to labor in behalf of the Negroes and the number of masters willing to have their slaves instructed gradually increased.  Among these liberal owners were John Morris, of St. Bartholomew’s, Lady Moore, Captain David Davis, Mrs. Sarah Baker at Goose Creek, Landgrave Joseph Morton and his wife of St. Paul’s, the Governor and a member of the Assembly, Mr. and Mrs. Skeen,[5] Mrs. Haigue and Mrs. Edwards.  So successful were the efforts of Mrs. Haigue and Mrs. Edwards that they were formally thanked by the Society for their care and good example in instructing the Negroes of whom no less than twenty-seven prepared by them, including those of another planter, were baptized by the Reverend E. Taylor of St. Andrew’s within two years.[6]

Other less liberal masters refused to allow their slaves to attend Mr. Taylor for instruction, but some of them were induced to teach the blacks the Lord’s Prayer.  The result even from this was so successful that there came to the church more Negroes than could be accommodated.  So great was their desire for instruction that had it not been for the opposition of their owners, almost all of them would have been converted.  “So far as the missionaries were permitted,” says one, “they did all that was possible for their evangelization, and while so many professed Christians among the planters were lukewarm, it pleased God to raise to himself devout servants among the heathen, whose faithfulness was commended by the masters themselves.  In some of the congregations the Negroes or blacks constituted one half of the communicants."[7]

This interest of the clergy in the Negroes of South Carolina continued in spite of opposition.  Rev. Mr. Guy, of St. Andrew’s Parish, said that he baptized “a Negro man and a Negro woman” in 1723, and Rev. Mr. Hunt, minister of St. John’s Parish, reported in that same year that “a slave, a sensible Negro, who can read and write and comes to church, is a Catechumen under probation for Baptism which he desires."[8] A new impetus too was given the movement about 1740.  Influenced by such urgent addresses as those of Dr. Brearcroft, and Bishops Gibson, Wilson and Seeker, the workers of the Society were aroused to proselyting more extensively among the Negroes.  In 1741 the Bishop of Canterbury expressed his gratification at the large number of Negroes who were then being brought into the church.[9]

A decided step forward was noted in 1743.  That year a school for Negroes was opened by Commissary Garden and placed in charge of Harry and Andrew, two colored youths, who had been trained as teachers at the cost of the Society.  This establishment was a sort of training school for bright young blacks who felt called to instruct their fellow countrymen.  For adults who labored during the day it was an evening school.  It was successfully conducted for more than twenty years.  In 1763 the institution was for some unknown reason closed after being conducted in the face of many difficulties and obstructions, although this was the only educational institution in that colony for its 50,000 blacks.[10]