New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-02


"ngRer" preacher from "ngger1 hill That
preacher was dear old Father Samuel Snowdon. ona
of tine brightest, wittest and best men, black as ne
was, that ever entered n pulpit. His genius was
not below that of Father TAYLOR, who was also n
preacher to seamen and Methodist; but Of conrse
"ngger" sailors could not worship with white
ones terms of equality in Boston, and
so Father Snowdon found his sphere. His prayers
were full of salt and ~ nautical In their
phraseoogy as those of his white brother The
abotionsts were proud Of him, and MS PRAYER,
were remarkable for their oddly as for their
fcrvOr. / remember that the occasion above re-
ferred TO he prayed thus: o. Lord bless the good
British ship Blizzard, that rescued a cargo Of slaves
the other day on the African coast. Give her a fair
wind Lord, and bring her right into port. And. o
God we pray that that seven-headed. ten-horned
monster, the Colonization Society. may be smitten
through and through with the fiery darts of truth,
and tormented as the whale is between the sword.
fish and the thrasherD
On occasion, however we were TO hays
meeting in the Representatives Hall in
the State House. How it happened that we
got the use of the hall I am not now sure but It
had been granted TO the Colonization Society short
time before, and believe the supplemented conn
try members of the Legislature concluded that We
ought to have it once. just TO make things even At
any rate were to have it, aud 1t thought inn
pOrtaHt that white minister of good standing
should serve as chaplain on the occasion. lt be-
came my duty to procure such an one if possible |
was then the editor Of little paper The Christian
Soldier, which, being devoted to the resistance Of
the then rising heresy Of Unversalsm was in favor
among the evangelical clergy of Boston, with most
of whom was personally acquainted To one after
another of these | went with my plea, only 10 be
met with stern refusal Not one of them could DO
persuaded so far 10 cOunenance an abolition meet
ing as TO pray for II. Last of all went to my dear
friend, the Rev. Amos A. Phelps, pastor of the Pine
Street Church who had but just begun his ministry
In the city. He had been considering the slavery
question, but had not fully made mp his mind what
he ought to do. 1 told him of my ill-luck with tho
older and more conspicuous pastors. and besought
bm to come TO the rescue. He at first declined,
telling me he had just come to struggling
church and was afraid it's prosperity might be en-
dangcred if he should comp with my request.
At length, however, seeing how deeply felt on the
subject, he agreed to my proposal with fear and
trembling. Thecensures bestowed upon him by hs
brethren for thus giving countenance 10 the aboli-
tion movement, led him to deeper reflection upon
the subject, and he soon afterward took his stand
openly as an abolidonist HIS subsequent services
in the cause were invaluable Up TO that time tho
abolitionists had been somewhat puzzled TO find an
exact definition of slavery, by which II would, IN
der all circumstances, be distinguished from any
other human relation institution. Mr. Phelps
was distinguished AS a logcian and when he en-
tered upon the discussion Of the subject ne the
need of definition clear to exclude cavil, aud
after careful study and reflection he hit upon this
Siar9y is the holding Of u human being property.
In all subsequent discussions OF the subject this def
milton, which universally accepted, was of
great value. 1t enabled us to sweep away at once
II whole brood of sophistTies that had sprung from
the cOniOundng of slavery with the relation of pa
rent and child of master and apprentice. of citizen
and magistrate, etc, and to show that the system
was in It's very nature a stu against God and crime
against man. It was taken up by all the antI-sia-
very speakers, who found it would stand every ties,
applied to it, and that it greatly smplied the argu-
ment against slavery. making IT clear to the under
standing of common In the division of 1910,
MrPhepS and myself took opposite sides but never
ceased to love him to be grateful to him for his
labors in the cause and his early death was to me o
painful bereavement He was wont to say that he
| owed his conversion to the antslavery cause to
me. If he was right, then have not lived in
nor been wholly useless to the cause in which 50
much of nv life has been spent; for few men were
more successful than he was in convincing the iudg-
ment and swaying the convictions Of men. As a
lecturer and editor he did noble service
The American Board of Foreign Missions was
then rising into prominence and power, and draw
ing to itself the sympathy and almost idolatrous
reverence of the churches, especially in New-Eng-
land 1t was natural to expect that the men who
were contributing of their wealth TO redeem tho
heather IN the farhest ends of the earth from their
ignorance and deba5ement would be among the
first TO respond to appeal in behalf Of the
heatheniz d aud imbruted slaves at home. But all
such expectations proved vain. The managers Of
the Board were deadly hostile TO the antisiavery
movement from the start The piety of Boston was
subsidized in the interests Of the cotton trade The
champions of the Board appeared TO think that If
the churches should become enlisted in the anti
slavery cause they would cease to feel a proper in'
terest in foreign missions. And 50, while the
churches were constantly reminded of the ignorance
and degradation of the heather abroad, every pains
was taken to conceal excuse the enforced de-
basement of the heather at home. Ii held 10
be a primary duty of the American churches to
send the Bible and the Gospel of Christ TO foreign
nations sitting in darkness and the shadow OF
death but at the same time it was held TO be per-
fectly compatible with Christianity and the teach
ing of the Holy Book to prevent men and
born and living IN America from learning how TO
spell the name Of God. to compel them TO work
without wages under the LASH and to sell them
the auction-block aud put the proceeds the
Lords treasury! Oh. what night Of Ignorance,
delusOn and sin was that from which the anti
slavery movement delivered the American peOpel
-------------