Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1862-12-26
FO X THIS WEEK
BY :. b. HARRISON.

As | sit down to write, my
wife and the Young woman who
lives with US, are singing old An
tl-Slavery songs. The familIal
words and air carry my thoughts
back to the early days OF the
struggle, when such songs were
sung oitener than they are now
Why do We never sing them q
late 3? Is it because people fee
too deeply aud earnestly Tor sing
ing g?
1t is said that there is not vel
any song that is real expression
Of the SPrlt OF the time: and some
have wondered at this, and have
urged that in crisis like this
there ought to lie song which
should be the Cause set 10 mu-
sIc; and which, utierIng the voice
o. the hour, should stir all hearts
like lrumpet-call. We have
m such song; but perhaps 1t Is
because the time for singing has
not come. Men sing before the
battle; sometimes after 1t; but moi
IN the fierce agony OF the conflict
They may pray, or hey may
curse, but they do not sing wher
they are feeling for each others
hearts with sharp steel. When
the Right has trlumphed, wheI
the enemies of L'brrty are crush.
ed, and our country is Tree, we
shall again hear the voice oil the
people IN song. 1t will be the
anthem OF Victory On tie lip,
OF millions who never sung be-
fore, 1t will be the anthem of de-
! verence.
Bu; | was thinking of the time
when the movement against Op
preston was in It's infancy. !
remember an anti slavery meet
ing held in our neighborhood in
Green Comfy, OHIO, about TWEEN.
tv years ago The lecturer ;
name was Withrow. He was
very earnest; did not reason much
but denounced all opponents in a
strain Of bitter invective. He
seemed amply able 10 give them
scOrp tor ecorn.
When he had done speaking,
three or four Inan sung some an
tI-slsvery songS-"l am an abo-
litionist," and one OF which |
can recall only the chorus
"Thr hounds are br,virC on lny track;
Oh. ChEnti "a VII yo4 s,nd lae hack"
There was no disturbance that
night, bu; tew days alter, as the
same lecturer was going TO meet
ing three or tour miles from our
place, he was -"al layed and fired
Ola; pistol ball passing through
his clothes, and cutting OF his
svatch-guar,. heard many
people express regret that ii had
not gone through his heart.
This man was not a specimen
Of the better lass of anti slavery
people; though there were doubt
less many among them who were
not the best people in the world.
Many wi o descended to the leve
Ot Their adverSarleS, and when
they were reviled, did revile a
gain. There were some, too,
Proies>ed friends of ;he cause.
who were not controlled by prIp-
eiple; whose lives were manifest
ly unworthy; aud who were thus
greatly in the way Of success.
But this has been true of every
other good movement. Precise
ly the same thing has always alb
structed the progress OF Christi
anlty.
1t is agreed that many OF the
anti slavery saints were not very
sanity people. Very humane
reiOrmerS they were; somewhat
saliiSh-stubborn, for stubborness
i necessary element in the
character OF a martyr; but they
hbo,ed and suffered, ant some
OF them d cd, Tor the cause.
There may have heen fanati-
cisn among then, too, (if any
bCdy knows just wat that iS.)
but We know, and the world will
know sometime, that among ihe
pioneers OF the Anti Slavery
movement were some OF the pur
est and nohlest spirits that ever
battled for the Rights of Man in
our own or any other land.
December 18th 1862.
Seventeen vIollns were recent