I took the girls of the science class and my own class and went out and combed the alleys and streets and brought in hundreds of children until we had a Sunday School of almost a thousand young people and people in the community came in. Among whom was Judson Lyons and others.
This mission school lasted for years, and became one of the great assets of Haines Institute, Lucy Laney, the great inspirer, the great educator, the great leader among our group, fired me with greater ambition for service.
I remained with her for one year, after which I went to Sumter, North Carolina to work in another mission svhool(sic) there where I met my friend Estelle Roberts, now Estelle Harrison, and we together had our experience in helping develop the work of the Kindle Institute, headed by Rev. C.J. Watkins, another field for real service, never tiring…I gave my best. Meeting friends and working up interest—working with people in jails, with the under privileged, building Sunday Schools, with people in the community, young people’s meetings, in the choir of our church.
Here I met a young man, Albertus Bethune. He had a beautiful tenor voice. He was interested in the activities of the church, and a student at Avery Institute, Charleston, South Carolina. He lacked one year of completing his work there. He had to withdraw in order for his brother Jesse to enter school.
Bethune and I met, became well acquainted and loved. The following year we were quickly married. This married life was not intended to impede things I had in mind to do. He found business employment in Savannah, Georgia, where we moved and lived simply and quietly and remained there for sixteen months.
Then my only boy, Albertus, Junior was born. The birth of my boy had no tendency whatever to dim my ardor and determination for my dream work, the building of an institution.
