SPOTTED: The Finch Children at First Purchase
By: Dolphus Raymond June 12, 1935
Scout and Jem Finch are spotted at the First Purchase M.E. African Church with their housekeeper Calpurnia. They are amazed at how different the church is from their normal one.
There is a peaceful and happy cemetery in the churchyard with a few old headstones and some new ones that were littered with Coca-Cola bottles as offerings. Inside, there were no lights and no painted walls. Everything was to the bare minimum with the pine benches, kerosene lamp, and a tattered banner in the back. Inside the First Purchase, there was no hiding from the truth. Reverend Sykes begins a sermon inside the dim church as people began ready to chant along except..... There were no books! The children were astonished to find out that only four people in First Purchase can read so there would be no point in wasting money on hymn books. At the end of the church service there is a surprise as the Reverend candidly proclaims that no one will be leaving the church until enough money is collected to Helen Robinson, the wife of the accused Tom Robinson. He says this without any regret or shame and there is a sense of unity in the church as everyone donates their rightful amount. The trip to First Purchase was definitely a surprise and with the trial coming up soon their experiences will sure be interesting ones, whether we agree or disagree with their actions and decisions. |
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