The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-05-24
AMONa TEE FLoRIDA NEGROES.
L etter from Harriet Beecher Stowe.

! WISH the meSlluS Ol the COioFeG people,
thing quite easy to do. as there. were
two very large active praeyr meetings.
the one Baptist and the other Methodist
--wilhin stones throw of each other
on The green, which forms a scrL OF GEN.
ira! point in the place We entered aud
found very plain but respectable room,
almost flied with the WorshiDers, with a
pulpit and raised platform at end
The greater proportion we're the pure,
jet black, unmixsd Ethiopian-the ad
mixture of iigher tints much less than
We have often seen. The women, espe-
cially the elder ones. appeared in the char
acteristic turban, which is so becoming,
| and were dressed with serupulous neat
ness. An ancient negSess, attired in
her Sunday best, with her high urban.
her apron, her neatly crossed handker-
chief, has something weird and sibylIine
10 her blacsness and gravity, and there
were rows OF these dark sisters sitting,
like solemn birds ofaugury, on the bench
es round the pulpit. A black preacher
and exhorter occupied the desk in front
OF the pulpit, and two grave. white head
ed old negroes sat above him in the shad
oW of the dimly lighted pulpit. The ex
orter stumbled through a chapter Of the
sermon on the Administering painfully
and with slow pauses, but with most earn
est devotion, and then be exhorteG and
prayed. After this, Rev. Mr.. Kennedy
offered a few remarks and prayer. l no
uced that the weird sisters In the turbans
paid the most absorbed attention, and
when any speaker made a point that
struck them, would nod their heads with
gravity and murmur, Oats So" In
the singing, however, everybody seemed
to Vibrate as if they had ali been struck
by a musical accord. There was rhvth-
mlcal movement of the heads hands
and feet OF the whole mass, and it SEEM
ed difficult to restrain more responsive
actions. We had expressed the desire to
hear them sing some of their own peculiar
religious melodies in their own way. The
fact ls, the negroes have two entirely dis
tinct styles of singing; one closely 3n6ita-
ted from the white people, which is sol.
emn, dull and nasal Consisting in repeat;
lug TWO lines OF hymn, and then sing
ing II, and then two more, Gdinfuituna
They use for this sort of worship that
one everlasting melody, which may be
remembered By all persons familiar with
Western and Southern camp meetings, as
applying equally well TO long short or com
mon mete. This style of proceeding
they evidently consider the more dignitied |
style. OF the Two, as being a closer imI
TALON OF white, genteel Worship-having
10 II about as little soul as most stereo:yp
ed religious forms of we'll instructed con
The other style OF singing.
which they practice when they are by
themselves, and which they do because
they feel like it, is evidently a traditional
descent from that which Mungo Park de
scrlbes as having heard 10 Africa years
ago. 1t Is sort of union of singing and
rhythmic movement, of solemn and
serious character, and conducted with
perfect time. The brethren form a ring
outside the altar, the sisters began to form
into line, while the voice struck I'D
wild, peculiar air. and the first sister in
the female procession shook hands with
the first brother, singing the chorus and
concluding With a short courtesy; and
then, passing on to the next, repeated the
same. Soon there was seen double file
of these men aud women, moving and
singing, and shaking hands and courtes
sying, all ia the most exact time and with
the most solemn gravity. The airs were
wild and full of spiIit-the words sim
pie and often repeated. Some of them
recall .r 81
Wen camp a while in de wildern ess,
In de wilderness,
In de wilderness,
Wen camp awhile in de wilderness,
And den Wen all go home.
Or this: ...-.-.f
1 want to climb up Jacobs ladder,
Jacobs ladder, ..-, .-...-s
jacobs ladder,
I want 10 climb up Jacobs ladder;
But cannot do it till I've ZOOS
Made my peace wild de Lord.
Den i ii praise Him.
Den I'll praise Him
I'll praise Him till l die, poe
And sing Jerusalem -l ..
a.. Some are even more peculiar. There
is one beginning: O. lsa
Who's dat standing dere? -s7 .a
Who's dat a standing dere? ss=r-T 81
O,it's General Jesus, -
It's General Jesus, /
III praise Him till die
Very soon there was a rhythmicaI col,
umn extending up one isle 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, so passed out. When
The ferver was at its height the wild com
mingHng OF voices, the rhythmical
movement of turbaned heads, the sense
of time aud tuue that eeemed to pervade
the whole procession was quite wonderful.
All this while the Two old preachers sat
back 10 the shadows of the pulpit, black |
aud unmoyed as the ma,bie statues ct
MemnOn. 10 Egyptian museums.ao Il was
really most curious sight. Tue negroes
cannot be English or American; : they are
a7ferven tropical growth. Just htted for
these warm sunny elInes. = Boston
RatchDsan and Reflector. - ~ =
A singular statement is going the
rounds that not. long since an American .
artist wrote TO Nj. RuskiH for advice aLoa
the subject of art. The eminent EGG
lish critic. who doubtless has, bad ten
readers in the Northern States for one i a.
any other. part of the world. replied in a
manner that seriously tries oar confidence
IN bis Judgment sudsincerilY. The bar
barous manner in Rhich the people of the /,
North, be wrote, bad conducted the var
upon the Souhern people and their pa tEjirl
Harchsl institutions had utterly DESTROYED