The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-02-19
ELECTION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

damnaDle system! l think 1t is.
ELECTION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
And that was my opinion before the
| war, yet l would not call myself an Abo-
litionist.
The election of Abraham Lincoln
brought matters to a crisis. The time for
discussion had passed. By special invi-
ia ton / had promised to pass a portion
of the Winter of 1S60'61 in the city of
day-school and Young Mems Christian
Association interests. My host was a
prominent citizen of New Orleans. q warm
personal friend of Henry Clay. When
the result of the Presidential election was
known, lie wrote me long letter, saying
that of course it would not do for me
to visit New Orleans as l had proposed
as social intercourse between the North
and the South was now practically out Of
| the question. Then he spoke bitterly 1l
the "Black Republican" party, and of his
idea of its destructive purposes, closing
| with challenge to me to point to any
single verse in the entire Bible which dis.
tinctly forbade human slavery.
| l replied briefly, that / realized that q
| visit to New Orleans just then would be
impra cticable, but that did not care to
discuss politics. As, however, he had
challenged me to name a verse forbidding
human slavery, / would answer frankly
that / could not point to any verse in the
Bible, which taken by itself. and in view
of its context, squarely forbade slavery
polygamy, or winedrinking: yet, on the
other hand, I found no single verse ex.
pressly commanding any one of those
| practices; therefore, as at present ad.
vised. as q matter of choice and in the
exercise of sound Christian discretion,
should have but one wife, no "nigger,
and drink cold water.
COMMANDMENT OF FORT SUMTER.
Just after this came the arousing Of
the North by the bOmbardment of Fort
Sumter, and the long war was open. Most
of those who volunteered in defense of the
Government had no thought of the de
struction of slavery. They were ready
to do or to die for the reestablishing OF
National authority. But however they
felt at the opening of the war, the rela
ton of slavery and Shareholders to the
Federal Government was totally changed
by the new state of affairs. Slaves escap
ing through the lines northward were de
clared "contraba of war;" and there
fore not to be restored to their hostile
masters. Slavery came to be seen by the
army as it actually was, instead of as il
had been pictured by its defenders ant
apologists. The whole North was stead
lily educated to a higher standard on tn,
slavery question.
John Browns body lies a-moldering in tn,
grave,
His soul goes marching on.
CONDITIONS IN THE SOUTH AS SEEN b,
SOLDIERS.
One Of my neighbors, an officer in thu
regiment of which l was later the Chap
lain, and in which / was his tent-mat,
and devoted friend, gave this inciden
from his early experiences in North Caro-
lima, which greatly impressed me:
Il was in a negro house yesterday, ant
had some conversation with the inmates
had ever had children sold away from
! her. Sold! dey all sold! chil'en an gran
chiren an .great,,gran'chil'en-dey. sci
eb'ry onev She clasped her bony hand
over her head. and looked up at me u
she spoke. Dere was one-de las one
} de on'y gran'chile l did hab lef'. Fl
nebcr knowed his nanny. l took hin
when he dat little. | bringed him up t
gran'chile; may I keep him, keep hin
bout heahY An he say. II don't car
what you do wild him." So take him
he dat little. Den one mornin', when h
II rolled up in blanket tween by knees
sold;" an dey take him way! o Lor
5 Jesus. help me pray!
Another conservative friend. an Office
In that same regiment, wrote me, abou
D the same time, of his experiences wit
the North Carolina slaves. in this way:
q "What shall l say of the darkies P
I these poor people, with whom we mus
t now deal, for we cannot get rid of then
. Every day they swarm in upon US, bring
I ing strange stories of fright and figt
2 on the part of their masters. and full q
u strange hopes and expectations for them
. selves. What words will describe tina
r compound of cunning and simplicity, @
! mistrust and faith, of virtue and vice. q
t wisdom and folly. of which the Souther
. niger is made! Here they are, all obs
quiousness. all curiosity, and all expecta
s tion. full of wild dreams of deliverance
salvation: full of faith that their prayer
. are answered.