The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-03-12

MONROviA, THE CAPITAL OF LIBERIA, !
WESTERN AFRICA. !
Mr. Vim. j. Slater, my Beloved Friend:
Now, | have begun another short
letter To you, and to all the white pco-
pie who are living of old masters chill
drcn and grand children. And you are
one of the grand children. And YOU
must hug your father, Master James,
Tor me. If | could see him | would hug
him. And you must hug your wife and
all your children for me. And if your
cousin Finnic is ut your house you must
hug her mother, Miss Charity Ann, for
me. Tell her the last time | saw her it
was in Nashville, and she had three
children, and was living at the st. Cloud
tavern and Master David Scott, her
husband, was so large aud fat he had to
have himself Il chair to sit in. | don't
know what would Happen if | could get
to see them all again in this life. You
tell Miss Charity Ann, who is your
fathers youngest sister, that am liv-
Ing among some Of the largest and fat.
test women, and they only wear Il piece
Of cloth around their hips, and the other
parts are naked. And they eat and use
the Palm oil, which is as red as blood
And the English, and the Germans, and
the Dutch, and the Turks, all. come to
Liberia To get this red oil to eat and to
use Tie same way as you all use lard,
or butter, or meat. And | can make it
as white as tallow by cooking it and
keeping it And it grows ON trees, in
the tops. And | believe star candles
are made of this red oil. because it is
like the star candles saw in America.
Tell Miss Charity Ann that | say |
used to hear it said that the negro is II
strange piece of flesh. But | say the
negroes country is as strange as he is.
| have hccn here some fourteen years
and have not seen any ice. Sometimes
England ships ice to Liberia The trees
are always green. December here is as
pleasant rs May. And it is true tina.
one part of the world does not know
how the other part lives.
Now, it is said that white people can
not live here, but | don't believe it.
There is n white woman teaching The
black native children's school here, and
she is not alone. There are many
whte muldttoes here, Of men and women.
And have seen some of Esqr. James
Sharp's black people here. Tell Mars
James that have seen them, and |
think they live somewhere about Grand
Bossa, what there are of them. And
yon have q Mary Sharp College in VIM
chester, and reckon it must have been
named for the Sharps.
This is a very rich country, but VIC
haze no manufactures Everything
grows without work. There is plenty of
ginger here, and fruits, and fre-wood,
AMI fanny animals, and insects, and
many strange things too tedious to men,
ton, And here, along the Liberia, or,
Western part, everything moves by
main strength not by horsepower, or
ox,powcr, as in other nations. Here
the natives take up their turn and put it
on their heads and wag with it. You
can't tell chem how to do, but you must
do it Yourself and let them see you do
ing it better than they. And they
think they can do it as well as can.
They can talk, but cannot understand
them. and they will not teach he if
they can help it. Yet, some of the i'm
migrants learn to talk like these native
people. And the natives are learning
the English language fast, and believe
that the language of Africa and Ameri-
ca will some day be one.
| want to come and stay year or
two with the people in the United
States. | want to see you all in Ten
nessce, both black and white. am
turning gray in my beard, and | know
that time does not wait on man And
if | could see and talk to my people |
think ! could, with truth and the love
Of God in my heart, persuade them to
come to their native country. cannot
tell you exactly how old am, but your
aunt Mary, who married DR., Finney,
is about my age. Miss Charity Ann
was the youngest Certainly you all
are my people, both black and white
aud | know one thing-that what |
know ! learned from our white people.
And you will ask me "What did they
learn you, sir?" | reply that they
learned me Godlincss, sir, which is worth
more to me than all the world, sir.
And YOU will ask me BILLY, what is
it that you learnt in the house with the
white children Of your old master that
you think so much Off And | answer
That being II waiting-boy in the
houses of the white people, | used to
hear things ! never would have heard
had | been here in Africa. And my
old masters house was open to the
Methodists, and saw Il Bishop. and l
remember his dress, and | saw and
heard much that impressed me, and |
came to Africa, and was IS days on the
sea, and was sick and gave up to die,
and thought | would be thrown into the
sea. But the same hour there came a
voice and said to me "Why seek We
your grave among the dead Notice,
thou, there are no graves among the
Godhead" And not suce then have |
.1,n PA ILL.,. H..