St. Landry democrat., 1880-03-20
4 Slaves Prayer.
ITS WONDERFUL EFFICACY IN CHANGING
TIE LIVES OF HIS MASTER AND
MISTRESS.

tSt. Joseph iAIo) GazetteI
Not long since an old gentleman O.
Harrison county, Ky, was gathered te
his fathers, attcr having attained the age
OF - years. A notice of the old gentle.
mans death was mailed to some ole
friends III this city, and they, Of course
had great deal to say about the life ant
character OF their deceased friend. The
circumstances OF the old gentleman,
death recalled to their minds very
remarkable incident i'll his career, and
we have been Fortunate enough to obtain
the particulars connected Herewith
The truth of the story we can heartily
vOuch for, because it comes from a
source perfectly reliable We give it to
show how it sometimes happens that
the current of a mans life is changed
almost In the tWinkling of an eye, as it
were, and to illustrate the efficacy OF
prayer.
he circumstance occurred when the
gentleman referred to was comparatively
a young man and completely worldly in
the tluest sense of the word. Neither
himself nor his wife We're members OF
any church, and up to the time men
toned had never given the subject of
religion any serious thought. He was a
prosperous farmer, and, as civil war had
not desOlated the land and changed the
condition OF the peculiar institution -
| or course owned Il. number of slaves
Among the number WAS Il colored man
named Jacob, who was known to be a
very plous man, and whose mind dwelt
a great deal on the great truths revealed
in the Bible, but he had to conform to
the discipline which all slaves were
| subjected to in those days, and his mas
ter was a man of violent temper and
| unreasonable p,ejudices. One evening
Jacob came in from his work, and his
master beng III Il very ugly frame OF
mind, objected to something he had
done, and chastised him severely tor it.
Jacob received the chastisement meekiy,
and went away without Il word of
complaint and attended to his usual
duties. The next morning he got M
looking very solemn and troubled in his
mind, and refused to eat any breakfast,
1t was such an unusual thing for him to
refuse to eat his master concluded that
he was "sulklng" and expressed the
opinion to his wife that he had not been
severe enough with him the night
before. He therefore concluded to
watch Jacob, and if he saw more signs Of
"sulkiness," as lie called it, he womb
chastise him again. He ate his break
fast and walked out to see what Jacob
Was dong, but at first could not find
him. Finally he went near the orn-c,jb
intending to throw a few ears OF corn IN
some calves in the lot, and lust as he
started to open the door he heard q
voice and paused to listen Then he
discovered that it was Jacobs voice,
and being curious to know what the
former had to say, remained motlouIess.
After listening to the voice a few mo-
ments he was seized with amazempnt.
for Jacob was praying for the master
who had such Il short time before
Wron&fully punished him. It was a
pathetic appeal, liz Il of humble simpli- |
city, and a grand unseliisnness. The |
burden of it was that the good Lord |
would pardon the high tempered master
for the wrong he had done his slave.
and that He would ill his heart with a
love for the true, the beautiful and the
good DO not judge my poor sinful
master for his wrong to me-" said this
loWly slave, but teach him tie error of
his ways and bring him to Thy feet.
and save him from himself" "If T'hon
wilt bat teach him" he continued. 40
feel as | do whenever [ hear the story
of the sutterins OF Thy son on Calvary's
cross, will not complain of his treat
ment OF me-"
Then he prayed for his mistress, and
asked God to forgive her and show her
the joys Of an humble Christian life.
Not one word did he utter for himself.
but the end of his prayer was, Forgive
them, forgive them"
Subsequent events proved that Jacobs
0"iy prayer assembled straight to the
Throne OF Almighty God, for both his
master and his mistress became chaooed
beings from that time until their death.
AS soon as the prayer was finished the
master slipped away and wandered over
lis farm for hours, his heart being dis
,urbed by emotions it had never felt
before. In the afternoon he repaired TO
he house, and his wife was thunder ,
struck at the wonderful change in his ;;
appearance and his actions: that
naughty, oVerbearing look, peculiar TO ,
himself, was gone, and was replaced bv l
me of humble resignation.
His wife could only ask: civilian. I
What on earth has come over you ?D $
Ills reply was Mary, | have inhu- i
manly chastised an angel, for Jacob is I
ureiy one OF them" Then he told her
III, and she became almost as much af- !
ected as her husband. The result was {
hat they connected themselves with t
iio A'dp'lou bHultI5 anu UeCanc noted t
or their Christian virtues. Wherever !
hey were known their upright walk in =
;tfe and their noble charities were sub t
ects of general remark, aud they we're a
ways pointed to as living evidences of e
he wonderful power Of Gods redeem a
lg grace. b
1t is hardly necessary for us to say V
hat Jacob was never chastised again, il
lis master often remarked afterward b
nat he would almost as soon think of h
trlking the Almighty Himself as Jacob. d
There was never another misunder- a
landing between Jacob and his master q
nd mistress. He would not receive his t,
'eedom, for he said he wished to live c
nd die on the old homestead. d
We can assure our readers that this is s,
0 fancy sketch. We have given the b
DRY just as it was told to us by one W
he knows it to be true and whose e:
ord has been never questioned. b.
A MECHANICAL WATCH-DoG-Tha l.;
e greatest Ingenuity shnuld ha die III