Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-07-31

avs affected the mouth principally; other SutAHe
,us affections attacked the whole body. 1t is said
and | believe with truth--that these diseases
arose from two causes. First the incessbnt labor
IN the cane field, causing an irritation in the tkin, I
1ccasioucd 10y a sort OF down with which the canes
are covered; and which, insinuating itself into the
pores Of the skin, soon brought on an eruption that
uatient, bound to labor day by day at the same
work. had no power to check; ON the contrary, the
would increase each day, and at length
RI solve itself iuto some form Of scro9ula. Secondly
this tendency TO scrotula was greatly aggravated
by the universal and continual use OF picked her
rings, shal and other fish, which was the only dc
scriptiun Of animal food allowed to the slaves on
sugar estates. As to elephantiasis, | DO not feel
my self 50 well qualified to speak as to its cause.
it mos, frequently attacked aged Africans in the
days Of slavery. Now it is hardly ever sccn.
/ attribute this remarkable disappearance Of Gu
tanoous diseases 10 The fact that the laboring class
as can now choose their own employment. If
irritation saused 10y be down Of the cane, he need
not return, he can stay Mt home till the irritation
ccuses, or he can choose some other occupation.--
As IA slave, however, he was compelled to work in
the cane field, though he thereby incurred an in
durable desease. Besides, he need no longer live
on picked feb, and tlus increase the tendency to
disease.
We add some further extracts from this letter.
QUESTION ll.-What is the present religious
state Of the Island; compared with tunder Slavery?
ANswER,-The religious Improvement has been
very great. La the time of slavery, there was al.
most u cOmplcte ab-egatiOn Of religion, not only
among the slaves, but also upon a part Of the
white population. The mott irightful immortality
prevailed. Concubinago was the rule, and marriage
The ex ception, and the example set by the whites
was naturally followed by the blacks, and persons
of the mixed races. Sabbath dissertation was all
but universal In fact, in the principal towns,
Sunday Was The principal market day--that being
H. Il. ,,.', -l., ,I.- .l,,a, had ., Ill ,Lptr
surplus provisions, Of the grounds assigned
them for the cultivation OF vegetable food for their
own cOGsump tiOu, and TO purchase their scanty
stock Of necessaries. Sunday, too, was the day
especially set apart by the planters for ieasting
aud jOllity. Drunkenness and debauchery were
the order Of the day, and at night the aouud of the
fiddle added zeot to the Joisterous mirth. But
over some Of the still ggosScr scenes which were
usually enacted | must, in decency, throw the veil
of secrecy.
AT the period Of emancipation, a reaction took
place: and, from the extreme Of apathy in rellgi.
Gus matters, the ierv0r of religious zeal reached
almost to fever heat. Regarding their religious
teachers us the instruments by which their freedom
had been wrought, the 9H0Hdom slaves manifested
their gratitude by the munificeuce Of their contri.
buttons to the various mission funds, and by their
regular attendance on the worship Of God. Ac
cordingly, spacious and elegant chapcls were
erected, and were filed to over flowing jy crowd;
of anxious worshirpcrs, who thus showed, nppar
emily: that a great spiritual change had been eff
%iec!ed in them, Marriages increased, and concu
binage was looked upon at disgraceful. By de
grecs, however, this religious zeal began to abate
contributions to missions became fewer and small
er in amount, ministers Of the Gospel ceared to Ut
regarded with the excessive vencration Of forme
days. and the places of worship to be less frequent
ed. Marriages, too, began to be, perhaps, les
frequently celebrated.
But all this does not prove that vital religion
was as extensively dihused rs il appeared to be-
! 1t is no wonder, therefore, that after IL time, whel
4 the excitement consequent on such Il novel and un
looked.ior state OF things has passed away, thing
should have assumed a more sober apl Nance
:, Such is the fact, but it is no evidence N the d.
CLEMSON Of real, vital, effective. operative religio
among the black population Of Jamaica. On til
y contrary, | have no hesitation in saying that, wit
re less outward show, there is far more of heart r
a ligion among them than during the first few yea
of emancipation. And if marriages among thej
are not quite so frequent row as they was then,
is only because of the then almost universal pra
to tice of marriages taken place between couples wi
&c had formerly lived together in q state of concub
a mage, but which sinful sort Of connection is n
n now so common under the beuefcient influence
Sc II pure morality. Still, there is no denying tn
k there is much room for improvement in both mo
er ais and religion. 1t is to be hoped, however. tina
le with the spread Of intelligence, both will be bette
II. understood and more extensively practiced.
ne QUESTION ILLS there less theft and 9th
to crime now than fOrmelly2
he On the whole, though | have not sufficient da
~ for saying that tLeits are more rare now tha
H. formerly, | can safely declare that the growing a
ne hOrrence of crime, in the more frequent giving |
y, to justice of those guilty of it, and the comparati
he harmlessness Of offences committed in Jamaic
~ seem to be indicative OF more sound morality thf
lul formerly existed.
y, QUESTION lN.-What wages are paid now, al
ais are the people c%oetented with their wages?
IN, In Sespect to the second part VI the questio
ut whether the people are contented with their "
IA ges. | shonld. in the absence of strikes for high
err wages, say they are. But, if their tendency
quit estates, labor and locate themselves on the
Of ireeholds, us soon as they Acquire sufficient mon,
es, lor that purpose, is evidence, 80 the contrary y, thu
Der are not. The fact seems to be, the Jamaica /
ly. gro's aspirations lead him to desire 20 own Ian
ev' ed property, and he is content to work for VII
are he can get, for the attainment Of that end, viii
zen having been accomplished, he acquires u teeli
- Of Independence, rendering him Indifferent iowa
re- engaging in estates labor, without tic induceme
of punctuul payments and civil treatment. III
ted is particularly the case in parishes where yege
BILE provisions are extensively grown. In Trela
I'm ny, however, where the soil is not favorable to t
ca, growth, the peasantry are'driven to labor on t
uld sugar plantations, returning home at night, ho
ever, to their f%reeholds; and the unfortunate vii
POI who has no freehold to retire to is held in SOW
eign contempt. as n sort Of Puril h. by his mt
'' NN'"' - lhliH III
people | have never heard any grumbling abe
free the amount of wages, as long as it is punctua
con paid.
QUESTION Wis emancipation universally
lists knowledged to be a blessing by the ~planters?
the ANswER,-With very few exceptions, such is
riVi' acknowledgment of the planters. Some soren
re- was felt on this subject by the planting commun
own Mt the commencement of the emancipation; and
was manifested in the injudicious overt acts
his ejecting the laborers from the cottages on the Ell
, by ties whore they had lived from infancy, in the
idds struction Of their provision grounds, leading to
ally purchase Of their own f~reeholds, and the cor
the quent independence of estates labor on the 7
ibed Of the peasantry. Time has, however, sorte
ltion down these asperities; and when we see such 4
this as the Hon. Edward Thompson and Hon. lie
: OF WestmOreland-tw two representatives, of the con
man Vative planting Notwithstanding willingly.
1ugh timony, in their places in the House of Assem-
and to the blessing of freedom, and eulogizing the
alton duct Of the emancipated slaves and their desce
or 1t ants, it can De safely affirmed that generally, if
g or quite universally, the planters OF Jamaica
knowledge freedom to be a blessing.
steal QUESTION Wis there much, if fanny, exhibi
a nFl ,f Er ,osf ;,t,n;o0