The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-01-16
From the Union Missionary.

From the Union Missionary.
Letter to the Children ia the Sabbath
School of the Rev. Dr. Dutiield, Detroit,
Michigan.
Mend Mission House, Little Boom River,
Sherbo, West Africa, Aug. llth, 1874.
My dear Children-l nave just received
a paper from America, in which saw an
extract of a Letter from your Secretary to
The Treasurer of the Union Missionary
Society, enclosing a draft OF $50 for the
beuit of the Mendi Mission. This pleased
me SO much that felt like stling right
down and writing you "A letter. l have
done so, though | DO not know when nor
how | can send it, When you in America
write letter, YOU can carry it TO the post
office, and it will 90 the place to which
you direct. But not so here. L live 100
mile from Sierra Leone, where American
vessels come. have no way 10 send IN
less send my boat, except, as it some
times happens, canoe passes by gong
there. All season of the year it Is We
~ dangerous. My boat, which returned
aSt night, was obliged 10 Stop four days
IN one place, and two In another, on ac-
count of bad winds. After my letters
reach Sierra Leone, it may be they will
have to stop there one OF two months or
even longer, before any vesse goes home;
so that. though am writing this in the
summer, it may be winter before you get
it. say summer and qcinter, lhouyh we
have no summer aud no wluter here.
Well, now | have begun this letter, do
not know what 10 write. Not that have
not got anything TO write, but because l
hive got so much. If my pen could run
as fast as my mind, you should have a
long, letter. But you will see by The
looks OF this, that do not hold the pen
of ready writer. 1t takes me a greal
while to write letter.
would write about our school but we
have none. Well. will tell you about
the one | expect to have. AS soon as the
rainy season stops, which will be about
the first November, | intend to build a
school-hous and commence school do
not expect to have small one. There
are a great many children here growing
up in ignorance, and many Of them as
naked as they were when they were born.
They, as we'll as the people, are well
pleased with the idea of a school. They
are pleased with the idea of learning the
white mans language, and of learning
book &c. If have less than 100 schol-
ars | shall feel disappointed; but should
not think it strange if had 200. These
chiIdren | have to take naked, just as they
are, and clolhe them, and feed them, and
keep them, just as though they were my
own children. Well, you see | shall
have a very large family. Now suppose
have so large a number Of naked child
rem come upon me all at once what is it
tina! | shall very much need2 Can any
Of you lutte girls tell me? Me'hinks |
hear one little girl answer. Speak lit
tie louder. Clothing, SIR That is just
the thing my child. Can you sew? 'Ob,
yes, sir long tine ago. We'll, cart
YOU all meet together and make some
clothes for lhem9 fyou ask your faiths
ers and mothers Tor some clolh, know
they will give you some. | know you
have got warm hearts. Try! Your sec
rotary says if you try very hard, he thinks
YOU can raise $50 every year for our mis-
sion. Now if you will t'y hard, | will
tell you what will Try hard to do. l
will try hard, if the Lord spares my life,
10 write you letter every year, aud tell
YOU all about my great family OF children.
Now do not want you should raise this
none, because it is going into my pocket.
Oh, no! | have no pay for my labor,and
ask none True, have what colthes |
wear, and what food eat and no more.
What shall | write about nex.' Think
could tell you some pleasing story about
the monkeys which we have challering
about Us, and which we frequently see
jumping from tree 10 tree or about the
parrols which fv over our heads every
day. But no! lam going 10 tell Won
about something that will make You feel
bad. We'll what is il2 | am going to
leIl you liltle about slavery and the
slace trGde.
Iwoud say, in the first place, almost
all the people here are slaves. But the
slavery here is not like the slavery in A
merica. Sometimes they live in The town
with their masters. They have their own
farms-tonls-goats, &c. The mas.
ter can sell them; though in some cases
he cannot, or, rather, dare not. Now |
am going TO tell you something that made
me feel very bad, aud know if you had
seen it YOU would have felt bad loo-
When lived in Kaw Mendi l saw a
slave pass by my house with handouts on
his hands, aud "A log of wood on his ankle
so large that it took two boys 10 lfl it along
as he slept. His ankle was badly swol-
Ien aud it hurt him very much. There
were Two boys heard talking together a.
bou, it, and what do you suppose they
said? Well, they said just what l sup
pose you would have said. One said 10
the other, If | was man, | would not