LINCOLN MEMORIAL DAY IN THE SOUTH.

BY REV. W. J. LARKIN.

On Lincoln's birthday most of the churches connected with the American Missionary Association in the South took occasion to make a contribution to it, and many gifts not large in themselves, but representing a great deal of sacrifice, have been received by our treasurer in New York. The pastor of our church in Marion, Alabama, sends a contribution of over $16 from his church, which amount represents more sacrifices than thousands of dollars would represent from many of our more favored churches. He writes: "We had a Lincoln's exercise on Lord's day, 10th, by the school at the church. It was a very cold, dark night, but our offering was $16.09. You will consider the hard times here—and they are hard, indeed, this year—we have had intense cold now nearly two months with the mercury nearly to zero. When ice is six inches thick in this part of Alabama it means intense suffering for the half-clad and half-fed negroes. We add to this $16.09, $11.26, which we have collected at our missionary prayer meetings, making in all $27.35."

"I called on a few of the old ex-slaves for some experiences of bygone days. Among others here is one: 'When I was a boy about twelve years of age there were several boys together telling what we would do when we became men. I said, "I am going to be free and keep a store, and perhaps employ some of you boys as my clerks." Among these boys standing there was a white boy, who, when he went home, told his father what I had been saying. Shortly after a lady, when I was passing her house one day called me in and said, "Steve, is that you?" "Yes, marm." "I want to see you; I hear you have been talking some bad talk with other boys." I said, "What is it, marm?" "You said that you were going to be free some day. Now let me tell you, if you do not stop talking such talk you will be hung and nobody can possibly save you. Let me tell you, you were ordained from the foundation of the world to be a slave; that is your destiny."' He continued, 'Although I never employed any of those boys as clerks, yet from that white boy, who reported my conversation, I have bought thousands of dollars' worth of goods since. I began by selling cakes on the railway cars. I remember down in Tennessee about the year 1852 a man came and preached, and was said to have abolition ideas. The white people took him and hung him. Oh! children, if I only had had the privileges you now have! I thank God for the American Missionary Association. It took my children and made men of them. When I was a boy a good Christian man taught me to read a little. The white people discovered it and said, "You stop teaching niggers," and cut off his forefinger for teaching us to write.'"