Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-05-13

lures of him, who, if his bid were the last, would
be his master for the coming year. tancled
could read in his speaking eyes, Some DAY IN
be free, will, so help me, God OF the poor siave
The last bid came at length, with the auction
GERS wice-thre-e-e-times' anu 'nc
hammer came down.
Soon the auctioneer's voice again Iose aOo'0
the noise and bustle OF the crowd VINO II give
us bid for GeorgeT But VIII not uweii upon
och r,rtic1lar case one more only, will | at
tempt to describe An old grey headed woman
onnroached and stopped without attempting to
climb upon the stand. Come up here on the
stand, old gall ? shouted the auctloneer, with
voice loud and harsh enough to almost raise the
dead. Il can't she mildly replied, I'm old
and lame With some assistance, however, she
got upon the stand. How much do l hear tor
this old gall p cried the auctioneer she's not
vot very spry, can't work in the field, butll be
handy about the house, to cook, nurse, make
fires, and may be chop little wood; how much
do hear, | sayP The price OF a first rate held
hand was from 80 to 80 dollars per year, and
when the bids increased in amount on the
old lady, till they begun to talk OF II or 10
dollars. she could keep still no longer. For
heavens sake don't bid higher, you know | can't
earn half that-I've worked myself almost to
death for vou-you can see Pm all broke down
i can't do but litte-I 'spect soon to die, and
then poor old niger woman can rest--don't tor
mercy sake bid more. don't ask it cause
work hard all my life-wear myself out to work,
and want to live like white lady, now Pm old
no | spcct to work on till drop IN my grave
=" "Hold on, old gall, let me talk awhile"
orowled the auctioneer and a wild laugh rose
from that heartIess crowd He need not have
INTERRUPTED her, for her bosom heaved, and al
ready beart-rending sobs choked her utterance.
Good of Heaven p thought l. "amI among the
savages in the streets of Algiers, or on some be-
nighted isle of the ocean, over which broods a
moral gloom, never pierced by one solitary ray
of civilization z? No | am in FREE AMER
ICA, over which blazes, in perpetual noon,
and in all the burning, dazzling briliancy of
the nineteenth century, the Sun Of CIVIL
ZATION and CHRiSTIANITY!! Not a
chord of kindly sympathy, in all that crowd, Vi
brated at the simple yet touchingly eloquent APP
peal of that old negress
Sick at heart, | left them, for had seen enough
of niger hiring
I had lust turned the corner of one of the
streets, when [ was attracted by a small crowd
and with half glance discovered it to be anotl
cr 'hirinr' on a small scale. Come, brother
Jackson can't you give us bid for this boy Z!
said the crier, slappng his boy as he called him
on the shoulder And who was that crler =
Twas (God knows blush to pen iD none 9th
or than Father Mansfield, the very oracle of the
Baptist church in all that region, and brothe
jackson" was one of his spiritual flock. ThG
cricr was one of the Sons of Levi who weekly
ministered at the Sacred altar in the Temple o
the Living God Yes, he was one of the leaders
of the Great American ''Church Militant They
all rally at the same watchword, are marshaleC
in the same common host and march to ''gl ori
GUS victory" under the SAME BANNER, from
whose " broad and sweeping folds" CLEANS in al
the dazzling refulgence of the Eternal Throne
the RUGGED CROSS of CALVARY. Thes
southern brethren cast "of their abundance" in
to the same Treasury of the Lord, too, and theI
90 home to wiring more of their ''accursed gold
from the crushed and bleeding IMAGE of thei
Maker All !! It's biting sarcasm on the Reli
gion of the ''meek and lowly Jesus" bitter sa
tire upon the Gospel of Him who came to "und
the heavy burdens, and let the oppressed go free
That days scenes were written on my youn!
heart with pen of iron and the deeper proba
bly,, for "The thoughts that breathe" could not
If | consulted my own personal safety, ind utter
ance in ''Words that burn" My lips must b.
Theoretically sealed. A beautiful commentar
upon our far-famed FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Not drop of sympathy could escape from tn
sealed fountains in my own breast for the poo
heart-broken slave. could only swear eterna
hostility to the "PatriarchaI Institution" as tn
young Hannibal did to the Imperial City" Ant
yet, now that | am again on my own Ohio soil
the proudest position my youthful fancy can pic
ture to itself, would be, to be an humble instru
ment in making the Tyrant SLAVERY trembl'
on his iron throne, in breaking down tht
gates of his gloomy prison house, in sending the
political cerberean door-keeper, bowling to the
deepest recesses of his dismal cavern, to setting
my brethren free, and in letting them enjoy witt
us the benign influence of CIVILIZATION anC
CHRISTIANITY as it proudly CLEANS on u
from our FREE INSTITUTIONS.
F. NJ C.
Bryan, March, l647.