Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-06-12

free. and would do as he I'D pleased.
He had previously been class leader in
his church. but after getting free papers,
he forsook his previous associates, and
spent his Sundays and evenings In bar
room. He neglected his business; people
lost confidence in him. and step by step
he went down, till in FIVE years he sunk
into a wre.ched grave. That was the eff
feet of freedom on him. and it would be so
on all his race
1t is clear replied, he conld not bear
freedom. but that does not prove he might
not have endured it il he had never been
a slave. His overjoy at obtaining liberty.
after so long struggle for it. led to his
excuses and his ruin. According to your
view. neither the black nor the poor white
is competent to take care of himself. The
Almighty. therefore. has laid upon you a
triple burden: you not only have to pro-
vide for yourself and your children, but for
two races beneath You. the black and the
clay eating white man. The poor niger
has hard time. but it seems to me You
have harder one.'
We'll. it's fact, we do. often think
that If it wasn't for the color and the odor,
I'd be glad to. exchange places with my
man jim ~
The Colonel made this last remark in a
half-serious. half-comic way. that excited
my risibilities amazingly; but before |
could reply. the carriage stopped. and
jim. opening the door. announced:
Yves h'ar, massa, and de pfayin am
gwine on
Had we not been absorbed in conversa-
ton. we might have discovered the latter
fact some time previous to our arrival at
the church-door, for the preacher was
shouting at the top of his Iupgs. He evi-
IDENTIFY thought the good Lord either a
long way off. or very har1 of hearing
Not wishing to disturb the congregation
at their devotions, we loitered near the
doorway until the prayer was over. and in
the mean lime / glanced around the prem
Uses.
The meeting house, of large unhewed
logs. was a story and half in height.
and abe~t- large enough to seat comfo'ta
thy a congregation of two hundred per-
sons. II was covered with shingles. with
a roof projecting some four feet over the
wall. and was sarmounted at the front
gable by tower. about twelve feet square,
This also was built of logs. and contaire l
bell to call the erring to the house of
prayer though. unfortunately. all OF that
character shereabouts dwelt beyond the
sound of its voice. The bnlling was To-
Gated at a cross road about equally dis
tant from two little hanlets. 1.-THE nearest
nine miles off. neither of which was
populous enough to siugly support a
church and preacher. The trees in the
vicinity had been thinned out, SO that the
carriages could drive in the woods. and
find under the branches shelter from the
rain and the sun. and at the time of my
visit, about twenty vehicles Of all sorts and
descriptions. from the Colonel's magnifi-
cent brouche to the rule cars drawn by a
single two-horned quadruped. filled the
openings. There was a rustic simplicity
about the whole scene that charmed me.
The low. rude church. the garnd old pines
that lowered in leafy magnifcence around
it. and the soft. low wind. that sung a
morning hymn in the green. wavy woods,
seemed to liftthe soul up to Hin who in
habiteth eternity. but who also visits the
erring children of men,