Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-11-24
Among the Freedmen.
BY CHAPLAIN sxLAu MERRILL.

and their use of them, Is very amusing.
They frequently omit the first syllable OF
word, or change it in some way so as to
make it sound most ridiculous. For in
stance, an my meeting, one man in prayer
used these expressions We get down on
the bows of our sinful knees ; we have
sinded wild a high hand; we are de objects
of their 'dignation and wrath : I'VE have
set to-day under the drIppons of thy sanctu-
ary' One man in leading the hymn the
always read two lines, which are sung, and
then two more)-came to the line.
When this poor isping, stammering
tongue, which he gave in a sing-song, tone
as follows:
When dis poor slimmering, slammering
tongue and he was followed BY the audi
encc who sung it exactly as he gave it out.
Sometimes an officer would be sent around
the picket line to instruct the men for the
day. One day the instructions were TO look
out for flag of truce The picket officer,
when he came along asked one man what his
instruc ions were, who replied. All dc
distinctions got, sab, was to look out for
a flag OF troops
The camp guard, of three reliefs, had
rack for their guns near my quarters, and
one morning they bad long dispute as to
the place for the guns of each relief. The
dispute ran high, and was at length settled
by man with a stentorian voice somehow
in the following style Gen linen, Ill tell
you how dis is de iust belief puts der gum,
dar and de second belief puts der guns DE- r
and de third belief is on duty
We had often occasion TO speak o. tbs
'pest-house.' az well as to send men there
and some got and idea that there We're two
syllables to the word Ipest. Some used 70
speak Of II as de express house : and one
man who had been sent there wi tn yarioloid
on his return was asked where, he had becn
and replied to de confess house. sab
What was the matter with. you, George -
swell, sah.' he replied, Il don't exactly
know ! b'lieye dey ealled it de very loose !,
Sometimes the freedmen get a mart of
some common idef., as a text OF Scripture for
instance, and then make up the rest from
their own inveition, And again they will
get the fr.ct or idea correct, but locate il
wrongly. Ii is very common tor them 20
| give tie following turn to a familiar text =.
Paul may plant, and polish with water, but
il won't do
One of my men preached one night from
John Vi. 81, which he repeated thus: Whose
/
hath eternal life and / will raise hiurrIn
at the last day. Believe this and be happy
| supposed be intended the last sentence as
comment OF his own, until in the progress OF
the discourse he would speak TO them be
said, from the last clause Of the text. name
! iy, Believe this and be happy 1t is also
common to hear the blacks discourse upon
the themes OF self-reliance, and independ-
f-..r, 81,
on It's own bottom, which they insist is good
Scripture
In meeting one night heard a speaker
say, Brethren, will proceed to tell YOU
about Jesus Christ who was born in de Gar
| den OF Eden And one of their exhorters
said to me one day, in speaking Of the devils
which entered the herd of swine. You
/ know, sab, that Christ went over into Sen
esls, and saw man who was full of evil
| spirits who said that there name was legion
many. These spirits, sab, were 50 power
! tul that they went out of this man and drove
two thousand sheep into the river near by
As the last incident illustrates that their
/ preachers are not all accurate scholars. so
the following will illustrate it, and also that
theE are neither all strictly honest A
! preacher was brought to the c0lonel's quar-
tiers one day charged with stealing (IIe
was really guilty. The colonel made his
examination and in the course Of il drew out
the following You are preacher. are
/ YOU? Yis, sab, said the man We'll,
do you preach that 1t Is wrong to lie and
steal and then 90 and lie and steal yourself?'
No, sab, he replied does not lie and
steal myself: and breaches to my people
that if they lie and steal they will 20 to
place where they will be tormented forever
with fire and grIndstones -
One day met man who had Just come
through the lines, who said to me, Sab, |
wants to hire out to do nothing To do
nothing | repeated with surprise ooh
no, | forgot, he replied; to do something,
| mean
In Sunday school | was once catechizinc
some small children about various things.
and among other questions | asked bright
eyed little boy the common one, Who made
you, sirp Abe Linkun,' was his loud
and hearty response.
One Of my friends went to hear colored
preacher on a certain evening, and to his
surprise found the man a very fluent speaker,
and very sensible and eloquent withal. Yet
the matter of the discourse seemed to him
quite familiar. he thought no more of it.
however, until the next Sunday, when he
happened TO be looking over a volume of
Surgeons sermons where he found the very
one which the colored brother had delivered
with so much grace. and, at least, original
ieryor Thus it appears that the practice of
pulpit pillering' is not confined exclusively
to the.white clergy.
One brother, in meeting, desirous Of ex-
pressing his JOY, said, Bredren, | am awful
happy | feels as if had fiddle in my
hearti'
At a military examination where | was
present one day, negro was testifying about
some party whom he called Jim Jim
who? asked the president. Well, Sab,
Jim want exactly his name; nv name is
Robert, but they call me Bob:' my full
name is Robert Sledge, but they always call
me Bob Sled''
was intensely amused one day at a man
who had forgotten his wife's name. Sh
was one of the hundred fo- whom had OBJ
tanned passes, and / had taken her name and
knew what it was, but was anxious 10 see |
what he would say; so l said, If you don't |
tell me your wife's name how can give YOU |
pass for her?' We'll, sab. he replied. |
l dun forgets her name jis now But !
salu L, you must uil me. Anu Nnlle ne |
stood thinking asked, What do you think |
it was Do you think it was---Abraham,
or was it--MCsesP well, massa chap
ten. he replied, | dun no exactly; but |
guess 1t was Abraham Moses! looked at
him expecting to see him laugh, but the
poor fellow was serious about 1t. | then
read over halt dozen names until came to
: Virginia Blossom, when he exclaimed;
All massa ehapten, OATS 1t. dat'sItl'
Springfield Republican.