Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-05-28

After this gush of excitement had spent itself,
and the congregation became calm, the religious
exercises were resumed and the remainder ofthe .
night was occupied in singing and in prayer, in
reading the Bible and in addresses from the
missionaries, explaining the nature Of the free
dom just receied, and exhorting the free peo-
pie to be Industrious, steady, obedient to the
laws, and to show themselves in all things wor-
thy of the high boon which God had conferred
upon them Such was the affectionae religious
gratitude which the gift Of freedom awakened in
the Negro breast
The succeeding day, the first day of their e.
Emancipation, was passed as sacred iubile.-
There were no Incorporate carousas; there
were no riOtous mobs sweeping through the city,
spreading terror aud devastation through the
country, but tile rejoicing freemen assembled in
their churches, with their pastors, who, with
martyr zeal, had suffered and toed for them.
and offered to God the increase of their thank
ful hearts,
In the excitement Of this vast change, when
the slaves, though ignorant, though degraded
were casting off the intolerable burden of ages
of oppression, and exuItng in their untricd lib
erty, it is not known that single drop Of blood
was shea, that single blow was struck, or that
a single outrage was committed All remcm-
brance Of past wrongs appeared to be forever
obllterated, and joy and gratitude were the only
emotions which were cherished in the hearts of
the emancpated. History" says Dr. Chan
ming, "contains no record more touching, than
the account Of the religious tender thankluIness
which this vast boon awakened in the Negro
breast"
NO.2
The British Parliament in the act Of emanc-
patton proceeded upon the opinion, then almost
universally entertained, that the slave must be
prepared for liberty before he could, with safety,
be made entirely free. They consequently de-
creed that for six years the slaves should be
bound to work for their former masters as APP
prentices, not slaves that the power ofpunish-
ment should be transferred from the hands of
the master to those Of the magistrate, and that at
the expiration of these six years of preparation
for liberty their emancipation should be entire
The motives which led to this policy, which
subsequent events have shown to have been a
mistaken policy we've unquestionabIy good
Said Earl Grey, one of the leading members of
Parliament, upon this subject, 81 confess could
not contemplate without some degree Of appre-
henslon the possibility of danger arising from
setting the slaves free at once and therefore it
was considered by his Maesty's Government
that a progressive change, combining pycpara-
tory state of restricted labor, with certain de-
gree Of free labor to end in ultimate manums-
sion, was the safest course to be pursusd"
On the islands Of Antigua and Bermuda, how.
ever the planters resolved to reject this prepare
tory course, and decreed that on the striking of
the clock on the first of August, 1884, every
slave should be instantaneously and uncondition-
ally emancipated 1t was a bold and noble
experiment, for on the island of Antigua there
were thirty-iour thousand five hundred slaves
and free blacks, and only two thousand whites
disproportion vastly greater than exists in any
of our Southern States.
And the result of this experiment was so
highly and 50 unexpectedly beneficial that the re-
mainder Of the islands, after witnessing for few
years its operation, universally relnquished the
apprenticeship system, and unconditional eman-
cipation was extended to all the slaves. Such
is the great event, the result Of which wish to
spread before the public mind. Though you
f can hardly find parallel on the pages Of an
cient or modern history, yet it has attracted but
little from the great majority of our countrymen
But every American should carefully ponder the
boon it reaches; for we have within our own
borders two and half millions of bondmcn, anC
the question of their continued servitudc or THEN
emancipation must inevitably, ere long, agitatt
every section Of cur country,
The first principle which this event establish
es is that, Immcdiate Emancipation is sqtc II
was asserted before this experiment, that the
slaves could not with safety be suddenly liberia
, ted that unacquaintod with freedom they would
? arise and satjate their long suppressed revenge
f in flames aud violence aud blood The white
. man knew how measureess the wrongs which
the coored man had long endured at his hands
J and he trcmbled lest day of terrible retributiol
i was to ensue. He had awful forebodiugs O
4 murder, of midnight burnings, of plumber, o
4 wives and daughters fleeing in frenzy before tn,
Y unbridled lusts of the ayenging Negro. Blu
none of these fears were realized, The enamel
: pated slave fastened to the house Of God anC
4 there gave utterance to his overflowng soul il
+ hymns of joy and prayers Of thankfuness.
5 Says Professor Hovey of Amherst College,
G witness Of unquestioned intelligence and credi
4 bility, who visited the islands for the expires.
e purpose of investigating the effects Of freedom
+ i" The emanclpated people, instead of becoming
: frantic with joy in the possession of their new
rights and privileges, aud rioting ebullition o
. ungoyerned passion, retired from the places o
| public devotion to their little tenements withou
$ the commission of single outrage, or the eas
4 disorderly conduct The day was characterized
E by the stiffness and solemnty ofthe Sabbath
Q rather than by the noise and tumut and intoxi
; cation which usually on such occasions disgrace
, more intelligent and civilized communities. -
IL IL Il