Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-04-29


hide them. So let US have no whited Sc
pulchres, but rather new life in our ma
ton, life which shall help us to count
the right of all men sacred, life which
shall regenerate our politics and cause US
to insist forever On liberty for all men. So
the world may forget the darkness of our
past by reason of the cory that Is dawn
ing on our future. We shall do well to
remember the doctrine of that old patriot,
"He only loves liberty who wishes all
men to be free"
There was the colored secret societies,
too, in the line, and thought of the won.
derful secret brotherhood among the
slaves, by means of which they helped
one another to bear the horrors of their
servitude. Any important fact, any new
danger to one of their race coming to the
ever listening ears of his people, was tod
to him though he were leagues away, and
through all the nights of those dark years
that weird system Of communication was
kept up all over the Southern States, so
that without telegraphs or printing
presses, or even an alphabet, these poor
slaves talked together across counties and
States, sharing in each others sorrows
and cheering each others souls.
And when the war broke out 1t was
often the black men who had the fullest
and earliest information. A slave would
carry the news of Massa Linkum's vic
tories' long way in night; he had
learned to run with heavy tidings, but ne
cauld almost fly when he had such good
news to tell. ~ -rr
Another noticeable thing about the pro-
cession was the prominence given in it
to the Union. There were veteran SOL
diers who fought for the Union, there was
the pageant Of dusky maidens, one for
each State of the Union, there were
Brothers of Union" with their banners,
and along line of carriages full of "Daugh-
tiers of Union" and the flag of the Union
was everywhere in the procession, as was
doubtless an honest and sincere love for
the Union. S. t.
The politics of these people are not
doubtful they believe in liberty and
union they made glorious record to
this effect during the war, and who shall
say they do not now deserve place
among the citizens of the Union2 x Ia
They were our allies everywhere, and
our friends always. A poor fugitive from
would stop and hide, at the sound of ap
preaching footsteps, until convinced that
the stranger was of the same color as the
ask his way" A negro" was to our boys
synonymous with ga friend" and now
that the war is over, let us not be ashamed
to own our friends, to stand by them in
their new relations, and instruct them III
their new duties. They have had train
ing for citizenship which is unequalled /;
they have been taught by torture and
tears what it is to be slave; and they
know, as we never can know, what it is to
be free; and for this reason they are to be
relied upon in the, use OF, the ballot in
time Of peace, or Of the rifle in time of
war. Liberty reinforces itself by making
citizens of the black race, for by instinct
born of sorr they will be true to lib
erty. - "a
And now I think with shame of the
record of some of our own color, as COM
pared with that Of the negro, in the war.
There are men among us who were trail
tors then; whose hearts were with our
enemies in our struggle for life; who did
not thank God for Union victories, or
work and pray for our armies when they
suffered defeat, Yes, white men at the
North have made such a shameful record
for themselves, and yet these men and
some of their i'll hammered sons, had the
effrontery to laugh at that procession, and
scof at the new citizens of the nation.
There was Sunday School in that pro-
cession. Now Sunday School signifies
two things,-religion and education.
The most of us have obtained our re-
ligion by means Of education, but the
black race in this country have been re-
ligious without education. Their faith,
so simple and undying, in spite of genera
tions of waiting for answers to their
prayers, seems to have been special in
spiration of the Spirit of God and their
faith has saved them. Their religion was
wild and full of superstition, but IL was
hearty, and founded upon few simple
truths which they had learned while
some white men read the Bible in their.
hearing. sIb h.
The grace of patience they possessed to
great degree, and for spirit Of forgive
ness under injury, there is nothing in
these days that equals theirs. They have
for centuries prayed for those who perse-
cuted them; when smitten on the cheek
they have turned the other also, crimes
have been committed against them habit
ually and continually which white man
feels justified In avengiug by murder, and
yet they have endured and waited, always
sustained by great trust that Jesus would
send them deliverance. If this were a re-
vengeful people, what horrors would haunt
the dreams of those enemies of this race
by whom they have been SO long out
ragged? They have an occasion for ven
geance that might well make their former
masters tremble; but no one fears them
unless it be certain class of politicians
who are anxious about the effect of the
negro vote upon their prospects for Office.
They are peaceable, because they are
Christians-very ignorant Christians, it
is true-but tried in the furnace and not
found wanting.
And there were the bells ringing out
their Joy at the new era The negro has
always been jolly, happy fellow in spite
of his miseries. A special dispensaion
of Joy and buoyancy of spirit seems by a
merciful Providence to have been given
him, and but for this he must have per-
ished under the weight, of his woes. Hith-
erto, in this nation, bells have rung fol
everybody but hin-now he has chime
of his own. The nation hears it, and good
men rejoice in the sound the world hears
it, and Christendom echoes back the notes
in songs and praises to God for His new
gospel Of liberty; heaven hears 1.-THE
heaven where so many of their sable
brethren found the free land the heaven
where so many of our sons and brothers
went, when they laid down their lives
fighting Gods battles; the heaven where
every eye brightens, and every voice has
a song of Joy at the news of Gods great
work for his other Israel, a race delivered
from slavery, ga nation born at once"
And now at last, at the end of this
stranna line comes old Father Nicn.