se of worship, where a church is organized and Henry Crittenden is
ordained as its ruling elder.

A Sunday school for Bible instruction follows the establishment of
public worship, and two years later it is followed by the establishment
of a week-day school, for the benefit of all the children and youth in
the neighborhood. Eight years later, when the trained missionary teacher
arrives, the inspiration of a new life is infused into the church and
Sunday school, and the week-day school becomes an important industrial
academy, where the Bible is the basis of the moral and religious
instruction. In 1905 they receive an allotment of lands that they may
become independent owners of their own homes. In 1908 statehood brings
the rural public school and in 1912, an intelligent Freedman is
entrusted with the management of the Industrial Academy, church and
farm.

This sequence of events includes the dark period of slavery and
illiteracy followed by instruction in the Bible, the light of the world;
the development of the native preacher of the gospel as a leader, the
organization of the church, followed by the Sunday school, the week-day
school, the academy, normal, public school and finally a native
superintendent of the academy and independent ownership of land.

II. THE EUROPEANS AND AMERICANS

THE DARK AGES

The period from the 8th to the 12th centuries of the christian era has
been classed by historians as the "Dark Ages" of the world, because of
the general prevalence in Europe of ignorance, superstition and
barbarism. Some of the leading events that occurred during this gloomy
period, immediately following the decline and fall of the Roman Empire,
tended almost wholly to check the spread of intelligence and the
prosperity of the people, rather than to promote their welfare. The
Scriptures were neglected and the clergy as well as the people became
worldly, ignorant, selfish and superstitious.

THE SARACENS AND NORMANS

These unfavorable events included, at the beginning of this period, the
invasion of Palestine and southern Europe including Spain, its most
western state, by the Mohammedans of Arabia, often called Saracens and
Infidels, who were fanatically inflamed with a passion to destroy with
the sword all the people of the world, who would not obey Mohammed,
their prophet. During the next century Germany, Britain, Holland and
France, then called Gaul, were ruthlessly invaded by conquering hordes
of the adve