Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-02-26

rrnDn the Ne,r York Observer.

From the New York Observer.
One afternoon, among the scontrabands'
brought into Eastport, on the Tennessee
river, was man whom | Judged to be
about forty-five years old, and who, after
the wagons were unloaded, silenced the
whole batch of black jabberers by announ-
cing-
"De cullered folks (and white gemmen,
if daise-a-mind-tol mus member dat de
glory must be gibben to Gor-a-mighty
for dis 'sponsible 'casionl Ole Jack will
call your 'fectionate minds to de right spot
whence all de blessins flow, dis berry af-
ternoon, jest bout sundown, for sce'se most
to de happy land Of Canaan"
That was notice of preaching, and /
promised myself to be there, for was one
of the "aOlite gensnaen" who was " "a-pand-
to-"
= + = X
The introduction of religious exercises
was by singing. Some of the crowd, with
clear, sweet voice, led of, with,
"Come dou fount OBJ ebery bressin,
Tune my heart to sin dy praise.
Soon the dear old familiar tune and its
haIlowed associations touched the heart
and then the words, eI
"Teaeh me some rnelodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
were carried by volume of melody-on
the night air, with too much soul and fer
yer to allow thought about negro pro
nunciation.
At the close of the hymn, Ole Jack
moved to a slight 6se of the ground from
which he could be seen by those around,
and commenced his sermon. His text
was, ''Whar de chillum of Izzul was tryin'
to leab de Ian of Egyp, when de hole Ian
was dark, SO dark dat you could take hold
OBJ It, and feel um, like de black clof on de
coffin, bsa the clsillsna Of Lzzsa had light IN
dar dtOellin."
The whole sermon was delivered, not in
the oratorical style of his people, but in a
genial, kindly way he talked, as though
che opened his mouth and taught them,
saying"
e In de fus place." the negroes, slaves,
were like the children of Israel in Egypt
under hard taskmasters. Moses was their
deliverer Abraham Lincoln the deliver
of the slaves Naming the plauges in
their order, as recorded, he with much in-
genuity found counterpart in some woe
that had fallen upon this country, or that
he had heard had afflicted the people from
time to time. "And now," said he, join
ing two of the plaques, "dere is just upon
dis berry time, de dear dead body OBJ de
fus-born (or wusser yet, OBJ de fader and
husban, cold and bloody in every house in
de Ian; and all is dark in de hole 'Nited
States, so dat nobody can see de fus sign
of a track IN de aOoods. Nobody can tell
who he run against, it is so dark; or how
to git back home again, it is so dark; he
can do muffin but stan still and feel it bit
de chillam of Lzzad hab light az der d,OeIlin.
Ebery cullered man, ebery slave got his
eye on de light, it talks to him, it sings to
him, it do his work for him, it play wild de
chiIlen. De slave got de light in de
quarters While he look at it, he know
it viii neber go out. No, neberl tank de
LordI and it warm him, it feed him, it tell
him, Neber mind de dark long night, Use
gwi'ne to last till mornin.
Another illustration was this. You
white gemmen don't know what it is dat
make de nigger happy tonight. We'se
all on the same spot; de same ground un-
der de foot; de same moon ober de head !;
de same nbber running by; but It am no
more to you den any Odder ribber dat
bring you, and swim de steamboats, wild de
loads of more sojers and plenty to eat; it
am only de nice ribber, and it look nice
tonight, IF yoW tink Oh it; an tonight is
muffin to you but berry nice night, like
las night, tomorrow night-bUt to me, and
desc ere cullered pe'ple it mean more den
eber you have sperience. To-day is de
fus day we draw de full long bret, and
neber tink to look all roupd, see whose
coming! Dis night we sing, and we pray,
and we glib glory to Gor-a-mighty, and
don't borry de time to do it. we does it
us-selves, we don't long to anybody, we'se
for de fus time free.
"Dat shiny riber am line oh light in
de life OBJ desc ere black pe'ple We'se
coined to shore! Mornin and night, from
now, from de bank of dis Tennessee, is
Gor-a-mighty's time II IS sup-ap to de
niggerf = DIS night am unspeaka6le, and
full of joy%