Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-02-21
MORE TESTIMONY.
THE SOUTH AS SEEN by REV. DIR. DANG

We cannot refrain from placing before
our readers the following extracts from a
letter of Rev. DR.. Bangs, New York
Methodist preacher, who is on a visit
South, which we find in the Methodist, a
truly christian newspaper:
LOUISIANA CONFERENCE.
Before 1 left New York, some of my
friends expressed fears (though l had
none myself that l might meet with
hard usage at the South. But their fears
were groundless. The Louisiana Confer
ence assembled the week after my arrival.
Bishop Early and the preachers received
me as a Christian minister and Christ
ian brother, and in every place, and by all
the people with whom / associated, / was
treated with as much kindness, and warm
hearted friendship as ever before in my
life. The conference is small, about sew
enty preachers, mostly young men, full
of zeal and activity. Some had to SO
seven or eight hundred miles to their
fields of labor; at an expense of one or
two hundred dollars, but they seemed to
go to their work cheerfully. A beautiful
brick Methodist Episcopal church has
Just been erected in Baton Rouge; it was
dedicated the Sabbath after our arrival.
Rev. q. X. Marshall of the Mississippi
Conference, preached the dedicatory SER
mon-an eloquent and glorious discourse
it was, from the words "W orship God" +"
They invited me to preach in the eve
p;no, Jil +bo boef I could ,uith N, W
head rolling and pitchin like the ship |
had just left. Though the members of
this church are comparatively few, they
raised on the day of dedication, the sum
of $4 ,730 towards defraying the expense
of the erection. Was not that noble for
feeble society? They had preaching ev-
cry night and every day at l l A. NJ. during
the session of the conference, and the old
Bishop held a conference prayer meeting
for half an hour at half past eight in the
morning. A glorious revival was the re.
suit; such time as had not been
seen in this pace-the house filled every
night, and more than fifty professed con-
version and Joined on probation.
On Friday, the 10Th of Dec, I left
Baton Rouge for Port Gibson, Miss. the
residence of my son-in-law, the Rev. b.
Jones' Port Gibson must be charming
little town in the summer, with its neat
houses sheltered by tasteful shrubbery,
and the rich foliage of the trees. My
visit was unfortunately made at that sea-
son when rain and mud predominates in
the country; SO its beauties were not SO
apparent
| seemed to have arrived, however, in
in the season of dedcations- The Pres
byterian church Of this place was conse-
Grated on the 17th, by the Rev. Dr. Breck
inridge, President Of the Oakland College
Mississippi. His sermon and prayer for
the Union did me good. l felt like Civ
ing good Methodist shout, and told him
so. Hearing that was in town, one of
their deacons waited upon me with po-
lite request that would preach for them
in the evening, to which | cheerfully con-
seuted. The Lord helped me to speak
the truth in love~the sermon was loud
and long enough to have been good one
On the afternoon of the same Sabbath,
preached to the blacks in the Methodist
Episcopal church. | en- oyed it much.
and they seemed to feel "mighty" we'll
too.--before service closed they began to
walk around and shake hands with "old
massa." Some of them, | believe,
thought cold massa" did not use big
words enough, but talked to them too
much as they were little children. One
of them had his hymn book, started the
tunes and closed with prayer.
SLAVERY.
The relation of master and slave has
never to my satisfaction, been proved a
sin. That there were great evils eonnec.
ted with it. or that may grow out Of it,
have no doubt. SO are there evils that
may result from the marriage relation, OF
the relation of parent and child, but this
does not prove the relation itself to be &
sin. A great change has come over tn,
political feeling both North and Sorth
within the last twenty-five years. One
extreme begets another. The extreme
measures OF the North upon this subject
have driven the South into the opposite
extreme. Heretofore there were thous
snds at the South who considered slavery
an evil, but necessary evil, which they
know not how to remove; but now, at
as far as | could learn, they have come tC
the conclusions that the institution" X
right and scriptursl. and she best STATE
possible for the blacks. will not stoy
to argue the point at all, merely stat,
the fact. AS to the physical coalition o
the slaves at the South, believe they ar,
far better off than the free blacks of tn,
North-bctter fed, better clothed, bette
housed, aud do less work. They appear
the happieSt set of people to be found
their masters and mistresses have all tn,
care aud expense. am told that th
laws of Louisiana and Mississippi ar
very severe in protecting tho slave. Tn,
Mothodists are doing great work among
them. Many missionaries on the planta
tions--some of them are paid by TIN
r planters themselves. some by the Mission
, AIRY society, and some congregations o
blacks in New Orleans support them
selves. I conversed with brothe
preacher, who is constantly laboring am
ong this people, and he gave q thrilling
account of his mission.
The movements of the abolitionists O
the North have been productive of evil
: and only evil to tho masters and slaves
| exasperating the former and causing then