The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-02
NANNY.
a Eeuder Hkctch OF nn OLD Familiar. BY
... james d. Cable.

| ~ -" VIA u
james Il. Cable,
The Cnnen.
Across fields Of departed time; owe
sheavea Of experience rlpo for the winnos
Ing; past aeecy, bursting bollu Of libert,
unity and peace, voice floas and soa.
and quayers to the measure OF hymn,
saAlong the path up from tho llslds an,
leading to "thc quarter" an old negres
trudges, singing that old.time hymn.
A form Of generous proportions; a fac,
black, glossy and radiant from relecte,
contentment within; eyes keen, yet kindly
Hurmoun,iDg all q Madras ke.chiei. folded
and wrapped turban.like over her kink,
hair, rainbow in cloth, the pride and de
light OF her who wears -it-ihis 10 MANN,
as the eye greels her.
Almost constantly singing, her songs art
the hymns Of her church, wild, rude, simple
yet MISUNDERSTANDING, ecg,atic. Some
times they begin with a sort OF intoaed
solilequy or half meditation, gathering tone
after tone as Of other voices Joining. Then
all concentrate in few distinct notes and
rise In n rapid creaccndo TO the hjyhrst
pitch OF tervor, tho utterance Of rapture
tue whole prayer and the ecs,scv OF
speedy answer, or the mediation Of s;lnple
faith and tho resulting, exaltirv view 81
things celestial. :
Again, these hymns Of hers open as in
solemn consultation, from which pscanp
occasional notes ofgIsdness. These, grow.
ing frequent, uni,ein chorus Of lauda,ion
then aink, diminish and pass away MICA
company Of woIshtpers after glimpse at
the Holy Of Holes.
The words are but as the cords round
which .wetwins our MISUNDERSTANDING
while bound to it.
Some OF these hymns are sung TO tlay by
trained and cultured voices, bus The swing.
the whirl, the happy abandon, the match.
less lntonations aud calencps, the count
lees, ncver.repeated notes OF her own in.
Production, We shall never hear egain, The
Nanny OF our childhood has passed away
forever. -
But she IVES no mere eonester on the
lealy, swinging bow Of idleness. In all
the forms OF domestic usefulness, she was
skilled and potent. Dexttrous in the pro.
duetion Of culinary wonders, versad in the
merits Of remedies and p4naceas, she shoue
brightest at the bedside of aggravated
suffering; so that when the pestisnce
stalked abroad, dciying the physjcian's
skill ard unheeding the breaking of kin.
dred hearts, Mammy..was sought on every
side, and many were the eyes that bright
ened in company with lips that smiled a
blessing on her transformations. untiripp,
healing ministries.
Her, very work. humble, servile, har-
ves!less 70 her, was wrought in loving iidel.
ity to Him who said, "ln such m hour as
ye think not, your Lord cosetb."
u, thou awful vet gentle Cool In the dsy
and hour We thought not, Thou, who vert
her Lord, and ours, caines:; 70 that wa OF
all this land in gladness OF heart shout nov:
No mora tho tsttle'B Jin assaiis our esr.,
Nor blgot doOils Als women to ,he H3mes:
No more The iel1ctei slave III bit Ct tears,
ffoclaims his tso1y, aEati3n's shant!
Her appellasiou, originating with her
own Offspring, and the black and yellow
urchius Of her fellows was, eventually,
adopted by the little onse, and even the
seniors, oil the lair.skinned and dominant
race, expelling from their minds all ether
titles OF designation, until it became more
than mere name; for, in our hearts, she
IVES mother, second only TO her whom
none other on earth can rival.
Yet she Was alave! She who opened
tho portals Of iiia TO many OF us; abe who
with loving zeal, stayed our hn.terina
breath, she " no guided cur initial foot.
steps, who, with outburets OF joyful amszs
ment, noted each epoch Of our inisulila
progress into mysteries Of bvinp: who
taught gs all tho delightful horrors Of
!alry.land and Voudou nominations; who
with the froth and foam Of restricted con.
cession, held privileged sway over nursery
household, and quarter all these, and a
slave! Ghastly contradiction. -
For that ''peculiYr institution" which
made possible such relation amid such
surroundings, no defence is to BIZ made,
Odious as it wss, it is little to say it WIS pot
without extenuation. Piliable, indeed, il
our case, when such is our best reply. Ye;
in this, the chiefest was The mitigating lie
Of mutual affection, which, long obscnred
well.nigh concealed that other-unyield
ing, hopeless bondage.
The b!az9 OF civilization and cnliehten.
ment which pretended TO beauty hel
bonds was but the lurid glare OF Vesu.
vious burying her deeper and deeper be.
meath lis soaring eshes.
To her tho key OF knowledge hung be.
side that OF her masters plate-cioset, never
to DO touched by hands blackened by the
crime OF helplessness. D r.
That hand, lifted ut last in piteous SIP
pllcation 10 the God OF Egypt and Csaean,
phut out the light Of our heaven-lhe bur.
ricane OF battle whirled and beat, and
crashed upon us--aud we fell prone before
the Maker Of all flesh.
Yet, after time the hand was lower.
Ell; the storm ceaeed; heavens cheering
beams descended once ; more. Peaca
touched us with her gentle hand; and,
lifting our bawjllerad hesda, We looked
abroad upon land OF absolute freedom.
Bat the thunderbolt which shattered the
letters Of the slave, wrought another shat.
tNring. In tla crush and Crime OF battle,
the entity Of Nanny passed away.
Def fingers have spread her image upon
canvass, where 1t smiles on US only in
benson. Memory huga tender reeollec.
tiors Of her lovingly 10 her breast; won.
dering little ONES listen to tales OF what she
was. And that is all. Here and there we
sec some on whom portion other spirit
fell, but Mammy-our alammy-is no
mora ,|sa. n..,' I".. ..r .H u"