THE COLORED RACE as a whole was markedly religious during the dark days of slavery, and out of many a fervent gathering held in the recesses of dark swamps or other forbidden places came the simple, sincere thoughts expressed in many grand old spirituals.
EVERYBODY SEEMED TO LOVE Mr. Oscar. Oscar, as almost everyone called him, was a remarkable man and the possessor of a remarkable talent. Few people who heard his magnificent tenor voice in action whether he was singing the Episcopal church hymns he loved so well, the tenor notes in a quartet, or the touching strains of “Deep River” would deny this. His was an extraordinary talent which he used freely to sing God’s praise and to give other people joy.
A RAMBLING WOODEN, two-story building known as Myers Street School was the hubcap in the spoke wheel of Brooklyn. This enormous, ungainly structure with several large shade trees surrounding it was in the middle of a square plot of land fronting on Myers Street. Reports from various sources say that the school was named in honor of Mr. Myers who sold the land to the city for a school for colored children in 1887. At one time, it was the only school in the city they could attend.
ONE OF THE MOST exciting and disastrous events that ever occurred in Brooklyn was the big fire of 1917. The day was a pleasant one, and most of our family was at home pursuing various duties and engaging in bits of homey conversation when we heard that there was a fire on a nearby street.