Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-05-21

LETTER FROM NsaS.

LETTER FROM KANSAS.
I'VE have been handed the following inter-
esting letter by the gentleman to whom it is
addressed. 1t was not designed by the writer
for publication but as it treats of subject
ly interested, the liberty of giving publicity
to it has been taken by one who hopes that
good may be accomplished thereby.l
COUNCIL CRY, March 10th, 1856.
Rev. j. J. HAMILTON My dear, dear Broth
er:-I received your short letter by way of
George. Now just want to ask whether you
were flying when you wrote it, for certainly
felt much as if had pair of wings when
read it, but only to fly one way: for thousand
silken chords seemed to draw me toward you
SO strongly that l fairly began to be afraid of
my bondS-afraid lest 1 could never break
them, and afraid that they weuld break. My
heart seemed to jump up in my throat and fiut-
ter about so, that for some time / could not
get it calmed down again to its proper place.
Indeed it did not seem as if We could be so far
apart. and if we live, hope we may not be so
great while, but don't know.
have just been reading in the Banner a
proposition TO substitute Christian colonial
tion. in place of foreign missions. Now it
does seem to me as if that is Just the thing.
Only in the first place let the colony be prop
erly selected and organized. Let all branches
of labor be duly and economically represent
ed; and in all things show the heather how to
live. grow more and more persuaded that
reform in the use Of our bodies must accompa-
ny any high attainment in godliness. This re-
form may precede that spiritual change which
is the beginning of Christianity, to a great ex-
tent. A man may fully conform to the laws of
nature in respect to his body without ever be-
coming christian. But he cannot make much
progress in godliness, without such reforma-
tion accompanies it. The cannibal must re-
form his practices. The raw beef-eater of Alb
yssinia must reform. The drunkard among
ourselves, must reform; and all the coffee,
whiskey, tea, tobacco, pill and potion takers,
must leave off these things, at least to great
extent, before they can attain a very high de-
gree of godliness. To this end we should Join
every endeavor to deliver ourselves, together
with the rising generation, out OF all these bad
habits into which We have fallen, for in so do
ing we shall have taken an indispensable pre-
paratory step toward chrstianizing them.
But set out to write to you few words on
another subject. You cannot but have noticed
that have said almost nothing in my former
letters, on the subject of slavery. This was
for fear that they would never reach you if I
did. Two of the letters which sent to George,
as near as can learn, never got there and
some of those that he did get, he told me, had
evidently been opened. Early in the season
our letters went to Westport, and the ?. N. at
that place is the man whom the Missourians
elected for our Sheriff, that is in the adjoining
county, and who led them at the raid of last
December. Our letters now go to Indepen-
dence, the P. N. of which is more honorable,
as we believe.
The lost letters were suppressed, as / sup
pose, because OF some reference to what saw
at Hickory Point, on my way out. This is
the same place where Dow was shot. Well,
in the Spring, on my way here, stopped at
Bull Creek, pro-slavery stopping place, II
miles east of Hickory Point. Here / heard
dark hints about hurricanes, cabins blown
down, &c. Agreeably to this, saw four cab
ins torn down at Hickory Point. 1t appeared
that the Missourians had begun to settle there,
and were determined to keep eastern men from
settling around them, at all hazards. The
Yankees soon came in, however, in such num-
bers, that they couldn't carry on the game !;
for they got pretty large company there,
armed with Sharp's rifles, and drilled to suit
the times. l now write to let you know that
my former sentiments on this subject have
been intensely aroused by coming here; and
if this letter don't reach you, mean, (if not
killed first, l may be,) to re-write it, in SUBJ
stance, and send it by some one going east,
completely past that blighted state. wish l
were with you while to talk the matter over
for writing is so tedious to me, as suppose it
is to yourself and almost everybody But to
get back to this detestable, abominable, horri-
BILE, cabin-tearing, man. killing thing of slave
ry. Why, it's almost every thing that's bad /!
And yet we're told that it is christian-o yes
Is it not Christ-like7 Are not its fruits holy,
and pure, and gentle, and lovable7 Just the
things to awaken our better feelings, and draw
out our nobler sentiments To restrain our
bad passions, such as hate, and lust, &c. But
must hold on, or shall get excited, and it's
altogether too cool yet for that. But I do
want to see christians moro free to consider
the scriptural validity of chattel slavery.
All creatures are the property of the Crea-
tor, and no creature can have any right to sx-
ercise any control over another, without the
appreciation of Him who is the source of all
authority. Now, for my part can find no
commission emanating from God for the prac-
ticc of chattel slavery; if indeed for any SER
vitude whatever. except that due to himself.