Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-02-11
CHAPTER V.
THE GROWING SENTIMENT.

eacn year, IN tne early tortleS, was
heralded throughout the mountain
country from the Onion river north
ward to the Canada line. His ad-
dresses, freely given, enkindled a
fervent sympathy, set all to think
ing and sowed the seeds of a genu-
inc anti-slavery feeling. The SUBJ
ject became the theme of discussion
at the store, the mill, the shop, the
country tavern and between SER
mons; for in those days there was a
morning sermon and one in the af-
ternoon, and it was fortunate for
the congregation if they were not
more than an hour long. Men rude
in speech with the nasal twang and
syncopation of words, and that dis
regard of LindIey Murray's rules
that are so characteristic of the
Yankee, discussed great principles,
and showed that their thought went
to the core of the problem.
Il tell We what IT'S" said Hunter
John to the miller while waiting for
a grist, That man, Alvan Stewart,
jest capters me when he talks; jest
lissen,. n | cry n laugh. He plays
on me jes' if I was a fiddle or a bass
viol. They say that if he didn't go
abolitionizin' and tryin' to break up
slave-holdin' he could morn cord
up money practicin' law. They say
he could be gov'nor o New York or
senator if he'd only belong to the
biggest perliticle party. There's
more fellers that jines the church
n the biggest party jest to be on
the strong side n be poplar than
you can shake a stick at; but that
ere man Stewart, they amt no
swivel in his backbone. He b'leves
holdin' slaves is a sin, and he's doin'
what he can to free 'em; n he loses
bizness by it, and is shet out from
office holdin', but he's all the bigger
fer it. He's no angleworm crawlin'
and wigglin', but a square up n
down man to do his duty at the cost
O. cash. There's Fullingham, purity
good man, but he's SIGH a vi'lent
whig that he wants to hang all the
dimicrats n aberlishinists. Pat
ri'tism gifts kind o perluted when
We mix it with partyism. I've heerd
revival preachers pictur hell, n I've
heerd political stump speakers tell
how wicked t'other party was. The
stump speakers beat the preachers.
They make out t'other party to be
meaner n old Satan n its rule
wus'n hell. s'pose it's COS the
politishins are spryer n the parsons
in 'maginin' evil"
How'd you like the man who
spoke last night, Baptiste?" asked
the miller of a short, hardy, swarthy,
b la C k curly haired Frenchman,
(known as a 'canuck" in the COLO
quial speech of Vermont) just saun-
tering into the store.
"Oh he was tall man, he look fine,
he make it speech bout de poor
nagur, de slave, make de peoples
cry. | feel one beeg lump in ma
troat, spill some tear all de tam
when hear heem. He make you
laugh and he make you cry, all de
same time tam. He make you shut
up your fist and want for fight de
mans what keep it de slave. |
never hear one man prich so good
like heem. Dey call him de abolig-
mist cos he want to free de slave
Dat de kinder 'ligin t kip; dat Dor
fer me. Mon Dieu -
How did you like the speech
Squire Bowdown?" asked the mer
chant of another neighbor just com
ing in. How did it fit you?"
Fit me? Didn't fit at all. wish
a stop could be put to the everlast
ing bowling of these pesky abolition
lists. They go about the country
tryin' to stir up strife 'twixt the
North and South. It's no business
o. theirn to NEEDLE with the insti
tutions of another state, and | blew,
it's our constitutional dooty to try