New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-07
4 WEEK n ELMIRA.
Corresponding. OF The n. Y. Tribune.


in their numbers, character or condition. think
however, tbey are slowly i'm royi1e, though it is
not to be disguised that the eater portion of them
are still extremely degraded, thing not to be
wondered a. when we remember for how many
years the race has been slnost like the beasts
"that perish"
Last Sunday afternoon I went into the little
church which this people, with some help from
abroad, have rec ntly built for themselves. About
forty persons bad met together; al were neatly
dressed, and a few lad intelligent countenances.
The latter had greater or less admxture of white
blood in Their veins and, as | afterward learned
are fugitive slaves.
The sermon was founded upon the passage. al
therefore. the light that is IN thee be darkness
"hOw great is that Darkness AT least the
preacher announced this as bis text His sermon
however, would have suited the genealOges Of
Matthew as well. it 0as pronounced with great
volubility and much gesticUlation; but was IA
unintelligble jumble OF words. Every paragraph
was wound up with 8 repetition OF the text in the
manner Of the western preacher whose discourse
upon the words: " He played upon harp of
&" thousand strings has ust gone the round OF the
newspapers. l was sorry to hear such stun
poured into the ears of the ignorant people around
treatment, and the sermons preached to them
should eschew the discussion of what are called
doctrnsl points, and be devoted to the exposition
ard enforcement of the simplest truths of Chris
tanity. They should be taught, what here at least
they are not taught, that God requires OF them as
the evidence Of their love for Him, to be honest
Industrious, and temperate; 10 train up their
children in lac habits, to be Kind and charitable
10 their neighbors to help those poorer than them
selves, and the example of Christ should be held
I'D TO be followed by them in these and all other
particulars. Where in our theological schools are
there Kind, patient, and religious men, with we'll
trained intellects and the power Of adapting them
selves to the capacities OF mere children, who will
devote themselves to the instr and enhght
epment of the negroes in our midst Ia there not
a field here which needs their labors as much as
the coast of Guinea or Of Mozambique!
The church numbers eighty members, of whom
nearly one quarter are fugitive slaves The
preacher told me that both himself and his wife
were fugitives and when asked him whether he
was not afraid of being sent back to bondage, he
shrugged his shoulders as if the thing were i'm
possible here. 1t is q singular fact that in this
village as in most others where have been, the
mo,t intelligent negroes have run away from the
South. The reason suppose, is that none but
the quick-witted know how to escape.
| regretted to learn that a serious quarrel has
Its caute | DO not know but the difficulty no
doubt has its origin in the merest trihes. The
issue will probably be that the church will divide,
the seceders forming congregation by themselves.
Of course both sections will be so much weakened
that they will lose all their power and vitality.
l wish that some of the clergymen who are
attached to the other churches in the village
would try to find out the causes of this quarrel,
and remove them if the thing be possible.
ba vaili in tended
towards abolition, and the fugitive slave law has
been and is now well nigh a dead letter through
out this region. therefore naturally expected to
find here deep and bitter feeling of indignation
again st the authors of the Nebraska BILL and against
the invasion of Kansas by the people OF Missouri,
and stern determination to make 1t Tree State.
What i. my disappointment to find general apa-
thy upon this subject pervading the village and its
enyirOns Men are absorbed in their haryests, in
building, in buying and selling and getting gain.
They seem to have no heart for higher matters
for the careful nurture of Kansas during its in
fancy free Territory, and her indoctrinstiOn in
New-E Dglapd principles. They are Indifferent
whether, in days TO come, this young Common
wealth shall take its place with Vermont and Mas
sachusetts or with Missouri and Alabama.
What is the reason asked of an acquaint-
ance who seemed to have deeply pondered the
subject, "that the people here feel so little inter
est in the fate Of Kansa, and the questions con-
"nected herewith " Zone reason, | suppose"
he answered, lis, that the evils which win result
from the establishment Of Slavery in Kansas,
affect them too slightly and indirectly They are
prosperous, free AMI happy, and will be none the
worse fol- Slavery In that Territory, except in
some such general way as that in which the
6" well being or adversely of any member Of the re-
"publc affects the rest. You may be sure that if
" the question should come nearer home to them /;
" if the question were whether or not New York
SHOULD be again slayeholding State, there would
abe no lack of earnest feeling among us. This
"is no excuse for apathy, | know-t is only the
treason for it
| was forcbly struck with the dependency Of
this gentleman when discussing with him the prob
able result of the contest which has just begun be-
tween the Slayeboding and the Free States for the
possession of the territories beyond the Mississippi.
u I have 30 belief" he said in substance, that
" we who iDhabit the latter will ever have courage
or strength of will enough to withstand the de-
mands Of the former. When saw at the time
" of the passing Of the Nebraska bill how the
" North succumbed gave up the battle as lost.
But" | answered, "no one can doubt that
" that law was passed in defiance Of popular Opln-
:" ion here" VERY true" he answered, "but
" Douglas and his colleagues knew what plant
" stuff we are made Of and rightly guessed we
" could be cOsxed or buned into acquiescence.
do not know whether this feeling akin to despair
is at all widespread. lit is, it will prove hurtful
to the Republican cause, for nothing unneryes
combatant more than to be unhopefnl OF victory
The Female college, as it is called here, one
might as well speak of male schoolhouse,) ID
nearly ready for the reception Of pupils. 1t ls a
very large but well proportioned building OF brick,
and standing, as it does, upon knoll in the cut
skirts OF the village, it sverooks large portion of
the ChenuDg valley. | am sorry not to be able to
give an outline Of the course OF study and discip-
line m he enforced in tbis academy but / have