386 SUNDRY JOURNEYS AND EXPERIENCES-I 



etc. Most hearty of all was the singing, in which the 

 whole congregation joined loudly and with voices clear 

 and silvery. After the services were over there came 

 regularly what was called the &quot; sper ritual part.&quot; Some 

 one of the more gifted singers of whom, perhaps, the 

 most satisfactory was a young colored man in a black 

 velvet coat and a brilliant red tie came forward, stood 

 before the pulpit, and began a long solo as a rule, with 

 scores of yerses. One was on the creation, another on 

 the flood, each verse paraphrasing the scriptural account ; 

 and the refrain, in which the whole congregation joined, 

 was as follows : 



&quot; Ole Pharaoh he got law-s-t 

 Got law-s-t, got law-s-t 

 Ole Pharaoh he got drownded 

 In the Re-e-e-e-d Sea.&quot; 



But soon came a song which amazed me. It was totally 

 different in character from any of the others, and was 

 called The Seven Glories of Mary. One of the verses 

 ran as follows : 



&quot; An de berry next glory dat Mary she had, 

 It was de glory of sebben 

 It was dat her Son Jesus he tolled de bells of hebben j&quot; 



and then, as at the end of each verse, came from the whole 

 congregation the refrain : 



&quot; Oh, trials an tribulashuns ! 

 I m gwine to quit dis world.&quot; 



Next day I sent for the singer and asked him where he 

 had learned his songs. His answer was, &quot;Boss, I made 

 em up myself. To this I answered, l Quite likely, some 

 of them; but not The Seven Glories of Mary. &quot; He 

 thought a moment, and then said, &quot;Yes, boss, you re 

 right; dat song I brought down from ole Virginny.&quot; 



