The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-12-16
THE CIRCULATION OF TIE "DIsPATCH,,
Is LARGER THAN THE COMBINED C1RcU.
LATIoS oF ALL THE OTHER DAILY NEWS.
PAPERS OF THIS CITY. r.g-.- -fR~r;
Correspondence Of the Boston Advertiser.
A WEEK IN RICHMOND.
SERVICES IN A NEGRO CHURCH-JEFF.
DAVIs's CHURCH-vISIT TO A TOBACCO
FACToRY--THE EXCURSION TO PETERS
BURG. s,,-.-......

coiored man was acting as superintendent,
and as soon as we were comfortably seated
ne gave out the closing hymn, which was
sung to the tune Of Glory, Hallelujah." A
young girl presided at the cabinet organ,
snd led the music very nicely. With very
little delay the congregation was seated for
the regular services. About the pulpit were
arranged q half-score Of the deacons, the
other two-thirds of these officers, as we after
wards learned, being at the time in the base
ment of the church deliberating on the
business affairs of the Society. The services
were opened by hymn, in which the whole
congregation Joined. No instrument was
used, but the sin ging was led by choir of
| six or eight men and one woman, who occu-
pied n gallery at the rear of the church. The
pastor of the church then read, with
much difficulty and not a little stun
bling over proper names, the sixth chapter
of Acts, describing the choice of the first
deacons. Itseems that it had been decided
to elect another deacon, as the present num-
Der of thirty was found to be too small to
serve this great congregation of four thou
sand souls, Most Of the services, and espe-
cially the informal address of the pastor,
were appropriate to the occasion. A prayer
was offered in very fervent manner by a
young brother, who was exceedingly fluent
and used excellent language, notwithstand-
luS SuCu elioIs ds Iills we pray uHlo
Thee with uplifted hands and outstretch-
ened arms" and the invariabie elision
of the first syllable of such words as re-
member-a characteristic of nearly all the
negro race, l believe. The officiating cler.
gyman gave no sermon. in the common
understanding of that word. He spoke at
some length ON the Importance of the dea-
cons work, and gave an excellent sketch
of the qualifications proper for such q
church officer but the principal part OF
his address was based on the presence of so
many strangers of the white race. 1t was,
therefore, entirely unprepared, and gave a
very good specimen Of his powers Of Ian
guage; and 1t is due to him to say that he
spoke easily and fluently. Some Of the de-
tails of his history were quite interesting.
He was slave, and at the close Of the
war was only able to read with great diff
Guilty and to write little. He was
chosen pastor Of the church, not for his
acquirements, but because of his pro-
mise as a preacher, and on an agree
ment that he would attend school and
obtain as good an education as he
could. In conformity with this plan he
now, at the age Of forGy-tour years, trudges
to school five days in the week with his
satchel of books on his shoulder. Some
times" he said, "the little boys ten years
old, who are going to school. and are about
as well educated as ] am, stop me iii the
street and laugh at me. DO you go to
school, uncle p they say. / tell them yes.
When was a little boy and young man,
your fathers cheated me out of my learning,
and now in my old age I have to 60 to school
to make it up.'" He eXhorted the members
of the church to choose an humble man for a
deacon. The example of true humility
which this modest preacher showed IN bis
confession of ignorance and his desire to
learn, so as to preach the Word more ettec-
lively, l. thought an admirable practical
lesson in the same direction. ..r
In the evening most of the Boston gentle
men attended the same church to witness
the ordination Of negro preacher, and
found it q very interesting ceremony. l
chose to attend service at St. PauPs Episco-
pal church, made famous by being the
church where JEFF. Davis was quietly lis
tening to morning prayer when he was
rudely aroused and called away on that
April Sunday morning of 1865, when the
Confederate Government left Richmond
forever, to become fugitive in the land.
The number present last Sunday evening
was very smal--only twenty-five In very
large audience-room-and all was chill and
dreary but the admirable discourse preach
ed by the Rev. DR.. Minnigerode. The Or
gan was silent, and the singing was led by
the Rev. Doctor himself. A single female
voice supported the air, and few tenors
and basses gave superabundant ground.
work for the harmony. The weather was
very bad, which doubtless accounts for the
slim attendance.
Yesterday morning, by the invitation OF
former citizen of Boston, an officer OF the
Union army who has taken a southern wife
and settled down here in business, a party
Of us visited large tobacco factory in full
operation. The only things particularly
worthy of notice in the mechanical line
were two new machines, one for pressing
the tobacco by hydraulic power, and the
other labor-saving machine tor pressing
and cutting the plugs ready for covering
The latter is great saver OF the hand Worb
But it is worth while to remark that five co
lored men and boys found occupation II
running the machine, whereas at the Nortl
certainly not more than two would be re-
uuired. In the large room where the same
process, with the addition of stripping and
covering, is carried on, there were proba
bly from seventy-fve to one hundred CO
| lored persons of all ages and both sexes al
work. BY request of the gentleman who
showed us about they gave us one OF then
| songs religious anthem with fusIt
movements The voices were very strong
and clear and fresh, the parts were wei
sustained, and the whole effect OF the music
remarkably pleasing. The precision OF the
| time was Wonderful, and this notwithstand.
ing the fact that the hands of the singer;
were employed at work in which 1t was
| impossible to beat time or to depend upon
anv aid but that of the ear. The mer
are paid by the amount of work done, anC
we were told that some of the hands earl
| from sixty to eighty dollars month. Ii
is pleasant to notice that in the room fol
packing the fine-cut smoking tobacco large
number of white girls, OF respectable ap;
pearance, and we were told also OF gooc
character, are employed and earn goo9o
wages. While upon the supJecG OF Worh
and wages, some facts drawn trom d negro
brakeman on the railroad between Ken
mond and Aqua creek are interesting
| He said that farm hands in that region are
paid eight dollars a month and "founu.'
tie had very much better place, receiving
| thirty dollars month, and was looked vi
| to with envy by his less fortunate coloreC
brethren. IN reply to further inquiry as te
what the item Of being stfoundS' was wortn
he said that the price of board for such a:
he was about six dollars month.
Our visit to Petersburg to-day has been
very pleasant occasion. The excursion wa:
as free as possible, no tickets being calleG
for from. the time we started, at 8 o'clocs
this morning, until our arrival in Rlchmont
again tonight. And yet the day has IN
cfuded q four hours sail by the Old Domln q
| ion Steamship Line, and a breakfast witt
champagne) on board; q ride by the car
| from City Point to Petersburg, dlnne!
with champagns) at the hotel, and twehe! !, =
miles ride back to Richmond by anothe.
- = 4 4 1J,an tfhat nv, which we entered
Pstersburg: W Nevertheless / am told tha
nrobably not half dozen persons no
Entitled to the festivities /, have lparti
eaAaS c.,nI, fnith In tha honesty of thI