Recollections of seventy years

Payne's experiences from his childhood as an orphan in South Carolina to his maturity as an influential leader in the A.M.E. Church. Emphasizes the religious aspects of his life, as well as touches on other important issues including education, racial prejudice, music, and literature. He began his career as a high school teacher for African-Americans (both enslaved and free) in South Carolina until laws forbade their education so he migrated north to New York and Philadelphia and became involved with the A.M.E. ministry. Also notable are Payne's descriptions of his trips to Europe as a representative to the Ecumenical Council.