The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-05-19
Coloresl Home Society.

The eighth annual meeting of this society took
place yesterday afternoon, at o'clock, at the IN
sttution, And street. The meeting was atte nded
by several ladies' and clerical gentlemen who SCENE
to take lively interest in the proceedings Previous
to opening the business of the day several Of the vsi
tersnspected the different apartments connected with
the institution and expressed themselves much pleas
ed with the order regularity and that dis
tingushed the various wards The resident and asss
tlnt phi yscians, Drs Fitch and Nilhau assduous
in their attentions to the different vsiters whom they
politely showed through tho different apartme at
ter which, the meeting ned. and large
her OF ladies assembled in the principal hall attached
to the institution, taking their seats in front while
such Of the inmates as could obtain accommodation
took their places in the
DR. FITcH, hereupOn introduced
The Rov. MIR: THoMrsoN who read the report, which
set forth that tho society in most hourshng
dition The object 1t continued, " was to con
vince our pensioners that tho friends of the
colored race and interested in their intellectual,
and moral, and spiritual, well as their physical we'll
being We endeavor to raise them from their degrade
ton, to inspire them with selfrespect and to
within them spirit of courage and hope for the f-
turc. Nor is this all; strive to cnlghten their
blessed Sun OF Righteousness that they may be cheer
ed by its light and heat as well rs We tell them
the simple story Of the cross and that He who bore
that felt the weight of the poor negros sins
truly own. We endeavor to quicken their slug
gish consciences and render them pervious to the
truths of morality us the first step towards their re-
formation from outward sins. and that spiritual
walton which alone fit them for heaven. We have,
it is true many intelligent and truly pous persons
among us; but have, likewise "A large class of tho
ignorant aud superstitious, the degraded and aban
dOned outcasts 1t would scarcely more difficult
to convey religious truth the sealed
of those Of their who have brcathed other
mospherc than that of dark benighted Ethiopia than
who have been brought to for temporal
fort and spiritual teaching The difficulties and dis
couragements which meet US in abors not few
and there are moments when quail before them.
feeling our insufciency for these things But look
the other side of the picture then, thank God,
and take courage.
We find, on looking over the monthly reports of
estimabc chaplain, for the year past, that month
has elapsed in which he has not had pleasing
evidence Of the presence of tho Holy Spirit, with his
awakening and converting power. His semi weekly
visits at the Home give him the opportunity of per-
sona interviews with all the inmates MS often as once
month that the whole religious state of the insti-
tuition is continually under his eye.
The report went on to show that all the sewing for
tho pensioners to the amount Of about three thOusa
articles, has been accomplished by such of the
as have been able to sew; and but very little hired la
bor Of any kind has been employed upon the premises
One beautiful example of the desire to be useful
furnished by Phs who, being very aged. and para
ytic was deprived OF the use Of her hands She used
to pray in the days Of her youth, when in bondage
that she might be free and become missionary. The
most aged ponsioner, named Betsy Johnson, had at
tanned her 18th year. After reading the report at
length the Rev Mr. r. briefly exhorted the friends of
the institution to continue their labor of love- and
impressed the recipients of the bounty the nsti
tuition the necessity Of feeling deep of graft
tude for the great benefit they received both in n
worldly and spiritual sense rs inmates of such an in
DR.. FircH physician to the society, next briefly call
ed the attention Of the meeting to the report furnished
by himself to MIR Leonard aims house commissioner in
January last after which, hymn sung, and
The Rev. MIR. BUsuAS, missionary from Africa. ad-
dressed the meeting He said it would be useless for
to say that fully sympathise with this institution
for, in addition to what usually feel the subject of
charitable and benevolent institutions, feel a pecu
liar interest in the colored have been, by the
Providence of God called to my country Africa for
which shall leave in few days and where have had
opportunities of meeting the colored race, various
To ven npo ybeu half m linn
OF these people were disenthraled in the West India
Islands. met them travelled to Jamaica, and met
them there and also, met tn the dark shores of
Africa where shall return and where expect to
spend the remainder of my days in laboring for the
colored race. Hence sympathise with you. There
people the earth, he continued, that had
stronger claim upon the benevolent. than the coored
embracing population of hundred
millions of human beings, who for ages had
been living in heathen ism The father and the mo-
Their they became old and feeble and unable to
work thrown out by their friends and abandoned
to live in the /" bush" He had seen instances where
the old and decrepid had thus been abandoned in
disease and decriptudc. After exhorting the friends
of the institution to continue their work of benevo
lence and charity, he concluded
The Rev MIR. Barnard hereupon offered up the
Guiding prayer, when the meeting separated.