The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-06-09
Thanksgiving Day at Washington.


their churches, some dozen in number, were
thronged, pew and aisle, morning, afternoon
and evening. A correspondent of the New
York Tribune, who attended the evening ex-
ercises at Ashby Chapel, thus describes them ::
The devotional exercises were led by a
Methodist clergyman from New Bedford,
Mass, whose name has escaped me, but a
man with heart alive to the sympathies OF
the occasion The singing, led by full choir,
the congregation swelling the joyful choruses
with their hundreds OF glad voices, was such
as [ never before heard in church or cathe-
dral A sermon, with g the occasion for his
text, was delivered by Rev. Mr.. Cook of
Pennsyl vanla, young man, and, UNDER
stand, in some capacity connected with the
army and | can best describe the effort by
saying that it was n fit sermon for the text
Its imaginary was magnificent; its rebuke OF
the sneerug defenders OF oppression as sharp
as Damascus blade, and its recital Of no
bier incentives and It's appeals for higher
lite as string as the long roll call to battle.
And it moved that responsive audience to the
highest pitch of enthusiasm. The African
gutturals of APPLAUSE were sbowercd upon the
eIoqueat young preacher thick and fast he
hearty" AmeDs," the " Bless the President,
toe " Praise the good Congress-, and tie
" Hallelu abs and the cries " Thanks,
thanks - were angel visits Of genuine feeling,
but neither le" nor tar between; but ABOVE
ali, in the highest treble and IN the lowest
bass, SNeicd the shouts of GLORY to God
in the highest
The Sc mon eft he congregation upon the
Mount of Freedom. Nothing was in order
but slngin- and So the choir started ia
blIaut hymn to the good tune OF L" America"
After singing, a brother rose in the congrega-
ton aud suggested that they should manifest
their thankluness by a collection for the ben.
eft OF the hundreds or contrabands coming to
Washington from all sections of Northeastern
Virginia. Every face showed its sympathy
with the suggestion. One intensely black man,
who had himself been slave, and is now
teamster for the government, seconded the mo-
ton with few hearty and seosble words.
and urged that the contribution be 500,
opening il himself with a s. Treasury note
Some imid ones said 500 was too large
collection to expect, but earnest men aud VIC.
men al over the house, rich in their new pos
session, insisted upon the 500, and the sac
ramentai table was brought to the front of the
altar, and the way the Good Samarltans
tuou95d the right side Of charity and voted
with their dollars, halves, quarters, and dimes,
vas lesson to misers and a glory TO Ethiopia.
During the collection, series o! colored
exhortatiJns passed through al the bounds of
wit and humor and pathos. One eloquent
fellow appealed to his brethreo, saying I've
been with you twenty-two years, you
never heard me speak before; and do it now
b,cau | am moved to it BY the Holy Ghost.
Another proposal, as sentiment, All houor
to CD be given, and praise to the two houses
| OF Congress aud Abraham Lincoln. Another
carrying u basket, and receiving the silver
fragments OF i broken dollar rennysou
dimes, haIt.dImes and three cent pieces, made
the graphic remark 1t takes so long to make
river with drops Then, when So were yet
wanting to make the one hundred, voice
| fiom the rostrum to the choir cried out, Sing,
brudder jerks, dc Shining Shore dat Will
bring the silver down But one stauzl had
been completed, when the SANE cried out
Stop stop de hundred is raised If we
should take another cent we should tortify our
word, for we said we wanted one hundred dol.
lars Notice was given OF an evening school
in the Vestry, for learning adults to read,
aud that the Sacrament OF the Lords Supper
would be administered In that church or next
Sabbath morning and with another hymn
and the benediction, the meeting closed.