New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-10-22
THE NEGROES OF wILKEsBARRE.
csrresrona.ues CT Tie n Y TriSsOe.

TNTf
a hamlet beyoad the North Branch Canal. sai along
the side o; tie road which leads 70 Prospect Rcck-
TIER houses small. Imprinted teUsUeais o. "ae
story ard but few Of them have externally an ar % c0
for or @. reat-ess Upon various preteXts welt WITH
In number Of these dwellings,, aEi found tAem qulte
clean and orderly. although. il Sunday when
made ny visits undoubtedly saw them 70 the best al
vantage Their furniture Of the cheapest and most
eounon kind long benches took in part the place Of
chairs and n0w and then rag carpet Covered the door
CT tie best roou.
Irercuber ere house in particular which va, the
home of ere Of the respectable negroes in ne VII
lac. adsaccn ia hi own church anu man OF some
property. Tie room into which was taken was per-
ectlF clean sud Teg carpet which lay upOn the hoor
with a table a rUshbottom chair or tao, aad long
bench under one Of tie windows. composed the entire
furniture bright fre burned il The Srate-coai Is
SO abundant here ,lar WIkesbarre in winter mlst be
sort Il paradise 10 peer nsnrnd before the he2rtn
the wife II tie cwuer Of this house stood smoking
pipe 80 caue in. She frightened mllstto
W,nan sud fugitive slave, as have been informed
She seemed 20 b entertaining two or three male
friends who lolling about in tAst lazy. 6asking
comfortable Way which 20 White initiate.
also went into tie house Of her isther-in-law. I
osS lin ling III with fever and sgue upon the IN
;6y kitchen for and with bis hesd close TO the stove
irving 10 Get little warm. IL Vas represented 20
n an tersSt sober negro. bat UnspC aSably lay
lie has fortunately lad two or three sioux sons. whom.
VIXEN Toys, &c made work for him. wh.o De dlt nota-
irg | icl hat bis ague was something Ike rigat-
eous ds ptusa'ion, for gentleman toll me that he
once found 81 this negro's sons At work "a the
corn-6eJ ON raw October day, shaking 80 violently
with q chill that he could hardly stand Tie fear of
lis father, nevertheless kept him cut, ani be could
not Re prevailed upon 20 20 home, exc Pt under an
earnest assurance that lie would DC saved from oil
harm.
Willie walking out durngfn y stay in wilkesbsrrc,
cane upon Il mail dwelling, neatly WhiteWa.hed and
shaded 10y trees. Through the wide-cpen door 'aN
laltaoleu blacks smoking and chatting together over
tie ire IL was a group out-otdDOrs however which
attracted my attention 4 negro girl ten or twelve
years Old, sitting upon tie fence wlth Young child
in her arms. ULi.e bOy was ISy.ng arunnt them on
tie grass They were al clean. healthy, nicely dressed
Children, and the infant with her large darA !ustrous
eyes quite pretty, as indeed all negro babies are
A. turned TO speak to them, the girl little startled
at first half sprung from the fence bat soon assured
TOOK her seat again, While | amused myself with the
little ono IN her arms. say amused myself, tor tho
child lad other expression IN It's cDuntenance than
enc Of unL.t Gated asiOn,shmeut. gave it Hover
held IN my hand and was about patting It's cheek, when
lie boy IS o had never ceased watching us came ocst-
irg Up close o me- half in earnest aud half IN Jest,
saving, You touch dat baby, You touch me- anl
tlen with a caVer or two and ding OF bis heels Is
I0ysy he got quickly ont IT my reach. As | wake
away could not help wishing that these three bright
ied children ieht be reared they deserved 20 be-
They would always hear, suppose, even under the
hest of training, in their minds JUST as IN their bodies
the marks II their ancestors degradation ler IN
spite ci tbs they would grow up, with proper care, 10
be industrious, 'irtuous and intelligent mcn and wo-
men.
Tie negroes Of Wilke.barre are poor, yet they have
TWO churches They were formerly united AZ one
bOGy Of Christians, but unfortunately disputes upon
abStTuse theological points arose among them ana thsy
divided. The consequence has been thas 0oth
Churches which together could have erecte anu MAIN
tanned neat house oil worship, and have supported
tler pastors quite easily meet M uDty ant halt
decay ed buildings and compel their ministers 10 lroN
10 other sources than then preaching for support Nor
is this all. The members 0i the two Churche shave
become a,itnatcd and look upon each otter with sus-
pciCn and LnAindress.
II makes no difference with this people that they
have no distinct idea OF the dogma wich the cause of
tier division Tier superoTs differ, and they follow
tie example, with zeal AMI acrn0ny prop0ruonei %
their ignorance. VIII it always be- that the worse
rassious Of mems hearts are aroused by discussions
over that religion which in It's ideal, az least u peace
and love- We wLo Calyinsts are the most earnest
stcklels for correct creed, but Is that correctness
worth lie l-wi aId heart-burnng, and STRIFE ande'en
the shedding of blood which it has cost to win 1t
Tie minister or pastor Of one of the churches in
WIkesbarre also claims 10 be a physician, and being
the setenth If sereHh SEN works many "onderiui
cures wherever be goes. As his own church Is too
poor to maintain him, he travels over the ADJOINING
counties earning little money By healing the SicA
and by cau,ipg the lame to walk. lie is not an Iul-
rostor Loweyer but honestly believes that the pecu-
arity Of his birth gives him my sterous power over
dees,e | need not cay after TINS, tIat nc al ISuD
rant nan ana an enthusiast unit TO be the guide OIL an
illiterste STUPID and degenerate race The teacher
r.eJ.d by tie negroes il hind, patient, simple ana
de,out an WhO possesses the power OF aohPlnB MN,
self TO their capacities in a word, man VINO WOMB
he A coed instructor OF children But i IS not Oiten
that the blacks get such an one their minister and
WAS frequently panied dnring ate Visit IhrOu1h Por
ion ot PENNSYLVANIA and of Southern New'lOfk' ~
erceypg the unftness of many Of the negro preachers
Tor their oce In most cases It was the Diinu iea"s
the blind. 18th 49, ue,-,ss
mot G,r worship IL vas very like tho schOOl-houe
au,orq the CatsAin Mountains being a baliGecaysu
biildipg with its front windows baby shatteied' IL
rad cuce been painted, but the paint was nearly all
worp 20 It's fclor condition the natural result Of
tie religious differences which exist among The negroes
of Wil[esbarre Tie members OF the church are too
roor 10 do al tLug tow ard its repair The minister
was eaLorinp l. hearers as passed, ia that NOISY,
ireoLelent exciting way Which - 80 much Ia vogue IN
camp meetings. Under such religious training iear
rot MANY Ct the blacks viii attain 10 anything
more than very dim appreciation oil Christianity a'ls
author Limfeli iaugAtt.
Ir,u what [ learned from others, well az from
hat mftelf saw the negroes 81 NuhesOatre arc as
class better and more elevated tndn the negroes WAC
have consreeaied IN the villages On the 6tnAs OF Tue
3Iud.op- Their great fault Incidence. They are, ia
tlemain honest There are very few drunkaris among
item: uecd lot SAY that their kinsnlen on the NORTH
RIVER are terribly addicted 20 strong drink. good
many among them can read and write, and are, IN thelr
own limited way, really Christians. And 'Ee race Is
improving Tie children are growing sp somewhat
more intelligent than their fathers, more industrious
ard more yirtuous, and 80 nearer 70 Tue s'A'"h VI
men.
One thing deserves notice here. There are good
many fugitive slaves in Wkesbarre, ami throughout
til. ree,n They are for tie most part maiIGe'' anu