The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-09-15

io' "io NV octIcT tuau Inc Ola Lney CduuOt ps
worse.
Gerrit Smith and Christy, tho Minstrel
the Two Great Niger Philosophers OF
the Age.
In the Tribune of Monday Last, Mr.. Gerrii
Smith publishes long letter to President Lin
coin about the war, slavery, the constitution
and other matters, in which ne entirely mis-
represents General Fremont's proclamation,
which is measure of war, cOnfiscating the
slaves Of rebel owners, and having no beNr-
ing whatever on the general subject of slavery
For the past twenty years Mr.. Gerrit Smith
and MIR. Christy have been before the public as
the great representative negro philosophers and
exhibiters, and 1t is little curious to notice the
peculiarties, differences and antagonsms in the
styles OF these two great managers and of their
respective corps. Each has done his prcttiest
to take the shine out of the others darkies,
but opposition has been the soul of business
to both Of these managers, and it is very hard to
decide whether Smiths speeches and pamphlets
have developed the negro most or whether Chris
TVS songs and dances have done most to recon-
mend Smiths negroes to the consideration of
the public The details of an African race, so
close and so well contested, are worthy the at
tenton of our readers.
Both Smith and Christy are philosophers;
but Smiths philosophy is of that morose,
sullen, gloomy typo which prefers tears to
smiles and groans to laughter, and is never so
happy as when it is perfectly miserable. Chris
TVS philosophy, on the contrary, is hearty
and joyous, with just enough admixture of
tears and sorrow to make the fun more
enjoyable, as coquettish April delights us
equally with her showers or her sunshine. Both
are philanthropists but Smiths philanthropy
consists in making people discontinued with
their present lot; assisting niggcrs to ellis they
know not Of" via tho underground railroad,
and providing them either with barber shops
and oyster stands at Chatham, Canada, or with
lots of wild land, luxuriant in rocks, stones,
briars and skunk cabbages, in the northern part
of York State Christy's philanthropy, on
the other hand, is more genial, wise, diffused and
practical. Towards his darkeys it displays
itself in large salaries and not too much
work towards the public, in admonitions
~
"never to despise man who wears a ragged
coat" to "laugh and grow fat" or man
fully to "pully off your coat and rolly up
your sleeve, for Jordan am hard road to ira
bel, l believe" Both are Christians but
Smith belongs to only one church, and that
is Of the rigidly religious and piously Puritan
school; church which reads the Bible
Gas through a glass, darkly," and translates
"Egyptian" into Southern stakeholder" and
"Israelites" into " African slaves" wherever
there is any reference to bondage, emancipation
or deivcrance; but insists that servant does
not mean "slave," whenever Onesimus i'll
trudes himself, or Christ says servants, be ODE
dent unto your masters"--a church in which
all the singing is done through the nose, to
very long metre time; so that to be a sing
ing saint, in good voice and standing, of the
se-God-in-the-l lth-Psalm" style of man,
it is necessary to have quite as much wind
rs piety. Now, Christy belongs to a dozen
different churches, and so has eleven more
chances than Smith of reacl8ng Heaven
safely and in good condition. He is not content
with long-winded metres, does not leave the
devil and the concert saloons all the best tunes
but supplies all denominations from his ample
stock of melodies, and old-fashioned fugues are
displaced by CHEEKY glees, in this Style:
Jerusalem, my happy homo!
Du dab, du dab
Soon Is die to you III come
Diddy iddy du dab da,
Or by the graver and more plaintive melodies
of Lille Dale
Oh, Heaven /! bright Heaven
Oh, Heaven Of the best
How long to be there
In Its trump!lS to share
Aud to lean Abrams breast.
His religion, too, eschows all political Chris
tianity-for the sole Abram" above referred
to is not Old Abe Lincoln-and will have
none of Smiths political sermons at any price.
Smith paints his darkey blacker than he
really is, while Christy gives us the brightest
side of this dark subject. Smiths negroes are al
ways weeping, wailing, moaning, crashing their
teeth and clanking their chains I; they are al
ways being beaten, outraged and kicked about
by Massa Legrees; they are always doing a SUI
pernatural amount of work and being dashed
for doing it; they arc always assembling in
dismal swamps, and, though the most pious of
Sinners are always plotting blood, and massacre,
and murdered masters and mstresses. and fire.
dom, and all that sort of thing, and, when let
loose, are equally dangerous to the public.
Smiths Cufee, who got into the Chicago plat
form, has ruined his friends and damaged his
foes; Smiths irrepressible Niger has involved
us all in civil war. Indeed, SO well is the fire.
brandish nature of Smiths negroes now under
stood, that one has only to raise the cry of ga
niger in the fence" and the public indignant
ly shout, "hustle him out" although the fence
itsclf-political, philantliropic or literary-be
ruined in the operation. 1t was this cry which
destroyed the Tract Society and smashed up the
May anniversaries. Smiths negroes are re-
sponsible for it all. But Christys troupe pre-
sent us different and more enjoyable views of
Southern life. They are always singing happy
songs, or laying down the shovel and the hoe
and taking up the fiddle and the bow to assist
in tripping what pleasant Dick Swiveller calls
"the light fantastic They love their masters
and if nassa is so unfortunate as 10 die, then
Down in the corDfed
Hear that mournfu sound,
q Ill