In the
majority of cases there was nothing to be seen in the cabin to
remind one of the coming of the Saviour, except that the people
had ceased work in the fields and were lounging about their
homes. At night, during Christmas week, they usually had what
they called a "frolic," in some cabin on the plantation. That
meant a kind of rough dance, where there was likely to be a good
deal of whiskey used, and where there might be some shooting or
cutting with razors.
While I was making this Christmas visit I met an old coloured man
who was one of the numerous local preachers, who tried to
convince me, from the experience Adam had in the Garden of Eden,
that God had cursed all labour, and that, therefore, it was a sin
for any man to work. For that reason this man sought to do as
little work as possible. He seemed at that time to be supremely
happy, because he was living, as he expressed it, through one
week that was free from sin.
In the school we made a special effort to teach our students the
meaning of Christmas, and to give them lessons in its proper
observance. In this we have been successful to a degree that
makes me feel safe in saying that the season now has a new
meaning, not only through all that immediate region, but, in a
measure, wherever our graduates have gone.
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