Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-10-09
Original Sin.
A DISCOURSE BY A NEGRO PREA CHER.

pike, in Greene county, there is rude
booth, or tabernacle of boughs, laid
upon fence rails to form shelter from
the sun, beneath which are number
of poles and logs used as benches for
the people, and, facing them, a rude
stand for the preachers. Ashly Nc.
Guire was one of these preachers, and
was very justly esteemed among them
as a faithful and fearless servant of
his Master. His integrity rendered
him unpopular where he lived, and he
was, therefore, always ready for dis
tant excursions to districts where his
presence was hailed as treat to those
who enjoyed his wit, and were instruc-
ted by his stores of Biblical wisdom.
His mode of travel was to set out
with staff in one hand, and in the
other small bundle that contained
an extra shirt, handkerchief, and
cravat. With these he would often
be absent on tour of two months,
and several hundred miles. On the
occasion that | wish to detail, his sub
ject was "Original Sin," and his text
was, "The fathers have eaten sour
grapes; the children's teeth are set on
edge
Out wild dat idea of yours, you
child Of Belial; out wild him! Fer !
sees him in your eye, and dar be one
here in de midst of dis solemn om-
bsembly dat sees him in your black
heart %, merciful God! dar is a man
in dis presence dat says in his heart
dat de Lord done gone damned him
to de fires of hell, cause his proto-
genitor, de great Adam, stole de fruit
Of his Masters garden. Here there
arose general noise of appreciation,
and the old men and women shouted
"Hallelujar!" and the preacher gave
an emphatic "Amen. VI Dat is it what
| am arter; Use jist got dat ar sarpint
by its tail, ond pulled him out of his
hole, whar he hides hisself whensoever
he hears de foot falls of de sarvants of
de Lord; and when as we goes by,
why, you see, he jist comes out of his
hiding-place agan, and am ready to
pisen de little children wild his venom.
Brudderin! ! let us kill dat ar venomous
beast, and presarve his skin, dat de
memory of dis days sarvice be mongst
the discomftments of dat redeeming
grace dat says, "Out of de mouth Of
de babe, and from de broken babble
Of de breast child, de Lord will still de
enemy and de avenger, dat de praise
and de glory mought be his own
DAY tell me dar is land great
way off, and dar was in dat land, a
long time ago, certain Welshman,
named Pelagasian. Now dis old
Welshman, he done gone travel a
great way to put his fist in de face of
man in Africa, dats whar day say
we come from, and his name was Gus,
or Gustin! and he ses, 81 dar you to
fight me on dat ar subject" Now l
reckon dat ar Pelagasian cum to Africa
cause he knowed dat war a sore sub
.ect wild de black mans ancestry, dat
ar 'riginal sin of father Ham, whose
sour grapes set our teeth on edge.
Howsomever, .jist give me time, and l
will show you dat he did not know
nudin about it.
In de fust place, what am aborigin-
al sin? Dis Welshman mistook it.
He thinks dat it be de transgressum of
de law: and that am de pint, when
his uncircumcised heart put him on de
wrong track. 1t am no slch circum-
stance. Cause hom can a breast child
transgress de law, when il knows no
law? And how can the Africans, in
dat ar land we come from, how can de
headens transgress laws dat is not re-
vealed to dem sort of people?
'And if dey has laws written on de
feshly tables of dar hearts, dat circum
stance would not be aboriginal sin
it would be willful sin, which is fact
not to our present purposes. What
is it? Why, it is no transgressum of
no sort whatsumever. 1t is like a
rattlesnake dat Jim Brown catched
and put in tin bucket, and toted
hum; and his father, he Gums hum,
and he seed de snake, and he seed the
children all round it, counting de rat
ties, and poking at it wild sticks, and
he ups and kills it; and he cuts off