Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1862-04-23
How the Negroes Of The District Of Columbia
Receive their Promised Emancipation.


Tn anticipation Of the lberty-day that
seems so near to them, the slaves all over
the city. aud the free negroes, who are con-
nected with them by the ties of Kindred
and sympathy, are dressed in their best to-
day any of them in their seedy best, to
be sure), and are assembled to celebrate
this Sabbath as day of praise and
Thanksgiving. | have talked with several
"candidatesn this evening. from whom |
gather that this Thanksgiving Day" has
been kept joyously in nearly all OF their
seyenteeg CHURCHES. There seems to
have been preconcert among them, and
the afternoon was devoted to love-feasts.
attended the Bethel Church, near the
Capitol, this morning. The black clergy
man preached a very good sermon from
the text, "It God be for Us, who can be
against us r. to an audience OF 200 or 800
of his own people,
He spoke of the deliyerance of Moses
and the children of Israel from bondage;
and by a natural transition, referred to the
condition Of the slaves in America, and es-
pecially in this District. He thanked the
Lord most fervently that he had been per-
mitted to live to see this day; 40 years ago
he was tarred and feathered in Washing
ton because he would preach the Lord
Jesus as be- understood it; "but now,
shouted the sable speaker, .'let Ethiopia
lift up her hands to God, for a great good
is coming out of this war "A good for
me, for us, and for our people, whom
every nation has set its heel upon His
audience was boisterously joyous, from the
beginning to the end Of bis discourse. Of
course, the expressions ami demonstrations
were extravagant-truct to the quick fancy
aud feryent hearts OF the race. Some
rubbed their hands in glee, some laughed
outright, some leaped in the air or twisted
themselves into grotesque attitudes as II
their Joy was too intense to be entertained
at a said perpendicular; many shouted
"Glory to Godr' "IIallelujah" "Anen 7!
"The blessed day has GOMEZ" &c.; while
nearly all were in tears. When the speak
er thanked the Lord that the slaves were
to be free, the jubilee became utterly IN
deSoiitable. What a Babel Of triumphant
voices An old "aunt," off in the right
hand upper coraer, shouted and wept per-
sistently. Probably she had a reason for
it, | thought-perhaps two or three OF
them, helpless, and in the hands Of the
kidnappers. "Glory to God~ said the
preacher, solemnly and slowly. "G!ory
10 LoYejoy" yelled voice at the right
that belonged to strongly built mulatto.
"No,' commanded the speaker Instantly.
II tell you glory to Godf' for he seemed
determined from the first word that God
should have undivided praise refusing to
give moiety to the President or Con-
gress. "A pair Of hands clcnched spas
medically the top Of tie seat in which |
twas sitting. | looked back and the man
was hopping up and down, as if he had
just caught a glimpse OF Heav~ n, and pres
emily interrupted the speaker by trying Of
sing, 81 am bound for the land of Canaan
His face bore q deep scar across the nose,
and tears We're streaming from the long
burrows Of bis cheeks. He had seen
thirty years, perhaps, and the light gray
rags that he gathered about him told me
that he had "come out of the house Of
bondage" Most Of the hearers were part
y white; many were mulattoes, quadroons,
oltofoons-and one or two women, | i'm
agined, would attract attention, for their
good looks, on Broadway. But what IA
day Of sunshine it was to the stricken
souls! They seemed to think little Of the
kidnappers; they were full of hope, and
looked ahead. Such a chorus of exulta-
ton | never heard before; such joyful pes
lures | never beheld--it was spectacle
for man and angels.