I remember that the first coloured man whom
I saw who knew something about foreign languages impressed me at
the time as being a man of all others to be envied.
Naturally, most of our people who received some little education
became teachers or preachers. While among those two classes there
were many capable, earnest, godly men and women, still a large
proportion took up teaching or preaching as an easy way to make a
living. Many became teachers who could do little more than write
their names. I remember there came into our neighbourhood one of
this class, who was in search of a school to teach, and the
question arose while he was there as to the shape of the earth
and how he could teach the children concerning the subject. He
explained his position in the matter by saying that he was
prepared to teach that the earth was either flat or round,
according to the preference of a majority of his patrons.
The ministry was the profession that suffered most--and still
suffers, though there has been great improvement--on account of
not only ignorant but in many cases immoral men who claimed that
they were "called to preach." In the earlier days of freedom
almost every coloured man who learned to read would receive "a
call to preach" within a few days after he began reading.
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