls for the first twelve feet were eighteen inches thick, the remainder thirteen inches. The building thus erected contains twenty-eight dormitory rooms, chapel, office, kitchen, pantries, dining room and laundry. The brick-layers that constructed this building were colored, the carpenters were white, and Prof. Hamilton Hatter of Bluefield general manager. The building was put under roof by the last of November, the doors and windows closed by rough lumber, and work ceased for that year. In the spring and summer of 1910 the doors were hung, the windows put in and a part of the floors laid, and further work for want of funds was postponed indefinitely. In the interim for the housing and conducting of the school the board of education in the summer of 1909 turned over to the colored citizens of Hill Top and Red Star, the white

school property. This property consisted of fair-size school grounds and a large four-room, frame building, standing along the same highway and about 150 yards west from the site of the new Baptist Seminary building.

        Here Jared, as principal of the graded and high school and president of the seminary, assisted by Prof. Thomas Jefferson, Mrs. M. A. Thompson, Mrs. M. M. W. Arter, Miss Ardelle Smith and a number of student teachers, conducted the school for a number of years of his stay at Hill Top, and while the seminary building was in process of construction. During these years the standard of the high school was advanced two years, the enrollment of students raised from 90 to 125 and three promising classes were graduated. In the year 1912 the co-operative relation between county school and the seminary was dissolved and the two schools then ran independently. At the meeting of the country school board that summer Jared was reelected principal of the high school and at the meeting of the trustees he was reelected president of the seminary. This gave Jared the choice of which he would retain, as he could not longer retain both. Although he saw that the road ahead of him would be rough and perplexing, yet because more sacred and stronger in its claims, he willingly resigned from the work of the county and State and clung to that of the seminary and church.

        After the doors of the new building were hung, the windows put in and a part of the floors laid in the summer of 1910, further work on the building was quite slow and uncertain. The trustees were divided in their judgment and sentiment. Some favored paying off all debts and accumulating a good sized fund before doing more towards completing the building. Others favored going right ahead with the completion of the building as rapidly as posible. The conservative element was in the ascendancy and so the work was not vigorously pushed. Through State Senator Wm. Johnson, who had his home in Hill Top, and to encourage the enterprise the State legislature was led at two different times to make an appropriation for the work of $2,000.00. The first appropriation was made by the

legislature at its first meeting after the burning of the building, but was vetoed by the Governor. The second was made in 1913. Jared visited the Board of Control in effort to secure this appropriation. The president of the Board instructed Jared to say to his trustees that if they would go to work, push matters and finish their building so as to be ready to open their school at the time of the opening of the State schools in the following fall, that the Board of Control would guarantee to them that the $2,000.00 would be promptly paid over to, the work. The President of the Board added that this being secured would only be a beginning of what the trustees might expect.

        The Trustee Board at that very time was in session at the First Baptist Church of Charleston. Jared politely thanked the Board of Control for their encouragement and assurance, and with light heart and quick step made his way to the meting of the Trustee Board, feeling sure that he had news that would gladden their hearts and that would be most heartily approved by each of them.

        So at the earliest opportunity Jared secured the privilege of addressing the board and of breaking to them the glorious news from the Board of Control. Imagine the disappointment, chill, and discouragement for a brief time at least of Jared's ardor, when a leading member of the Trustee Board arose after Jared had finished his remarks, and in the briefest words said: "We don't want the State's money! We will not have our school in politics! We will run our own school."

        The majority of the Board sided with this view. Jared knew, however, that the sentiment of the people over the State did not endorse this view. Hence he determined to make strenuous efforts to meet the proposition of the Board of Control.

        He had printed about 500 pamphlets containing the plan, character, and purpose of the organization, and plan and instructions for organizing and conducting literary societies in connection with the same, and thus he proceeded over the State and organized nearly 80 Forward Movement Clubs and Literary Societies. He took pledges of these

clubs to raise certain sums of money to push the work on the building. Some clubs pledged themselves to raise $50.00, some $100.00, some $150.00, some $200.00. Having completed these organizations, Jared obtained the privilege from the operators and made a personal canvass of more than a score of coal mines, going down in some shaft mines more than 500 feet before reaching the bottom. All these mines were wired up with electricity. In some cases the wires carried as much as 500 volts. Through these mines Jared went for most part bending low, hour after hour, and from room to room, taking personal subscriptions to be paid through the office of the companies. Most times he had a guide, sometimes he had none. As he sits down at times and thinks of his adventures in these mines he can account for the fact that he never came in contact with any of the wires, or suffered serious injury in any other way only through a remarkable presence of mind, and the marvelous providence of almighty God. Once only he was knocked flat by butting his head hard against the roof of a mine, resulting in the shedding of considerable blood; and other times, quite a few, he was made to feel quite uncomfortable for brief periods by misjudging the height of roofs and striking his head pretty hard against them. But these experiences while not enjoyed at the time, only tend to make life richer, and sometimes serve at amusing reminiscences. Very few of the clubs raised and sent in any part of their pledges in time to be applied to the effort Jared was making. This was largely due to the jealousy of certain leaders who discouraged the clubs or persuaded them to turn over whatever they raised to the Association to which they belonged, and to let it go up in the regular way with the educational money to the State convention. But despite these impediments, with what money Jared was enabled to obtain through clubs and his own personal canvassing of mines he was able to purchase material and to secure the services of Deacon Pack of the First Baptist Church of Hinton and his force of plasterers and thus to have the fourteen dormitory rooms of the second floor above the basement lathed and plastered in excellent form

ready for occupancy or use by the time of the opening of the State schools in the fall. But this was far from being in position to claim the, $2,000.00 appropriated by the State. Indeed, the proposition of the State Board of Control could have been met and met in good form only by the united efforts of the whole Trustee Board and the application of all educational money raised by the Baptists in the State as building fund, to pushing the work of completing the building by the specified time. This would have been a worthy effort and a worth-while achievement. But short-sightedness, jealousy, selfishness, and a division in the Trustee Board made this impossible. So far from making any efforts to open the school in the new building that fall (1914) the Trustees at the State convention, at Wheeling, voted to close the school indefinitely and to pay off all indebtedness. Of course, it goes without saying that a part of this impeding and unwise action of the board was due to a fight against Jared. And why was there a fight against Jared? It was largely because there were a number of members on the board who wanted to be president of the school. With the vote to close the school indefinitely Jared's administration as president ended, and the school remained closed for three years. Jared has this to his credit as a consolation: When he took charge of the school as its president in the fall of 1908 the trustees had four acres in a low, obscure, site, granted to them for religious and educational purposes only, with the condition if they should ever wish to come into full possession of the land they might do so by the payment of $1,500.00. Upon this land as the main building, they had a two-story frame structure containing sixteen dormitory rooms, an office, chapel, two large class-rooms and printing office, with a useless hot-air furnace beneath. This property was valued at $6,000.00. There were other buildings valued at $1,500.00 and the furniture at $1,500.00, the total valuation of all the property being $9,000.00. Upon this property there was a debt of $4,000.00.

        When Jared's administration ended in the fall of 1914, the Trustees had fifty acres deeded to them and their

successors perpetually, outright and valued at $12,500.00, and a four-story brick structure valued at $12,500.00, with an indebtedness of about $5,000.00. In other words, when Jared took charge of the work the trustees held for the Baptists at Hill Top School property clear of debt valued at $5,000.00. When Jared's administration ended after six years' service, the trustees held for the Baptists at Hill Top School property clear of debt valued at $20,000.00. This is saying nothing of the increase of teachers employed, the advance in salaries paid and the better trained classes graduated. In the spring of 1914 while still serving as president of the seminary Jared received a call to the pastorate of the Baptist Church of Sun, W. Va., just two miles from Hill Top. He accepted and here he found some as fine people and as faithful members as any pastor could wish to be associated with. Two successful revivals were held, a flourishing choir was formed and the church advanced to the practice of having preaching and other divine services on two Sundays in each month instead of only one, as had been the practice in all the years before. Jared's pastoral service with this people was a most enjoyable one, and when he resigned to acept a call to another field they gave him a letter of commendation expressing their appreciation of his life and character as a man and Christian minister, and of the helpful service he had been to them as individuals and as a church, in terms and sentiments so beautiful, loving and touching as to make in his heart for that people a place warm and ever green.

CHAPTER VIII

JARED'S TEACHING AT FAYETTEVILLE AND
RECALL TO THE WORK AT HARPER'S FERRY

        After being released from the presidency of the seminary, Jared accepted appointment as principal of the Fayetteville graded school. Here he taught and continued to serve as pastor at Sun until the fall of 1916, when he received and accepted a recall to the pastorate of the College Church at Harper's Ferry. He began his work here for the second time September 9th, and when the school opened arrangements were made with him to take charge of the Bible work of the college, and to assist Prof. H. H. Winters in superintending the boys at Lincoln Hall. These duties were quite agreeable and the work for the most part went forward in a normal way.

        There is perhaps but one thing in the course of Jared's work this year that merits special mention, and that is the revival begun on the last Sunday of that year, December 31st, 1916, and continued for two weeks, closing Sunday, January 14, 1917.

        Mrs. Elizabeth M. McDonald, wife of H. T. McDonald, president of Storer College, writing to the Missionary Helper concerning this revival, said: "Storer has just witnessed one of the most satisfying revivals in her history. In two weeks nearly every student out of 157 has declared himself openly for Christ. Think of what that may mean in the next thirty years. For in a school like this it is not merely a matter of saving souls, but it is saving leaders who are going out to powerfully touch for weal or woe the other souls in their community. And so when our best singers, football and baseball players, our strongest students in all departments, put themselves on the right side, it means that just so many more safe leaders are given to the colored race and to humanity. The writer has seen many revivals, but never one like this, where at a word from the leader, several would instantly respond with professions of

their desire for a changed life. To a casual observer, it seemed little short of marvelous, but when one realized the personal work done each day by the pastor, Rev. J. M. Arter, and the systematic, earnest campaigning done by the Y. M. C. A., the C. E. and the Christian boys and girls for their non-Christian classmates one realizes that in these meetings faith and works were indeed going hand in hand. Too often in a school, a revival breaks up class and disorganizes routine; it was not so with us in the last few weeks. Instead there seemed a more earnest desire to show practical Christian living by a more conscientious performance of all duties by a greater carefulness on the part of the careless. Nothing more clearly told me that one of our heedles boys was sincere in his efforts than when one morning he stopped before class to carefully explain why his lessons was incompletely prepared. In all previous years he had never deigned any explanation even when it was asked for. And between teacher and student there is a greater harmony, a more human understanding and fellowship, which is one of the sweetest experiences of the teacher's life. The Christ life did not dawn for all the same way. Some were obliged to seek Him in the storm and stress of the old time, of the old-time religion accompanied by the beautiful, old-time hymn, that we so seldom hear at Storer in these latter days; to others it was a thoughtful, sober determination to work on God's side. You will be interested in one young man, a Junior. Several years ago he started his course with a smart lad among students of his own age. Circumstances forced him to leave school, but did not take from his his ambition. A younger brother and sister entered Storer before he was able to return. Two years ago he returned a freshman, while his brother and sister were already in the Junior class. What would have been so galling to the spirit of a youth of less perseverance, made him only more determined to make good. And he has made good in everything he has undertaken. Therefore, when at our closing meeting he quietly announced his decision to be a Christian, we all felt his strength would be as the strength of ten. Many times during these two weeks it

seemed as if the spirit of those at the North who so earnestly pray for Storer was present with us. Often the older teachers spoke of Mrs. Anne Dudley Bates and her daily prayer for the salvation of our boys and girls. To those who know the history of Storer this revival is a fresh evidence of God's answer to prayer, so often shown towards Storer. And now that our young people have been taken under the watch-care of the church and are being helped through Bible study and special Sunday afternoon meetings to adjust themselves to the regular religious duties demanded of active Christians, we are attacking our work with fresh vigor and courage." This is certainly valuable testimony to the blessed character and true success and worth of this revival. During the remainder of this school year, Jared's work as pastor of the church and teacher of the Bible work moved along quite normally, nothing, perhaps, meriting special mention occurred. With the close of 1917 and the opening of 1918 again we ran a revival for about two weeks and were blessed with about ten converts. During the remainder of this school year nothing deserving special mention in the line of Jared's work occurred. In the fall of 1918, a large number of the male students of Storer had been drafted and were subject to be called to the colors any day, and as the girls always outnumber the boys and now it seemed the girls in the school would be more than two to one of the boys; so for the sake of economy and as a war measure, it was decided to make an important change in the dormitory homes of students. Lincoln Hall, though in the most retired part of the campus, was originally built for the boys, and when destroyed by fire some years ago it was rebuilt for the boys. It was rebuilt of stone, large gray stone, with thick, heavy walls; a gymnasium, large dining room, kitchen, pantry, storeroom, and other rooms on the basement floor. Its halls are large and airy. Its rooms are large and well-lighted, with high ceilings, and large clothes-closets. Thus in every way Lincoln Hall is the most ample, roomy and attractive dormitory on the school campus. This hall, for the reasons mentioned, was given to the girls, and the boys were transferred

to Myrtle Hall, now changed in name to Mosier Hall. The president of Storer had been South a part of this year (1918) visiting a number of schools, and he had observed some practices which he decided would be of advantage if applied in Storer.

        One was to have the boys hall superintended by a man and his wife.

        So Jared and his wife, Mrs. M. M. W. Arter, were asked to move into Myrtle and to take charge of the boys. They accepted the charge and superintended the boys for two years. Mrs. Arter demanded a high standard and some of the boys thought she was too exacting.

        But as we never know the full worth of privilege, service or possession till we lose them, so the old boys, some that have graduated and some that are still here seem never to tire of telling her in person or through letters how much they were helped by her careful supervision and ministry to them when sick, and how much they have missed her counsel and advice since she gave up the hall. Jared liked the work and for the most part got along well with the boys. But he esteemed his strictly religious work above all else, and he came to feel that his familiar association with the boys, and his having to police them, censure them, and discipline them at times, diminished, somewhat, his influence over them as a Gospel minister. For this reason with the close of the school year, 1920, he arranged to give up the superintendence of the boys. Each of these years was closed and the new year begun with a protracted meeting participated in by pastor, members of the faculty, church, and Christian students and on each occasion new souls were brought into the kingdom, backsliders reclaimed, and the Christian body spiritually revived and strengthened.

        But the visible results of the revival efforts at the close of 1919 and the beginning of 1920 were so unsatisfactory to Jared that he secured the services of a special and strong evangelist in the last week of March, and by the grace of God through his preaching and song services and the prayers of God's people some twenty souls were led to accept

Christ, and four were reclaimed. All were taken under the watch-care of the Church.

        During the school year of 1920 and 1921 Jared served simply as pastor of the Church and student body. In the early summer of 1921 the harmony between the church and school that had been so cordial in relation to the pastor was now becoming disturbed and discordant.

        It was evident in the interest of peace, harmony and good-will, that a separation between church and pastor should take place.

        As the church had been brought to a status of activity greater than ever before, was paying larger dues, and raising more money for support of pastor and support of the church-work than ever before in its history, and was receiving greater recognition as an independent body both by the school and the other churches of the community than ever before, it seemed an opportune time for the pastor to resign.

        So he offered his resignation to take effect with the closing services Sunday night of October 9, 1921.

        Sometime in September of this year Jared received an urgent request from Dr. C. H. Parrish, president of Simmons University, Louisville, Ky., to take charge of the ministerial department of that institution. Jared had accepted the offer and had promised, no preventing providence, to be there to begin work Monday, October 22. But on September 29, eleven days before the expiration of his services to the college church and twenty-three days before he was to enter upon his duties in Simmons University, he was suddenly, from a vigorous state of health, struck down with a most dangerous urinary attack. In twelve hours he had to have a doctor four times, and getting almost no relief he was rushed to the local hospital of Charles Town, where he remained a week.

        Here he was able to obtain slight temporary relief and to learn that his condition was very serious and that nothing short of two major and very serious operations, would probably give him any permanent relief.

        Jared sugested going to Freedmen's Hospital, and the attending physician advised him to go there for treatment. He accepted the advice and went to Freedmen's determined to secure the services of a specialist on urinary troubles, to learn the worst about his condition, and to do what was advised to be the safest and best thing to do. Arriving at Freedmen's Friday, October 7, he secured the services of a specialist, Dr. Milton Francis, and was examined and told his exact trouble; that he could be patched up without operations, and given temporary relief; that in this way he might be kept alive a few months, possibly a year or more, but that he would get but little comfort and would be of little service to himself or to anyone else. But that if he would submit to two operations serious in their nature and could stand them, and the doctor assured him that he could, such treatment would make him as well as he ever was and would add ten or twelve years to his life.

        Jared knew he could not endure long the dreadful suffering that had brought him so near the grave in course of the last eight or ten days, and to continue such if there was a remedy, would virtually be suicide. So he determined to chance the operations. On the eleventh of October he underwent the first operation, and was confined to bed, lying only upon back and one side for five weeks.

        Then the major operation was successfully performed, and for six days the suffering was so intense and persistent that twice at least it seemed that Jared must yield up the ghost and pass to his long home. At those times he had become quite willing to go and even wanted to go, if the Lord so willed.

        After six days he began to improve rapidly and after nine weeks including the one spent in the local hospital he was sent home with the assurance that he would never be troubled again with the same complaint. It is said, "Every cloud has a silver lining," and that "night brings out the stars." This was verified in Jared's hospital experience. While he suffered intensely, and the brittle cord of life seemed ready to break at any moment, he was most beautifully and comfortingly remembered by his friends. The

many touching letters and cards received, a strong letter from Pres. H. T. McDonald of Storer merits special mention, the constant and earnest inquiries made, and the fervent, effectual prayers sent up to the throne of heaven for his speedy recovery by the church membership and ministry of Harper's Ferry and Charles Town, by the faculty and students of Storer, and by his white neighbors and friends of Harper's Ferry and Bolivar; also by friends in many other parts of the State and out of the State, by one organization as far away as Chicago, and through gifts of money, fruit and flowers by the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. of Storer, and by the members and friends of the college, faculty and church, and through a number of visits and rich gifts of choice fruits and flowers by the Lovett family of Hill Top, Harper's Ferry, the many visits, cheerful talks and fervent prayers made to the throne of heaven for him by Rev. Dr. W. H. Brooks, Rev. Dr. Waldron, Rev. Willis and other Gospel ministers of Washington, D. C., and elsewhere, the frequent visits and deep interest shown by the Storer boys of Howard University, and by Mrs. Margaret Lovett Daniels and her daughter-in-law and Miss McNorton and her young lady friends, and the visits and gifts of refreshments of Mrs. Hamlin of Y. W. C. A. work, Washington, D. C., the visit and encouraging words of Miss Hands, a teacher in Washington, D. C., and the many visits, earnest prayers, cheerful words and rich gifts of flowers and fruits, and the hearty support in so many ways given Mrs Arter, Jared's wife, by Miss Nannie Burroughs, president of the National Training School, Lincoln Heights, Washington, D. C., and by a number of her teachers and close friends, and the deep interest, and faithful attention given him by his nephew, Chas. Sumner Arter and his nieces, Aura and Juanita Arter, and, too, the skillful, faithful, successful services of the specialist, Dr. Milton Frances, and the attentive and faithful services of the internes, and the very careful, faithful and untiring services of the nurses, especially those of Miss Ovington, Miss Moore, Miss Lovett, Miss Johnson, Miss Dunston and others, and the constant inquiries and very cheerful words

of the chief nurse, Miss Irving, and the unstinted attentions, kindly services and gifts of refreshments by Mrs. John Harrod, and the unique attention, strenuous efforts and unsparing denial and sacrifices of Mrs. M. M. W. Arter to minister fully to the comfort and restoration of Jared to health and happiness. All these varied acts of Christian benevolence and human kindness, all these varied acts, springing from good-will and active desire in some way and measure to minister to the temporal and eternal comfort and well-being of Jared, the prostrate sufferer, constitute in Jared's life and history a chapter of sweet-smelling savor and blessed memory, and shall ever be recalled as a source of comfort and cherished as one of the factors that contributed so very largely to the certain and rapid restoration again to the blessed condition of normal health and active service.

CHAPTER IX

A MESSAGE TO THE RACE

                         "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God."

        The English term, "Ethiop" relating to "Ethiopia," or to its inhabitants, "Ethiopians," is derived from the Latin, "Aethiops," and two Greek words, signifying "burnt face, hence dark colored, black." Ethiopia primarily designates a country and Ethiopian an inhabitant of that country.

        In the Bible we first meet with the word Ethiopia in Gen. 2:13. Here it is mentioned in connection with the second branch of the river that went out of Eden to water the garden and was parted into four heads.

        The account there reads: "And the name of the second river is Gi-hon: The same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia." Here there was in Asia, a country by the name of Ethiopia. This, historians in general concede.

        But the term Ethiopia both in the Old and New Testament, and in ancient and modern history, in nearly every instance, applies to a country in Africa, lying south of Egypt, including the present countries of Nubia, Abyssinia and parts of other territory.

        But in a wider sense, both in ancient and modern history, the terms Ethiopia and Ethiopian and Kush, the Hebrew form of the same word, are all used to designate the African or Negro race. This is the general view advanced by commentators on the text, and this is the view firmly held by Jared.

                         "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God."

        These words were uttered by David, a man after God's own heart, and Israel's greatest king. They contain a divine prophecy, promise and appeal. This prophecy, promise and appeal, given by the God of Abraham, through David the son of Jesse, is a divine and most comforting and inspiring message to Ethiopia, Kush, Africa, the Negro as a race, as a people. The Psalmist, under divine inspiration, has Jerusalem in his vision as a symbol of Israel's mission and God's promise to Abraham that in his seed should all

the families of the earth be blessed. And as he looks down the line of the future, Jerusalem with her symbolisms, unfolds before his inspired soul, much of her strength, beauty, blessedness and glory. And as he steadfastly gazes upon the scenes transpiring before his keen and kindling vision, he beholds the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of the Messiah, and other glories of the Messianic dispensation. He beholds many nations and peoples moved and stirred by the infinite love of God, expressed in the unspeakable gift of his only son, and by the ineffable riches and fruition of the atoning sacrifice and efficacious life of Jesus, coming to the fountain of regeneration and the waters of eternal life. And as his prophetic and beatific vision deepens and brightens he beholds Ethiopia, Kush, Africa, the Negro race, becoming roused, stirred, and moved, through catching a sound of the good news and glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all people, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And peering deep into the souls of this people and perceiving their love of peace, music, joy and their emotional nature and responsiveness to light, and love, right and truth, he proclaims the glorious, hopeful, and inspiring divine message:

                         "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God."

        We have here, then, "the sure word of prophecy," referring to a specific race, the African, the Negro race.

        It would seem that the Psalmist had in mind what was and perhaps what is yet, a prevailing sentiment among the more favored and enlightened peoples of the world, that the Ethiopian or Negro race is a backward race, a race that is least expected to be stirred and inspired by highest considerations, and to move along highest lines, and to aim at and strive for that which is highest and best in life.

        As God through the prophecy of Jonah and the vision of Peter sought to correct the erroneous ideas of Jonah, Peter and the Hebrew people concerning His attitude toward the heathen and Gentile world; so here it seems He would correct the erroneous notions or ideas of the more favored peoples concerning His attitude toward Ethiopia. As God is no respecter of persons in the matter of salvation,

neither was He in the matter of creation. "For God is without variableness or shadow of turning, the same yesterday today and for ever."

                         "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God."

        This prophecy was uttered about a thousand years before the beginning of the Christian era. But a thousand years in the sight of God is "but as yesterday or as a watch in the night," is but as a few hours when it is past. And we may see the dawning forth of the fulfillment of this prophecy in Matthew's words: "And as they came out they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; him they compelled to bear the cross." At first Jesus bore the cross alone, just as He trod the winepress alone and died alone, the just for the unjust. Then the Cross, in part or whole, was put upon Simon and he bore it after Jesus to show that man has to bear the cross, especially the followers of Jesus, as Jesus said: "Except a man take up his cross and follow me he can not be my disciple." By many commentators, Simon, being from Cyrene, which is in Africa, is supposed to have been an African of the Negro race, therefore shadowing the suffering, sorrow and heavy burdens which the race was destined to experience and bear, in part preparatory, and in part in the actual high mission, and lofty service of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, in the Acts of the Apostles, we read: "Behold a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority, under Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship." Now this man was returning and sitting in his chariot reading Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him and heard him read the prophet Esaias and said, "Understandest thou what thou readest?'' And he said, "How can I except some man should guide me?" And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the Scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his she