The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-08-21
soJouRNKRs JOURNEY.

sOJOURNKRS JOURNEY.
Whist tAs Oh Lady uspss - Aece.pliIA
Out In Kansas.
Pun tt Chi,sp Tina
Sojourner Truth il in this city visiting
her friends. Mr.. and Ms. Ford. At No. y
Fortieth street. She is on her way 10
Kansas. but she will be in the city several
days, and will be glad to have any friends
call.
She is said to be l0S years old. but to
see her ready motions and to hear her con-
versation, makes one doubt this some
what. There Is nothing whatever senile
in her speech; on the other hand she fire.
ouently manifests the enthusiasm Of re-
former of 40 or 80: and her conversation
was born In Clster-county. New York, q
slave, when slavery was still q custom in
New York. The master under whom she
was born was named Ardenburgh. She
is not, herself, certain as to her age; there
are friends of hers and Of her former mas
tiers, Who have determined il by q COM
parison of dates. She is certain Of one
thing, however, that she is very old.
..Rless vonr soui. chile. q" abe said. az vas
borr vben the World vas. Anyhov. ey-
arvtb,pV has come into IL aimee then.
There we're no railroads. or steamboxts. or
taleor.nb. vben I vas horn. There we're
only horses. vaeons. oxen and sloops."
She had Eve children. all of whom were
born slaves, and three Of whom are still
living nj Rattle Creek Mich. where abe
nov lives. The eldest il now IS wears of
aue When Soiourner was in bondage.
and even for some time after. her name
was Isabella. or, as she was called, Belle.
Her last name was always the name Of the
master who owned her. Her present
name she received. she saws, directly from
the Lord. The Lord gave il to her. the
same as he has given so MANY GOOD things
10 the vorld in the bible. The way il
came about was this: After she gained
| her freedom she went 10 New York 10 live,
and there she began to save a little
money from her earnings. She worked
yery hard. so hard. In fact. that il appear
ed az Ii the Lord was LAYING a burden on
| her in punishment for some wrong she had
done. One night when she sas scrubb,ng
on her hands and knees in a house ON
Canal street. and when her lot seemed
hardest. she asked the Lord why it was
that she was so afflicted, and somehow
the answer came 10 her tLat IL vas be-
cause she was becoming miserly, savinr
money. and robbipg the Door. Then she
asked the Lord what he would have her
do. and He told her 10 90 east. She
arose from her knees. packed her clothing
in a pillow case. and by daylight she was
ready TO start. Then il came 10 her that
she was TO have a new name, and that
encouraged her and made her happy.
But what it was 10 be she did not know.
She asked the Lord. but He did not tell
her. When she started il occurred 10 her
that she was a ..iourner." and tina. Jour-
ner was 10 be her new name. She went
ON. and finally came TO the house of a
Quaker lady. where she obtained some
food. The lady asked her name, and she
renlied nv giving her new one. The lady.
Inv inouiyv' learned how she had come
with Il and expressed some distaste for a
name OF but one word. When she left the
house TO continue on her .ay she PRAYED
the Lord 10 give her n name with a han
die 10 IL - Soon the word Truth. " came
N ber and She cried ont .1hat il II So
iourner Truth shall be INV name She
saws tbst she heard the lord delivering
AFT these messages AS plainly ms If he WAS
speakino through n teiepbone.
There is ,omethinp about Soiourne,-
"a she is called by everybody. strancers
and friends alike-that is REGULARLY i'm.
nressive there must b. some reason for n.
that abe a black roman. unable either IN
read or IN write could gain ana hold As
friends snch nersons as Abraham Lincoln
William Llovd Garrison. Parker PHI ,bury'
Susan r.. Anthony and a Thousand other.
Even the hest Of men do NOT re,pect and
treat as an eonaI a pcr.op whom tbev
consider beneath them. Tbe.c persons
knew her not as an oddity. but as afr,cnd.
There is in her manner a dignity of bear
ing. A CONSCIOUSNESS OF worth. a .ebse Of
eauaIity. even IL her skim in black as
n1obt. that commando respect. Her
language is not eloquent, but il is gram
maticaily correct. and she can saw what
she means as well AZ the most learned
college professor. Her hair i. turning
gray. and her step is uncertain. the result.
OF partial paralysis some YEAR, AFRO: but
her manner is earnest, bordering on en-.
tausiasm.
Her sole thought is for the black race.
and her conversation last evening showed
n consideration OF the Question greater
probably than most whites IN the north
can boast. She il on her way 10 Kansas
10 visit old friend.. 10 see the country "a.
saw 30 many years AGO. and L, enoour.oe
the governor in hi, endeayors 10 Aid the
negroes who have come ,hi,ber dur,n0 the
exodus. She has been in that state I,p-
fore. The reader i. familiar with her his
tory as an anti-slayery lecturer before the
var. She smoke in those times in twenty
two states. and Kansas wa, one OF them
Cho a, 80. o,, ~. 80 - 80. -