The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-11
Idol Worship in Massachusetts.

1t seems that the negroes in the
Gulf settlement. near here, are a lazy,
ignorant set, whose ideas of the laws of
measp ct tatnn are not practically APP
piled to chicken roosts and clothes lines.
The Sabbath bells of not less than six
churches can be heard in thevalley, and
there are sehool-holtses within a little
more than mile; but education and
religion are alike strange to the people.
Somebody Carlyle, Is ftp says: ''Man's
most natural want is religion" The
negroes of the Gull, not having any.
thing in this line provided for them by
the good Christians of the town, made
their own provision. Gabriel Hoose
was the instrument OF the sdispensation.
Gabriel, son of Amaziah, was boy of
seven when the civil war broke out, but
by well-turned falsehood he represented
his age as twelve, and went South as
waiter for an officer, General Henry S.
Briggs, | think. Perhaps because of
his youth, and certainly for some good
reason, the officer left the lad in Lou
isiana town There the boy grew to
manhood, working in q restaurant. and
forgetting all about the Gull. Two
wears ago he married Celestial, the daugh-
ter of a Voudou priest" woman ten
years his senior. The bridegroom told
of the goddess Gulf, and the bride list
ened in horror. She saw that there was
i chance to convert the Gulfites to YOU
d6uism, and the husband readily came
to belieyeAthat there were millions in
the idea This modern Rachel stole
the god Of her fathers, and fed with her
husband The stelensietel~za veritable
brazen ifnage-had been an object of
Voudou worship. and the father and
priest lost no time ID pursuing the rum
always with search warrant. The part
of Rachel was well played. Celestia
had taken the image and literally ''sat
upon Il, having it hidden in her ample
hustle. The old man searched, but
in vain. Safely the image was
brought TO Massachusetts. With
all due gusto the newly-arrived
pair proclaimed superiority to COM
mon Gulfites, and after telling of the
wonderful wealth and Social attainment
of the Voudous of the South, they con-
descendingly. informed their hearers
that the same ease and prosperity might
bless the Gulf if they would but, adopt
Voudouism. The Gulfites heard with
wide-open eyes and signifed their desire
for prosperity forthwith. A meeting of
all interested was called by the returned
prodigal. Meanwhile that worthy and
his wife had elaborated the Voudouism
| of the South to more especially suit the
Gulf negroes, and in accordance with
Yankee ideas 'of thrift. The meeting
followed, and Aunt Celestia's god,
..Eomny," was received as the god of
| the Gulf For six months or more the
poor, superstitious negroes have ac-
tually worshipped bona-fide craven
image. Shades of Puritanism, Cotton
Mather and Jonathan Edwards, think
of this in Massachusetts town!
'.But, Ms. Hoose," I said. "what
good does this deception do youe"
/ ''Mum, said the old crone, "a faint
'cepti N, an it does rs heaps o good!''
John asked TO see the IDIOT Inc
woman protested that no white person
had ever seen it, but because that John
had seen something Of Voudouism in
| the South she consented, and, produc-
ing an old and greasy candle-box, she
! INDUCED in series of genuflexions and
mumblings over the cover. Then she
brought forth from the box tarn-
ished, bIackened image Of woman,
round-faced and almost featureless,
1 with very long arms and ample
drapery. The metal may have beer
bronze or brass. and the thing seems
to have been cast in mould. i
was not hideolls, like the idols d
which we read. nor was it much
4 like the images Of modern times
figures on soldiers monuments. statues
and the like. I did not touch the thing
but it seemed like d chunk Of meta
fashioned in the aemblanee Of woman
! "Dis is our god Eomny'r' the erons
chuckled, in sort of hideous exultation
patting the god on its back, ant
then solemnly restoring it to its box.
ssGreat heavenslp said my husband
.Do you mean to say That you AMI
Others worship that thingpa