Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-05-09
AMONG THE NEGROES OF FLORIDA.
A Letter from Mrs. Hasrisf Bsschsr stowe

From the Boston watchman and Rehestor.l
On Sunday evening, after our arrival
in Jacksonville, we expressed wish to
visit the meetings of the colored people:
q thing quite easy to do, as there were
two very large, active prayer meetings-
the one Baptist and the other Methodist,
within stones throw of each other on
the green, which forms sort of central
point in the place. We entered, and
found very plain but respectable room,
almost filled with the worshippers, with
a pulpit and raised platform at one end.
The greater proportion were the pure, let
black, unmixed Ethiopian-the admix-
ture of lighter tints much less than we
have often seen. The women, especially
the elder ones, appeared in the charac-
teristic turban, which ia so becoming and
were dressed with scrupulous neatness.
An ancient negresS, Gttired in her
Sunday best, with her high turban, her
apron, her neatly crossed handkerchief,
has something weird and sibyline In her
blackness and gravity, and there were
rows Of these dark sisters sitting, like
solemn birds of augury, on the benches
round the pulpit.
A black preacher and exhorter occupi-
ed the desk in front Of the pulpit, and
two grave, whiteheaded old negroes sat
above him in the shadow of the dimly
lighted pulpit. The exhorter stumbled
through chapter of the sermon on the
Misunderstanding painfully and with slow
pauses, but with most earnest devotion,
and then he exhorted and prayed. After
this, Rev. Mr.. Kennedy offered few re-
marks and prayer. t-..t
l noticed that the wierd sisters In the
turbans paid the most absorbed attention,
and when any speaker made APPOINT that
struck them, would nod their heads with
gravity. and murmur, "Dat's so.n In
the singing, however, everybody seemed
to vibrate as If they had all been struck
mical movement of the heads, hands and
feet of the whole mass, and it seemed
difficult to restrain more responsive ac-
tions. ..r
We had expressed the desire to hear
them sing some of their own peculiar
religious melodies in their own way
The fact is, the negroes have two entirely
distinct styles of singing; one closely
initiated from the white people, which
is solemn, dull and nasal, consisting in
repeating two lines of a hymn, and then
singing it, and then two more, al irfRi-
tam. They use for this sort of worship
that one everlasting melody, which may
be remembered by all persons familiar
ings, as applying equally we'll to long,
short or common metre. This style" Of
proceedings they evidently consider the
more digniiied style of the two, as being
closer imitation of white, genteel wor-
ship-having in it about as little soul as
most stereotyped religious forms of well
instructed congregations. The other
style of singing, which they practice
when they are by themselves, and which
they do because they feel like it, is evil
IDENTIFY a traditional descent from that
which Mungo Park describes as having
heard in Africa years ago. 1t is a sort of
union of singing any rythmic movement,
of solemn and serious character, and
conducted With perfect time. The breth-
rem formed ring outside the altar, the
sisters began to form into line, while the
voice struck up o wild, peculiar air, and
the first sister in the female procession
shook hands with the first brother, sing
ing the chorus, and concluding with q
short courtesy; and then passing on to
the next, repeated the same. Soon there
was seen double file of these men and
women moving and singing, and shak-
ing hands, and courtesying, all In the
most exact time and with the most
solemn gravity. The airs were Wild and
full of spirtAthe words simple and often
TtDtaltu. DOUiC Vi tIlCiIl Il EcC6li
"We'll camp awhile in de Wilderness Z
.'' In de wilderness, g. t'l.fi& 5 .E.lN' =.
In de wilderness, -ii3 -rd .,ail,.. u
Wen camp awhile in de wilderness,
And den wen all go home. |" ih's n
Or this; ,t..~ t..,. ~
"Iwant to climb up Jacobs ladder.
Jacobs ladder, 'Hti4FT 90 '
Jacobs ladder, ttTsi1 mi p-iE -.
il i want 10 climb up Jacobs ladder; 4,
But cannot do 1t till I've A. - - I'D
"a Made my peace wild de Lord, "I 1'h4
i'-t 9N Den Pl praise Him, ',i,IG .-iftld -'
|uUurg Den IN praise Him. } y,.,sF t' 4
80. I'll praise Him till die, - 90
And sing Jerusalem" - "' vi
Some are even more peculiar. There
is one beginnings: t...,,
Who's dat a standin' dere7 ''
80 Who's dat q standin' deref N1-btaJfu p
o, it's General Jesus, 10
It's General Jesus;
I'll praise Him till die. 39l Isl -
Very soon there was rythmicaf col
umn extending up one aisle, down the
other and slowly moving out of the house
at one end. The singing was kept up
|. till every member of the congregation
had taken their turn and 80 passed out.
When the fervor was at its hight, the
wild commingling Of yoices, the rythmic-