The one-roomed cabin is said to be the curse of the Negro, but the white man built it for him and it remains for him to give him a desire for something better.  The Negro is essentially religious but he fails to connect religion and morals.  When you call upon one of the old aunties, she talks about getting religion and what a glorious thing it is, and describes visions of heaven and hell to you in the most vivid language:  but that doesn’t prevent her drinking whiskey or telling lies.  I have no doubt, however, that some of the most egregious sins of these old slaves are less in the eyes of God than many of our smaller ones.

The students here carry on two literary societies and four religious organizations, besides several little missionary societies; the King’s Daughters, the King’s Sons, Young Men’s Christian Association, and a society called the Covenanters.  The latter, however, have no meeting outside of the regular Wednesday evening prayer-meeting, to which they come prepared to take a part.  This makes our Wednesday evening meetings very interesting.  It might not be a bad plan to have a body of Covenanters in some of our Northern churches.

The students work hard here.  There are only a very few who have money enough to pay their expenses.  They begin school at seven in the morning and finish at half past three.  They work from that time until supper and have study hours in the evening in the school-room, so that they have absolutely no time for recreation, and Saturdays they work all day.  Many of them teach all summer after having been in school all the year.  It is really wonderful the way many of them do and it is a great pleasure to teach them.

Within the last two months we have commenced work among the churches within four or five miles of here.  Many of our older students make excellent helpers and are so glad to go and teach in the Sunday-schools and help their ignorant brethren in any way they can.  I have never heard one of our students express a desire to leave the South for anything more than to complete his education.  The most of them are planning to work among their own people, teaching and carrying on trades in a way that will be an example to the rest.

Pres.  Woodworth has a class composed of the pastors of the neighboring churches, who meet him twice a week.  Most of them can scarcely read a chapter intelligently.  Pres.  Woodworth has taken up the Gospel of Mark with them and is explaining it to them and showing them how to preach from it, and they seem very appreciative, and say it is strange how long they have misunderstood things.

Considering the various opportunities for work in the school and surrounding country, one could not ask for a more satisfactory field than Tougaloo.

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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES IN CHARLESTON, S.C.

By Superintendent R.C.  Hitchcock